Terminator 2 FAQ
tza...@tigris.cti.gr
Hi there,
can somebody tell me, if there is a FAQ about TERMINATOR 2 and where I can
get it ?
Thank you in advance.
Manolis Tzangarakis, tza...@cti.gr
tza...@grpatvx1.bitnet
Patras,
Greece.
Colin Needham
>can somebody tell me, if there is a FAQ about TERMINATOR 2 and where I can
>get it ?
Yes, there is one. You can pick it up via anonymous FTP from ftp.funet.fi in:
pub/culture/tv+film/misc/Terminator2.FAQ.gz
Col
Liza Daly
: pub/culture/tv+film/misc/Terminator2.FAQ.gz
: Col
Just read through this and noticed it's out of date. It was written
before the laserdisc extended version came out--many of the questions
are actually answered in the restored scenes. Any takers? (I've
seen but don't own the laserdisc.)
--
Liza Daly
"I like to skate
ld...@acs.bu.edu on the other side of the ice."
ch...@concorde.com
Karsten Loepelmann
>Just read through this and noticed it's out of date.
I'm game. I sent mail to fie...@uts.amdahl.com (Doug Fierro) to ask him the
status of the FAQ, but the mail bounced. I would like to take over maintanence
of the T2 FAQ. I've already started updating some sections. I will post the
FAQ --as is-- immediately, and soon after, will post my revised edition.
If anyone has problems with this (or if Doug is out there in cyberspace
somewhere), please contact me. Thanx!
KAL
--
Karsten A. Loepelmann, Master of his domain (*psychology*, that is :-)
"Back off, man. I'm a scientist." -- Dr. Peter Venkman
kloe...@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca /// klo...@psych.ualberta.ca
Karsten Loepelmann
ftp.funet.fi/pub/culture/tv+film/misc/ The last revision was 10/11/91. I
sent mail to the writer of the FAQ fie...@uts.amdahl.com (Doug Fierro), but
he is apparently not with Amdahl any longer. Thus, I hereby claim right to
assert maintenance of the T2 FAQ.
If anyone has problems with this, please contact me via email.
Thanx!
KAL
8<-------------------(cut here)---------------------8<
From fie...@uts.amdahl.com Tue Oct 15 17:18:11 1991
From: fie...@uts.amdahl.com (Doug Fierro)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies
Subject: T2 FAQ list for 10/11/91
Date: 11 Oct 91 23:17:10 GMT
Reply-To: fie...@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com (Doug Fierro)
Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale CA
10/11/91
This list will hopefully answer some questions that have been
circulating around for a bit. All of the discussion below has taken
place on the net. After you have read through it, feel free to
add/correct/comment on any item you wish.
1) Didn't they misspell "Judgment"?
Both "judgement" and "judgment" are accepted spellings.
2) Kyle Reese said in T1 that only living tissue can be transported by
the time machine, so how did the T-1000 get through? Didn't
they destroy the time machine?
Even the terminator in T1 was a machine underneath, and Kyle said in
T1 that a terminator was able to go through because it was surrounded
by living tissue (or something to that effect). The T-1000 could imitate
living tissue, but it is made up of alloy metals, so it is not technically
a biological organism, but neither was Arnie.
Discussion so far:
1 maybe Skynet used a time machine with improved capabilities
(Apparently with the letter-boxed laserdisc for T1, you can
see a type of bubble enclosed around Reese before he drops, so this would
imply that the same type of time machine was used in T2).
2 mimicking living tissue is sufficient. (This is supported by the Dark
Horse Comic Terminator series- only surface tissue is needed for
transportation.) The poly-mimetic alloy is capable of generating a
living field of some sorts.
3 The time machine in T2 is in a separate existence from T1 (refer to
the time travel section at the end of this list).
4 The T-1000 was sent through wrapped-up in flesh.
3) Does Linda Hamilton have a twin sister that plays in the movie, and
if so, which scenes?
Yes, she was in the scene at the end where the T-1000 took the form
of John Connor's mother. Linda acutally played the T-1000 version
of herself and her sister played Sarah Connor coming up behind the
T-1000. That is the only scene Linda's sister appeared in. NOTE: this
scene was not done with split screens!!! Linda's sister's name
is Leslie Hamilton Gearren and she is a nurse in New Jersey. Linda
Hamilton played Sarah on the playground during her dream sequence
(in fact she is holding her real-life son).
(The guard in the correctional institute also has a real-life twin
brother: his other brother played the T-1000 coming up behind him
at the coffee machine. These twin brothers were also in "Good Morning
Vietnam" and "Gremlins2: The New Batch".)
4) Does the T-1000 have to touch the person it takes the form of?
Arnie told John that the T-1000 could replicate "anything it samples by
physical contact". It appears that the T-1000 can use a medium to
do this without actually touching the victim's skin. The scene in the
mental institution where the T-1000 mimicked the guard at the coffee
machine, the only contact was when the guard walked on the floor, where
the medium was the soles of the shoes the guard was wearing.
5) What year does the film take place?
The DOB for John Connor is Feb. 1985, and he is 10 years old in the movie.
5B) Mathmatical errors in the script?
Some details first: T2 begins in 2029; Skynet becomes self-aware at
2:14am Aug 29, 1997.
* Sarah is 29 in T2, which would make her 18 in T1
Sarah was 19 according to the book for T1, so this is plausible.
* Arnie says that in three years, Skynet starts the war. The
present time is 1995 in T2, so 1995 + 3 = 1998, not 1997.
From Feb. 1995 to Aug. 1997 is more than two years, so Arnie
might have just rounded it to three years.
6) The T-1000 was transported to the Sixth Street Bridge in downtown LA at
night and had access to a police vehicle and John Connor's address. Why
did it take him so long to show up at John's house in Reseda? (he arrived
AFTER Arnie did!)?
No good ones on this yet either. It seems like at least 4-6 hours
between the T-1000 arriving and then getting to John's house. The greater
LA area is big, but not that big. Maybe the book has a different version.
7) How come the security guard in the mental institute did not notice the
T-1000 on the floor?
It is very possible that the T-1000 made itself thin enough to avoid
being noticed. The T-1000 doesn't necessarily need to keep a consistent
thickness while it is on the floor.
8) Why did the orderly in the mental institute lick Sarah's face?
Discussion:
a) To set a mood for the situation Sarah was in.
b) he was a pervert.
It was not established in the movie if he was abusing her or not in the
past, but because he licked her face (yuck!) instead of just doing
something like checking her pupils suggests that he had been sexually
abusing her.
9) Why did the T-1000 change back to the policeman in the mental
institute?
Discussion: It takes more energy to mimick an object than to just
keep the default form. When the T-1000 was transported to 1995,
it had a default humanoid form, and that is the one it keeps
throughout the movie.
10) If dogs are used to identify terminators, why doesn't the dog at the
desert hideout start barking at Arnie?
The dog at the desert hideout also did not bark at Sarah or John, who
were strangers along with "Uncle Bob".
Discussion:
Dogs have to be "trained" to sniff out terminators. (this would imply
that Max was just barking for the hell of it, which is up for debate).
