What purpose does the big picture window on the bridge serve?

[Crazy Eddie]

the bridge crew can still use their Mark One Eyeballs to navigate the ship...

I know how stupid it sounds. If they lose the viewscreen, they have to do it SOMEHOW...

Do you have ANY idea how many WAY more stupid ideas than that Star Trek KEPT...?

It's not actually that stupid of an idea if, say, VISOR technology becomes available in the 23rd century. I distinctly recall in "Datalore" that Picard sent Geordi to go look out of a window so he could see the crystaline entity and analyze it with his visor instead of looking at the viewscreen image.

Maybe that would constitute the Mark-II eyeball, though.

 

[The Wormhole]

No, I didn't mean that, I just thought that phrase sounded really hilarious. "Mark One Eyeballs"... No insult was intended.

Really? I thought Mark One Eyeball was a common military term...

It is, but us civilians aren't always up on those things.

I myself was not aware of the term "Mark One Eyeball" until I heard it on BSG.

 

[M'Sharak]

No, I didn't mean that, I just thought that phrase sounded really hilarious. "Mark One Eyeballs"... No insult was intended.

Really? I thought Mark One Eyeball was a common military term...

It is, but us civilians aren't always up on those things.

I myself was not aware of the term "Mark One Eyeball" until I heard it on BSG.

Seems to be in use in some gaming communities, as well.

Whenever I've run across it, the context has always made it pretty clear that "use your eyes" or "trust your own eyes" was what was being implied, "Mark I" denoting the instrument of sight which preceded all the technological substitutes and/or assists.

 

[buckeyenation]

well, you put some hanging planters there, they might look nice. also, a good place for the 'baby on board' sign....oh yeah a great place for a fathead decal. see, lots of reasons!

 

[Focus Abbey]

I think it was a logical choice; for better or worse, viewers think of the viewscreen as a 'windshield' on the bridge. Besides, at least in concept, it provides a point of connection when the viewer is on the outside looking in.

Remember the beginning of 'The Cage,' when we zoom in through the bridge dome, which has to be artificially cross-sectioned for the purpose? It would have been pretty neat to come in through the viewscreen instead.

 

[Ronson2k10]

I think it's basically to orient the bridge in some direction. If there is no view screen the bridge crew have no where to look. If you put the bridge in the center of the ship how will the crew feel that is outside of the bridges protective bunker.. They will be less then willing to save the bridge crew if they find they are the least protected people on board. The bridge crew have to assume the almost maximum risk.

I do think the shot of them exiting the bridge during the movie was another flash of razzel dazzel (not that it's a bad thing). It was a we can so we should moment. There are a few of them in there. The heightened special effects nicely offset the humor and made the movie quite believable. If they had shot it with TOS tech (SFX) only you would have been laughing your tails off as you came out the theater.