The Iconian probe scans the USS Yamato
An Iconian probe is a spherical blue orb with energy tendrils arcing at random and is employed by the ancient, powerful and extinct Iconian race to download an operating system into an enemy ship's computer core thereby causing the vessel and its systems to malfunction and possibly suffer catastrophic consequences. Once the ground-based computer detected an incoming vessel into orbit of Iconia, an automated sequence would begin launching one probe per vessel. The probes were housed in a launch bay in the planet's surface. If many were released at once and the egress door failed to open, the resultant detonation would destroy the facility.
A probe affected the USS Yamato on stardate 42592.72 causing a uncontrolled release of matter and anti-matter causing the vessel to explode killing all hands aboard. Another probe days later was launched at the USS Enterprise-D but was destroyed by the Enterprise's phasers before it could upload any data to the ship's computer. Another probe was launched at the Romulan vessel Haakona. It too was destroyed before it could upload any information. (TNG: "Contagion")
- According to the log entries of the USS Yamato viewed by Captain Jean-Luc Picard, the probe scanned the starship on stardate 42607.95.