Relatively little of Sato's background has been explored in the series. It is known that she briefly suffered from space sickness and is also claustrophobic. The fourth season episode "Observer Effect" revealed that Sato was once dishonourably discharged from Starfleet for running a floating poker game and breaking the arm of a Starfleet instructor who tried to break it up. She was subsequently allowed to rejoin Starfleet because of her exceptional linguistic skills. Before posting to the Enterprise, Sato taught linguistics in Brazil; it is not known whether she was an active Starfleet officer or was reactivated to serve under Jonathan Archer. She later expressed regret at leaving without saying goodbye to her students. She appears to be very close to Captain Archer—he is often protective towards her and they appear to have some history that predates her posting to Enterprise, but the full nature of their relationship has also yet to be explored. The series' final episode, "These Are the Voyages...", reveals that Sato remains Archer's communications officer throughout his tenure as captain, and was considering resuming her teaching career in Brazil following the ship's decommissioning. The final episode also revealed that, after serving aboard Enterprise for ten years, she still wore an Ensign's insignia. As noted in the records aboard the USS Defiant, Sato eventually achieved the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
Fate
According to a computer bio screen, barely visible in the episode "In a Mirror, Darkly", and taken from the memory banks of the USS Defiant, Sato was born in Kyoto, Japan. She was instrumental in the development of the universal translator. She eventually marries a man named Takashi Kimura, and retires from Starfleet with the rank of lieutenant commander.
In the Mirror Universe, Sato held the rank of Lieutenant. In addition to being the communications officer, she acted as the "Captain's Woman" of and then Commander Jonathan Archer after Archer took control of the ISS Enterprise. After Archer used the USS Defiant to put down the rebellion, Sato poisoned him and took command of the ship, taking the Mirror Travis Mayweather as a new consort. Upon reaching Earth, she demanded Earth's surrender and proclaimed herself Empress.
Key episodes
Episodes in which Sato's character is expanded or plays a key role.
"Broken Bow |Broken Bow" – Introduction to Sato's character; assigned to Enterprise.
"Fight or Flight |Fight or Flight" – Sato faces her fears on an alien ship whose crew was murdered.
"Vanishing Point |Vanishing Point" – First use of the transporter.
"Exile |Exile" – Remains on an alien planet to learn more about the Xindi.
"The Council |The Council" – Imperative in communicating with the Xindi council.
"Countdown |Countdown" – Kidnapped and tortured by Xindi-Reptilians, she is brainwashed to assist in destruction of Earth.
"Zero Hour |Zero Hour" – Crucial in the destruction of Xindi superweapon before Earth is destroyed.
"Observer Effect" – Chosen to carry a deadly pathogen in an experiment observed by the Organians.
"In a Mirror, Darkly" – The Sato of the parallel universe is promiscuous, conniving and ambitious, who ultimately declared herself as Empress Sato of Earth.
Reception
According to author David Greven, "Ensign Hoshi Sato is an Asian American linguist and the communications officer. Prone to fearful fits and generally seen as ineffectual in any terms other than the linguistic aspects of her job, Hoshi is the resident screamer." In 2015, Den of Geek noted how Hoshi showed the importance of communication and the skill of her linguistic abilities. They recommended the episodes “Fight or Flight |Fight or Flight” and “Vox Sola” as watches for the Hoshi character. In 2018, The Wrap ranked Hoshi as the 37th-best character of Star Trek overall, noting her job as translator before the days of the universal translator technology. In 2016, W.I.R.E.D. magazine ranked Lt. Commander Hoshi Sato as the 27th-most important character of Starfleet within the Star Trekscience fiction universe.
