Reconnaissance probe

A reconnaissance probe or scouting probe was a type of probe that was used by Starfleet ships in the late-24th century.

Class 3 and class 5 probes have been used for reconnaissance missions. (DS9: "Valiant"; TNG: "Chain Of Command, Part I"; VOY: "Blink of an Eye")

According to the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual (p. 117), class-7 probes were also used for remote culture study and class-8 probe were used for reconnaissance missions.

In 2370, Lieutenant Worf suggested that the USS Enterprise-D could launch reconnaissance probes to supplement their sensors, in the effort to locate the Fleming, lost in the Hekaras Corridor. Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge however pointed out this wouldn't be effective, as the tetryon interference in the area made it difficult to maintain contact with the probes. (TNG: "Force of Nature")

In 2373, a high-resolution reconnaissance probe was launched from USS Voyager to study the clothing and physical appearance of the population of the Takar region on a planet in the Delta Quadrant. (VOY: "False Profits")

According to Star Trek Encyclopedia, 3rd ed., p. 77, the probe sent to study Takar in "False Profits" was a class 5 probe.

In 2375, Lieutenant Commander Worf regretted not sending out reconnaissance probes to scan for enemy activity, after the USS Defiant was captured by a Jem'Hadar unit while studying a subspace compression anomaly. (DS9: "One Little Ship")

External link[]

Class-7 probe at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works