>>13831387I think many sci fi designs could be explained by an in-universe religious aversion to certain designs.
In dune, the butlerian jihad was a ai/human war 10,000 years before the events of the movie/book. The humans won the war and codified on a religious basis that thinking machines were totally forbidden. Therefore even though ai have tons of advantages, they’re never used anymore because it’s unthinkable to use them, and anyone who did use them would be immediately attacked by the whole rest of humanity as an abomination.
I think it’s possible ornithopters are the same way- maybe it’s stylistic, maybe it’s religious imperative to make flying machines flap because the evil robots 10,000 years ago used helicopters.
I also think this is why old star wars never had robotic hyperspace kamikaze— it’s an atrocity that’s unacceptable. Maybe people don’t do it because it rips holes in space time. Maybe powerful aliens get pissed when people do it. Idk, but it’s a possible explanation for why seemingly obvious tactics aren’t used.
