Terminator Five

The Terminator series is a science fiction franchise encompassing a series of films and other media concerning battles between Skynet’s artificially intelligent machine network, and John Connor’s Resistance forces and the rest of the human race.

Skynet’s most well-known products in its genocidal goals are the various terminator models, such as the original “Terminator” character, portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the first film. Schwarzenegger also portrayed other Terminator characters; however, it is made clear that these are different units. The latest film in the franchise is Terminator Salvation, released overMemorial Day weekend, 2009.

The central theme of the franchise is the battle for survival between the human race and the self-aware artificial intelligence that is Skynet. Skynet is positioned in the first film as a US defense computer system by Cyberdyne Systems which becomes self-aware and, on perceiving all humans as a threat, seeks to wipe out humanity itself. It initiates a nuclear first strike against Russia, ensuring a devastating counter strike and a nuclear holocaust, wiping out much of humanity instantly. In the post-apocalyptic aftermath, Skynet builds up its own autonomousmachine-based military capability, which includes the Terminators used against individual human targets, and proceeds to fight a war against the surviving elements of humanity, some of whom have organized militarily into the Resistance. At some point in this future, Skynet develops the ability of time travel, and both it and the Resistance seek to use it to win the war by preventing or forestalling their present time line.

[edit]Judgment Day

In the franchise, Judgment Day is referred to as the date on which Skynet becomes self-aware, decides to exterminate humankind, and launches the attack on Russia. Due to the element of time travel and the consequent ability to change the future, several dates are given for Judgment Day during the franchise. In Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Sarah states that Judgment Day will occur on August 29, 1997. However, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines shows that the Judgment Day holocaust has been postponed to July 25, 2004. In Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, the day of judgment was delayed to April 21, 2011, due to the attack on Cyberdyne Systems in T2.

The passing of the final date for Judgment Day of April 21, 2011 prompted BBC News to pose the question, “How close were the Terminatorfilms to the reality of 2011?”, comparing how far present day technology and society had developed compared to the predictions of the franchise.[1]