Terminator 101: "The Future Is Not Set"

I happen to know that a few readers (Jonathan) are not familiar with the Terminator series. I feel bad if you aren't familiar with it, because I think that the trailer might not have been quite as epic if you aren't a fan. To help out those who need to brush up on their Terminator lore, here is a brief guide to the series. Note: I am in no means an expert, and this will not be perfect.

Here's the skinny. In Terminator, young, unsuspecting dimwit Sarah Connor is minding her own business when suddenly people are shooting guns and trying to kill her. A young, scruffy man saves her from the Governator. He tells her his name is Kyle Reese and he's from the future. Wait for it, it gets better. She's the mother of the unborn leader of the human race. And this kid of hers is named John Connor (coincidentally Kyle's best friend). As if this wasn't enough to digest, he tells her that in the very near future, humans are going to create an artificial intelligence computer system called Skynet which is going to declare war on humanity and nuke us with our own bombs. Kyle has been sent from the future to protect Sarah, because an evil robot called a Terminator has also been sent back from the future, and the Terminator is hell bent on killing Sarah before she can have her baby. Yeah, you can imagine how this goes over with Sarah. So, Kyle and Sarah go on the run while the Terminator kills everyone in his path. Kyle and Sarah end up sleeping together, because Sarah is freaking out and Kyle has long had the hots for Sarah after seeing her in a picture John had. Thus, Kyle becomes the father of best friend. Yeah. This is why time travel gets complicated folks. In the end, Terminator kills Kyle, Sarah kills Terminator, Sarah goes on the run.

Flash forward several years and you get Terminator II, one of the best action flicks of all time. It's been ten years or so since Sarah killed the Terminator. She's in a mental hospital and a complete bamf. She's also lost the bad 80s hair, but it still doesn't make her much more attractive. John is a punk preteen who hacks atm machines for cash to blow at the local arcade, since staying at home with his foster parents is not on his to-do list. He also thinks his mom's ravings about the future are crap, since she's in the quack house and what not. Of course, since it worked out so well the first time, the machines have sent another robot (T-1000) back in time to kill John, but this one is a lot spiffier than good old Arnold. And the resistance leaders, realizing that the T-1000 is way too much for them to handle, reprogram the Terminator model from the first film to go back with the sole mission of projecting John. So, T-1000 tracks down John, kills John's foster parents, and Terminator saves John. This all forces John to realize that his mom isn't nuts, and he orders the Terminator to help rescue her. Sarah, meanwhile, has been beaten up by orderlies several times and mounts her own escape plan, which coincidentally goes down at the same time as everyone else's rescue plan. Just to make things even more complicated, the T-1000 shows up to kill Sarah at the mental hospital, because apparently that would force John to show himself. Yeah, makes no sense. So, Sarah kicks some ass, flips out when she sees the Terminator, and has a brief tearful reunion with John. Then of course it's back to Sarah bamf mode and she kicks but with the Terminator. The Terminator, John, and Sarah escape the hospital and the T-1000. They go to the desert. Sarah gets out of hospital clothes and into military gear. Sarah sets off to kill Miles Dyson, a computer programer who is building Skynet. Terminator and John go after her. Sarah fails to kill Dyson. Terminator and Sarah tell him about the future. Dyson appropriately hates himself. Everyone, Dyson included, go to blow up Dyson's lab. The cops show up, along with the T-1000. Huge showdown ensues. Dyson gets shot, building goes kaboom. Unfortunately, the stupid T-1000 will not quit. It chases our heroes in a big car chase scene. There's an ultimate showdown and both terminator models die. John gets all upset because the Terminator was the closest thing to a father he's ever had. Sarah is happy, because she thinks she's changed the future. 

