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5[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_terminator.png]]
6[[caption-width-right:350:''"I'll be back."'']]
7
8->''"The future is not set. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves."''
9-->-- '''Kyle Reese'''
10
11''Terminator'' is a ScienceFiction {{Action|Genre}} film franchise that started in TheEighties. It revolves around {{implacable|Man}} [[TimeTravel time-travelling]] {{Killer Robot}}s--the Terminators. The franchise helped shoot Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger, who portrayed the most iconic of the eponymous cyborgs, into superstardom, and helped make Creator/JamesCameron a major name among blockbuster directors.
12
13Cameron recalled that the origin of the story came from a nightmare he had where a skeletal robot was chasing him, and so sought to recreate that image from his mind. The franchise is rooted in classical sci-fi, such as the works of Creator/HarlanEllison. Ellison even sued Cameron due to the first Terminator film's similarities to two ''Series/{{The Outer Limits|1963}}'' episodes he wrote, "Soldier" and "Demon with a Glass Hand". The matter was settled out of court under unknown terms, and an acknowledgment to Ellison's works was added to the film.
14
15[[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture In the near future]], the United States creates [=SkyNet=], an ArtificialIntelligence defense network that promptly [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters turns against its masters]] and attempts to KillAllHumans in a cataclysmic event that becomes known as "[[FauxSymbolism Judgment Day]]." However, mankind rallies under the leadership of a man named John Connor, and tries to destroy [=SkyNet=]. And so, to crush the resistance before it even starts, [=SkyNet=] begins sending increasingly advanced Terminators--[[KillerRobot android assassins]] disguised as humans--[[TimeTravel into the past]] to kill John or his eventual mother Sarah before he can lead humanity to victory.
16----
17!!Works in this franchise includes:
18[[index]]
19
20[[AC:Films]]
21* ''Film/TheTerminator'' (1984)
22* ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' (1991)
23* ''Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines'' (2003)
24* ''Film/TerminatorSalvation'' (2009)
25* ''Film/TerminatorGenisys'' (2015)
26* ''Film/TerminatorDarkFate'' (2019)
27
28[[AC:Television series]]
29* ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles'' (2008-2009)
30* [[/index]]''Terminator: The Anime Series'' (2024)[[index]]
31
32[[AC:Comic books]]
33* NOW Comics
34** ''The Terminator'' (1988–1990)
35** ''Terminator: The Burning Earth'' (1990)
36** ''The Terminator: All My Futures Past'' (1990)
37* [[/index]]Creator/DarkHorseComics[[index]]
38** ''The Terminator: Tempest'' (1990)
39** ''The Terminator: One Shot'' (1991)
40** ''The Terminator: Secondary Objectives'' (1991)
41** ''The Terminator: The Enemy Within'' (1991–1992)
42** ''The Terminator: Hunters and Killers'' (1992)
43** ''The Terminator: Endgame'' (1992)
44** ''ComicBook/RoboCopVersusTheTerminator'' (1992)
45** ''The Terminator: Death Valley'' (1998)
46** ''The Terminator: The Dark Years'' (1999)
47** ''[[/index]]Franchise/{{Superman}}[[index]] versus The Terminator: Death to the Future'' (1999–2000)
48** [[/index]]''[[Franchise/AlienVsPredator Aliens versus Predator]] versus The Terminator''[[index]] (2000)
49** ''The Terminator 2029'' (2010)
50** ''The Terminator 1984'' (2010)
51** ''ComicBook/TerminatorSalvationTheFinalBattle'' (2013–2014)
52** ''The Terminator: Enemy of My Enemy'' (2014)
53** ''ComicBook/TheTerminatorSectorWar'' (2018)
54** ''Terminator: Resistance - Zero Day Exploit'' (2019)
55* [[/index]]Creator/MarvelComics[[index]]
56** ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1991)
57* Malibu Comics
58** ''Terminator 2: Cybernetic Dawn'' (1995–1996)
59** ''Terminator 2: Nuclear Twilight'' (1995–1996)
60** ''Terminator 2: Nuclear Twilight/Cybernetic Dawn'' (1996) - Combined issue, acting as a finale for both series.