Not all dogs bark at Terminators.
11) Silencers on an M-16 (when Sarah is trying to kill Dyson)?
The sound suppressor on that M-16 was a Sionics model, first
designed in the 1960's and was used by the US in Vietnam.
12) When the T-1000 goes to Dyson's home, what police radio is it
listening to?
The one on the motorcycle.
13) Why didn't the T-1000 try to imitate Dyson and try to save Skynet?
The T-1000 had one objective- to kill John Connor, not to preserve
its own future.
14) When Arnie was firing the big machine gun in the Cyberdyne lab, is the
bullet belt moving or not?
(from ti...@convex.com)
It appeared that the weapon Arnold had in T2 was a General Electric
minigun, M-134/GAU-2b. It fires a 7.62 mm round from 6 rotating barrels
at peak cyclic rates of up to 6,000 rpm. Barrel rotation is
powered by an electric motor. The "ammo chain" is actually an
enclosed feeder. The bullets are inside of this feeder. That is
why it appears to not move. If you look closely, you'll see a
steady stream of spent cartridges dropping out of the bottom of
the weapon.
15) Is there a 3rd arm in the Helicopter when the T-1000 is flying
it and shooting its weapon at the same time?
Yes, and even a fourth arm in some scenes if you look carefully.
Since the T-1000 is supposed to "mimick" shapes it sees, it
is up in the air as far as this being a flaw in the writing or if
in fact that was an acceptable shape change. Because of the fight
scene at the end of the movie with Arnie, it seems plausible that
the T-1000 can modify its humanoid appearance somewhat.
16) Why did the T-1000 try to get Sarah to call to John?
Discussion so far:
theory1 (from the book)- the liquid nitrogen temporarily damaged its vocals
theory2- the T-1000 had not heard Sarah speak yet; therefore, he could
not mimick her voice.
16B) Why didn't the T-1000 kill Sarah?
Because Arnie came to her rescue after he broke his arm free.
17) Is Arnie's arm being left behind in the huge gear going to spur a
Terminator III?
It was clear from Dyson that it was the CPU that spurred the technology
for Skynet. In the book, Sarah and John took the parts left from the
older model terminator and threw them into the molten pit.
18) What was that "ripple" that went through the T-1000 after it fought
Arnie and left him behind with his arm caught?
2 The liquid nitrogen damaged the T-1000. (see the August issue of
Cinefex).
19) Why did the T-1000 take the shape of Sarah Connor instead of the
old Terminator after it drove the metal spike in its back?
The T-1000 could have taken either shape; since the T-1000 took the
shape of the guard at the mental institution, it would seem that
the T-1000 could have taken Arnie's shape as well, or at least come
close to resembling him. It may have thought it would have had a
better chance of getting close to John if it took the shape of his
mother; don't forget the T-1000 had no information on how John's
relationship was progressing with Arnie, so it would assume that
Sarah would have been a better choice.
20) If the T-1000 died when it fell into the molten pit, why didn't
it die when the semi blew up?
Molten metal is a lot hotter than a gas explosion; notice that
the truck did not melt when it blew up.
21) Why didn't Arnie "disappear" when John through the CPU chip from
Cyberdyne into the burning pit?
Time travel paradoxes are more complicated than that; the Back To
The Future storyline does not go by any scientific basis. Although
no one is sure what would happen if you created a paradox, it is
highly unlikely (and goes against the laws of physics for our world)
that matter would just disappear into thin air.
According to the book, Judgment Day is avoided; Sarah becomes a grandmother
and John a Senator fighting the Skynet bill in Congress. Also in the
book, the T-800 jumps in the molten pit on its own.
22) I keep hearing about scenes that were not in the movie: what's the deal?
Apparently a few scenes were cut from the final version of T2. Pictures
of the cut scenes are circulating around in various publications.
Some of the scenes are:
Sarah opens up Arnie's head and re-adjusts his CPU.
Sarah's dream sequence with Kyle.
(there are more)
TIME TRAVEL:
It should be first said here that time travel itself is a paradox because
it breaks the laws that our existence relies on.
But putting that all aside, there are lots of possible scenarios, once
you accept time travel. A common one is that we live in an infinite universe
world, where multiple existences are possible. The other one is that
there is only one existence, one universe, and hence one timeline. Note
that there is also a sub-theory to all of this as to if these timelines
already exist, or if they are in fact created by time travel. And to
settle a major misconception here, it would be highly unlikely that matter
would just disappear if you changed an event in the past.
T2 implies that its world is of one existence and one timeline, because
otherwise there would be no use in sending someone back to change the past
in a multi-universe existence. It was also implied that Judgment day
was avoided by traveling back in time- something that would not be possible
if timelines branched upon changing past events . Here is a picture
depicting why:
1995 2027
-----|----------------|--(existence with nuclear war) (A)
\_______________|__(alternate peaceful existence) (B)
If a time traveler could change an event in 1995 (destroying the CPU chip),
and assuming infinite timelines, all that would result is another existence (B)
branced off from 1995. Note that the nuclear war still happens in existence
(A), even if you change an event in the past.
With one timeline, changing an event in the past could in fact (or in theory)
erase the existence that the time traveler came from; it would not exist
any more because it did not happen. Note that changing an event in the
past does not necessarily imply that an existence in a single-universe world
will be changed- significant events would have to be altered in order to
create a new existence in the future and hence destroy the old existence.
A time-traveler can choose to be an observer only, and nothing would be
changed so long as the time traveler did not have contact with any people
or did not alter any events.
The ONLY person who would have this knowledge of an existence being altered
would be the time traveler (and whomever they told). An example of this is
our existence right now- we could be living in an existence in 1991 that was
made possible by a time traveler who altered an event in 1945, but we
ourselves would never know it.
If you allow time travel, then you also accept the fact that you can
have people or objects whose origins are from a future that has since
been "erased". So you can have Reese exist in 1984 even though his parents
have not married yet, and you can have a terminator existing in 1995 even
if you prevent Skynet from being created. Things like these are no longer
paradoxes with time travel; you could classify them as anomalies.
That's as deep as I will get into that discussion for now; feel free
to contact me to ask questions or debate this via e-mail.
GENERAL INFO:
* How did Linda Hamilton prepare for T2?
Rigorous weight-training/exercise program 6 days a week and weapons
training with a former Israeli Commando.
* Software/hardware used?
The systems used were Silicon Graphics IRIS 4D/340VGX RISC processor
workstations. The software used was Alias Studio 3.0 and Pixar's
Renderman from ILM. (check out the pilot's reflection on the T-1000
in the helicopter and the nuclear blast scene! neat stuff..).
* Code displayed through the Terminator's vision?
6502 assembler
* What does "Schwarzenegger" translate to?
black plowman.
* What does "Hasta la vista" mean?
See you later. Literal translation is "Until the sight".
* Other movies by Arnold & Linda?
