So far I like my Brooks ARS 9's, though I don't think they have any toe protection.. at least my left pinky toe didn't feel like they did this morning. My question is: when searching for road shoes, you've got to make sure you find the right shoe for you (over-pronation and what not), is it the same with trail shoes?

It might depend on the type of trails you normally run.  Let's assume you are referring to "real" trails - you know the kind with elevation change, rocks, roots, wild critters, critter holes, creeks to cross and wade through, trees laying across the trail, etc.  The pronation thing becomes much less relevant.  If you are referring to flat, boring, "can run with my eyes closed" trails then road shoe stuff is applicable.  But for the former, you may want to consider what feels good, what gives good protection (i.e. rock plate), tread, drains well, etc.  Also take into consideration the distance on the trails.  My experience is it takes "experience" in shoes to determine if they feel right to you.  My personal issues were, and still are, needing to go up in size, needing a shoe that doesn't turn my ankle so much (ahem...brooks cascadia...), and colors (it is of utmost importance to have a shoe out in the middle of the woods that is bright and colorful - I think it has something to do with scaring off the critters).

Bottom line is this: the shoe doesn't need to be called a "trail" shoe to be good on the trails.  Infact many that do call themselves trail shoes just plain suck.  Trial and error I suppose.  Probably not the answer you wanted....sorry.

In my opinion, for safety reasons, yes, it is important to find the right trail shoe.

But it really depends on the kind of trails you run on. With the rocky PA trails, you want to have a shoe that fits you perfectly, and that feels like the natural extension of your foot, not like something "artificial" that you have to think about.

On even, grassy, dirt or gravel trails, I think the right fit is not quite as important as on technical trails or road.

For biomechanics, I'm not sure. I think if the shoe didn't fit right, you'd probably slow down in order to control your body (foot) movements so that they won't hurt (or hurt you), but on the other hand, I've seem and heard of many runners who wrecked their feet and legs with ill-fitting shoes, so maybe the "natural slowing down" process doesn't really work.

So I think yes, finding the right trail shoe is just as important as finding the right road shoe.

But I wouldn't worry too much about motion control and such, as the trails with their uneven footing ruin that whole concept anyway (and it has been disproven in several studies), I'd worry about fit and feel.

Though I wish they had them in other colors for women