Miko Kusanagi
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Doctor Miko Kusanagi is a Japanese member of the International Oversight Advisory, formerly of the Atlantis Expedition.
History
Doctor Kusanagi was one of the scientists selected for the initial wave of the Atlantis Expedition. She had previously been a scientist with JAXA — the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency that had been established only a year prior — and before that with the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), one of JAXA's preceeding agencies. One of the Expedition's many physicists — literally a rocket scientist — she worked closely with Doctor Rodney McKay, seeming to develop an (unrequited) affection for the lead scientist. (ATL: "Rising, Part 1", "Letters from Pegasus"; SGR: "The Arrow")
Kusanagi was present on Atlantis when a hyperstorm threatened the city. She evacuated to Manaria for the duration of the storm along with most of the other Expedition members, and so was not present during the attack by the Genii. She was, however, present during the Wraith reconnaissance mission that confirmed that Atlantis had surfaced, and directly led to the Battle of Atlantis. She assisted in the efforts to establish a wormhole to Earth — albeit briefly — and transmit an SOS, and was, after John Sheppard and Carson Beckett, one of the members of the Expedition with the highest Chair Aptitude Interface rating, leading to her assisting with the Ancient control chair in their absense. (ATL: "The Storm", "The Eye", "Letters from Pegasus", "The Gift", "The Siege, Part 1")
After the second wave of Expedition personnel was brought to Atlantis by the Daedalus, Kusanagi's prominence as one of the few naturally ATA capable Expedition members began to decline. While this decreased her involvement in some of the more priority tasks — notably, she was not involved with McKay's Project Arcturus team — it allowed her to focus on projects closer to her specialisms. She became something of an expert in Puddle Jumpers, particularly after improper repairs led to the death of Hugh Griffin and left Doctor McKay stranded at the bottom of the ocean. She led the research team studying Ancient warships after the Aurora was first encountered, and was responsible for much of the repair work performed on the Orion while on loan from the Taranians. She was aboard the Orion during the Battle of the Void, and safely evacuated to the Daedalus. (ATL: "The Intruder", "Trinity", "Grace Under Pressure", "Aurora", "Inferno", "Allies", "No Man's Land")
Kusanagi returned to Earth aboard the Odyssey, following SG-1's efforts to connect the P3Y-229 Supergate to a Stargate in the Pegasus Galaxy. (SG1: "The Pegasus Project")
Her return was part of an effort by the Japanese government to increase their level of participation in the Stargate Program, or more specifically in the International Oversight Advisory. As one of the Earth nations with a substantial space program, Japan — alongside India — felt it deserved some level of IOA representation, rather than the body being solely the purview of the UN Security Council. As someone with extensive knowledge of the Stargate Program already, Doctor Kusanagi was an ideal liaison between the IOA and the Japanese government, but her skillset also represented a resource potentially valuable to the SGC that Japan could perhaps leverage for greater involvement. (SGR: "The Arrow")
Behind the Scenes
Miko Kusanagi is portrayed by Manami Hara in 1 episode of Stargate Atlantis. She additionally appeared in The 4400 and recently in Shōgun.
Technically, the character is only identified as Miko in "Letters from Pegasus" — Doctor Kusanagi is referenced by name only in "The Gift" and "The Siege, Part 1", but it is a common assumption that they are the same character.
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