[from the monthly postings in rec.arts.movies:]
Schwarzenegger, Arnold Commando (1985)
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Destroyer
Hercules in New York (as Arnold Strong)
Jayne Mansfield Story, The (TV)
Kindergarten Cop
Long Goodbye, The
Predator
Pumping Iron
Raw Deal (1986)
Red Heat (1988)
Red Sonja
Running Man, The (1987)
Scavenger Hunt
Stay Hungry
Terminator II: Judgment Day
Terminator, The
Total Recall
Twins
Villain, The (1979)
Hamilton, Linda Black Moon Rising
Children of the Corn
Club Med (TV)
Country Gold (TV)
Deadly Secrets (TV)
Go to the Light (TV)
King Kong Lives
Mr. Destiny
Rape and Marriage: The Rideout Case (TV)
Reunion (TV)
Secret Weapons (TV)
Secrets of a Mother and Daughter (TV)
Stone Boy, The
TAG: The Assassination Game
Terminator, The
Terminator 2: Judgement Day, The
"Beauty and the Beast"
"King's Crossing"
"Secrets of Midland Heights"
Robert Patrick also appeared briefly in DieHard 2
*********************************************
Doug
--
Doug Fierro
|\ UTS System Software
O __________|_\______ CASE tools development
\_.______________________| * * * * * * * * */ fie...@uts.amdahl.com
__\____ |=================/ (408)746-7102
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
8<-------------------(cut here)-------------------8<
Karsten Loepelmann
The Terminator/Terminator 2: Judgment Day
FAQ
compiled and maintained by
Karsten A. Loepelmann
klo...@psych.ualberta.ca
Version 2.00
(Initial Release)
This FAQ is Copyright 1994 by Karsten A. Loepelmann. All Rights Reserved.
Permission is granted for reproduction, distribution, transmission, or
storage for noncommercial purposes only, on the condition that the contents
are not changed in any way.
Posted occasionally to:
news:alt.cult-movies
news:rec.arts.movies
news:rec.arts.sf.movies
-----------------------------------------------------
0. Introduction
1. What are the different movie versions?
1.1 _The Terminator_
1.2 _Terminator 2: Judgment Day_
1.2.1 Why were there scenes cut out of T2?
1.2.2 What is the missing ending?
2. Are the Original Motion Picture Soundtracks available?
2.1 The Terminator
2.2 T2
2.2.1 What songs in the movie are not on the soundtrack?
3. What 'Terminator' comics are there?
3.1. Now Comics
3.2. Dark Horse Comics
3.3. Marvel Comics
4. What 'Terminator' computer/video games are there?
5. What are the filmographies of the some of the people involved with T2?
5.1. James Cameron
5.2. Arnold Schwarzenegger
5.3. Linda Hamilton
5.4. Robert Patrick
6. Miscellaneous questions
6.1. What year does T2 take place?
6.1.1 Are there mathematical errors in the script?
6.2. Why did it take the T-1000 so long to show up at John's house in
Reseda?
6.3. Why didn't the security guard at Pescadero State Hospital not notice the
T-1000 on the floor?
6.4. Does the T-1000 have to touch the object it takes the form of?
6.5. Why did the T-1000 change back to the policeman at Pescadero State
Hospital?
6.6. Why did the orderly in Pescadero State Hospital lick Sarah's face?
6.7. If dogs are used to identify Terminators, why doesn't the dog at the
desert hideout bark at the T-101?
6.8. Why does Sarah carve the words "NO FATE"?
6.9. What gun does Sarah use when she attempts to kill Dyson?
6.10. Why doesn't Sarah kill Dyson?
6.11. When the T-1000 goes to Dyson's home, what police radio is it listening
to?
6.12. Why didn't the T-1000 try to imitate Dyson and develop Skynet itself?
6.13. When the T-101 was firing the big machine gun in the Cyberdyne lab, is
the bullet belt moving or not?
6.14. Does the T-1000 have a third arm when it is flying the helicopter
and shooting its weapon at the same time?
6.15. What was that "ripple" that went through the T-1000 after it fought the
T-101 and left him behind?
6.16. Why did the T-1000 take the shape of Sarah instead of the T-101 after
it drove the spike through his back?
6.17. Why did the T-1000 try to get Sarah to call to John?
6.17.1 Why didn't the T-1000 kill Sarah?
6.18. If the T-1000 was destroyed when it fell into the molten steel, why
wasn't it destroyed when the semi tow-truck blew up?
6.19. Why didn't the T-101 "disappear" when John threw the T-800's CPU into
the molten steel?
6.20. Isn't the T-101's arm being left behind in the huge gear going to lead
to the creation of Skynet anyway?
7. Trivia
7.1. Who was originally cast as the Terminator?
7.2. How many lines did Arnold have in T1?
7.3. What is Harlan Ellison's connection to the Terminator movies?
7.4. What is the 'crushing foot' motif?
7.5. Is "judgment" spelled correctly?
7.6. How did Linda Hamilton prepare for T2?
7.7. Does Linda Hamilton have a twin sister who appeared in T2?
7.8. What hardware/software was used to produce some of the FX in T2?
7.9. What machine code is displayed on the Terminator's visual display?
7.10. What is the literal translation of "Schwarzenegger"?
7.11. What does "Hasta la vista" mean?
7.12. Did the movies win any Academy Awards?
7.13. How much money did T2 make?
8. Time travel questions.
8.1 How did the (liquid *metal*) T-1000 travel to the past? Didn't they
destroy the time machine?
8.2 How can Skynet exist if the chip and arm were destroyed?
8.3 If John gave a speech to Reese in 2029, who gave it to Sarah and
conceived John in 1984, and then Sarah told it to John, then who *wrote*
the bloody speech?
9. Will there be a _Terminator 3_ movie?
10. Credits
10.1. Bibliography
Abbreviations:
JC=James Cameron
LD=Laser Disk
T1=_The Terminator_ movie
T2=_Terminator 2: Judgment Day_ movie
T-101=Arnold's character in T2
T-800=Arnold's character in T1
T-1000=the 'liquid metal' Terminator in T2
============================================================
0. Introduction
This Frequently-Asked Questions list is based largely on the T2 FAQ compiled
by Doug Fierro, last dated 11/10/91. (Doug's email address is dead -- Doug,
are you out there?) That is why the initial release of this FAQ is
considered version 2.00. Due to high demand for information on the Terminator
films, the FAQ has been resurrected. Contributions/discussion are welcome!
The preferred forum for discussion is news:rec.arts.sf.movies
In the section on time travel, there are probably no absolute right or wrong
answers -- except as far as real-world physics can be applied to the virtual
world of the Terminator films. I am open to alternate answers to particular
questions, as long as they meet one of two criteria: 1) I find them
reasonable, or 2) after discussion of the topic in a Usenet newsgroup,
consensus is that the explanation is reasonable. This way I avoid crackpot
ideas ;-)
If you want to contribute something and start out by writing, "I know
someone who knows this guy who met JC's gardener once, and *she* says that JC
says that..." Well, I probably won't read much further than that. If you
cite a reference to info that you provide, your credibility will be that much
higher. (I'm not anally retentive. It's just that this is supposed to be an
information file, not a *mis*information file. ;-)
If you want to make sure I get your input (questions *or* answers), send email
to one of my addresses at the bottom of this FAQList.
