[m4rtink]

Sure, gliding helped to avoid many catastrophes (Gimli Glider, Hudson miracle, etc.) but the thing is - does it make sense for a rocketship ? On a point to point flight you are going to land (or impact) somewhere and you need a couple working engines to land safely, the same as you need working control systems to glide to an airport.

Still, Starship does not really need an airport for emergency landing - anything reasonably level will very quickly become a landing pad once the raptors get going for landing.

Also as for wings - those seem very complex to me on a modern airliner - flaps, spoilers, ailerons, wingless, integral fuel tanks, etc. In comparison to that starship is a lightweight water tower with a couple metal barn doors attached - much simpler structure with far less moving parts.

[sudosysgen]

Wings are certainly not complex. They are passive, and ailerions/flapse/spoilers are hydraulically operated.