Ibutho Inkosi
Irubo Kovu
235
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Posted - 2016.03.07 20:56:00 -
[1] - Quote
Form follows function. This is the major reason why things appear as they do; why trees look like trees and lions look like lions. We're accustomed to seeing things as images before us and rarely overlay the developmental tale behind the final form, so it's often lost why and how things came to appear as they do.
A major failing of science fiction design is adding or subtracting things, or creating forms, with no functional basis behind them. A good example are the many "aliens" created for Star Trek 2. They pretty much just glued appendages to humanoid forms. Another example would be The Creature From The Black Lagoon. He's a bi-pedal, waterproof guy with fins and webbed hands and feet. Nothing remotely similar to an aquatic "creature". He's a "man" that looks like a fish.
In a zero gravity environment, with no atmosphere, items such as wings are completely unnecessary. Space ships don't fly. Flight is defeating gravity in an atmosphere with an airfoil. For space, or deep space, the most functional and preferred form for a large craft would be the sphere. (I was pleasantly surprised years ago to see Star Wars use the sphere for the Death Star. Most designers would have leaped at the chance to wax eloquent and throw together the most involved, slap anything that looks "sci fi" behemoth possible!)
The other factor about having protrusions, such as FINS, or Pokey Outey Things on a warship is, what do you think will be blown off in the first thirty seconds of combat? And, these appendages better not serve a significant function, because with the supposed weapons being employed, when they go, that function goes. No one builds vulnerability into something just so it'll look cool IF it's to be used for the intended purpose.
It's hard to seriously keep in mind the concept of structural integrity, but of course in a culture so saturated with these "other" images, it would be design suicide to present to an audience hungry for "cool" the image of a soundly engineered space vessel frame.
Since form follows function is rule of aesthetics, unfortunately pretty much all of EVE's eye candy is disqualified from consideration, and only ONE design in living memory comes close to fitting the bill.
As long as the tale of the hunt is told by the hunter, and not the lion, it will favor the hunter.
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