1. What are the different movie versions?
1.1 _The Terminator_
Producer: Gale Anne Hurd
Cinematography: Adam Greenberg
Production design: George Costello
Editing: Mark Goldblatt
Written by: Gale Anne Hurd and James Cameron
Director: James Cameron
Released 1984.
As far as I know, there is only one cut of T1. It is available on VHS
videocassette and on LD.
1.2 _Terminator 2: Judgment Day_
Producer: James Cameron
Cinematography: Adam Greenberg
Production design: Joseph Nemec III
Editing: Conrad Buff IV, Mark Goldblatt, and Richard A. Harris
Written by: James Cameron and William Wisher
Director: James Cameron
Released 1991.
The original, theatrical-release cut of T2 is available on videocassette.
There are also special editions on VHS video and LD that restore footage
edited out prior to release.
*** I need complete info on the LD and Special Edition VHS versions of
T1 and T2 (e.g., length, added scenes, etc.).
1.2.1. Why were there scenes cut out of T2?
Certain scenes were edited out of T2. These include a scene of Sarah opening
up the T-101's head and adjusting the CPU, Sarah's dream sequence with Kyle
Reese, and the legendary extended ending.
JC was interviewed for the TV show _Secrets Revealed_, hosted by William
Devane (because of the difficulty in obtaining copies of the show, JC's
responses are reproduced verbatim):
"Well, 'final cut' really doesn't change anything. You still have to do
what's best for the film -- and a lot of people have opinions about what's
best for the film. And, as a responsible filmmaker, you have to listen to
them.
"In the opening of the film, we see a playground after a nuclear war, where all
the playground equipment has been burned and blackened. And then the ending
was to show the 'alternate future' that came about as a result of the efforts
of Sarah and John. And then when we put the movie together, and sat and
watched it, it just felt a little too...'sweet'. It's essentially the movie of
the script. But no movie is ever the movie of the script -- the script is what
you start with when you start the voyage, and when you end the voyage, you may
be somewhere else.
"So we took the ending off and we went to the dark road, kind of going into
darkness -- the uncertain future...and that seemed to work better.
"We did screen it once, with the happier ending -- because we had already
raised the question to ourselves: 'Is this *really* the right thing?' And the
audience seemed to concur. So we all looked at each other and went, 'Aha!
See? Eh?' So we very quickly whipped together the alternate, which I'd
already had in mind.
"Sometimes, in that pressure-cooker of finishing the picture, the most
instinctive responses are the best. And that's really what happened there; it
was just instinct."
Linda Hamilton said:
"Certainly, it was a *braver* choice than I expected."
1.2.2 What is the missing ending?
Again, from the TV show _Secrets Revealed_, here is a transcript of the
alternate ending:
[After the T-101 sinks into the molten steel, Sarah holds John and looks into
the camera. NOTE: This shot is common to both versions. What follows was
cut from the theatrical release.]
[Fade to shot of the sun. Begin voiceover as the camera pans down. It is
Washington, DC; the capitol is in the background, as are several futuristic
buildings. Pan down to long shot of a park with a fountain and a
playground.]
Sarah: "August 29th, 1997 came and went. Nothing much happened. Michael
Jackson turned *forty*. There was *no* 'judgment day'."
[Cut to medium shot of a recreational area around the fountain. Pan down and
across children in the playground to a well-dressed older woman speaking the
narration into a small recording device.]
Sarah: "People went to work as they always do. Laughed. Complained. Watched
TV. Made love. I wanted to run through the street yelling, to grab
them all and say, 'Every day from this day on is a *gift*. Use it
well.' Instead, I got drunk. That was thirty years ago. But the
dark future which never came still exists for me. And it always will
-- like the traces of a dream."
[Cut to a shot of an adult John Connor, pushing a little girl on a swing in
the playground.]
Sarah: "John fights the war differently than it was foretold. Here, on the
battlefield of the Senate, his weapons are common sense --"
[Cut to a closeup of Sarah, watching John and the little girl]
Sarah: "--and hope."
[Cut to a shot of the little girl running.]
Girl: "Tie me, gramma! Tie me!"
[Cut to a medium shot of the girl climbing up onto the bench beside Sarah, who
ties her granddaughters' shoe. Cut to a closeup of the little girl as she
looks up at Sarah and giggles. Cut to a medium shot of the two.]
Sarah: "How's that?"
[Cut to a shot of the girl]
Girl: "Thank you, gramma."
[Cut to a shot of the two; Sarah leans down and gives the girl a kiss. The
girl runs back to the playground. Cut to a shot of the girl running into
John's arms. The two embrace, then John helps her onto a slide.]
Sarah: "The luxury of hope was given to me by the Terminator. Because if a
machine can learn the value of human life--"
[Cut to a shot of Sarah, smiling, watching the children.]
Sarah: "--may be we can, too."
[Fade to black.]
2. Are the Original Motion Picture Soundtracks available?
2.1 The Terminator
Original motion picture soundtrack. Music composed by Brad Fiedel.
2.2 _Terminator 2: Judgement Day_
Original motion picture soundtrack. Music composed and produced by Brad
Fiedel. CD contains 20 tracks (all orchestral); total playing time is 53:45.
Varese Sarabande, VSD-5335.
2.2.1 What songs in the movie are not on the T2 soundtrack?
There are three songs. One is "Guitars, Cadillacs" written and performed by
Dwight Yoakam (played in the bar where the T-101 gets his clothes). Another
is "Bad to the Bone" written by George Thorogood, performed by George
Thorogood and the Destroyers (played when the T-101 walks out of the bar).
And finally, "You Could be Mine" written by Izzy Stradlin and W. Axl Rose,
performed by Guns 'N' Roses. The latter song was written especially for T2;
the former two were not.
*** Anyone know on which CDs these respective songs *do* appear?
3. What 'Terminator' comics are there?
The license to T1 has been held by two companies at different times: first by
Now Comics, and later by Dark Horse Comics. These comics expanded on the
canon presented in the T1 movie *only*, not explicitly incorporating the
events of T2. Currently, this license is apparently with another
publisher. The license to T2 was obtained by Marvel Comics, which only
produced an adaptation of the T2 movie. The current status of this license is
unknown. [Warning! Spoilers below, especially in the _RoboCop Versus The
Terminator_ synopsis.]
3.1. Now Comics
_The Terminator_ (1988?), issues #1-17. "It's after the first Terminator
film, set in the future with the focus on John Conner's [sic] battle with
Skynet. This movie tie-in doesn't follow the film's direction at all, and as
a comic has a lame story with so-so art." [from _Hero Illustrated_ #6]
_The Terminator: The Burning Earth_ (1990), issues #1-5. Written by Ron
Fortier, fully painted art by Alex Ross. In 2041, John Connor and the human
resistance race to stop Skynet from using its nuclear stockpile to finally
annihilate the human race.
_The Terminator: All My Futures Past_ (1990), issues #1-2. Written by
Chuck Dixon, fully painted art by Diego and Delsol. This story takes place in
2029, and chronicles the departure of the T-800 and Reese to 1984.
