Cockpits that are seen by the pilot in a future era just don't make sense. We already have helmets that let pilots see 360 degrees through their plane. All the pertinent information is projected onto the helmet. Why would anyone think that 250 years later pilots would go back to using them?
[...] So not having cockpits was something I've always seen as correct in FS2 and in TBP.
For a technical part you are correct... and as far cannon B5 cockpits appear to have been designed with a similar design in mind (only the Sky Serpent and the Thunderbolt are way different)
But from an immersion perspective it is whole different animal ... and one of personal preference.
E.g. FS's fighters were a touch more generic than say the rebel fighters in X-Wing because there was nothing but the stats and one HUD gauge that set them apart from another. It didn't feel like swaping out the ship you were flying between mission just the number of guns, turn time and speed.
When in X-Wing you were given a Y-Wing for mission, you knew you were sitting in a Y-Wing right from start because that bomber had a unique cockpit which set it apart from any other craft you had to fly in that game.
Some people (Star Citizen had a poll about that if you are in the need of figures) like having a visual reminder on the which ship they are flying. It adds a memorable feature to each ship.
And as long as it is not too much of a gameplay problem (obscuring to much of the viewfield) I'm fine with it.