Summary
- Netflix's Terminator Zero will focus on new characters fighting in the future war between humanity and Skynet.
- The show has the potential to include cameos of classic characters such as Sarah Connor to add depth.
- Terminator Zero may delve into the ethics of AI development and the moral dilemmas of its creators.
A dozen or so characters from the Terminator movies could possibly appear in Netflix's new show, the latest addition to the franchise. The AI time-travel saga spans six movies and a live-action TV show, depicting the ongoing battles of various time travelers sent back in time from a future war between humans and machines. Netflix's anime series Terminator Zero will focus on new characters within the same context of the conflict between humanity and Skynet, according to the official synopsis (via Variety):
“2022: A future war has raged for decades between the few human survivors and an endless army of machines. 1997: The AI known as Skynet gained self-awareness and began its war against humanity. Caught between the future and this past is a soldier sent back in time to change the fate of humanity. She arrives in 1997 to protect a scientist named Malcolm Lee who works to launch a new AI system designed to compete with Skynet’s impending attack on humanity. As Malcolm navigates the moral complexities of his creation, he is hunted by an unrelenting assassin from the future which forever alters the fate of his three children.”
One of the reasons Netflix's Terminator Zero show already looks better than Terminator 7 is the storyline of the Connor family's survival has been exhausted in the cinematic format. Terminator: Dark Fate saw some success with a plot that is largely derivative of the original Terminator plot, albeit focusing on the protection of a new future resistance leader. However, it is still clear that the franchise needs to shake things up if it is to continue. While a new story is vital, some of the best Terminator movie characters could have roles in Terminator Zero.
|
Movie/TV show |
Release date |
|---|---|
|
The Terminator |
1984 |
|
Terminator 2: Judgment Day |
1991 |
|
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines |
2003 |
|
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles |
2008-2009 |
|
Terminator Salvation |
2009 |
|
Terminator Genisys |
2015 |
|
Terminator: Dark Fate |
2019 |
|
Terminator Zero |
2024 |
Every Terminator Movie, Ranked Worst To Best (Including Dark Fate)
The Terminator franchise is 35 years old and shows no signs of stopping. Here's every movie ranked from the 1984 original to Dark Fate.
10 John Connor From T2, T3, & Salvation
Played By Edward Furlong, Michael Edwards, Nick Stahl, & Christian Bale
The synopsis for Terminator Zero does not explicitly confirm that the timeline the new characters are in is one where John Connor is the leader of the resistance, but this seems most likely. Presumably, the soldier sent back is a part of John's resistance, and while she is having her time travel adventure, he is slowly working toward humanity's victory. There, she might mention him as the person who sent her back in time, unless it was someone else. She could still have met him in 2022.
The allusion to the date of 1997 also implies that the show takes place in a timeline where Judgment Day happens on the original date of August 29, 1997. John and his mother would have known it was coming and might play into the plot as they try to help people survive the destruction. Therefore, the show's main characters could reference John as an adult or meet him again as a teenager.
9 Sarah Connor From The Terminator, T2, & Dark Fate
Played By Linda Hamilton
Terminator 7 is a doomed project because any new addition to the Terminator franchise is bound to fail without some appearance by the great Sarah Connor if the movies’ track record is any indication. Sarah always has the potential to crop up in the story in the same places as John. According to T3, Sarah died of Leukemia sometime in the late 90s and would have been very sick around the time of the 1997 Judgment Day. However, if they ignore this plot point (as Dark Fate does), it could result in some more interesting beats for her character.
If Sarah survives into the 2000s, Terminator Zero could show her protecting her son and helping begin resistance in the early days of the war. She could, technically, survive until the 2022 setting, but the original Terminator implies that by the 2020s Sarah has died and John is on his own. It is more likely that the show’s main characters will run into Sarah in the past. Alternatively, both Sarah and John could have been mentors to the new soldier character in the future before she is sent back in time.