3.2. Dark Horse Comics
_The Terminator: Tempest_, issues #1-4 (1990). Written by John Arcudi, art by
Chris Warner & Paul Guinan. A group of humans, led by Colonel Mary Randall,
travel back in time to stop Cyberdyne Systems Corporation from developing
Skynet technology. The only things standing in their way are four
Terminators, including a half-human/half-Terminator cyborg sent back in time
by Skynet.
_The Terminator: One Shot_ (1991), one issue. Written by James Robinson,
fully painted art by Matt Wagner. Has a pop-up page in the middle. Tells the
story of a female Terminator sent to kill the *fourth* 'Sarah Connor' living
in Los Angeles, and the person sent back in time to stop the Terminator.
_The Terminator: Secondary Objectives_ (1991), issues #1-4. Written by James
Robinson, art by Paul Gulacy & Karl Kesel. Terminators from the _Tempest_
series are still around, but they'll have to go through Colonel Randall (the
surviving time-displaced human resistance soldier from _Tempest_), a Cyberdyne
technician, and a cyborg from the future to fulfill their secondary
objective: kill Sarah Connor.
_The Terminator: The Enemy Within_, issues #1-4 (1991/1992). Written by Ian
Edginton, art by Vince Giarrano, painted covers by Simon Bisley. The
human/Terminator cyborg 'Dudley' struggles to reassert his humanity over his
machine side, as questions about the Cyberdyne technician's loyalty arise.
Meanwhile, four human reinforcements from the future and inquisitive LAPD
Detective Sloane join Mary Randall in a showdown with the remaining
Terminator.
_The Terminator: Hunters & Killers_, issues #1-3 (1992). Written by Toren
Smith, Adam Warren, & Chris Warner, art by Bill Jaaska, Dan Panosian, &
Jeff Albrecht, painted covers by John Taylor Dismukes. Chronicles the efforts
of a team of Russian Special Forces resistance fighters in 2029 as they race
a group of Terminators sent by Skynet and its Russian arm, Mir, to obtain a
submarine stocked with nuclear missiles.
_The Terminator: Endgame_, issues #1-3 (1992). Written by James Robinson,
art by Jackson Guice & John Beatty, painted covers by John Higgins. Dudley
informs Colonel Randall that yet another new Terminator has been sent to kill
Sarah Connor and her baby. Randall again seeks the aid of Detective Sloane,
who is tracking the serial killer 'Catfish.' In the hospital in which
Sarah is giving birth, Randall, Sloane, Catfish, and the Terminator all meet
in a surprising final confrontation.
_RoboCop Versus The Terminator_, issues #1-4 (1992). Written by Frank Miller,
art by Walter Simonson. In the future, the catalyst for Skynet's sentience is
discovered to be the cyborg Alex Murphy: RoboCop. A lone female soldier
travels back in time to Detroit -- and destroys RoboCop! As changes in the
timestream sweep to the future, Skynet sends Terminators to the past, which
*prevent* the soldier from killing RoboCop, who then destroys the Terminators.
Knowing his destiny, RoboCop destroys himself. Again, changes sweep forward in
time, and Skynet sends back Terminators that once again prevent the destruction
of RoboCop, and force him to merge with Skynet. The years pass and Murphy
exists only as a virus in Skynet, waiting until he can create himself a new
form. This new RoboCop prevents the soldier from traveling to the past. He
replicates himself hundreds of times and takes on the Terminators and Skynet,
then travels back in time and destroys Skynet before it becomes sentient. And
changes sweep along the timestream...
3.3. Marvel Comics
_Terminator 2: Judgment Day_, issues #1-3.
*** Anyone have any info on this series?
4. What 'Terminator' computer/video games are there?
The Terminator (MS-DOS):
First-person perspective walking/driving game. You may play the T-800 or
Reese. Your objective (kill Sarah/kill T-800) depends on which character you
choose to play. Average graphics and mediocre gameplay.
The Terminator 2029 (MS-DOS):
Popular split-screen (first-person combat window/third-person overhead
navigation window) action game. You play an armoured member of the human
resistance. You must complete 19 different missions. Nice graphics, but
gameplay is difficult.
The Terminator 2029: Operation Scour (MS-DOS):
Add-on mission disk for T2029. More of the same; 12 new missions.
Terminator: Rampage (MS-DOS):
First-person combat game, a la DOOM! Very nice graphics and good gameplay.
Apparently plagued by speed problems, however.
Terminator: Chess Wars (MS-DOS):
Action(?)/strategy game.
*** Anyone have any reviews/comments?
T2 (MS-DOS):
Third-person platform/action game.
*** Anyone have any reviews/comments?
T2: The Arcade Game (MS-DOS):
First-person action game, based on the arcade game of T2. Very nice
graphics, but has received only poor reviews.
*** Anyone care to comment?
T2 (handheld LCD 'video game' by Acclaim):
Has "arcade-style continue mode, roll-over scoring and dual channel
super-sound FX as you take on the T-1000 at the steel mill as Earth's fate
hangs in the balance' [from the T2 Official Movie Magazine]
*** I need reviews and descriptions of all Terminator-related games (e.g., T2,
T2 Arcade, Robocop vs. Terminator, etc.) on other computer/videogame
platforms (Amiga, Sega, S/NES, etc.)
5. What are the filmographies of the some of the people involved with T2?
5.1. James Cameron
As a director:
Piranha II: The Spawning (1981)
The Terminator (1984), co-written with Gail Anne Hurd.
ALIENS (1986), story by JC and David Giler & Walter Hill, screenplay by JC
The Abyss (1989), also written.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), co-written with William Wisher.
True Lies (1994), also written.
*** Did JC write _Piranha II_?
5.2. Arnold Schwarzenegger
True Lies (1994)
Dave (1993) [Arnold Schwarzenegger]
Last Action Hero (1993) [Jack Slater, Arnold Schwarzenegger]
Lincoln (TV) (1992) [Voice of John G. Nicolay]
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) [The Terminator]
Kindergarten Cop (1990)
Total Recall (1990) [Quaid]
Red Heat (1988) [Ivan Danko]
Twins (1988) [Julius Benedict]
Predator (1987) [Dutch]
Running Man, The (1987)
Raw Deal (1986) [Kaminski]
Commando (1985) [John Matrix]
Red Sonja (1985) [Kalidor]
Conan the Destroyer (1984)
Terminator, The (1984) [The Terminator]
Conan the Barbarian (1981) [Conan]
Jayne Mansfield Story, The (TV) (1980)
Scavenger Hunt (1979)
Villain, The (1979) [Handsome Stranger]
Pumping Iron (1977)
Stay Hungry (1976)
Long Goodbye, The (1973)
Hercules in New York (1970) (Note: as Arnold Strong)
5.3. Linda Hamilton
Separate Lives (1994)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) [Sarah Connor]
Mr. Destiny (1990) [Ellen Burrows]
Go to the Light (TV) (1988)
"Beauty and the Beast" (1987) [Catherine Chandler]
Black Moon Rising (1986) [Nina]
Club Med (TV) (1986) [Kate]
King Kong Lives (1986)
Secret Weapons (TV) (1985) [Elena Koslov]
Children of the Corn (1984) [Vicky]
Stone Boy, The (1984)
Terminator, The (1984) [Sarah Connor]
Secrets of a Mother and Daughter (TV) (1983) [Susan Decker]
"King's Crossing" (1982) [Lauren]
Country Gold (TV) (1982) [Josie Greenwood]
Tag: The Assassination Game (1982) [Susan Swayze]
"Secrets of Midland Heights" (1980) [Lisa Rogers]
Rape and Marriage: The Rideout Case (TV) (1980)
Reunion (1980) (TV) (1980)
5.4. Robert Patrick
Fire in the Sky (1993) [Mike Rogers]
Last Action Hero (1993) [(cameo)]
Wayne's World (1992) [Bad Cop]
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) [T-1000]
Die Hard 2 (1990) [O'Reilly (Terrorist)]
Future Hunters (1989) [Slade]
Hollywood Boulevard II (1989)
Equalizer 2000 (1986) [Deke]
Eye of the Eagle (1986) [Johnny Ransom]
