Why didn’t the probe in The Inner Light contain more information, and share it more widely?

Question

In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode The Inner Light, the probe used to connect to Picard's mind seemed relatively advanced (at least more so than what we have now). Riker said the device used to create the illusion to Picard had "self terminated". He then presented Picard with the box containing the flute.

Was there anything else stored in the probe, and if not, why wasn't there? It would seem sensible to include at least one encyclopedia or something of significance that wouldn't weigh too much. Something that could be shared by more than one person. Also why did the machine self terminate, as other people could have had the same experience (like reusing a hologram)?

Also, I may be wrong, but I sort of got the impression Picard did not tell anyone of his experience. Is this true? Did Picard record the lost civilization or did he not mention it?

Answer 1

The fact that no encyclopedia was included was itself a statement by the probe builders. The encyclopedia, while vast, would contain only a dry recitation of facts, recounting history that is now irrelevant, recapitulating science and mathematics that could be rediscovered by anyone, anywhere. By omitting the encyclopedia the probe builders forced any future probe finder to concentrate on what remained. What they wanted was for someone to know what it felt like to live in the probe builders' culture, and for that someone to be able to act as a firsthand witness to others. Love, work, loss, renewal, community, the quotidian business of living as a social being--- this is what the probe builders valued.

The probe rendered itself non-functional to keep Picard's experience unique. To replicate something is to cheapen it. If you have questions about what the probe builder's culture was like, you must talk to Picard. And you need to do it soon, because Picard will not live forever.

Answer 2

If anything else was recovered from the probe after they brought it aboard, it wasn't mentioned in the episode. It is likely that there wasn't anything else, though. The whole point of the probe was that it preserved the memories of Kamin, and the flute, and sent them up into space. In addition, adding any extra weight to the craft would have been avoided wherever possible, so as to make it more likely to succeed. Have you ever picked up an encyclopaedia? They're not light.

"Self-Terminate" means that after it was done, it turned itself off. That doesn't mean it can't be turned back on and used again by somebody else, so it's likely that the probe will simply be sent back to Starfleet and analysed thoroughly after a brief examination on the Enterprise.

Picard didn't go into any depth regarding his experiences, how could you relay every detail of somebody else's life like that? It will have been noted in his Captain's Log, however, so there will be a record of it. While this doesn't actually happen in the episode, it's standard Starfleet protocol, so Picard will have done it off-screen.

So, in short:

• We don't know for sure that there was anything else, but there probably wasn't.
• It can and most likely will be used again.
• Picard didn't tell anyone, but there'll almost certainly be a record of Kataan.