First, we decided that wasn't a right look for the alien sector, and
that's the corridor we blew up at the end. But the reason it was designed
that way is important. Your reaction -- don't the aliens have any
privacy? -- is a very human, and specifically a very *western* point of
view. Our feeling at the time was, why should alien quarters look at all
like human quarters? Shouldn't they have a different perspective than
typical Western-style hotels? (In some degree, the quarters were
patterned after Japanese mini-hotels, where you get basically a slightly
larger coffin-like setup, which you crawl into like a torpedo tube, with
a window at one end, which has a curtain, a TV over your head, and so on.
What we discovered is that many people ask for more alien aliens, but
when we delivered on that, were asked why these things weren't more like
what we expect, why aren't they like human quarters? It's really a
losing battle.)

The other point on this is that if you look closely, there are back
areas accessible to residents, which can in particular be seen in the
insectoid/antennae'd character's quarters. The idea was that it would be
sort of a front porch, where for lack of much else to do, you'd sit out
on the porch, watching the passing parade.

But the reaction was less than favorable, we had to keep explaining
that this proceeds from an alien POV, and so our alien quarters are more
like human quarters now, minus the alternate atmosphere stuff. I'm still
not quite sure what to think of this.

jms