Plot theory based on trailer and older rumors

This is a speculation thread, an attempt to create a possible plot synopsis on what little data we currently have. Feel free to add or subtract what seems logical, I;d like to see how other people are interpreting what we shaw. This is all hypothesizing after all, cause we have so few subjects discussing(though this is due to them and not providing enough info, but hopefully now that we're about 3 months to airing, this will change to more frequent updates).

-It all starts with the USS Shenzou, about to end a long year(5? extended to 7?) exploration mission to the furthest reaches of Federation space mapping unknown systems and phenomena. The year could be 2235-2240 roughly(10 years before the Enterprise) but we're probably not specifically told so, cause Stardates{I know they could have made a blunder there, but maybe they actually didn't?}. The crew and its Captain are tired and can't see the moment they return to known territory/home. Currently the ships first officer and captain are on a planet searching for supplies/dillithium crystals/whatever, in order to map it more accuratelly.

The official reason was that Shenzou's instruments don't function well in this region of space/nebula/planet, however this was an excuse used by the Captain to discuss a little with her first officer and see her reactions by using it as a blindly following command test before announcing that she's promoted to a full commander now/she will get her own ship command after the mission officially ends. They return to the ship were they are alerted to an unidentified object transmitting a strange signal, not too far away of their present location, close to a stellar anomaly their scientists would no doubt like to observe.

Unknown to them, the Klingon empire is in turmoil. Their Chancellor was just murdered and he hadn't made any plans for succesion, so the various houses are close to starting a civil war. T'Kuvma, a leader much like, say, Duras(only more powerful and less treacherous but without a doubt manipulating and with a hidden agenda) is joined by other Klingon houses leaders in order to accompany the deceased leader to the halls of Sto'Vo'Kor(through a ritual including a black hole that hasn't happened for a while cause there weren't any murders in Klingon diplomacy cycles). T'Kuvma has seen the former leader as weak and wants to re-instate the empire, himself as an emperor, to former glory through war with their major enemies.

He finds an unwilling and unsuspecting ally to his plans in Shenzou and its Starfleet officers coming to investigate, opposed to Cpt. Georgiou's wish who prefers to go home without investigating as their mission is typically on its end and the object is closer to Klingon borders, but is utterly convinced by her first officer who volunteers to go check out the unknown object herself. By doing so, she interrupts the sacred ceremony and returns to the Shenzou hunted.

She suggests that they're in danger and should strike first, opposing the captain, who believes they will not be hurt as they were in a peacefull mission and can't get aggressive which would contradict that, but situations force them to attack and disable the Klingon ship in order to escape.

This creates a diplomatic incident that alerts Starfleet and the Vulcan High Command, so Ambassador Sarek, Burnham's old mentor and tutor communicates to question about the nature of the problem, and sides with Cpt. Georgiou, describing T'Kuvma's profile as using them to create his profound cause in uniting the crumbling empire under his rule, evoking in Burnham memories of her past with him and how he used to look/talk down on her during her childhood. Suddenly the place is swarmed by Klingon ships, belonging to various leaders of the houses, attending the death ceremony, and demanding payback for the sacrilege.

The situation doesn't escalate well for the Federation and the Shenzou ends up attacked and severelly damaged/destroyed. The USS Discovery comes to the rescue and manages to save a large portion of the crew, but suffers damages and deaths of their own. Included casualties are Discovery's first and science officers, replaced temporarily(at first) by Saru and a, later on, demoted Burnham(whom Lorca appreciates as having the gut to go against the flow and asks to keep as crew), Shenzou's Captain(from now on seen only through flashbacks) who never abandons ship to ensure her crew safety. Remaining personnel, mostly joins the existing crew of Discovery.

Various episodes could include a possible trial for Burnham, the aftermath of her actions in T'Kuvma's plans and how various worlds, species and diplomats react to the crisis and resulting conflict.-

 

Not what I'm picturing - but certainly interesting.

