Star Trek

I never understood why the bridge was a little dome right on top. Seems to me that enemy ships should just fire at the bridge and nothing else, which would take out the main officers. Should the bridge be tucked away as far in the ship as possible, and maybe with a shield all of it's own? Make the plating extra thick there? In Nemesis, Shinzon fired on the bridge and look what happened. It blew the window out, (some people disagree if it's a view screen or an actual window), sucked a guy out into space, and basically frakked them up.

I never really thought about it but that's a really good question because the view screen is a screen not a window.

Well in the new movies it is a window that has a monitor built into the glass like all new sci-fi movies like to have. But in all the old ones it is just a screen.
The bridge being on top, aside from just a design characteristic by the model builder, is probably because Starfleet is not supposed to be a military. They are a scientific and exploration arm of the Federation that don't go out looking for battle. However, aside from the Borg most all races have their bridges in an exposed location.

Probably an extension of the design concept of small aircraft where you can clearly see where the cockpit so everyone knows where the pilot is seated. Then again in latest generation aircraft the pilot doesn't even need a window to look at where he is going since he gets all information from a computer HUD

We really should compare  the starship to our modern day battleships, which do have an obvious and exposed bridge.

that may not always be the case.

again, not always the casre.

theres reason to believe the TOS Enterprise screen was also a window.

Yea... I've always had a problem with this.  But maybe auxiliary control was more protected.

Which TOS episode(s) gave you the idea that the TOS Enterprise was a window? I mean, the screen was "off" sometimes wasn't it? Kirk and Picard and Janeway all said "on screen." If it were a window it seems it would always be on. However, I agree with you that it wasn;t always the case. In "Nemesis", they shot the Enterprise bridge and you could clearly hear glass shattering and see shards flying around. And a force field was then erected to close the seal.

One of the weirdest screens was in First Contact, which they never used again. The WAS no screen or window. Or was there? I just recall it was a regular looking bulkhead that must have been a hologram or something that dispensary when Picard said "On screen". Is this mentioned in any technical manuals?

I still think the bridge was put in a really weak spot. but it was aesthetically cool.

Nice points. You know your Star Trek, that's for sure. I salute you.

Not a problem. I think we clashed heads a bit in a couple of topics, but you know your Star Trek, and I respect that. And that's part of the fun... interesting debate that doesn't degrade into insults or name calling. I know a lot myself, but I can't recall episode titles on most of them.

So, do you remember what I was talking about concerning the bridge viewscreen in "STNG:FC"? It seems like there was a holographic bulk head there, or something. Which is kind lame. Who wants to sit an entire shift on the bridge with no stars to look at? Plus if it's a hologram over a window and not a screen, what protection would that offer?Then they never used it again. Thoughts?

I do remember the holo-viewscreen in FC, I thought it was a novel idea, but felt it was to much like the dominion ships and not in keeping with normal starfleet design.Not sure why they never used it again.

I believe I remember Jadzia Dax commenting on how the Jemhdar bridge had no windows or screen.