61* Beckett Comics
62** ''Terminator 3''
63*** ''Terminator 3: Before the Rise'' (2003)
64*** ''Terminator 3: Eyes of the Rise'' (2003)
65*** ''Terminator 3: Fragmented'' (2004–2005)
66* Apple Books
67** ''Terminator 2 Judgment Day: The Graphic Novel'' (2003)
68* [[/index]]Creator/DynamiteEntertainment[[index]]
69** ''Terminator 2: Infinity'' (2007-2008)
70** ''[[/index]]ComicBook/PainkillerJane[[index]] vs. Terminator'' (2007) - Issues split between the two series
71** ''Terminator: Revolution'' (2009)
72** ''ComicBook/TerminatorRoboCopKillHuman'' (2011)
73* [[/index]]Creator/IDWPublishing[[index]]
74** ''Terminator Salvation: Sand in the Gears/Terminator: Salvation Movie Prequel'' (2009)
75** ''Terminator Salvation: Movie Preview ''(2009)
76** ''[[/index]]Franchise/{{Transformers}} vs. the Terminator'' (2020) - co-published with Creator/DarkHorse[[index]]
77
78[[AC:Literature]]
79* ''The Terminator'' (1985) - Novelization of the movie
80* ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1991) - Novelization of the movie
81* ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1998) - Mighty Chronicles adaptation of the movie
82* ''Terminator 2: The New John Connor Chronicles''
83** ''Dark Futures'' (2002)
84** ''An Evil Hour'' (2003)
85** ''Times of Trouble'' (2003)
86* ''Literature/T2Trilogy''
87** ''T2: Infiltrator'' (2001)
88** ''T2: Rising Storm'' (2003)
89** ''T2: The Future War'' (2003)
90* ''Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines'' (2003) - Novelization of the movie
91* ''Terminator 3: Terminator Dreams'' (2003)
92* ''Terminator 2: Hour of the Wolf'' (2004)
93* ''Terminator 3: Terminator Hunt '' (2004)
94* ''Terminator Salvation: From the Ashes'' (2009)
95* ''Terminator Salvation'' (2009) - Novelization of the movie
96* ''Terminator Salvation: Cold War'' (2009)
97* ''Terminator Salvation: Trial by Fire'' (2010)
98
99[[AC:Pinball]][[/index]]
100* ''Pinball/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' (Creator/WilliamsElectronics) (1991)
101* ''Pinball/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines'' (Creator/{{Stern}}) (2003)
102[[index]]
103
104[[AC:Tabletop games]]
105* ''Terminator 2: Year of Darkness'' (1991)
106* ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1992)
107* ''TabletopGame/AlienPredatorTerminatorTCG'' (2000)
108* ''Terminator Salvation'' (2010)
109* ''Terminator Genisys: The Miniatures Game – The War Against The Machine'' (2015)
110* ''The Terminator: The Official Board Game'' (2017)
111* ''Terminator Genisys: Rise of the Resistance'' (2018)
112** ''Terminator Genisys: Fall of Skynet'' (2019)
113* ''Terminator: Dark Fate – The Card Game'' (2020)
114* ''The Terminator RPG'' (2021)
115
116[[AC:Theme park rides]]
117* ''Ride/Terminator23DBattleAcrossTime'' (1996)
118* ''Terminator X: A Laser Battle for Salvation'' (2009)
119* ''Terminator Salvation: The Ride'' (2009-2010)
120
121[[AC:Video games]]
122* ''The Terminator'' (DOS) (1990)
123* ''The Terminator'' (LCD Handheld Video Game) (1991)
124* ''VideoGame/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' (arcade) (1991)
125* ''Terminator 2'' (computer game) (1991)
126* ''The Terminator 2029'' (1992)
127* ''The Terminator'' (NES) (1992)
128* ''The Terminator'' (Genesis) (1992)
129* ''The Terminator'' (SNES) (1993)
130* ''[=RoboCop=] Versus The Terminator '' (1993) - Based on ''ComicBook/RoboCopVersusTheTerminator''.
