  TIC 470710327, a massive compact hierarchical triple-star system, was
recently identified by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). TIC
470710327 is comprised of a compact (1.10 d) circular eclipsing binary, with
total mass $\approx 10.9-13.2\ \rm{M_{\odot}}$, and a more massive ($\approx
14-17\ \rm{M_{\odot}}$) eccentric non-eclipsing tertiary in a $52.04$ d orbit.
Here we present a progenitor scenario for TIC 470710327 in which '2+2'
quadruple dynamics result in Zeipel-Lidov-Kozai (ZLK) resonances that lead to a
contact phase of the more massive binary. In this scenario, the two binary
systems should form in a very similar manner, and dynamics trigger the merger
of the more massive binary either during late phases of star formation or
several Myr after the zero-age main sequence (ZAMS), when the stars begin to
expand. Any evidence that the tertiary is a highly-magnetised ($\sim 1-10$ kG),
slowly-rotating blue main-sequence star would hint towards a quadruple origin.
Finally, our scenario suggests that the population of inclined, compact
multiple-stellar systems is reduced into co-planar systems, via mergers, late
during star formation or early in the main sequence. The elucidation of the
origin of TIC 470710327 is crucial in our understanding of multiple
massive-star formation and evolution.
