I imagine the first game ending after you fight the last of the elite enemy strike force away from the Traveler. You, in cutscenes, cautiously approach the long sealed door and enter the access card you obtained mid game. The door groans and begins to slowly open partially revealing a bright white interior. Before you can make anything out the white brightens and whites out the screen. The credits role.

Bouns points if someone on your side recently mentioned finishing a fight. :p

We know that we're be planet hopping in Destiny.

We do?

Yeah, I don't think we know that yet.

Well, if we're supposed to be reclaiming the lost glory of Humanity's former interplanetary empire, I'd say that planet-hopping of one sort or another is almost guaranteed.

Could be. Certainly Humanity seems under siege. But from the leaked stuff it seems a bit late for a radio beacon deployment program.

Agreed; I was thinking more that this was back-story setting up why Earth's wrecked. I don't think this hints towards missions in-game or anything.

-- Steve was trying to tie this to previous Bungie-related lore, given Bungie's tendency to re-use themes and tropes.

When I read the quoted passage this time I thought of something like an assassin or a stealthy special ops commando, silent and swift, hiding among the crowd. Revealing himself, making himself heard for a brief instant, then disappearing again.

Destiny promo stuff mentioned that it takes place on an Earth where high-energy civilization is endangered... perhaps it's endangered by beings hostile to us, drawn by our old RADAR signals and TV broadcasts?

My current hypothesis is that these messages are from the perspective of the Traveler (which we aren't supposed to know about). The leaks tell us the Traveler is a mystery, which would make sense if it doesn't allow it's voice to be heard.

Tuesday's message could be interpreted as Humanity's terraformation of Mars. Which means we'll likely hear messages regarding each planet and further history regarding the expansion, and downfall of humanity leading up to where we pick Destiny's story in-game.

Yesterday's squib on the image talked a lot about voices; how ours (human?) "flows across the red rock... speaking in code and goads". So did Monday's pay-off graphic, more extensively:

The best voices--voices that truly matter--never allow themselves be heard. This
lesson is worth
learning again and again.

Forever.

Your voice moves as whispers, murmurs and urges
inside larger winds. Only the trusted few can absorb
what is necessary. Wise and sly and perfect, your
instructions drop, leaving nothing but the hard sweet
rime of enlightenment.

The path is set. Your voice is unleashed. Except now it is gone...

And maybe it never was.

Even earlier, the instructions graphic talks about receiving, or hearing, the calls of radio signals.

Remember the role of the Apocalypto in the I Love Bees ARG for Halo 2? It was supposed to be laying radio-jammer buoys so that the Covenant couldn't find Earth by its old radio transmissions. Or, in the Destiny ARG's terms, so that the "voices never allow themselves to be heard, a lesson worth learning again and again."

Destiny promo stuff mentioned that it takes place on an Earth where high-energy civilization is endangered... perhaps it's endangered by beings hostile to us, drawn by our old RADAR signals and TV broadcasts?

-- Steve's wondering if Bungie's exploring the Fermi Paradox here.

We know that we're be planet hopping in Destiny.

We do?

Yeah, I don't think we know that yet.

Yet? Oh no! Have I been spoiled already!? Knew I should have gone dark.

We know that we're be planet hopping in Destiny.

We do?

Yeah, I don't think we know that yet.

We know that we're be planet hopping in Destiny.

We do?

We know that we're be planet hopping in Destiny. We know that Humanity in Destiny knows that it isn't the only life in the universe, we're not alone. Just going by those bits of information, the notion that Humanity literally would believe they/ the Earth is/are the physical centre of the universe is not even remotely believable. But with the universe closing in around Humanity, it seems entirely reasonable then that folks start thinking that Humanity/Earth is the centre of the universe (not literally).

The ruins of mankind's golden age - it seems something very sudden caused this golden age to end - what happened? Was it an event or a series or events? Did we cause it or did something or someone else cause it? And how is it linked to the current status quo?

Maybe it's not we think of ourselves as the center of the universe again, but maybe it's another 'Great Demotion.' Not only are we a know nothing civilization on a galactic backwater, but perhaps have no say in our destiny either. The presence of the Protector (right name, right?) seems to be the only thing keeping us from extinction at the hands of whatever kicked our ass to begin with, after all.

Or the Protector is a Big Brother type of entity, and they're the ones that "devolved" us and have convinced us that they are here to protect us. Keeping earth humans under their thumb for some ulterior motive. And we, as knights, know the truth and are out to discover more of the truth/educate the remaining populace or trying to leave to find help from other humans/races in the galaxy.

- CC This is fun.

Given the way The Traveler (if that's its real name :p) is pretty beat up looking I imagine it as a very powerful force, perhaps some sort of left over Human warship / station from back when mankind ruled the stars. And now it has returned home, likely on it's own, perhaps controlled by an AI. I think of it as too battered to safeguard the entirety of Earth at once, thus giving us managableish groups of enemies to fight, but still a hugely powerful force to be reckoned with that is capable of protecting the Earth against a major attack.

Think the Titan from Titan AE but a military ship instead of a world building one. Destiny would then be about these varied Human groups on Earth rediscovering their past and reclaiming their… wait for it… Destiny.

Through boldness to the stars!