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Archive-name: movies/terminator-faq
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Version: 2.20
The Terminator/Terminator 2: Judgment Day
FAQ
compiled and maintained by
Karsten A. Loepelmann
kloepel@psych.ualberta.ca
Version 2.20
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 monthly to:
news:alt.cult-movies
news:rec.arts.movies
news:rec.arts.sf.movies
news:news.answers
-----------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents
(*) indicates that the answer has been modified since the last version
of
this FAQ (v. 2.10)
(+) indicates a new question
0. Introduction
0.1. World-Wide Web access to this FAQ
+ 0.2. Questions that need answering
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 Terminator?
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 Terminator 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-800 and left him behind?
* 6.16. Why did the T-1000 take the shape of Sarah instead of the T-
800 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 Terminator "disappear" when John threw the
CPU into
the molten steel?
6.20. Isn't the Terminator's arm being left behind in the huge
gear going
to lead to the creation of Skynet anyway?
6.21. When the T-1000 is on top of the elevator in Pescadero State
Hospital, why doesn't it just cut the cables?
+ 6.22. What about <insert continuity glitch here>?
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?
7.14. Miscellaneous trivia
+ 7.15. Is there a real Skynet?
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-1000=the 'liquid metal' Terminator in T2
T-800 or Terminator=Arnold's character (look for the context to
define the
movie/Terminator to which this refers)
============================================================
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 was
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 my address at the top of this FAQList.
0.1. World-Wide Web access to this FAQ
Those with World-Wide Web (WWW) access (e.g., via programs such as
Mosaic or
Lynx) may access this FAQ. The URL is:
http://www.maths.tcd.ie/pub/films/T2.html
Note that Ross Chandler (chandler@maths.tcd.ie) is the maintainer of
this home
page. (Thanks, Ross!) Please direct any questions/inquiries about
the home
page to him.
0.2. Questions that need answering
I need the following information:
* Complete info on the LD and Special Edition VHS versions of T1 and
T2
(e.g., length, added scenes, etc.).
* Reviews/comments on the "T2" or "T2: The Arcade Game" computer games
for
MS-DOS.
* 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.)
* Did JC write _Piranha II_?
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 and
LD. There are also special editions on VHS video and LD that restore
footage
edited out prior to release. The T2 Special Edition LD has several
cut
scenes, including the alternate ending. Also called the 'extended
version,'
it comes in two packages: one with movie only, the other also includes
supplements on the making of the movie.
* 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 Terminator'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."
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-800 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 soundtrack. Music composed, performed, and produced by Brad
Fiedel (6 tracks). There are 5 additional rock songs from the film
included. Total playing time is 35:39. DCC Compact Classics, DZS-
058.
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-800 gets his clothes).
Another
is "Bad to the Bone" written by George Thorogood, performed by George
Thorogood and the Destroyers (played when the T-800 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.
"You Could Be Mine" appears on "Use Your Illusion II" (Geffen GEFD-
24420).
"Bad To the Bone" lives on the album "Bad To The Bone" (Cat number
unknown)
and also the compilation "The George Thorogood Collection" (EMI CDP
7924152)
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 (of Marvels fame). 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 Terminator 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
srviving 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. Script adapted by Gregory
Wright,
art by Klaus Janson. As with any adaptation, lots of things have been
cut
out. This series is notable for its inclusion of scenes that were
removed
from the film, like Sarah adjusting the chip in the Terminator's head.
Art is
mediocre; this series is only for die-hard, completist fans.
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 2: Judgment Day Chess Wars (PC CD-ROM):
"Combine the excellence of the Grandmaster Chess game engine with the
high-action science fiction drama of the Terminator, and you get T2
Chess
Wars. While the animation is lacking in some places, the overall
quality of
the game's engine makes up for any shortcomings." [from _CD-ROM
Entertainment_]
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-800 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-800 might have just rounded it to
three
years.
- From Paul Duncanson (phd@karybdis.cs.rmit.oz.au): In T1 Reese
accosts a
police officer and demands to know the date. "Thursday, May 12."
Wrong! It
is established three times that T1 happens in 1984 (title after
credits in
T1; Sarah's timecard in T1 read "Pay period ending 5/19/84"; and
John's date
of birth (2/28/1985) confirm he was conceived around May 1984).
Problem is
that May 12 1984 was a Saturday. The problem probably occurred
because the
screenplay was written in 1983 when May 12 did fall on a Thursday.
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-800 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-800 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.
