1. You learn a lot about Ford's motivations, thus making for a more cohesive, internally consistent story line.
2. Oh, right. You're more interested in puzzle solutions. The entire point of this scene is acquiring one particular item for use on the Heart of Gold.
3. It's in the satchel.
4. It's the satchel fluff.
5. There's a way to transfer it to something, other than the satchel, so that it will be accessible when you get back to the Heart of Gold.
