Hypothetical Starfleet ship roles

[Sionnach Glic]

After just watching the crash clip again on Youtube, the hull surrounding the dome didn't appear damaged at all. Hell, it looked like some kid had thrown a brick through the window and broken it.

[Nickswitz]

Does that take into account the angle at which it crashed? It didn't just drop straight down; it slammed more or less head-first into the ground.

I know it didn't land straight down, but most of the force would still have been transferred to the uppermost point, the point where the force can be "released".

And, yet again, why didn't the hull surrounding the dome so much as buckle while the whole dome was destroyed?

Because of the fact that the hull wasn't able to "release" all of the force applied so it just sent it through to the dome, I'm sure the hull surrounding the dome was pretty damaged, or it was just that the model they used happened to break when they used it for the shot... Which is what I'm gonna bet on.

(I use the word release in quotes because it isn't really released per se, but I can't think of the right word right now.)

And if anyone has a better clue of physics, (Thorin especially) then feel free to bash what I just said, but this is what I learned in my High School Physics class.

[Nickswitz]

After just watching the crash clip again on Youtube, the hull surrounding the dome didn't appear damaged at all. Hell, it looked like some kid had thrown a brick through the window and broken it.

Can you give me a link to that video, just so I can look at it, I'm not questioning what your saying, I just want to see it.

[Sionnach Glic]

Here. Check out 9:12 for a nice shot of the bridge roof.

I know it didn't land straight down, but most of the force would still have been transferred to the uppermost point, the point where the force can be "released".

Alright. But then the entire dome, both transparent and opaque parts alike, should have been smashed. And yet only the window was broken.

Because of the fact that the hull wasn't able to "release" all of the force applied so it just sent it through to the dome, I'm sure the hull surrounding the dome was pretty damaged, or it was just that the model they used happened to break when they used it for the shot... Which is what I'm gonna bet on.

As I've stated before, the mere fact that the window was shattered while the hull around it didn't display any effects at all shows clearly that the window is weaker than the hull. The force being focussed on that one point will only have done so much, and I don't buy that it just happened to only extend through the transparent parts and the transfer of force ended conviniently where the hull started. The window itself doesn't even curve that much above the hull itself anyway.

[Lazar]

OOU, I've always thought it's incredibly silly that an exterior window on an advanced starship would break just from some impact vibrations, or from having a tree brush against it, and look like shattered glass. We know that they've had transparent aluminum for a very long time, so shouldn't the windows be at least as strong as aluminum? I've always chalked up the shattered bridge dome in GEN to mind numbing stupidity or thoughtlessness on the part of the makers.

[Deepcrush]

Even though that fits. It's still an OOU answer. IU, its a window which is weaker then the main hull. There for, windows = bad.

[Sionnach Glic]

The whole idea of windows on a starship is pointless anyway.

"Ooh, look! Yet more endless space!" Yeah, that scenery is never going to get old.

[Nickswitz]

Which would you rather look at, a gray wall, or the occasional planet. Especially since E-D was an exploration vessel, not just a battleship. And since it had civilians on board, they should probably have something for them to look at. Because they don't seem to decorate with pictures or anything nice like that.

[Deepcrush]

If they want windows then they need to have a room built for it. Something around where the normal bridge is. That way they can look around all they want without leaving holes in the hull.

[Sionnach Glic]

I'd rather put some window-sized video-screens along the walls at random intervals, showing stuff that's actualy interesting on them, like nebulae, planets, solar flares, and other stuff. Hell, you could have billions of images that rotate randomly every hour or so. That also removes the problem with weakening the hull.

And seriously, just how different from looking at a grey wall is looking at a black background with white dots 99% of the time?

[Deepcrush]

I'd rather spend time on a holodeck between some sun light and a beautiful woman.

[Nickswitz]

I just looked at where the bridge window was and how it was cracked, and I was wrong I didn't remember the part and never really looked into it, it was just plain stupidity that it was even there, that window makes no sense, at all, I understand the other windows, but the window on the roof, just doesn't make sense, it's a space ship, it doesn't need a sunroof. So I rescind what I previously said about the hull around the window, but maybe it was damaged, just not on the inside.

And yes, those are both better ways of spending time than staring at a black background. IDK why they didn't do that, maybe in the future people like looking at stars.

[Sonic Glitch]

Here. Check out 9:12 for a nice shot of the bridge roof.

We also get a couple of nice pans over the saucer between the crash and the end of the film. No other windows look broken.

[Deepcrush]

Weren't the windows from Picard's quarters broken?

[Sonic Glitch]

Weren't the windows from Picard's quarters broken?

No? The desk, the furniture, etc. was, but the external bulkheads/windows seemed fine.