Ok, here's a little theory behind the Hoshiko.
It's probably some kind of fleet tender, which served to repair and maintain ships in space before the war, so there would be little need for a small profile or large broadside. There would be need to maximize the ammounts droids it can carry, which would result in a discs-haped ship.
Alcari, have you been spying on us? This description is very close to the lore.
Like most of the TEC fleet, the Hoshiko's was not designed specifically for combat, but it did find a natural niche in battle due to its unique shape which offers near 360 degree launch angle for its droids.
It's true the Hoshiko receives very little glory in battle. With his quirky features and awkward stance the HOKO has been the butt-end of many a TEC joke. It takes an equally off-beat individual to man such a ship. Despite the reputation, 'HOKOES' take great pride in their uniqueness, and their abilitity to engineer the ultimate droids. (I'll get into the long history of trader droid competitions at another time) Despite the seriousness of combat, HOKOES are not much for direct engagment. Lost in their world of obsessive tinkering, they see a combat victory (or defeat) more as an advancement of mechanical mastery than of life and death.
Aside from it's overhead circular shape, the ship bears very little resemblance to a shiny, smooth, minimalist saucer-shaped UFO. On close inspection one can see the Hoshiko bears all the hard angles, rough edges, beaten paint, and bulky chunks typical of the TEC fleet. Although a HOKO commander would certainly like to think the ship is higher tech than it is, the Hoshiko's has been in service for a very long time, and really only it's droids that can boast modern engineering.
