"In the Hands of the Prophets" is the twentieth and final episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Written by Robert Hewitt Wolfe and directed by David Livingston, the episode originally aired in broadcast syndication on June 20, 1993. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures on Deep Space Nine, a space station located near a stable wormhole between the Alpha and Gamma quadrants of the Milky Way Galaxy. In this episode, friction escalates when Bajoran cleric Vedek Winn (Louise Fletcher) arrives on the station and finds Keiko O'Brien (Rosalind Chao) teaching Bajoran children that their gods are wormhole aliens.

The story was originally proposed as a crossover episode with Star Trek: The Next Generation, but this idea was abandoned in favor of ending the season with the same religious theme initially raised in "Emissary", the series premiere. "In the Hands of the Prophets" first introduces the audience to Bajoran politics and religion and highlights what happens when the values and beliefs of one culture are imposed on another. The episode features the first appearance of Louise Fletcher as Vedek Winn and Philip Anglim as Vedek Bareil. 8.8 million people viewed the episode on its first broadcast, the lowest of any first-run episode during season one. Critical reception to the episode was positive, with Fletcher and Avery Brooks receiving praise for their performances.

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