History Characters / TerminatorT800Model101

* CurbstompCushion: Each encounter with T-800 results in demonstrating that it ''does'' have weaknesses. Even then, it's still determined to follow its pre-programmed directive to kill Sarah at all costs.

* SerialKiller: Picking its victims methodically out of a phonebook like a textbook example of an 1980's SlasherMovie killer.

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* StatOVision: Having motion-sensitive scan vision is one of the key staples of Skynet's machines. It also allows them to easily utilize automatic weapons such as rapid-firing sniper rifles to their utmost firing range that it also calculates whilst aiming at its targets, completely negating the need for scopes since it already has them in its aforementioned internalized scan vision.

* BoringButPractical: The T-800 doesn't have any fancy gimmicks: it's not a BlobMonster like the [[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay T-1000]], doesn't have onboard weapons like the [[Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines T-X]], isn't made out of nanomachines like the [[Film/TerminatorGenisys T-3000]] and can't split itself into two like the [[Film/TerminatorDarkFate Rev-9]]: it's terrible at appearing human, it can't regenerate and it's certainly not as nimble as its descendants - it's just real tough and real strong. And yet, it has reliably proven more successful than any of its technically more advanced and powerful successors.

* BoringButPractical: The T-800 doesn't have any fancy gimmicks: it's not a BlobMonster like the [[Film/Terminator2JudgementDay T-1000]], doesn't have onboard weapons like the [[Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines T-X]], isn't made out of nanomachines like the [[Film/TerminatorGenisys T-3000]] and can't split itself into two like the [[Film/TerminatorDarkFate Rev-9]]: it's just real tough and real strong. And yet, it has consistently proven more reliable and successful than any of its technically more advanced and powerful successors.

* CarFu: It invokes this upon the cop who kept telling it to go away and refused to let it see Sarah. This is what the T-800 meant when it said "I'll be back".

** After Kyle jams another pipe bomb into its frame, the T-800 loses its legs and left hand in the explosion, but the endoskeleton from the waist up still survives and tries to choke Sarah to death. It takes a hydraulic press to flatten the robot beyond repair. But still, it uses its last bits of power to grab at and attempt to strangle Sarah.

* PrecisionFStrike: Rudely wards off a suspicious hotel janitor inquiring about the foul odor that's coming from its room. Which itself is a CallBack to its introduction, as one of the punks he attacks says this exact phrase to him.

* SerialKiller: Picking its victims methodically out of a phonebook like a textbook example of an 1980's SlasherMovie killer/rapist.

* SmellsOfDeath: As it takes on more damage, the T-800's synthetic skin starts rotting to the point a janitor asks if it had "a dead cat in there or something." The robot responds rudely and resumes its research on where to continue the hunt.

* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Even as the robot takes on horrendous amounts of punishment, it is still chasing after Sarah. It takes [[SquashedFlat an industrial press]] to turn it, or whatever remains of it, into a flat sheet of scrap metal.
* UglyAllAlong: He starts out looking like Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger. Near the end, his fleshy parts get burned off in an accident, revealing a horrifying metal skeleton-like robot underneath.

* NotSoStoic: The only time the Terminator shows anything analogous to emotion is the fear/surprise/panic it seems to demonstrate when Kyle jams a lit pipe bomb into its endoskeleton, knowing that the blast could cause it critical damage.

* NotSoStoic: The only time the Terminator shows anything analogous to emotion is the fear/surprise it seems to demonstrate when Kyle jams a lit pipe bomb into its endoskeleton, knowing that the blast could cause it critical damage.

* DeadpanSnarker: Most models developing a bone-dry wit when they try to blend in, either because of the environment they're in calls for it, or because they just learned to be less uptight.

* StatOVision: Having motion-sensitive scan vision is one of the key staples of Skynet's machines. It also allows them to easily utilize automatic weapons as rapid-firing sniper rifles to their utmost firing range that it also calcalates whilst aiming at its targets, completely negating the need for scopes since it already has them in its aforementioned internalized scan vision.

* CrazyPrepared: In spite of the fact that it's a literal killing machine that can rip people open with one hand, it acquires two pistols, an Uzi, a shotgun and an assault rifle with which to kill Sarah.

** After Kyle stuffs a pipe bomb in the tanker, it explodes, causing a chain reaction that consumes the T-800 in a giant fireball. The robot loses its flesh covering, but its endoskeleton had survived and continued functioning (and the reason for the limp becomes apparent... a piston that would be the equivalent of an Achilles' tendon is broken).
** After Kyle jams another pipe bomb to its frame, the T-800 loses its legs and left hand in the explosion, but the endoskeleton from the waist up still survived and tried to choke Sarah to death. It takes a hydraulic press to flatten the robot beyond repair. But still, it uses its last bits of power to grab at and attempt to strangle Sarah.

* {{Determinator}}: An iconic film example. Kyle is not exaggerating when he says that the Terminator '''will not stop''' until you are dead. It can't be bargained or reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity for your pain and suffering. It doesn't feel fear at the idea of its own demise, and will continue to pursue you no matter how badly it gets damaged. It does not despair at the target getting away, and will simply try again until it succeeds. From its activation to the end of days, this machine's entire existence is dedicated to its target's death.

