# What should we display out of the "windows" of a spaceship? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 24, 2017, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-display-out-of-the-windows-of-a-spaceship/802578 "2017-11-24T06:02:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2017, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-display-out-of-the-windows-of-a-spaceship/802578/21 "2017-11-24T22:23:55Z")
> [@AI\_Proofreader](#): > > It didn’t make sense when Han said it, and it still doesn’t 😛 Parsecs measure distance not time. Yes, that was intentional on my part. If you enter the Star Wars Expanded Universe, theres all kinds of fanwanks about how it wasn’t a mistake and Han meant he knew a shortcut or something. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2017, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-display-out-of-the-windows-of-a-spaceship/802578/22 "2017-11-24T23:14:22Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > If you enter the Star Wars Expanded Universe, theres all kinds of fanwanks about how it wasn’t a mistake and Han meant he knew a shortcut or something. Just exactly how does a shortcut work in space. On a route on which is longer than 12 parsecs so you could possibly save that much, you’re going to be in empty space virtually all the time. You go straight. If there were wormholes and such, you might possibly know of a secret one, but that’s not how Star Wars FTL works. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2017, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-display-out-of-the-windows-of-a-spaceship/802578/23 "2017-11-24T23:43:07Z")
> [@AI\_Proofreader](#): > > It didn’t make sense when Han said it, and it still doesn’t 😛 Parsecs measure distance not time. > [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > If you enter the Star Wars Expanded Universe, theres all kinds of fanwanks about how it wasn’t a mistake and Han meant he knew a shortcut or something. Fanwanks may be superseded by canon soon. Rumour has it that the spice mines of Kessel make an appearance in the new _Solo_ movie out next May. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2017, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-display-out-of-the-windows-of-a-spaceship/802578/24 "2017-11-24T23:52:38Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > Just exactly how does a shortcut work in space. On a route on which is longer than 12 parsecs so you could possibly save that much, you’re going to be in empty space virtually all the time. You go straight. > > If there were wormholes and such, you might possibly know of a secret one, but that’s not how Star Wars FTL works. IIRC something like the Kessel run involves dodging asteroids, and Han knows the shortest route to get through safely. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2017, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-display-out-of-the-windows-of-a-spaceship/802578/25 "2017-11-25T00:09:14Z")
A view of Bill Shatner trying to break something outside on the ship ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2017, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-display-out-of-the-windows-of-a-spaceship/802578/26 "2017-11-25T01:15:32Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Cartoon-style landscapes passing by at the speed of driving a car. And [there’s a fly on the windshield about five hours in](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penn_%26_Teller%27s_Smoke_and_Mirrors#Desert_Bus) ? ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2017, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-display-out-of-the-windows-of-a-spaceship/802578/27 "2017-11-25T03:59:50Z")
Another name for a “fake window” is a “television”. So you can pretty much show whatever your want. A view of the outside. Landscapes from Earth or wherever. Shows on Netflix. Pretty much anything. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2017, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-display-out-of-the-windows-of-a-spaceship/802578/28 "2017-11-25T06:48:16Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > A view of Bill Shatner trying to break something outside on the ship About what I was going to say. A looped 10-15 minute video of a gremlin out on the spacecraft tearing apart the skin and charging up to the window a few times. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2017, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-display-out-of-the-windows-of-a-spaceship/802578/29 "2017-11-25T09:58:07Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Another name for a “fake window” is a “television”. So you can pretty much show whatever your want. A view of the outside. Landscapes from Earth or wherever. Shows on Netflix. Pretty much anything. Firstly, yes, that’s what I’m saying in the question, you can show anything. But secondly not sure I agree they’ll just play the role of television screens. The crew will have access to many monitors and screens which they’ll interact with in their daily duties, and may use for games, TV etc. But you could make a case for showing something like an “outside” just to help maintain sanity. I’m aware they don’t do this with submarines, but subs are very much “bare bones” in a number of ways and for a number of reasons. If we’re imagining ships with large, comfortable living spaces, then it makes sense to install (pseudo-) windows. ---
**Author:** ![AI\_Proofreader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@AI\_Proofreader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AI_Proofreader)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2017, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-display-out-of-the-windows-of-a-spaceship/802578/30 "2017-11-25T11:14:14Z")
One thing I wondered reading the OP was: Do you really want windows on an interstellar ship moving at very high speeds? No matter how durable the substance you use to make the porthole, it’s not going to be as meteorite or radiation proof as the rest of the ship. Heck, at relativistic speeds a grain of sand moving the opposite direction would probably be enough to shatter the window and blow all your air out into space. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2017, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-display-out-of-the-windows-of-a-spaceship/802578/31 "2017-11-25T13:10:43Z")
