For some reason, many spaceships tend to have their bridge (where all the important people and instruments are) in a very exposed place. This has probably to do with space being an ocean and sea-going ships having their bridge on top of some sort of superstructure instead of deep inside the hull.

Of course, all the possible reasons for placing a bridge in such an exposed place wouldn't really apply in space. You would build a space ship more like a submarine, with the bridge very well protected in the middle of the ship. The only exception would be if you had a small ship that might have a cockpit for atmospheric manoeuvring, but even that could be done from a safer place via sensors and computers instead of by looking out the window.