* DroneOfDread: A frightful metallic-sounding droning theme plays as the T-800 prepares to shoot Sarah in the night club.
* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: A day after bleeding out, its skin loses most of its colour, making it look like a zombie.

* FiringOneHanded: Being a machine with metal arms, recoil is not a problem for the T-800, from an AMT Hardballer Longslide with laser-sight to shotguns and assault rifles.

* GunsAkimbo: Thanks to its strength, it can use an assault rifle and semi-automatic shotgun simultaneously when attacking the police station. Earlier in the film it uses a "New York style" reload as it carried the AMT Hardballer as a main weapon and the Uzi as a backup in case the Hardballer was lost.

* HassleFreeHotwire: The T-800 never hotwires anything, it does one better. It smashes and rips away the steering column cover, along with the lock cylinder, and then turns the ignition lock shaft with its fingers. Incidentally, due to its strength the whole process takes it 5 seconds, about as fast as most people take to start a car with a key.

* InhumanEyeConcealers: After being damaged in a car crash, it has to remove one one of its synthetic flesh eyes, exposing the glowing red cybernetic optic beneath. To conceal this, it wears sunglasses for the remainder of the movie - up until it loses them and a sizeable chunk of its face during the climatic road pursuit.

* KickTheDog: Runs over a children's toy to establish that this is an evil robot out to hunt humans. Never mind that the T-800 already killed (at least) two people in exceptionally ruthless fashion. It becomes a bit of foreshadowing, since the toy semi is the same model as the real one the T-800 will drive later while chasing down Sarah and Kyle.

* {{Leitmotif}}: The film's composer, Brad Fiedel, defines the Terminator's menacing leitmotif as "a man and his mechanical heartbeat". It's meant to build an subliminal sense of danger, like something terrible is hunting you.
* LivingMotionDetector: Downplayed. The T-800's vision lock-on is partially motion-based, so in the factory scene Kyle turns on all the machinery to reduce its ability to track them. However, this is only moderately effective and the T-800 still seems to be pretty good at differentiating humans from other moving objects.
* MadeOfIron: The Terminator is a fearsome mechanical monster to say the least. It gets shot repeatedly by a shotgun in the club and gets back up. It gets burnt by a fuel explosion and then gets into two separate car crashes. Shrugs off numerous bullets from police officers when it assaults the police station. Sarah slams her car into his motorcycle and it slides across the ground. The T-800 is then run over by a fuel truck, and is dragged across the ground as it hangs on to the underside. Kyle throws a pipe bomb into the fuel truck and the T-800 is consumed by an enormous fuel explosion and the flames completely scorch off its clothes and flesh cover. The T-800 continues its pursuit of Sarah regardless. Kyle beats the Terminator over the head with a pipe to no avail, forcing Kyle to plant a pipe bomb inside the machine's waist, blowing up its left arm and legs. This '''still fails to kill it''' and the machine crawls after the wounded Sarah, trying to strangle her to death its one good hand left. Sarah finally kills it by trapping it under a hydraulic press, which thankfully flattens it, putting an end to the machine for good.

* MonsterThreatExpiration: JustifiedTrope. It made sense that the T-800 was getting weaker by the end, due to the repeated damage. The suspense lay in the fact that the heroes had been getting hurt and killed too. It also loses the ability to run after its right hind actuator was severed from being run over with a truck and pursues Sarah and Kyle on foot at a speed of no greater than 2 mph.
* MrFanservice: In its introduction, it's naked and it's shown to be a bulky, handsome and muscular man in his thirties. It slips into FanDisservice territory as it gets damaged.

* NearVillainVictory: The Terminator comes ''very'' close to murdering Sarah in the nightclub and accomplishing [=SkyNet=]'s mission. It scours the club and when it finally spots Sarah, the scene shifts to slow-mo with a [[DroneOfDread droning metallic theme]] in the background. It calmly walks over and targets its gun's laser sight directly at her head, as Kyle grabs his shotgun from across the room and frantically tries to get the other people out of the way. The robot is less than a second from blowing her brains all over the floor when Kyle blasts it. If the viewer pays close attention, the T-800 actually fired and missed Sarah due to the impact of Kyle's shot throwing off its balance by a few inches. It happens ''again'' a few moments later, and it's only a civilian being right behind Sarah to take the bullet for her by accident that stops it from accomplishing its mission right then and there.

* NormalFishInATinyPond: While still a very dangerous threat in its own time period, the T-800 are essentially mass-produced infantry since the human resistance has [[RayGun phased plasma pulse rifles]] to fight them with. In the present day, when faced with modern-day handguns and rifles, the thing is a NighInvulnerable killing machine that effortlessly marches through a police station and murders 17 armed policemen without even slowing down. Reese even comments on this:

* OurZombiesAreDifferent: PlayedWith. Although strictly speaking not undead ''per se'', the increasingly decayed and putrefied form of the T-800, and its increasingly robotic and shambling gait as its form is punishingly pulverized and rammed by speeding vehicles clearly invokes the image of a murderous living corpse. This is the ''only'' Terminator to date whose decay is portrayed as being disturbing; from the T-800 2.4 onwards, punishment taken by the Terminator's flesh is portrayed in a heroic manner, and hence does not invoke the zombie imagery.