Now it starts to souind like i am a freak by liking scince-fiction series.
And as oposite to wahaha i don't think that women are more into fantasy , I would say it is still more popular with guys.
About female characters in ST . I agree with werecow. Female characters are more unpredictable. Let's take Seska from Voyager. Who saw that whole betrayal coming/ Not mentioning about that pregnant stuff......When women strike...they strike hard and make the wound run deep.
Other examples : Troi , Crusher , Dr Polanski and B'Elana Toress .I won't say about DS9 cause I haven't seen it yet.