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For the mirror universe counterpart, see Hoshi Sato (mirror).
See Sato for other articles with titles that contain, either by relationship or by coincidence, this character's surname.

Hoshi Sato was a Human woman who lived during the 22nd century. She was famous for her role in the historic voyages of the United Earth Starfleet starship Enterprise (NX-01) as communications officer and protocol officer, and as the mind behind critical breakthroughs in the development of the universal translator.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Hoshi Sato was born on July 9, 2129, in Kyoto, Japan, on Earth. She was the second of three children. (ENT episode: "In a Mirror, Darkly") Growing up, she discovered that she had an uncanny ability, almost an instinct, with translating languages.

In her fourth year at the Training Institute, she attended an advanced seminar taught by Doctor Linda Teodoro called Toward a Universal Translator: Alien Grammars and the Limits of the Possible in which she was one of only five students. In this class, Hoshi learned of both the near-impossibility and the absolute necessity of developing a functional Universal Translator if humanity was to travel the stars. (ENT novel: Rosetta)

Starfleet career[]

Training[]

During Starfleet training, Sato held a poker game for new recruits. Regulations at the time stated that gambling was only an honor violation if it was held while school was actually in session, so she held the game on weekends. However, her CO still tried to break up the game, at which point the two got into an argument and she broke his arm. Sato was discharged, but owing to Starfleet's need for language experts, Sato was allowed to rejoin on probation, and she successfully completed the three-year training. (ENT episodes: "Observer Effect", "Fight or Flight")

Enterprise[]

Sato was on leave from Starfleet and working at a language school in Brazil in 2151, when she was approached by Captain Jonathan Archer, who wanted her to cut short her leave and journey with the Enterprise to Qo'noS, the Klingon homeworld, and return an injured man to them. Sato initially refused, but changed her mind after Archer played a sample of the Klingon language for her. Her attempts to communicate with the Klingon, Klaang, were largely successful, and she was later able to translate what the Klingon High Council was saying to Archer without the use of a translator. (ENT episode & novelization: Broken Bow)

Fight or flight

Sato and Reed aboard an Axanarri vessel.

After the mission to Qo'noS, Ensign Sato agreed to remain aboard the Enterprise, but she soon found the life in space to be difficult for her, and experienced space sickness. At one point she considered leaving Enterprise, but first contact with the Axanarri a few weeks later convinced her to stay. Despite teething problems, Sato became an essential part of Enterprise's crew. (ENT episode: "Fight or Flight") Sato served as communications and protocol officer aboard the Enterprise throughout its voyages. (Star Trek: Enterprise)

Sato faced a huge problem when trying to decipher the Fazi language a few weeks later. The Fazi's highly structured language meant that she was not completely happy with the translation, but Archer had no problem communicating with Councilman Draa, despite offending him several times. (ENT novel: By the Book)

On September 10, 2153, during the Xindi mission in the Delphic Expanse, she was left comatose for a day and a half by a spatial anomaly that passed through the mess hall. (ENT novel: Last Full Measure)

In 2154, while assisting the Thelasian Trading Confederacy in translating the language of the mysterious Antianna, Sato made the initial breakthrough that eventually resulted her invention of linguacode. (ENT novel: Rosetta)

Earth-Romulan War[]

In 2155, with the rise of the Romulan threat, Sato considered transferring off the Enterprise as she no longer felt useful, but Captain Archer was able to change her mind, saying that she is more important to their mission than ever. After the crew rotations, she quickly befriended the new helmsman, Ensign Elrene Leydon. (ENT - The Romulan War novel: Beneath the Raptor's Wing)

In 2156, at the beginning of the Earth-Romulan War, she was promoted to lieutenant and soon began a romantic relationship with Enterprise's new MACO detachment commander Major Takashi Kimura. She served aboard Enterprise until her decommissioning following the Battle of Cheron. (ENT - The Romulan War novel: To Brave the Storm)

Endeavour[]

By 2162, Sato had been promoted to lieutenant commander and was serving aboard the USS Endeavour as the ship's communications officer under Captain T'Pol. Kimura served on the as well ship as armory officer, now with the ranks of lieutenant commander, so they were able to continue their relationship, although she felt that she was holding him back from the career he deserved.

During the Vertian crisis in 2163, Sato was responsible for attempting to communicate with the "Mutes" but was unable to do so. After they were able to obtain two Vertian prisoners, she determined they communicated via infrared and magnetic pulses, and with chief engineer Michel Romaine's help she created a device capable of mimicking this communication patterns. Then Sato volunteered to return with the Vertians to their ships, in the hopes of establishing communication, but the "Mutes" immediately confiscated the device. In a final effort to solve the problem, first T'Pol then Sato to be taken prisoner. Both were taken to the Vertian homeworld and searched intensively, including the removal of their clothes. Eventually, T'Pol was able to use mind melds to establish contact and used Vulcan techniques to naturally approximate the "Mute" communication, then she trained Hoshi in the same arts. Sato and T'Pol, along with other captives, were eventually released and returned to the Federation, after they were able to convince the Vertians that they are sentient and feeling beings as well. (ENT - Rise of the Federation novel: A Choice of Futures)

In 2164, Endeavour was dispatched to the Iota Pegasi star system to settle a dispute between the Tellarite Starfleet Captain Brantik and the Human colonists who set up a small settlment on one of the asteroids in the Tellarite claimed system. When it seemed that conflict was all but inevitable, Hoshi offered the compromise that the Tellarites let the settlers keep the asteroid but they relocate it to the neighbouring system Ross 271. Both parties agreed. (ENT - Rise of the Federation novel: Tower of Babel)

Later life[]

Sato bio Defiant

Sato's personnel file.

