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

[Chrisisall]

In space, most of the time, you're so far away from stuff, you couldn't see it without extreme magnification... the only purpose I can see for it is to be able to see a ship you're ramming in the last split second, or a nice planet vista in orbit, both of which seem silly to me, given that the window seems more vulnerable than a bulkhead anyway.

 

[MvRojo]

One of the main benefits is that you can see what's outside if you lose power or something. But even then, you still are extremely limited in your field of view.

 

[mattburgess]

It izzum telly vision show.

Why are there windows on a modern day battleship? I'm sure there are instruments that could tell them the weather, and radar to tell them where other ships and land would be...

 

[Chrisisall]

It izzum telly vision show.

ENNNN, wrong answer Hans.
It's a movie.

Why are there windows on a modern day battleship?

To get daylight, open for fresh air... see, no pressurization or radiation issues... very cheap to make, etc.

 

[Sector 7]

The viewscreen window is there to see the festive sombreros of other ships as they pass by.

 

[mirandafave]

So that the windscreen washers at traffic lights have something to ... wash

 

[Kelso]

It probably serves the same function as the other windows on the ship.

 

[Yeoman Randi]

The viewscreen window is there to see the festive sombreros of other ships as they pass by.

Isn't the big picture window the same thing as the viewscreen for when they communicate visually with other ships?

Also, i would tend to think that having no window on a ship would make one feel very claustrophobic and bottled up. I know i would want to be able to see outside. All walls with no outside view would be horrible!

 

[thesovereignman]

There was only one reason for the window, and that was to make the position of the bridge make sense. If you didn't have a window, why not make the bridge in the center of the ship? It would be tactically advantageous.

 

[number6]

The picture window is there to piss off the TOS purists and the NuTrek haters.

 

[urbandk]

There was only one reason for the window, and that was to make the position of the bridge make sense. If you didn't have a window, why not make the bridge in the center of the ship? It would be tactically advantageous.

bingo!

exterior sensors failing is another reasonable reason to have a window. i guess all things being equal, if you're going to have the bridge topside, you might as well take advantage of the location and have a window.

it would have helped in TWOK, that's for sure.

 

[MisterPL]

In space, most of the time, you're so far away from stuff, you couldn't see it without extreme magnification... the only purpose I can see for it is to be able to see a ship you're ramming in the last split second, or a nice plant vista in orbit, both of which seem silly to me, given that the window seems more vulnerable than a bulkhead anyway.

It's a human thing. Vulcans wouldn't understand.

 

[Broccoli]

Capt. Robau decreed it so all can look directly at his awesomeness when on his bridge. Starfleet then adapted it to other starship designs from there.

 

[Sector 7]

...i would tend to think that having no window on a ship would make one feel very claustrophobic and bottled up. I know i would want to be able to see outside. All walls with no outside view would be horrible!

It's a human thing. Vulcans wouldn't understand.

Both are closer to the truth than most would believe, IMO. "It may not be logical, but I have found it to be true."

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

why not make the bridge in the center of the ship? It would be tactically advantageous.

No, it wouldn't.

It makes no difference where the bridge is. If it was in the middle of the hull, for example, that wouldn't be any more protected than if it was way up top. It's not the job of the hull to protect the bridge. That's what SHIELDS are for.

Any attack powerful enough to punch through a ship's shields will get to the bridge no matter where it is.

 

[Capt.April]

In "The Right Stuff", the astronauts fought to have a window on the mercury capsule. I don't think there was any other reason than they just wanted one (although it could be used to align the space craft during an instrument failure). Many other space craft have had them and the ISS has them. Anyone know why? Outside of the nice views...

 

[M'Sharak]

In "The Right Stuff", the astronauts fought to have a window on the mercury capsule. I don't think there was any other reason than they just wanted one...

On the first couple of Mercury shots, the capsules were windowless. Even though most control aspects were automated or handled from remote locations, the Mercury astronauts were not only highly-trained and accomplished military pilots, most of them were top test pilots and they didn't like not being able to see outside. They demanded windows, and got them.

 

[thesovereignman]

why not make the bridge in the center of the ship? It would be tactically advantageous.

No, it wouldn't.

It makes no difference where the bridge is. If it was in the middle of the hull, for example, that wouldn't be any more protected than if it was way up top. It's not the job of the hull to protect the bridge. That's what SHIELDS are for.

Any attack powerful enough to punch through a ship's shields will get to the bridge no matter where it is.

If you are in a starship, in a fight, and your shields go offline, like they do in pretty much every fight, would you rather be in a little bulb on the top of the ship, or in the direct center of the ship, protected by several decks? I vote for several decks.

 

[urbandk]

I actually agree with Mr. Laser Beam because I'm a firm believer that any future weapon should be able to annihilate an enemy vessel in one shot. We have on-screen evidence in the Kobyashi Maru test in the new movie.

I actually just wrote a whole post about how even a relatively small nuclear warhead could destroy an entire ship with its shields down.

Far too often weapons in Trek are ridiculously weak... it's kinda a personal pet peeve.

 

[thesovereignman]

I actually agree with Mr. Laser Beam because I'm a firm believer that any future weapon should be able to annihilate an enemy vessel in one shot. We have on-screen evidence in the Kobyashi Maru test in the new movie.

I actually just wrote a whole post about how even a relatively small nuclear warhead could destroy an entire ship with its shields down.

Far too often weapons in Trek are ridiculously weak... it's kinda a personal pet peeve.

Sometimes I forget that the Enterprise doesn't have the kind of skin that the Galactica does.