Starfleet dropped a Star Trek: Discovery trailer right into the heart of Comic-Con International. In it, there's more context as to how U.S.S. Shenzhou's first officer Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) ultimately ends up in the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery under the command of Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs).
It is Burnham's reckless actions aboard the U.S.S. Shenzhou that ignite a war with an agitated Klingons race anxious to re-assert their dominance in the galaxy after decades of decline. Her actions unintentionally lead to mass casualties, forcing Starfleet to bench her.
But it's the U.S.S. Discovery's Captain Lorca who ultimately offers her salvation on board his ship, asking: "You started a war. Don't you want to help me finish it?"
Star Trek: Discovery acts as a prequel to the original 1960s series, but will include multiple nods to the alien species and iconic villains that fans have loved for more than 50 years.
Michael Burnham and her team on board U.S.S. Discovery will cross paths with by conman Harry Mudd (Rainn Wilson) and even encounter Vulcan ambassador Sarek (James Frain) at a critical moment. First Officer Burnham has personal connection with Sarek, having been the first human child ever accepted into the Vulcan Science Academy by Sarek when she was a girl.
However, the series will break from long-standing Star Trek tradition with a storyline based around inter-crew conflict and character deaths devised to take an emotional toll on the viewer.
"Game of Thrones changed television," co-showrunner Gretchen J. Berg recently said. "They almost made it difficult to fall in love with people because you didn't know if they were going to be taken away from you.
"That show's had an influence on all TV dramas that have come after it."
Executive producer Aaron Harberts added: "Death isn't treated gratuitously on this show. It's not for shock value. But when it happens we want to make sure that people really feel it."
Watch the first Star Trek: Discovery episode on 25 September on Netflix.
