creek_chub wrote: I've seen fanfiction where A/S have some kind of romantic involvement during their mission and other pieces where A/S explore their feelings for each other after their mission. Some authors even seem to pen both types of stories. So my question is, what's your absolute, definitive head-canon regarding A/S? Do they form a relationship on Enterprise? Afterwards? Never? Is your answer influenced in any way by the bios shown on IAMD? What about influence from TATV?
Good question! Based on their behavior in the first two episodes, I've always thought that they had interacted on a friendly, personal level before the events in "Broken Bow." When they're in Brazil, Hoshi does not behave toward him as I would expect a junior officer to behave toward her future captain. She's a little too easy with him, almost flirty. Then in "Fight or Flight," when she asks him for permission to change her quarters, I thought her behavior was a little odd. It's almost as if she's expecting something more from him. In fact, Jon even asks her if there's anything else, and she awkwardly says no and leaves. My impression has always been that she expected more than a perfunctory "yes" to her request and was a little surprised that he seemed to have put some distance between them. Jon was treating her like he would treat any other member of the crew instead of treating her like a friend. (Well, any member who wasn't his BFF Trip.)
My theory is that they had the opportunity to get to know each other on a social level before the launch, had come to be friends, but that nothing romantic or sexual had happened. Hoshi became a little infatuated with Jon, but Jon was still hung up on Erika and, while he noticed that Hoshi was sweet, smart, beautiful, etc., he didn't consciously view her as a romantic prospect (yet). After it becomes clear aboard
Enterprise that she is just another member of the crew to him, Hoshi tries and mostly succeeds in letting go of the fantasy.
As the years pass, they truly become friends. Then, in the Expanse, Archer finally realizes that Hoshi has come to mean a whole lot more to him. I've only seen season 3 one time, so I'm a bit fuzzy on episode titles, but he's really protective of her in several of the episodes, and there's a real intensity in how he behaves toward her.
After they make it out of the Expanse, he decides that since life is going to go on after all, he can't act on any feelings he has for Hoshi. It just wouldn't be appropriate. Then Erika shows up just when he's the most vulnerable. (I don't mean that in a bad way toward Erika.) She's closer to his age, the same rank, and he knows they're good together. He thinks she's the logical choice - except for on thing: she's serving on a different ship, she's just as driven as he is, and neither of them is ready to give up their career, even for love. And Hoshi has one big advantage: She's there.
I think they finally get together after "Demons/Terra Prime." ("TATV" doesn't count - not one bit.) I also think that Hoshi would have to be the one to make the first move, because Jon would not want to act improperly toward a junior officer. I can see her thinking something like, "Hey, if Trip and T'Pol - an interspecies couple - can give it a try, why can't we?" To get around fraternization rules, I think Hoshi would officially resign from Starfleet but stay aboard as a civilian diplomat since she is good with people and can communicate with many species without a UT. This way she gets the best of everything: she has a rewarding career that she loves and she gets to stay with and eventually marry Jon without causing a scandal or breaking any rules. Eventually they settle down on Earth and have some beautiful babies when Jon is asked to give up his ship and become president of the Federation. On a regular basis they get together with their favorite couples, Trip and T'Pol, and Malcolm and Amanda.