Sci-fi shows need designs that are "readable" by the viewer in split secons. That means unique, distinguishable silhouettes that also tell you at a glance where

Sci-fi shows need designs that are "readable" by the viewer in split secons. That means unique, distinguishable silhouettes that also tell you at a glance where everything is moving in a shot. Pointy designs make that work excellently. As for the real world: there are plenty designs that are not pointy and flying: every satellite, the ISS, the lunar lander... however, all the designs that interact with earth's atmosphere have to respect aerodynamics. Thus, just about every ascent vehicle becomes pointy. Landers are different. The Soyuz return module doesn't look particularly pointy, for instance.