Quote:
Originally Posted by QuantumIguana
On Star Trek: Deep Space 9, everything shuts down for the night shift, that's not realistic. For a seaport, it makes sense, there is a definite day and night there. But while you could synchronize the station's clock to the capitol of Bajor, the rest of the planet will be on its own schedule. And the ships will arrive when they arrive, with no concern about what shift the station is on.
It's the sort of error that comes from trying to apply a planet-bound model to a space station.
|
Human society still needs an aparrent day/night cycle, even if you're in the middle of space. As for ships arriving on their own time, sure you have a skeleton crew in flight control to make sure people don't crash into one another and the right ships go to the right platforms, but the unloading can wait until morning.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Penforhire
The problem with weapons that do not penetrate interior ship walls is -- what are those walls made of and why can't an enemy boarding party wear armor or carry shields constructed of exactly that material? Sure, if your walls are some sort of condensed matter then I understand... except for the neutron star-ish mass your ship must have.  |
Thus my settings at least still issue hand grenades to boarding parties. Just don't use them too close to the hull.
Edit: Actually.... take a look at H. Beam Piper's sci-fi for using condensed matter shielding. Its handwavium (he called it calapsium) at best, but it has been done.