I'd theorise as such:

Shenzou is on a mission of exploration and border security - it doesn't need to be a seven year mission, as the line just states that Burnham has served under Georgiou for seven years but doesn't state if the whole period was as her First Officer.

Our first encounter with the duo is on the desert planet - this is similar to the Kelvin Encounter in ST:09, the mission on Nibiru in ST:ID or Teenax in ST:B- opens with the pair walking across the dunes, and ends with the emergence of the Shenzou from the atmosphere/dust storm (this is the first shot of the ship itself).

Continuing the mission, the Shenzou picks up an odd signal from the accretion disk of a stellar anomaly and goes to investigate. They find the Klingon sarcophagus ship and unwittingly awake the ships defensive systems (the scenes in the trailer with the coffins are flashbacks to the launch of the ship) which leads to the combat on the ships hull between one of the Klingon guards and Burnham - but also sends out a distress call, calling in the current Klingons (Kol?) themselves.

The Klingons arrive, battle ensues - and the Discovery itself emerges from the accretion disc having been trapped their for several years (decades) and which started powering up when the Klingon ship activated and our final shot of the first hour is the Discovery and the introduction of Captain Lorca.


But I'm probably completely wrong.

 

I could be wrong but I could have sworn an official source said Sarek was an astrophysicist in this, so probably not an ambassador yet. So his connection could have to do with exploration not diplomacy

 

What I got from that trailer:

1. Shenzhou crew finds Klingon sarcophagus ship.

2. Shenzhou crew does something to piss off Klingons because of it.

3. Profit!!! (Oops, wrong show. Meant to say "War!!!) Shenzhou gets destroyed, and Discovery appears at end of episode to rescue survivors. Either that, or there actually is no Discovery and the titular ship will be the Shenzhou.

 

Things we're supposed to already know: Two ships and two crews are featured, the Shenzhou and the Discovery, and both are part of the story for season one. And there's Klingons. For whatever reason our heroine ends up on the Discovery reporting to another captain, who is (because he's being fitted for facial prosthetics) some kind of alien. A Klingon captain is featured in the show, maybe he's the captain of the Discovery and that trailer is deceiving us, which wouldn't be the first time that's ever happened.

So our heroine goes from being a Vulcan apprentice to XO of the Shenzhou to XO (?) of the Discovery, which possibly has a Klingon captain and several Klingon crew members. Or Captain What's-his-name of the Discovery is some other kind of alien requiring a lot of makeup and there's a THIRD ship with a Klingon captain and crew.

 

There is no Discovery, just Shenzhou. Lorca takes command after Georgiou is killed. Burnham is still grieving the loss of her mentor and doesn't warm to Lorca right away. Oh and Klingons.

 

A few thoughts based on things people aren't picking up on.

The line "Target its neck and cut its head off". Probably refers to a craft rather than a being. There are numerous Klingon warp signatures. These cannot be the sarcophagus ship, as if there were multiple craft like this it would negate it being special.

So, there is most likely the Klingon Sarcophagus ship and another type of Klingon war craft.

The ceremony involves a craft near a black hole. Did it fly out to perform the ceremony, is it stuck there (and if so how long), or has it come from some other time or place?

 

Maybe she's Q's daughter?

 

This post should be moved to the "dealbreaker" thread!

 

A thought occurred to me: what if the first half-season or so is done flashback style? Like, Saru & Burnham are on Discovery, but current events cause lots of flashbacks to relevant ones on Shenzhou?

 

Well we see the Discovery in the official key art. So it does exist.

 

Its a fake out. The producers are playing a deep game.

 

Even the Trailer is fake. The whole time they've secretly built the sets, uniforms, etc. to be perfectly consistent with what was seen in "The Cage."

 

The entire cast is actually CGI re-creations of the Cage cast. The show will be entirely CGI

 

I hope they at least update the dialogues to be hip and cool and acceptable to modern audiences.
Opening line should be something like "You gotta check your circuit before you wreck your circuit."
That sort of thing.

 

They could do with some product placement to offset production cost...
"They can't see the transparency, because we use Windex!"