The Terminator Page
Answers and analyses: establishing things
I recommend reading this page in order.
Is this even possible?
"There's no fate but what we make for ourselves" – add that to the concept of there being multiple futures, pasts, and timelines generally, each impacted by certain choices and actions, and, well... the answer will be your own. Fundamental truths might be stable across time as their terms imply: souls and soulmates, fated encounters, core ideas and messages, and so on. Other certain foundational or material things or occurrences remain the same or carry over across timelines, like, of course, the laws of physics and chemistry and such; those cannot and will not change. It's a forevermore hot topic in physics for a reason.
Is the franchise real?
Again... you decide. I've seen theories that James Cameron is a time traveler. Assuredly some part of it is real – the dangers of AI, especially in conjunction with war, began to rise highly in the 1990s, and more significantly in the 2020s. The threat of nuclear battle and even annihilation are still prevalent. Perhaps it's delayed. Perhaps altered or avoided. The choice is yours.
I'm Catholic, and it reflects Catholicism quite well, so I'm further inclined... but I'm just a huge fan. Nevertheless, I've done my research and thinking. There's definitely a level of realism to it. Read on if you want to increase it...
I want to believe!
As aforementioned, some hold James Cameron to be a time traveler. Stranger things have happened, right? Maybe it's the true story of another timeline, or a would-be situation, and we really were spared in the mid-late 1990s. (The second film is a 1991 story of a 1995 series of events.) Even if you don't hold that, you might hold onto other things. Anyway... we can dream. Do you want to?
- The Terminator timeline, established in the first film, was the genuine future to come.
- A total of three terminators were sent back: the original T-800, the T-1000, and a second T-800.
- Kyle Reese was sent back in response to the original T-800.
- Whether or not the original T-800 was defeated was not of concern; if it succeeded, Skynet would come about without Sarah and John to stop it, and if it failed, its parts would give rise to Skynet’s creation via Cyberdyne. The timeline was set either way.
- Because of the development of time travel and the events of the film, the future was changed.
- The development of such time travel made for diverting futures.
- There are a limited, but vast, number of possibilities, choices, etc. that branch out from one another.
- Free will exists at the same time as fate.
- This allows for possible futures, which can be products of possible pasts.
- Terminator as a franchise in this time is the true story of another time. Thus, everything in it is actually true, or could be altered, too.
In theory, any book or story not too outlandish or obviously improbable could be real. Many fictional movies seem probable enough. The whole premise of fiction is to make the everyday extraordinary and to make anything happen in any old life. Ask yourself, why does this one, then, seem more real? Why do you want to believe it so badly?
Are you saying the film's portrayals of people, places, and events are real, then? But what about errors?
"Are you saying it's from the future?" "One possible future..."
It's this timeline's portrayal of the truth of another timeline, conveyed in an easy-to-disgest format as a film; thus, there will be goofs, shifts, plot holes, and so on – human error and limitation, and things do change across timelines except for fundamental truths – for example, of course the T-1000 looks a little strange made with older graphical technology; it's the only way that that could be portrayed at the time. How would the actual T-1000 ever be replicated? So think of it is a message, a warning, made in a way we can understand.
Archives and alleged anemoia
Future soldiers' files
- GoingFaster's files
- Amassed files
- A soldier called "Angel" (view her files here)
“Angel” is the name given to an unidentified female aligned with the Resistance. Her name, age, background, and such are unknown; truly, she might be called elusive if not for the frequency in which she appears in the records of various timelines. She in turn kept her own records: diaries and journals, but, throughout timelines, she also kept up writings concerning considerable knowledgeable about Terminators, particularly the 800 series. These writings detailed insights into their workings, not just the functions of their chassises but also – and very surprisingly – their programming and, perhaps more surprisingly, their psychology; or, at least, in every post-summer 1995 timeline in which she exists, that of a particular unit, a model 101 best known as “Uncle Bob.” Her autobiographies are indispensable in understanding the nature of the machines, and, while not academic in their explanations, are extremely thorough and insightful in lay terms. She appears heavily in timelines from late 1995-mid 1998 and the mid-2020s.
I found her records and writings through my extensive research and saved them; they're no longer accessible. I've been using her insights in my fanfiction (see above; I added the works I use each proponent in) and I plan to post as much of her things as I can; it'll require time and storage!
My Roses series is based on Angel's autobiographies, writings, as well as my own experiences...
Soldier skills
On the intersection of time, technology, and culture
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