Nobody knows for certain but it most likely has something to do with hyperspace. Probably they're using it as their energy source.
Biggles<font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
Heat radiators? Solar panels of some kind? Hyperspace energy collectors? They just look cool? Remember, jms always considers drama more important than anything else, he would probably have said to the person who designed alien ships. "Make it look cool," and left it at that.
It would most likely not function to decelerate (accelerate would be a more accurate term however) the craft. There is a miniscule amount of friction from gasses and particles of other matter, so it would function very poorly to slow such a large mass. It is possible that the inside of the wings have some sort of propulsion system on them which requires the wings to be out to function, but I doubt this as the ship comes to rest in the docking bay, without colliding with other equipment in the process.
I would speculate that they are something akin to solar panels.
[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Vertigo1 [/i]
[B]I'm betting its to make it look bigger to the enemy. In the animal kingdom, looking bigger often makes you more intimidating to your opponent. [/B][/QUOTE]
But if that were the case, why would they only expand when everything was normal and contract when in combat?
From the horses mouth: (not to call Ron a Horse or anything...)
The transport and it's wings were an early creation for the pilot. The intent was to shed energy collected during Hyperspace, and to look f*cking cool.... :p
We could always look at it from the point of view that the transport is in fact a male peacock so has to show off every now and then with its impressive plummage and wing span ;) :D So that theory would mean there's female Vorlon ships ;)
Random ChaosActually Carefully-selected Order in disguise
Well, they are organic ships. They have to reproduce somehow :p
[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by David of Mac [/i]
[B]But if that were the case, why would they only expand when everything was normal and contract when in combat? [/B][/QUOTE]
Well, they were only closed when fighting the shadows IIRC. In the pilot movie, they were wide open when they were about to fire on the station.
[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Vertigo1 [/i]
[B]Well, they were only closed when fighting the shadows IIRC. In the pilot movie, they were wide open when they were about to fire on the station. [/B][/QUOTE]
... and... they had just exited Hyperspace too... ;)
I'm not sure, were the transports about to fire? I remember the motherships and the fighters having their little lightning-guns glowing, but I'm not sure about the transports.
In any case, the ships did close their wings when B5 started tumbling around and they had to get the hell out of dodge. Perhaps they have to close for power-intensive activities.
Biggles<font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
Or because, when you have a big fleet manouvering around in a hurry like that, it's easier to not hit eachother if your ships are taking up less space.
I would think that they (aside from just trying to look neat) collect some form of free floating molecule for power, similar to a brussard ram scoop collecting hydrgen. Maybe, since its a living ship it uses that to "feed" as it were. They propbably closed during combat and high evasive manuvers so as not to create a larger target for the enemy, or as someone previously mentioned, to not collide with other ships.
Wow... people here have an absolutely staggering ability to completely ignore Jack.
Biggles<font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
I know, but stopping them is not as fun as watching them speculate wildly in the face of being told exactly what the creator figured they might be for.
Come on people you know its for spores. They use the spores to mate, communicate, and grab snacks. I can here it now, "Hey John how's going?"
"Well Kosh is kicking Sheridan around again and these docking surfaces really chaf my skin."
Actually Akrovah had another part of the theoretical usage also. Remember the very first transport model years ago (made by Ron) featured four Jet Engine looking objects up snug against the body. The Bussard Ram Jet principle could have been applied to the wings (petals) as powerful field generators to scoop the hydrogen.
As in life, in the reality of the series, they could have served several purposes...
;)
In the reality of the production, they just looked damn cool at the time... :p
Random ChaosActually Carefully-selected Order in disguise
I personally like the idea that the wings are part of a mating display by the organic Vorlon ships :D
Another theory is that they scoop up fresh air for the transports aircon system (optional extra, requires GPS) to keep Kosh extra kool on those long trips...
Oh wait you don't get fresh air in space... darn! :D
RubberEagleWhat's a rubber eagle used for, anyway?
Or it could be used to pick up ice-particles to form ice cubes for Kosh's cocktailbar..
Comments
Girls love wings ;)
I would speculate that they are something akin to solar panels.
-Φ
:D
OPENED:
-While traveling in normal space under normal conditions.
CLOSED:
-In Hyperspace
-In battle
-While docking
So, in summation, I got nothin'.
Worf
[B]They just look cool?[/B][/QUOTE]
^
||That one
[B]I'm betting its to make it look bigger to the enemy. In the animal kingdom, looking bigger often makes you more intimidating to your opponent. [/B][/QUOTE]
But if that were the case, why would they only expand when everything was normal and contract when in combat?
JMS used to write into his scripts:
"Ron: Insert some cool CG here..."
From the horses mouth: (not to call Ron a Horse or anything...)
The transport and it's wings were an early creation for the pilot. The intent was to shed energy collected during Hyperspace, and to look f*cking cool.... :p
[B]But if that were the case, why would they only expand when everything was normal and contract when in combat? [/B][/QUOTE]
Well, they were only closed when fighting the shadows IIRC. In the pilot movie, they were wide open when they were about to fire on the station.
[B]Well, they were only closed when fighting the shadows IIRC. In the pilot movie, they were wide open when they were about to fire on the station. [/B][/QUOTE]
... and... they had just exited Hyperspace too... ;)
In any case, the ships did close their wings when B5 started tumbling around and they had to get the hell out of dodge. Perhaps they have to close for power-intensive activities.
Kosh...phone home...:D
"Well Kosh is kicking Sheridan around again and these docking surfaces really chaf my skin."
As in life, in the reality of the series, they could have served several purposes...
;)
In the reality of the production, they just looked damn cool at the time... :p
Oh wait you don't get fresh air in space... darn! :D