I could be putting myself in trouble here but I believe this is cannon. The bridge located on top of the ship has special shield parameters to protect it from incoming and from other parts of the ship. The engineers eventually deduce the fact that it makes little difference if the area is multy shielded and the enemy would get it anyway if it located more internally. Kirks fight with Khan nothing was mentioned about less security of the bridge. If Khan got the edge, though, that was the last of Enterprise. To see where one is going may have some viability but starships rely on sensors. Today the astronauts will be completely blind with their capsule in space and must rely on sensors.
Yeah, the human eye looking out a window is really only good for extreme close up work such as docking. Normal operations deal with things much farther out than a window would be useful for.
Because some of the best stuff related to Trek-based technology hasn't appeared onscreen in canonical formats, but has existed in fan works and other things over the years. The Cochrane factor was a way to reconcile how warp is thought to work (based on canon dialogue and non-canon sources like tech manuals) and how we should be able to calculate speeds and distances that make a degree of sense, as mentioned in the original post.
I found an interesting Treknology youtube channel called Trekyards. Anyone else checked it out? https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbBYR6-krxfofEjd1GfqONw
The people of that channel imho don't have much of a grasp on technology or engineering in general. Typical fans like anywhere else. As to the FAQ I've my own answers like everyone else here.
Does anyone know of a website, a book, an article or some other source of information that would conatin diagrams, charts and illustrations, of the various sections and locations on board the Enterprise-D? I am curious to know where so many things are located, like the holodecks, the transporter rooms, the brig, main engineering, sick bay, torpedo room, etc. Any information that you could provide would be greatly appreciated.
There's the published E-D blueprints by Rick Sternbach, but you may need to find a physical copy of those. There's also the blueprints by Ed Whitefire, which actually was created first, but was unable to be published due to various circumstances. The two sets are similar but different in various details, but are pretty much the same for the major locations. The Next Generation Technical Manual would be a great companion to both.
According to Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise, the configuration of the Warp nacelles are the most efficient use of generating Warp fields. Any design is acceptable but less practical for deep space travel. An interview held with FJ, you'll need to Google it, iterated that GR preferred classical physics to quantum physics. TOS uses classical physics while +TNG uses quantum physics. The two mix like Oil and Vinager. Hence the change in Warp scales. Stardates are based on the number of days that Light would need to travel from current position. So, Stardate 47569.9 would be the number of "Light-days" from current position of the vessel. .. from various interviews with set designers, screen-writers, on-set physics consultants and GR himself.
Triangulated from Galactic center, Betelgeuse and current position. The reason Stardates can change even when approaching Earth is because the Sol system rotates and bobs-and-weaves up and down while circling the galactic core. GR round-tabled with several physicists and astronomers before starting the Series.
But 47569 light days would only be 130 light years! Worse, a TOS style star date (such as 5916) would be a scant 16 light years! I thought it was fairly well established that Stardates were merely a convenient way to show the passage of time without tying the series down to a specific year?
You're calculating from Earth. Stardates, from what I can infer, are only a necessity for the Federation to have an indication of where the vessel is as the time of the Log or events. I don't believe that Stardates are used as a calendar.
So, when the TOS Enterprise was approaching the galactic barrier (SD 1312) it was only 3.6 light years from Earth? When the Enterprise-D was in orbit of Earth following the Borg incident (SD 44012) it was in fact 120 light years away? What about the fact that the SD increases by 1,000 units by every season of TNG, which almost perfectly matches the years passing for the characters (according to their dialogue) In addition, I've seen quotes from GR stating that Stardates were calculated based on the vessel's "location in the galaxy, velocity of travel, and other factors" in order to account for the required "fudge factor" and apparent inconsistencies in their usage. The round table GR held with several physicists and astronomers with regard to Stardates sounds interesting - do you have a source?
TOS: Relative to galactic center TNG: From galactic center, Betelguese and vessel; relative to all three's galactic position at the time. The Universe is dynamic not static .. I don't have the information on this laptop. I'll dig up the links. Not sure if I can find transcripts but rather a reference to the conversation(s).
@Mytran .. Not sure how to PM on this Forum. My ranking may still be too low. Have a few links but don't want to flood this Thread with multiple Posts. So, I tried to PM you but No-Go .. or I can't figure it out, anyway.
These are a few from memory. They show a collaboration with scientists for accuracy purposes, especially the Scientific American article. Consults with Asimov: http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/06/getting-star-trek-on-air-was-impossible.html .. pay attention to #7: http://hotnerdgirl.com/tag/16-facts-you-never-knew-about-gene-roddenberry/ Scientific American: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-science-sticklers-who-kept-star-trek-in-line/ I have a few .pdf's, aswell but can't upload them ..
[ "This time system adjusts for shifts in relative time which occur due to the vessel's speed and space warp capability. It has little relationship to Earth's time as we know it. One hour aboard the U.S.S.Enterprise at different times may equal as little as three Earth hours. The stardates specified in the log entry must be computed against the speed of the vessel, the space warp, and its position within our galaxy, in order to give a meaningful reading."] - Roddenberry Stardates are not 'Dates, per se rather a relative position in the galaxy at the time of Log.