raywest

Answer: It's stated by Spock in the movie, even if he is just speculating. He mentions that humans are not the only intelligent special on Earth, and that it's human arrogance to assume that the probe's signal, "Must be meant for man." The point is, the aliens were communicating with the whales, and when that communication stopped, they sent the probe to find out why.

wizard_of_gore ★

Answer: There is a hypothesis by Spock that the probe was perhaps sent to find out why they didn't hear the whale song any more.

Answer: It was never explained, but as whales are highly intelligent animals capable of communicating with one another, the visiting aliens somehow were once able to establish contact. Perhaps the alien's form of language was more compatible with the humpbacks.

raywest ★

Chosen answer: There's no reason given, but it might have something to do with the fact that all of them are leaving the ship at the same time. It may be necessary for someone to remain on board to beam them in and out, as opposed to manually opening and closing the hatch from the outside. Being as this is a Klingon ship, the technology does not exactly work the same as their own. As to the garbage collectors, they did not report seeing anything for fear of no one believing them, being ridiculed, and possibly losing their jobs. They may also simply not believe what they are seeing.

raywest ★