JC, in the T2 Special Edition Boxed Set supplements, explains that the
T-1000
has the ability to sample things that it touches at a "fantastic
level." In
a scene cut from the theatrical release, the T-1000, after killing
John's
foster parents, searches for clues to John's whereabouts. It touches
the
walls, and immediately determines that there is a cache (of tapes and
letters from Sarah, as it turns out) behind a poster in John's room.
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.
The T2 Annotated Screenplay notes that being a policeman gives the T-
1000 a
large degree of leeway, thus is a default; also, maintaining the same
form
allows the audience to recognize the character.
6.6. Why did the orderly in Pescadero State Hospital lick Sarah's
face?
According to JC, this situation was presented to "dig a deeper hole
that Sarah
had to climb out of". A cut scene showed Dougie (the licker) and
another
orderly hitting Sarah before giving her drugs. Thus, Sarah is
justified in
beating Dougie later on. Any sexual abuse is only weakly implied.
6.7. If dogs are used to identify Terminators, why doesn't the dog at
the
desert hideout bark at the Terminator?
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 guns is a Sionics model, first designed in
the
1960s, and used by the US on M-16s in Vietnam. The gun itself was a
CAR 15
(aka XM177L2), which looks similar to an M16A2 carbine.
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?
Comments during this scene on the extended LD indicate that whereas
the
T-1000 'became' the uniform of the policeman, he took the radio (and
gun) so
he could monitor police activity. The T-1000 is not listening to the
radio 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 Terminator was firing the big machine gun in the
Cyberdyne
lab, is the bullet belt moving or not?
From tighe@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.
Although the T-1000 is supposed to "mimic" shapes it comes in contact
with,
this seems to be an acceptable modification of its shape. Note that
in the
fight scene at the end of T2, the T-1000 is clearly capable of
modifying its
humanoid appearance -- not to mention the many other myriad (partial)
transformations.
6.15. What was that "ripple" that went through the T-1000 after it
fought the
T-800 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-800
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-800'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-800, so it would
assume
that Sarah would have been a better choice.
The Special Edition apparently indicates that this behaviour resulted
from
the damage experienced by the T-1000 after being frozen and shattered.
6.17. Why did the T-1000 try to get Sarah to call to John?
Again, discussion has centred on several possible explanations. In
order of
plausibility:
1) The theory from the novelization is that the liquid nitrogen
temporarily
damaged its vocals.
2) Another possible reason is that the T-1000 had not heard Sarah
speak to
obtain a sufficiently suitable sample; therefore, he could not mimic
her
voice.
3) Some have suggested that the T-1000 possesses some malevolence.
For
example, it wags its finger in the steel mill after Sarah blows a hole
through its head. Thus, it may delight in torturing Sarah both
physically
(spike through the shoulder) and emotionally (helping her destroy her
son).
4) It may be that the T-1000 realized that mimicry was unsuccessful on
John
before (when it imitated Janelle). Thus, it may have overestimated
John's
ability to distinguish actual human voices from a synthesis.
5) Finally, the Special Edition apparently notes that this odd
behaviour is
also a result of being damaged by the liquid nitrogen and being
shattered.
6.17.1 Why didn't the T-1000 kill Sarah?
Because the T-800 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 Terminator "disappear" when John threw the 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 Terminator'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-
800 and
threw them into the molten pit.
6.22. What about <insert continuity glitch here>?
Several astute people have pointed out minor continuity discrepancies.
These
are not plot problems, they are simply byproducts of the complex
endeavour of
shooting a film. I leave it to Van Ling, Creative Technical
Supervisor of
Lightstorm Entertainment, and annotator of the T2 illustrated
screenplay (see
section 10.1: Bibliography for more details), to have the final word.
From: kiraprod@aol.com (KiraProd):
Arnold's face was NOT grafted via CG onto Peter Kent's body in
the bike
jump into the canal. You are simply looking at Peter Kent
wearing Stan
Winston facial prostheses to make him look more like Arnold.
A previous post asked about the windshield continuity problem
(the glass
is popped out during the jump, then is back in until T-1000
knocks it out
later). This is an instance of practicality taking precedent
over
continuity. Yes, the glass popped in the single take we did of
the jump
(an aborted practice take notwithstanding). However, Jim wanted
the glass
to remain intact for much of the scene, in order to a) help hide
the stunt
driver in most shots, and b) allow for clear closeups of Robert
Patrick at
the same time. This is not as mutually exclusive as you may
think.
