Re: Wish upon a star
An orbiting probe shouldn't have any impact on the asteroid's trajectory. Because the direction of the probe's gravitational influence will cancel out over all directions, over the course of multiple orbits. There will be some small perturbation due to the probe's initial encounter with the asteroid and the momentum the probe will give to the asteroid as it approaches, but that's it. Granted, you've got astronomical timescales on your side for any perturbation to influence.
Probes used as space tugs wouldn't orbit the thing they are tugging for the same reasons. They would have to continually manoeuvre to stay in the right place to provide the tug.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
