Yeah they do. Even though most of their shapes make them look much smaller, in fact even the Viper is already the size of the space shuttle. And almost all ships are larger than the Viper.
Ship interiors would be very welcome, if done right, in the same way that high resolution textures are welcome if my computer can render and display the scene well enough. If they are just for walking around in, but other people can ride with you, then perhaps they are even more welcome than that. Many people would probably very much enjoy playing the entire game while living and socializing on the same ship.
I think it is definitely possible to do the interiors. I think the ships' interiors probably need to be designed around the socializing/living/walking space. Then the module compartments might be placed throughout the ship in the appropriate places. Think of the modules compartments being on the smaller than realistic size. I mean, make them as realistic as possible but if they are a bit smaller than expected, so be it.
You might get up from your pilot seat and leave the cockpit area and enter a corridor. There would be a food preparation area, restrooms, living quarters, perhaps even sitting rooms, or common areas. These are the things that are important for the interior. Perhaps you might see certain compartments that fit a standard size module 1 as you walk down the main corridor. If it is empty, perhaps you see standard power/data cables nicely wound-up and secured with ties to hold the cables secure during flight. If you filled that slot with a flight assist computer then you would see the front of that slot filled with a dedicated computer in the compartment.
A dedicated flight assist computer that needs a size 1 space might seem unreasonable already, but with some imagination and flexibility, some realism can be added. It would be a disaster if the computer were to fail during docking so perhaps it is a bundle of independent computers. They act as a main computer and perhaps one or two backup computers. They might even have a battery backup too. I don't know, what ever it takes to fill the slot and make it somewhat plausible.
I think all ships can carry an SRV. It would make sense then that the SRV and cargo area would be situated around the loading entrance. That is usually towards the center of the ship, I assume. So the interior in that area on some ships would be where the large module slots are. So yes, I think you should be able to walk into the area where the SRV is located and the larger cargo racks or modules are, but not because the visuals are the main gameplay. Those areas are for a couple of people, who are riding on the ship, to have a quiet conversation where other passengers cannot hear what is said, because the other passengers are too far away.
I think the interiors should definitely be designed with intention of facilitating emergent social gameplay. So the ship should not have just one big chat room. The chatting should model how sound carries and some parts of the ship might be loud and some might be quiet. So, like the schematic for that sound model would be like an electrical circuit where sometimes the sound travels normally and unlike an electrical signal, it only travels a certain distance. Louder areas would impede the sound. Closed doors would block it. Etc. Etc.
Let's face it, if we get ship interiors and now we have first person shooter combat, then people will want to be able to fight on ships too. So you should be able to shoot that flight assist computer, too, and disable it. Yeah, you probably should be able to steal or hijack a ship, if they allow combat.
Do I think we are getting interiors anytime soon? No. Space legs...Odyssey, has to happen first. Ship interiors will probably have to be an update or expansion all of its own, if it ever happens. Not only is designing the interiors a good amount of work but there are many game systems that have to be created and integrated into the rest of the game. How would stealing or hijacking work for the victim? Would they be stranded? Do they have to get to a station to claim the insurance and get a new ship? What happens if you are killed on your ship? Do you claim the insurance? Who owns the hijacked ship? Does that mean we can transfer ship ownership? So on and so on.
The more you think about ship interiors the more complicated they can become. More than just visuals, at least. So they are even more welcome because they bring more socializing and combat opportunities. Who knows what other opportunities there could be. Pets maybe? Crew members? Maybe one day, the kickstarter backers will have to explain how flying used to be a very lonely thing to do, to which some one will respond, "When I was a kid, I had to walk uphill to school, both ways. Yada Yada."