6. Miscellaneous questions
6.1. What year does T2 take place?
John Connor's DOB is February 28, 1985, and he is 10 years old in the movie.
Thus, most of T2 takes place in the summer of 1995.
6.1.1 Are there mathematical errors in the script?
Some details first: T2 begins in 2029; Skynet becomes self-aware at 2:14am EDT
August 29, 1997 (trivia: this is a Friday).
- Sarah is 29 in T2, which would make her 18 in T1. Sarah was 19 according to
the book for T1, so this is plausible.
- The T-101 says that in three years, Skynet starts the war. T2 takes place
in 1995, so 1995 + 3 = 1998, not 1997. From February, 1995 to August, 1997
is more than two years, so the T-101 might have just rounded it to three
years.
6.2. Why did it take the T-1000 so long to show up at John's house in Reseda?
The T-1000 was transported to the Sixth Street Bridge in downtown LA at night
and had access to a police vehicle and John Connor's address. Yet he only
arrived at John's house in Reseda *after* the T-101 did! It seems like at
least 4-6 hours between the T-1000 arriving and then getting to John's house.
The greater LA area is big, but not that big.
*** Maybe the novelization has an explanation...?
6.3. Why didn't the security guard at Pescadero State Hospital not notice the
T-1000 on the floor?
It is very possible that the T-1000 made itself thin enough to avoid being
noticed. The T-1000 doesn't necessarily need to keep a consistent thickness
while it is on the floor.
6.4. Does the T-1000 have to touch the object it takes the form of?
The T-101 told John that the T-1000 could replicate "anything it samples by
physical contact". It appears that the T-1000 can use a medium to do this
without actually touching the victim's skin. In scene where the T-1000
mimicked the guard at the coffee machine, the only contact was when the guard
walked on the floor, where the medium was the soles of the shoes the guard
was wearing.
6.5. Why did the T-1000 change back to the policeman at Pescadero State
Hospital?
It may be that it takes more energy to mimic an object than to just keep the
default form. When the T-1000 was transported to 1995, it had a default
humanoid form, and that is the one it kept throughout the movie. It did *not*
copy the form the unfortunate officer Austin who discovered it -- it only
copied the uniform, apparently.
6.6. Why did the orderly in Pescadero State Hospital lick Sarah's face?
Two possibilities have been discussed:
a) To set a mood for the situation Sarah was in.
b) He was a pervert.
It was not established in the movie if he was abusing her or not in the past,
but because he licked her face (yuck!) instead of just doing something like
checking her pupils suggests that he had been sexually abusing her.
6.7. If dogs are used to identify Terminators, why doesn't the dog at the
desert hideout bark at the T-101?
The dog at the desert hideout also did not bark at Sarah or John, who were
strangers along with "Uncle Bob". Two possibilities have been discussed:
a) Dogs may have to be "trained" to sniff out terminators. This implies
that John's dog Max was just barking for the hell of it, when the
T-1000 kills John's foster parents.
b) Not all dogs bark at Terminators.
6.8. Why does Sarah carve the words "NO FATE"?
Sarah realizes that the future is not predetermined; she can change the
future. The words show Sarah's rejection of determinism; the future is not
'carved in stone'. The fact that the words are carved is ironic.
6.9. What gun does Sarah use when she attempts to kill Dyson?
The sound suppresser on the M-16 she uses is a Sionics model, first designed
in the 1960s, and used by the US in Vietnam.
6.10. Why doesn't Sarah kill Dyson?
When faced with killing someone, Sarah cannot do it. This scene is meant to
show that she is *not* like the Terminators. She has something they don't
have: feelings. These feelings will not let her kill even one person. Note
that it is not necessary the Dyson dies -- there are other ways to alter the
future.
6.11. When the T-1000 goes to Dyson's home, what police radio is it listening
to?
The one on the motorcycle.
6.12. Why didn't the T-1000 try to imitate Dyson and develop Skynet itself?
The T-1000 had one objective: to kill John Connor, not to preserve its own
future.
6.13. When the T-101 was firing the big machine gun in the Cyberdyne lab, is
the bullet belt moving or not?
From ti...@convex.com:
It appeared that the weapon Arnold had in T2 was a General Electric
minigun, M-134/GAU-2b. It fires a 7.62 mm round from 6 rotating barrels
at peak cyclic rates of up to 6,000 rpm. Barrel rotation is
powered by an electric motor. The "ammo chain" is actually an
enclosed feeder. The bullets are inside of this feeder. That is
why it appears to not move. If you look closely, you'll see a
steady stream of spent cartridges dropping out of the bottom of
the weapon.
6.14. Does the T-1000 have a third arm when it is flying the helicopter
and shooting its weapon at the same time?
Yes, and even a fourth arm in some scenes, if you look carefully. Since the
T-1000 is supposed to "mimic" shapes it comes in contact with, it is
inconclusive whether this was a flaw in the writing or if in fact that was an
acceptable shape change. In the fight scene at the end of T2, it seems
plausible that the T-1000 can modify its humanoid appearance somewhat.
6.15. What was that "ripple" that went through the T-1000 after it fought the
T-101 and left him behind?
The liquid nitrogen damaged the T-1000 (see the August, 1991 issue of
_Cinefex_).
6.16. Why did the T-1000 take the shape of Sarah instead of the T-101 after
it drove the spike through his back?
The T-1000 could have taken either shape; since the T-1000 took the shape of
the guard at Pescadero, it would seem that the T-1000 could have taken the
T-101's shape as well, or at least come close to resembling him. It may have
thought it would have had a better chance of getting close to John if it took
the shape of his mother. Don't forget that the T-1000 had no information on
how John's relationship was progressing with the T-101, so it would assume
that Sarah would have been a better choice.
6.17. Why did the T-1000 try to get Sarah to call to John?
The theory from the novelization is that the liquid nitrogen temporarily
damaged its vocals. Another possible reason is that the T-1000 had not heard
Sarah speak yet; therefore, he could not mimic her voice.
