I would guess having any sort of teeth would be meaningful to dissuade whatever type of manned craft might have been able to approach them at the time.
I'm guessing that pivoting the gun and firing would impart spin to the station, is the greater concern. And then pivoting the gun to stay on target would impart even more spin on subsequent shots.
Are these stations easier to maneuver than I imagine? Sounds like someone was imagining age of sail type of combat.