I think the canon reason given for this and other "why didn't the ship's computer just stop them?" situations that it's a privacy violation to just go around scanning people without their permission.
Although they do seem to do a lot of "scanning for life-signs" so who knows?
I remember reading those Dev journals too, but I feel like they helped me to get more out of B&W than most other people.
Yes, it was all about building hype, but it meant that I played more in a "find-your-own-fun-and-set-your-own-goals" way, which I think was what the original intent was.
Everyone's biggest complaint was that the missions were half-baked and felt like they were thrown in right at the end. And they were right.
Human: I want to drink alcohol