6.17.1 Why didn't the T-1000 kill Sarah?
Because the T-101 came to her rescue after he broke his arm free.
6.18. If the T-1000 was destroyed when it fell into the molten steel, why
wasn't it destroyed when the semi tow-truck blew up?
Molten steel is a *lot* hotter than a gas explosion; notice that the truck did
not melt when it blew up.
6.19. Why didn't the T-101 "disappear" when John threw the T-800's CPU into
the molten steel?
The time travel of the Terminator movies is not the same as that of the _Back
to the Future_ series. Although no one is sure what would happen if you
created a paradox, it is highly unlikely (and goes against the laws of
physics for our world) that matter would just disappear into thin air.
Time-travel paradoxes are a lot more complicated than that. [See section 8
for more on time travel.]
According to the novelization, Judgment Day is avoided; Sarah becomes a
grandmother and John a Senator fighting the Skynet bill in Congress [see
section 1.1.2]. Also in the book, the T-800 jumps in the molten pit on its
own.
6.20. Isn't the T-101's arm being left behind in the huge gear going
to lead to the creation of Skynet anyway?
It was clear from Dyson that it was the CPU that spurred the technology for
Skynet. In the book, Sarah and John took the parts left from the T-101 and
threw them into the molten pit.
7. Trivia
7.1. Who was originally cast as the Terminator?
Lance Henriksen (ALIENS, ALIEN^3, Hard Target) was originally cast as the
Terminator, with Arnold as the hero. Arnold read the script, and asked to
play the Terminator instead. Henriksen was recast as the cop Vukovich.
7.2. How many lines did Arnold have in T1?
Arnold's voice is sued in exactly 16 lines, with 17 sentences spoken. The
Terminator has two other lines, one with the voice of a police officer
overdubbed, and one with the voice of Sarah's mother overdubbed. There are
also many lines with the voice of Sarah's mother, and we learn that the
Terminator is actually saying them, but we don't see it onscreen.
7.3. What is Harlan Ellison's connection to the Terminator movies?
SF author Harlan Ellison filed a lawsuit against T1 director JC, claiming
that Cameron plagiarized several of his short stories, namely "Soldier" and
"Demon with a Glass Hand". The concept of 'Skynet' could also have been
borrowed from an Ellison short story called "I Have No Mouth and I Must
Scream". Newer prints of T1 acknowledge Ellison.
7.4. What is the 'crushing foot' motif?
This refers to the recurring imagery of humanity being crushed by the
machines. First, in the 2029 sequence of T1, there is a closeup of tank
treads rolling over human skulls. Next, when the T-800 approaches the house
of the first 'Sarah Connor', it crushes a small toy truck. Also, after the
Terminator kills Sarah's friend, he walks over her Walkman headphones. In T2,
the title sequence starts with a Terminator endoskeleton crushing a human
skull. The imagery of the Hunter-Killer tank rolling over skulls reoccurs.
The T-1000 treads on the T-101's sunglasses at Pescadero State Hospital.
7.5. Is "judgment" spelled correctly?
Both "judgement" and "judgment" are accepted spellings, however, "judgment" is
increasingly preferred.
7.6. How did Linda Hamilton prepare for T2?
She underwent a rigorous weight-training/exercise program six days a week,
and weapons training with a former Israeli commando.
7.7. Does Linda Hamilton have a twin sister who appeared in T2? (3)
Yes, she was in the scene at the end where the T-1000 took the form of John
Connor's mother. Linda actually played the T-1000 version of herself and her
sister played Sarah Connor coming up behind the T-1000. That is the only
scene in which Linda's sister appeared. NOTE: this scene was not done with
split screens. Linda's sister's name is Leslie Hamilton Gearren and she is a
nurse in New Jersey. Linda Hamilton played Sarah on the playground during her
dream sequence (in fact, she is holding her real-life son).
(The guard in the mental institute also has a real-life twin brother, who
actually played the T-1000 coming up behind him at the coffee machine. These
twin brothers were also in _Good Morning Vietnam_ and _Gremlins2: The New
Batch_.)
7.8. What hardware/software was used to produce some of the FX in T2?
The systems used were Silicon Graphics IRIS 4D/340VGX RISC-processor
workstations. The software used was Alias Studio 3.0 and Pixar's Renderman
from ILM. The computer graphics were used, among other things, for the
morphing/liquid metal FX, for putting the pilot's reflection on the T-1000 in
the helicopter, and in the nuclear blast scene.
7.9. What machine code is displayed on the Terminator's visual display?
6502 assembler, specifically Apple 2+ assembly, taken from _Nibble_ (QV), a
computing magazine. Other code visible is written in COBOL.
7.10. What is the literal translation of "Schwarzenegger"?
"Black plowman"
7.11. What does "Hasta la vista" mean?
'See you later.' Literal translation is "until the sight".
7.12. Did the movies win any Academy Awards?
The editors of T2, Conrad Buff IV, Mark Goldblatt, and Richard A. Harris were
nominated in the Best Editing category. Adam Greenberg was nominated in the
Best Cinematography category for T2.
*** Didn't T2 win some FX Oscars?
7.13. How much money did T2 make?
T2 grossed over US$490 million worldwide.
8. Time travel questions.
Naturally, any theory of time travel is just that: a theory. For the purposes
of this FAQ, the best we can do is try to apply one or more of these theories,
while still maintaining internal consistency with the info presented in the
films. There are many theories of time travel in science fiction and comics.
However, most discussions of time travel focus on two theories of 'real-world'
physics: classic Newtonian and quantum mechanical physics. For a good
introduction to the application of these theories to time travel, see the
article, "The quantum physics of time travel" in the March, 1994 issue of
_Scientific American_.
The classical theory states that there is one existence, and thus a single
timeline. According to this view, changing an event in the past could
theoretically retroactively change history from the time traveler's POV.
This theory is plagued by problems of "temporal paradoxes". For example,
what happens if you go back in time and prevent your parents from
meeting? (According to the movie _Back to the Future_, you will 'fade from
existence'!)
The quantum view is that time travel is possible along distortions in
space-time called closed timelike curves; also, reality exists as a
multiverse of infinite possibilities. Thus, if you travel back in time and
prevent your parents from meeting, there's no paradox. Your parents still
meet and conceive you in the timeline you came from (after all, you must have
come from somewhere!). However, a 'version' of you will *not* be born in the
timeline you traveled to.
bc...@fermi.clas.virginia.edu (Brian Christopher Weaver) writes:
"The 'many-universes' interpretation of quantum mechanics solves a lot of time
travel paradoxes. A time traveler can make _any_ change in the past he/she/it
wants to without endangering their existence because they came from a
_different_ universe whose timeline is untouched by their meddling.
Therefore, there really is no paradox in the Terminator movies. The
Terminators and Kyle Reese came from a universe where the war actually
occurred, but by the end of T2 a universe had been created where John and
Sarah Connor lived with no global thermonuclear war. The original timeline
still exists, however, in a parallel universe."
T2 implies that its world is of one existence and a single timeline.