> [@AI\_Proofreader](#): > > One thing I wondered reading the OP was: Do you really want windows on an interstellar ship moving at very high speeds? No matter how durable the substance you use to make the porthole, it’s not going to be as meteorite or radiation proof as the rest of the ship. Heck, at relativistic speeds a grain of sand moving the opposite direction would probably be enough to shatter the window and blow all your air out into space. Well you say “no matter how durable” but of course it does matter if it turns out there are transparent materials as strong as graphene or whatever, which AFAIK is not impossible. In any case, I thought it was obvious enough in the description, plus the fact I put “window” in scare quotes, that I wasn’t talking about actual holes in the hull. Just screens along shared parts of the ship and what they should show – images of an “outside” might be useful in keeping everyone sane, but images of outer space are both boring and will make the crew feel like it’s perpetually night. So what _should_ they display? That’s the question. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2017, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-display-out-of-the-windows-of-a-spaceship/802578/32 "2017-11-25T13:25:31Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > Just exactly how does a shortcut work in space. On a route on which is longer than 12 parsecs so you could possibly save that much, you’re going to be in empty space virtually all the time. You go straight. > > If there were wormholes and such, you might possibly know of a secret one, but that’s not how Star Wars FTL works. Everybody else is following the Great Arc … [giggle] … [“Gone to plaid”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk7VWcuVOf0&t=1m42s) {YouTube} ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2017, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-display-out-of-the-windows-of-a-spaceship/802578/33 "2017-11-25T13:40:55Z")
A fake window is not the same as a television. A television shows you a flat image. A window allows you a view of a three-dimensional scene. To make a fake window, you’d need holography, or at least some clever optics: You could get away with using lenses and mirrors if everything “outside” were far enough away, but you’d still need those lenses and mirrors to put the image at a sufficient distance. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2017, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-display-out-of-the-windows-of-a-spaceship/802578/34 "2017-11-25T13:46:11Z")
Just paint the stars on the wall … at a hundred times the speed of light, it’s _still_ a good fortnight to Alpha Centauri … ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2017, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-display-out-of-the-windows-of-a-spaceship/802578/35 "2017-11-25T13:51:32Z")
Thanks **Chronos** , can’t believe I forgot about that aspect. :smack: Yes for the purposes of this thread lets assume we have screens that are (at least) capable of displaying 3D scenes with 10km in focal length and parallax. And now of course I know why we haven’t yet done this with subs or other spaces where we can’t install real windows :smack::smack: ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2017, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-display-out-of-the-windows-of-a-spaceship/802578/36 "2017-11-25T18:43:37Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > 95% of the window shades are full down 95% of the time. > > The cabin crew used to PA for shades to be up for takeoff and landing so you and they had some hope of seeing where the fire is outside **that was stopped a couple years ago when compliance collapsed to zero and TPTB decided it was just too hard.** WOW–you mean the airline industry actually did something to accommodate the wishes of their customers? I’m amazed… So (to get back on topic)–are you suggesting a radical idea?: That when starship travel becomes as common as jet travel is today, the “starline” industry will also listen to the wishes of their customers, and paint the windows accordingly? Or will customers still be limited to one small carryon item,…Oh, and one space suit? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SamuelA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@SamuelA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SamuelA)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2017, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-display-out-of-the-windows-of-a-spaceship/802578/37 "2017-11-25T20:39:42Z")
There won’t be physical displays at all. The cyborg crew who are on watch will just perceive the ship’s state - probably all of it at once, simultaneously, with filters to differentiate between more of the same and interesting events that could affect the mission. The crew who aren’t on watch can do whatever they want. ---
**Author:** ![AI\_Proofreader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@AI\_Proofreader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AI_Proofreader)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2017, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-display-out-of-the-windows-of-a-spaceship/802578/38 "2017-11-25T20:48:33Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > WOW–you mean the airline industry actually did something to accommodate the wishes of their customers? > I’m amazed… > So (to get back on topic)–are you suggesting a radical idea?: That when starship travel becomes as common as jet travel is today, the “starline” industry will also listen to the wishes of their customers, and paint the windows accordingly? Or will customers still be limited to one small carryon item,…Oh, and one space suit? 🙂 You’ll be charged an additional fee for each extra air bottle… and there’ll be a weight limit on the space suit, so people will buy cheap, lightweight knockoff copies that’ll leak on their first spacewalk. ETA: Capitalism in space is an objectively horrifying idea. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2017, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-display-out-of-the-windows-of-a-spaceship/802578/39 "2017-11-25T20:52:05Z")
I think [this](https://mymodernmet.com/germany-train-performance-art/) is what we should see outside our starship windows. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2017, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-display-out-of-the-windows-of-a-spaceship/802578/40 "2017-11-25T21:11:05Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > I think [this](https://mymodernmet.com/germany-train-performance-art/) is what we should see outside our starship windows. Lightyears of community theater? I’ll pass. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-display-out-of-the-windows-of-a-spaceship/802578.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-display-out-of-the-windows-of-a-spaceship/802578.md?page=3)