Holding the rank of lieutenant commander, Hoshi Sato retired from Starfleet in her late thirties. Afterwards, she perfected linguacode, which became the most critical element of universal translator technology and used for centuries to come. (ENT episode: "In a Mirror, Darkly", ENT novel: Rosetta)

She eventually died sometime in or before 2268. (ENT episode: "In a Mirror, Darkly")

According to a computer image (seen here) created for the ENT episode: "In a Mirror, Darkly", Hoshi Sato later lived on Tarsus IV, married Takashi Kimura and raised a family, until she and her family were executed in the Tarsus IV Massacre in 2246, and buried in Kyoto. However, an alternative image not mentioning Hoshi Sato's death was used instead (seen here), rendering these events as only a potential fate for the character.
According to this version of events, the character of Aki Kimura in the ST novel: Academy: Collision Course may be Hoshi and Takashi's great-grandson, but their names are not given in the novel.

Career[]

location assignment dates rank or rate assignment insignia rank insignia
Enterprise communications officer/protocol officer 2151-2156 ensign NX01patch Rank insignia.
2156-2160 lieutenant Rank insignia.
USS Endeavour from 2162 lieutenant commander UESPA emblem. Rank insignia.

Alternate timeline[]

In an alternate timeline in which John Frederick Paxton destroyed Starfleet Command and ended the talks for the Coalition of Planets in 2155, Hoshi died at some point before 2199. Her former Enterprise colleagues, T'Pol and her husband Charles Tucker III, were among those in attendance at her funeral. (TOS - Myriad Universes novel: A Less Perfect Union)

Appendices[]

Connections[]

Enterprise (NX-01) personnel
Earth Starfleet personnel AlmackJ. AndersonAnsaraJ.B. ArcherBairdL. BiraniBillyBishopK. BorovskyM. BurchBurrowsCamachoCarstairsR. ChandraColeCookCravensE. CutlerDanielsDiazDickisonDuelJ. EdwardsM. FinckeFosterA. GaetaGarverA. HartHessJ. HornHutchisonKelbyJ. KellyKimballKoJ. LeeE. LeydonF. MarcelT. MayweatherM. McCallMeirNguyenE. NovakovichD. O'NeillPerkinsPhloxPointerM. ReedA. RhodesK. RileyM. RostovRodriguezK.P. RyanA. al SaedSalvatoreSantiniH. SatoStepanczykJ. TaylorT'PolTomC. Tucker IIID. WalshWilliamsZabel Earth emblem image. NX-01 patch image.
MACO contingent D. ChangA. ColeCostaC. EbyS. GuitierrezJ. HayesM. KellyN. KemperT. KimuraD. McCammonJ. McKenzieS. MoneyOgilvyO'MalleyM. PeruzziO. Salazar-TuckerW. Woods Earth emblem image. Seal of the MACOs.
Endeavour personnel
United Earth, Earth Starfleet Endeavour (NX-class) GoldserS. ReynardSheaE. StilesWinchester Earth emblem. Starfleet emblem.
Federation, Starfleet USS Endeavour (Columbia-class) AbnettB. AlonzoB. BragenM. ChiangCurryE. CutlerP. JanleyT. KimuraI. LegattS. MoneyP. OrtegaPhloxM. ReedA. ch'RevashM. RomaineH. SatoTeskaT'PolB. ValmarZircher UFP emblem image. Starfleet emblem.
USS Endeavour (Icarus-class) Shannon USS Endeavour
(Kelvin timeline)
ChekovDarwinDerbesEllixGroffusHilaJaxaKeenserKirkMcCoyMurciaScottSuluValasZahra
USS Endeavour (Constitution-class) BernsteinBradsh'DastisarH. EstradaFaranR. GarrettB. GriffinHalseA. KhatamiS. KlisiewiczK. LaMartinaJ. La SalaA. LeoneB. MalmatM. McCormackP. McGibbonB.g. MogMullerNaulsNeelakantaNelsonP. NortonM. RiceRoderickth'ShendilethSikalK. StanoStegbauerThorsenT'PesZhao Sunnamed USS Endeavour (NCC-1895) personnel
USS Endeavour (Nebula-class) J. AmasovC. BarnesN. Kyprios
USS Endeavour personnel roster

Appearances[]

2151
2152
2153
2154
2155
2156
2157-2159-2160
2162
2163
2164
2165
2166

External link[]

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