Star Trek: Questions you always wanted answers to

[somerset fox]

In a world where we are all familiar with zoom cameras on our computers, giving unflattering views up our nostrils, I always wonder where the camera for ship to ship communications is. Often, a perfectly framed shot of the captain talking to his adversary of the week is shown, which would mean the camera ‘should’ be floating free in the middle of the bridge somewhere. Is it supposed to be part of the view screen, on the frame, where?

 

[Astyanax]

In a world where we are all familiar with zoom cameras on our computers, giving unflattering views up our nostrils, I always wonder where the camera for ship to ship communications is. Often, a perfectly framed shot of the captain talking to his adversary of the week is shown, which would mean the camera ‘should’ be floating free in the middle of the bridge somewhere. Is it supposed to be part of the view screen, on the frame, where?

Good question. The same could be asked about holodeck emitters; I imagine those are behind the walls or something similar.

But as small as cameras can be even these days, I could imagine cameras in the 24th century being virtually microscopic and anywhere.

 

[Treadwell]

An image from any angle can be derived using data from internal sensors.

Likewise external sensors:

UHURA: Affirmative. Contact with the whales.
KIRK: Bearing!
UHURA: Bearing three two seven, range six hundred nautical.
KIRK: Put them on screen!
GILLIAN: How can you do that?

 

[DonCarlos]

An image from any angle can be derived using data from internal sensors.

Likewise external sensors:

UHURA: Affirmative. Contact with the whales.
KIRK: Bearing!
UHURA: Bearing three two seven, range six hundred nautical.
KIRK: Put them on screen!
GILLIAN: How can you do that?

Exactly. What we see "on screen" is actually a rendered representation of sensor data — not just a traditional camera feed. Moreover, the main viewscreen and other monitors don't display flat 2D visuals, but rather 3D or 2.5D data projections, maybe comparable to how a Looking Glass display works. In Voyager, the main viewscreen was a fully holographic interface, as revealed in Year of Hell, where the hologrid is visible behind the damaged screen.

image by Viewscreen

images by TrekCore

 

[Laspector]

I always figured it worked somehow off scanner waves.