dr37@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP (Joanna Bryson) (04/25/85)
I've always assumed the view screen wasn't a window, but a visual representation of what the scanners are picking up. After all, what is it made of, glass? that can withstand impacts at warp speeds? This also explains why we never see red or blue shifting, why we don't get blinded by bright suns, and why we can say "Shift to rear scanners!" and watch things blow up in our wake. Incidently, episode, I think it was an early one, shows the Enterprise orbiting UNDER a planet, like they did in Star Wars. Joanna
john@moncol.UUCP (John Ruschmeyer) (04/26/85)
>From: dr37@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP (Joanna Bryson) >Organization: U. Chicago - Computation Center >Message-ID: <364@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP> > >I've always assumed the view screen wasn't a window, but a visual representation >of what the scanners are picking up. After all, what is it made of, glass? ... Obviously, it's not a window, but a video screen. The question remains, however, is why does it show a view which contradicts the exterior shots of the Enterprise? If you were designing such a scanner (screen), would you "correct" it so that the planet always appeared on the bottom? It might make for nicer esthetics or "human design factors", but I would find it hard to trust it to be reliable, particularly in a crisis situation where I don't want a bridge crew having to take the split second to re-orient the screen in their minds. -- Name: John Ruschmeyer US Mail: Monmouth College, W. Long Branch, NJ 07764 Phone: (201) 222-6600 x366 UUCP: ...!vax135!petsd!moncol!john ...!princeton!moncol!john ...!pesnta!moncol!john Silly Quote: "Are you *sure* that's the right tape?"
zubbie@ihlpa.UUCP (Jeanette Zobjeck) (05/02/85)
> >From: dr37@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP (Joanna Bryson) > >Organization: U. Chicago - Computation Center > >Message-ID: <364@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP> > > > >I've always assumed the view screen wasn't a window, but a visual representation > >of what the scanners are picking up. After all, what is it made of, glass? ... > > Obviously, it's not a window, but a video screen. The question remains, > however, is why does it show a view which contradicts the exterior shots of > the Enterprise? > > If you were designing such a scanner (screen), would you "correct" it so > that the planet always appeared on the bottom? It might make for nicer > esthetics or "human design factors", but I would find it hard to trust it > to be reliable, particularly in a crisis situation where I don't want a > bridge crew having to take the split second to re-orient the screen in > their minds. > > > -- > Name: John Ruschmeyer > US Mail: Monmouth College, W. Long Branch, NJ 07764 > Phone: (201) 222-6600 x366 > UUCP: ...!vax135!petsd!moncol!john ...!princeton!moncol!john > ...!pesnta!moncol!john > Silly Quote: > "Are you *sure* that's the right tape?" *** REPLACE JOHN QUINCY ADAMS *** Also obvioiusly the view can be of any point of the globe of space which the command crew desires, this means they might have it showing the area of the world **below** which is generally where a beam dowm might be targeted, in which case there would be intense interest in the psycological sight of the adventure. If that happened to be such as to place the globe of the planet at the bottom of the scanner so be it. Besides (again) 2 dimensional minds of novice viewers would find anything else confusing and would diminish the intended scale of the size and distance effects the producers were searching for. jeanette l. zobjeck ihnp4!ihlpa!zubbie