Why Star Trek should use its battle bridge

Why is a starship's command center so vulnerable, and how should its battle bridge be used?

An exposed command center is difficult to justify inside such a large ship; the first officer should man the protected battle bridge at action stations.

Placing a spacecraft's command center in a pod on top of a large hull makes it unnecessarily exposed. A protected battle bridge already provides an alternative position in Star Trek. At action stations, the first officer should go there immediately. Leaving the second bridge unused wastes the additional command position intended to improve the ship's chances of surviving damage.