Even Jim Cameron wasn't going to get to say "let's do this $$$$
gag again,
and make make sure the glass doesn't pop this time!" There's a
point
where you have to decide whether to blow the bucks on a retake of
a gag
that hopefully should not yank you out of the film if the
continuity is a
little off, or to plow that money into other, more crucial parts
of the
movie, really finesse a cool CG shot, etc. I hope you'll agree
we made
the right decision. ;-)
Van
PS: I'm the first guy you here and see in the Cyberdyne lab intro
scene,
sitting at a terminal next to the neural net processor.
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-800 crushes one of the roses that falls out of the flower box
when it
removes the shotgun at the Galleria (may be a reference to the T2 tie-
in
video by Guns 'N' Roses). The T-1000 treads on the T-800'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?
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. Linda's
sister
also appeared in the scene in which Sarah replaces the T-800's chip
and sees
herself in a mirror (this scene is restored in the Special Edition).
NOTE:
these scenes were 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?
T2 won four Oscars:
Best Make-up: Stan Winston and Jeff Dawn
Best Sound Effects Editing: Gary Rydstrom and Gloria S. Borders
Best Sound: Tom Johnson, Gary Rydstrom, Gary Summers, and Lee
Orloff
Best Visual Effects: Dennis Muren, Stan Winston, Gene Warren Jr,
and Robert Skotak
T2 editors 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.
7.13. How much money did T2 make?
T2 grossed over US$490 million worldwide. It recouped its total
production
costs in its first 12 days of release. In three weeks, it grossed
US$123M
-- its closest competitor (_Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves_ took six
weeks to
reach that mark). For 1991, T2's total US box office gross for 1991
was
US$204.4M; in the UK it took in 18.1M pounds.
7.14. Miscellaneous trivia
- T2 co-writer William Wisher portrayed the guy taking pictures of
the T-800
after it smashes through the window at the Galleria.
- The helicopter pilot whom the T-1000 tells to get out is played by
Chuck
Tamburro, T2's aerial coordinator.
- Cyberdyne guard 'Moshier' (Mike Muscat) was also Edward Furlong's
acting
coach.
7.15. Is there a real Skynet?
Astonishingly, the answer to this question is a simple 'yes'! The
following
article was carried by Reuters on June 20, 1994:
** VSAT CUSTOMER -- AT&T said Allied Van Lines has agreed to
become the first customer of its new [VSAT] satellite hub
service.
AT&T said under Allied's five-year, multimillion-dollar contract,
Allied will connect its agents' local area networks to AT&T's
SKYNET hub service for shipment registration, scheduling and
dispatch and to process bills of lading.
(Before anyone starts stocking up on plasma rifles and planning to be
wearing
2 million sunblock on August 29, 1997, realize that this is clearly
not a
automated defense network, but rather a simple communications net. Or
is
it...?)
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.
bcw3s@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.
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
fierro@uts.amdahl.com)
who compiled the T2 FAQ, upon which this document is heavily based.
- Ross Chandler (chandler@maths.tcd.ie), in addition to converting
this FAQ
to
html and maintaining the T2 WWW home page, contributed answers to
questions
7.4, 7.12, 7.13, and 7.14. His contribution to this FAQ is much
appreciated.
- Paul Duncanson (phd@karybdis.cs.rmit.oz.au) helped with questions
2.2.1,
6.1.1, 6.5, and 6.9, among other various clarifications.
- Brian Christopher Weaver (bcw3s@fermi.clas.virginia.edu) saved me
some time
by applying the SciAm article to the Terminator movies.
- Francisco X. DeJesus (dejesus@archimedes.chinalake.navy.mil) gave
me info
provided by the Special Edition LD, and helped on questions 1.2.1, 6.6
and
6.11.
- Aman Verjee (bkmagic@leland.stanford.edu) provided an interesting
alternate
theory in question 6.17.
10.1. Bibliography
_CD-ROM Entertainment_ (May, 1994), I(1).
_Cinefex_, #21. The Terminator.
_Cinefex_, #47. Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
Empire (May, 1992)
_Terminator 2: Judgment Day: The Book of the Film: An Illustrated
Screenplay_ (1991). By James Cameron and William Wisher, annotations
by Van
Ling. Applause Theater Book Pub. ISBN: 1557830975. (Available by
telneting to books.com -- highly recommended!)
_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.
Shea, D., & Duncan, J. _The making of Terminator 2: Judgment Day_.
Titan
books Ltd.: London.
--
Karsten A. Loepelmann, Master of his domain (*psychology*, that is
:-)
"Back off, man. I'm a scientist." -- Dr. Peter Venkman
kloepelm@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca /// kloepel@psych.ualberta.ca