Yea im down for dimensional heat sinks and all too. Hell i've seen FTL drives used to open mini wormholes in order to remove heat or something -that works too.
So many battles and so many actions at stake when you take into account thermal budget, and surprisingly thermal budget is not life support - weapons cant operate effectively at high temperatures too.
There's also solar pressure that can push the spacecraft if you're fairly close. Again, radiators increase the push you feel due to cross section. Affects the people using it when it works as intended
Then you have atmospheric drag on the radiators if the spaceship has them wide open. Imagine orbit to surface ships. Affects the people using it when it works as intended. Dont forget drag still exists beyond the space line.
@Zirrboy Radiators also releases heat, which gives away thermal radiation or heat signatures, making your ship harder to conceal. Affects the people using it when it works as intended.
@Zirrboy ok. Radiators can change your surface area or cross section of a spacecraft up to 200% or even more (see ISV Venture from Avatar) so it affects the people using it when it works as intended. Just by virtue of them being there.
So visually you are already more visible, but space is big...
@Prince_Azmiran_Myrian kinda of on the right track - everything requires cooling, even if you threw your desktop computer up into space. Not necessary to have engines running, simple idle computers will cook you inside too if you don't manage your thermal budget.
@Zirrboy oh no, this problem doesn't have solutions that 'barely affect' the people using it. Losing your radiators is a death sentence for any spacecraft, i'll say there's plenty of narrative point in getting your thermal budget screwed and subsequently cooked alive.
why do most sci-fi ships not have radiators? Guys, space is HOT - please radiate something nicely or throw in a dimensional heatsink or some magical stuff
started off 2.5k, did not feel fair enough to my readers, so went for 3.3k instead as the rough gauge. At least my readers don't have to click next chapter as much.