4 . It's A Simulated Mission, Designed To Test Kitai's Skills
The Theory: Kitai is a brash, bold, and cocky cadet; gunning for a spot among the Rangers. In the trailer, it's noted that he won't be advanced in his ambitions. (And here you thought you'd gotten enough of the "cocky ladder climber" trope from
Star Trek Into Darkness.) His father, believing in his abilities but recognizing his hubris as a disability, decides to trick him into a realistic simulation of a mission filled with factors he can't control. What's more, the alien terrain and higher stakes of death just might help knock some sense into his head.
Supporting Evidence: Not much to go on here, besides the fact that his father knows all of the conditions of the planet word for word and could easily manufacture a situation he can control. Not to mention, out of all of the planets in the Universe, they happen to crash land on Earth? What are the odds? Everything that can go wrong seems to in these trailers, and there's undoubtedly stuff missing from the plot that'll be in the film. This would also explain why his father is left behind on the ship, considering a crash like that means you're either "meant" to survive or you're dead.