And finally, there is the third movie. It turns out, Sarah did change the future, sort of. Judgement Day (when Skynet kills everyone) didn't happen, at least not on schedule. Sarah has died of leukemia. John is a roaming, homeless, purposeless loser. You can't really blame him. One day you're the future leader of the human race, the next that future doesn't exist anymore. Or so he thinks. Anyways, he's just driving along on his bike when he swerves to avoid hitting a deer. So the bike gets destroyed and John, despite the fact that he crashed going 70 mph, gets up, limping a bit, in search of medical supplies. Meanwhile, a new terminator model, the TX, appears. This one is different from previous models. She looks like a super model for starters. I'm sure the guys will enjoy the naked TX, but moving on, she kills a chick, takes her car, and drives off in search of her 28 targets, all the while paving the way for several not so subtle sexual jokes. We then get to meet Kate Brewster, her canon fodder fiance, and military father. Daddy Brewster, is working on a, wait for it, secret government military computer system. Yep, you guessed it, Skynet. Then, the Terminator appears and enters a male stripper club and steals clothes from fairly effeminate male stripper. He steals a car and drives off to find John. John, meanwhile, is a little banged up. He breaks into a Vet clinic to get some meds. The TX kills a guy named Jose and two siblings. Kate (a Vet) goes to the clinic, catching John and locking him in a dog cage. She then realizes who he is - apparently, they went to middle school together and made out in someone's basement. Of course, this reunion is broken up because the TX shows up to kill Kate. the Terminator shows up in the nick of time, saving Kate from the TX. He grabs John and everyone piles into Kate's truck, with kate locked in the back. Car chase ensues. Cops get involved as well. after chase ends, John learns that this is not the exact same Terminator from the last movie, so Terminator doesn't remember him. Kate has her best line - "Drop dead you asshole." Kate really doesn't like being kidnapped. Terminator drives them out into dessert. Terminator admits he must protect Kate too. TX is after all John's lieutenants. Apparently, they only postponed Judgement Day in the last movie. Terminator also admits that TX is way more badass than him. Kate still doesn't like being kidnapped. John gets the Terminator to tell Kate who John is. John tries to explain everything to Kate. TX tracks down and kills Kate's fiance. TX and company arrive at a cemetery and crypt, where John finds a grave for Sarah Connor. He starts to get all sentimental. The Terminator punches into the grave and opens coffin, which, in true Sarah fashion, is filled with weapons. Kate flips out, again, and shoots the Terminator, who spits out the bullet. Then the cops show up. Fight scene ensues. Dr. Sliberman (Sarah's former loony bin doctor) shows up. More fighting. kate makes a run for it. Terminator tells John that kate is important and they must get her back. She's his future wife and the mother of his children. TX makes another go at killing Kate. Kate rejoins the rest of the heroes. All make a run for it. Another car chase ensues. They finally ditch the TX and Kate gets all upset that her fiance is dead. Kate then flips out again when she finds out her father is one of the TX's targets. John finds out her father runs Skynet. John insists on a rescue mission to save her father and to stop Skynet. Terminator says there isn't enough time, since Judgement Day is in a matter of hours. John goes all existential and tries to commit suicide. This time Kate orders Terminator to save her dad, and he complies. Road trip to save dad.  Terminator explains that Kate reprograms him in the future to save John after he killed future John. Kate also finds out she's going to marry John. Kate's dad is pressured into releasing Skynet. And of course, it goes evil and destroys everything just as Kate, John, and Terminator arrive. TX shoots Kate's dad. Machines kill everyone. Big fight ensues. Kate's dad gives them a set of codes and tells them to go to Crystal Lake to destroy Skynet. Dad dies. John grabs Kate and al make a run for it. Terminators face off, and TX wins. John and Kate make a run for it to get a plane. Kate grabs a gun and shoots a robot, proving she can be a badass. John is impressed. John and Kate run from TX and manage to escape temporarily. They get to the hanger, where coincidentally there is a plane Kate knows how to fly. Terminator shows up, but his files have been corrupted and he tries to kill John. Terminator stops himself in the nick of time. John and Kate get on the plane. They arrive at Crystal Lake, a bunker-like facility. Before they can get in, TX shows up. Then Terminator shows up and saves them. Again. They get inside the bunker. Terminator says goodbye with "We'll meet again." Terminator and TX kick it. Once inside the bunker, John realizes Skynet isn't there. He's understandably furious Kate's Dad lied and sent them to a fallout shelter. Film ends with John saying over military radio, "This is John Connor" and military people asking him for help. John admits that maybe the future can't be changed, but he'll never stop fighting.

The fourth movie...hasn't come out yet so I can't tell you squat. It is, however, unique in that it is both a prequel and a sequel to all the other three films. Cool, huh?

So, that's one of the best sci-fi series ever. Sorry I couldn't find anything for the second movie in terms of links. Youtube used to have it, but guess it got removed (Note to friends: have the second if you want to borrow). Excited for the fourth movie?

~Lauren