Certainly, it would seem to be futile to send someone back to change the past
in a multi-universe existence -- unless one is very altruistic! Consider
this: T2 implied that Judgment Day never occurred due to manipulation of the
past. But it all depends which timeline one looks at:
1995 2029
-----|----------------|--(existence with nuclear war) (A)
\_______________|__(alternate peaceful existence) (B)
Assuming the existence of multiple parallel timelines, if a time traveler
could change an event in 1995 (such as destroying the CPU chip), all that
would result is another existence (B) branching off from 1995. Note that the
nuclear war still happens in existence (A), even if an event in the past is
changed!
What can we conclude? Quantum physics *can* explain the events of T1/T2 well.
However, it does not make for a good story. Although saving humanity in a
*single* timeline out of an infinity is better than none at all, this
situation would likely not have been accepted by the moviegoing public.
Assuming Judgment Day does *not* occur (as per the 'lost ending' of T2), JC
wanted to show that there is "no fate" but what we make of it. This
philosophy is reinforced by the 'single-timeline' approach.
So there you have it: good physics and a watered-down story, or a ream of
paradoxes and a strong story. Anyone care to posit a hybrid? ;-)
8.1 How did the (liquid *metal*) T-1000 travel to the past? Didn't they
destroy the time machine?
The T-800 was able to go through time because it was surrounded by living
tissue. The T-1000 could imitate living tissue, but it is made up of alloy
metals, so it is not technically a biological organism, but neither was the
T-800 or T-101.
Some possibilities:
- Maybe Skynet used a time machine with improved capabilities (apparently with
the letter-boxed laserdisc for T1, you can see a type of bubble enclosed
around Reese before he drops, so this may imply that the same type of time
machine was used in T2).
- Mimicking living tissue is sufficient. The mimetic polyalloy is capable of
generating a 'living field' of some sort.
- The time machine in T2 is in a separate existence from T1 (refer to
section 8 on time travel).
- The T-1000 was sent through wrapped-up in flesh. This is the most likely
(but most gory) explanation. In _The Terminator: Tempest_ comic, an
advanced plasma weapon is sent through time in the belly of a man. The same
method may be extrapolated for the T-1000.
Regarding the destruction of the time machine, Reese would have been gone
before the machine was destroyed anyway. He wouldn't know for certain
whether it was destroyed or not.
8.2 How can Skynet exist if the chip and arm were destroyed?
According to the classical, single timeline/universe view, it is impossible
-- unless Cyberdyne Systems develops Skynet technology *independently* of any
help from the future.
Assuming the existence of a multiverse of timelines, this situation can also
be explained. In the universe in which we see the Terminator technology
destroyed, Skynet will never exist. However, there must exist at least *one*
timeline/universe in which Skynet technology is developed. This may occur
due to: a) Cyberdyne independently creating the technology, or b) Terminator
remains originating from yet *another* timeline are left behind. Thus, the
movies must chronicle *two* different universes: one with the hellish future
dominated by Skynet, the other is the one saved by Sarah and John.
8.3 If John gave a speech to Reese in 2029, who gave it to Sarah and
conceived John in 1984, and then Sarah told it to John, then who *wrote*
the bloody speech?
According to classical physics, we have a classic paradox. No one wrote it,
everybody just memorized it. Assuming a multiverse, on the other hand, we
can posit that a future John Connor (whose mother encountered a Reese who
perhaps forgot the speech) *did* write the speech, and gave it to Reese.
Reese traveled back to 1984 in *another* universe, and gave it to Sarah
(which we saw in T1).
9. Will there be a _Terminator 3_ movie?
On _Secrets Revealed_, JC is cagey:
"Well, T3...that's a *secret* of course. We can't talk about that [laughs]."
(JC is obviously playing on the fact that the TV show is called "Secrets
Revealed.")
Arnold, on T2: "This movie does *not* indicate to me that there's an end to
the story possibilities. According to what we know about the future, there
were *hundreds* of Terminators built. This story could go on forever. I
know Jim [JC] rules out a third film. But I don't" [from _Starlog Yearbook_,
vol. 10]
Note that by removing the ending of T2 showing Sarah and John in the future,
JC makes it more ambiguous whether or not Skynet will be developed. I
suppose we'll have to wait and see what the future brings ;-)
10. Credits
- A huge credit must go to Doug Fierro (formerly at fie...@uts.amdahl.com) who
compiled the T2 FAQ, upon which this document is heavily based.
- bc...@fermi.clas.virginia.edu (Brian Christopher Weaver) saved me some time
by applying the SciAm article to the Terminator movies.
10.1. Bibliography
_Cinefex_, #21. The Terminator.
_Cinefex_, #47. Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
_Terminator 2: Judgment Day: The Book of the Film: An Illustrated
Screenplay_ (1991). By James Cameron William Wisher. Applause Theater Book
Pub. ISBN: 1557830975. (Available from books.com)
_The Official Terminator 2: Judgment Day Movie Magazine_ (1991). Starlog
Communications International.
_Starlog Yearbook_, vol. 10 (Sept, 1992). Heart of Steel [interview with
Arnold Schwarzenegger]. Starlog Communications International.
Deutsch, D., & Lockwood, M. (March, 1994). The quantum physics of time
travel. _Scientific American_, 270(3), 68-74.
Aman Verjee
kloe...@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca writes:
>16) Why did the T-1000 try to get Sarah to call to John?
>
> Discussion so far:
vocals
> theory2- the T-1000 had not heard Sarah speak yet; therefore, he
could
> not mimick her voice.
Theory 1 seems plausible, but its a very contrived effort to explain
the situation.
Theory 2, however, is not true. The T1000 heard Sarah Connor speak
several times in the Pescadero Mental Hospital, and during the ensuing
car chase. In addition, when the T1000 said to Sarah "Call to John",
Sarah said something defiant in response ! something like "fuck you";
conceivably, the T1000 could have killed her after that, taken her shape
and called to John himself.
My own theory is this:
Verjee's Theory of Why the T-1000 didn't try to get Sarah to call to
John: in a previous scene, the T1000 killed John's foster mother and took
her shape. When John called home to warn his foster parents of the
threat, the T1000 answered the phone in her voice, but its ploy didn't
work (the T101 caught on). Hence, the T1000 had no way of knowing if its
voice mimicking ploy would fool John again, when it had already failed.
Aman
Eugene Accado
: My own theory is this:
: Verjee's Theory of Why the T-1000 didn't try to get Sarah to call to
: John: in a previous scene, the T1000 killed John's foster mother and took
: her shape. When John called home to warn his foster parents of the
: threat, the T1000 answered the phone in her voice, but its ploy didn't
: work (the T101 caught on). Hence, the T1000 had no way of knowing if its
: voice mimicking ploy would fool John again, when it had already failed.
Your theory is very good and required some thinking, however I believe
the writers just screwed up! I guess they didn't realize what was wrong
with that scene until it was to late or not at all. Any theory anyone
comes up with is just an excuse for the writers error. At least this is
my opinion.
I would like to see someone come up with a theory as to how the
windshield got back in place in the truck the T1000 was driving after it
popped out when the truck jumped into the sewer drainage system (or
whatever you call it) ! :)
Eugene