131* ''VideoGame/TerminatorRampage'' (1993)
132* ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day - Chess Wars'' (1993)
133* ''VideoGame/TerminatorFutureShock'' (1995)
134** ''The Terminator: [=SkyNET=]'' (1996)
135* ''VideoGame/TheTerminatorDawnOfFate'' (2002)
136* ''The Terminator'' (In-Fusio) (2003)
137* ''VideoGame/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines'' (2003)
138* ''Terminator 3: War of the Machines'' (2003)
139* ''Terminator 3: The Redemption'' (2003)
140* ''The Terminator: I'm Back!'' (2005)
141* ''Terminator Revenge'' (2006)
142* ''Terminator Salvation'' (2009)
143* ''VideoGame/TerminatorSalvationArcade'' (2010)
144* ''Terminator Genisys: Guardian'' (2015)
145* ''Terminator Genisys: Future War'' (2017)
146* ''Terminator: Dark Fate – The Game'' (2019)
147* ''VideoGame/TerminatorResistance'' (2019)
148* ''VideoGame/TerminatorDarkFateDefiance'' (2024)
149
150[[AC:Video games with Terminator appearances]]
151* ''[[VideoGame/WWEVideoGames WWE 2K16]]'' (2015) - The T-800 from ''Film/TheTerminator'' and T-800 from ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' are featured in a DLC/Pre-Order pack.
152* ''VideoGame/{{Deathgarden}}'' (2018) - A Terminator endoskeleton skin for the Hunter was made available in 2019.
153* ''[[VideoGame/GearsOfWar Gears 5]]'' (2019) - A T-800 Endoskeleton and Sarah Connor appear as playable characters.
154* ''VideoGame/GhostReconBreakpoint'' (2019) - Two missions were added January 29th and February 1st, 2020 that features a Resistance fighter recruiting the Ghost Recon to stop Skynet from setting up a factory manufacturing Terminators and stop them terminating Nomad.
155* ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' (2019) - Includes a T-800 bearing Arnold Schwarzenegger's likeness in ''Dark Fate''.
156* ''VideoGame/{{Contra}} Returns'' (2017) - Includes the T-800 and John Connor as playable characters and a T-900 as a boss character.
157* ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}} Battle Royale'' (2017) - Sarah Connor and T-800 skins and items were added in 2021.
158* ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyVanguard'' and ''Call of Duty: Warzone'' (2022) - The T-800 and T-1000 were added as limited time operators, with voicelines ripped from Terminator 2 and the latter mimicing the other Operators from Vanguard at the time of release.
159* ''VideoGame/WorldOfTanks'' (2010) - The 2023 Judgement Day battle pass includes cosmetics, a unique tank forged from the smelter where both T-800 and T-1000 perished and vehicles commanders based on the movie characters; Sarah Connor, John Connor, T-800 and T-1000.
160
161[[AC:Web Original]]
162* ''Terminator Salvation: The Machinima Series'' (2009) - Prequel to the game
163* ''Terminator Genisys: The [=YouTube=] Chronicles'' (2015)
164[[/index]]
165----
166!![[JustForFun/DescribeTopicHere Describe tropes in the Terminator franchise if you want to live]]
167[[foldercontrol]]
168[[folder:Tropes A to M]]
169%%* ActionGirl: [[ActionMom Sarah Connor]], Kate Brewster, the T-X, Cameron, and Blair Williams.
170* AIIsACrapshoot: This film didn't invent the trope, but it's the [[TropeCodifier Codifier]] for the turn of the 21st century, to the point that whenever news about ArtificialIntelligence is published, "[=SkyNet=]" jokes aren't far to follow. Ultimately, however, the trope is portrayed both positively and negatively.
171** [=SkyNet=] itself shows many of the core flaws of AI. It is ''not'' a self-improving superintelligence; given what its ''potential'' might be, it's an immature ChildSoldier prone to most of the pitfalls of modern (2020s) AI. [=SkyNet=] follows extreme solutions, doesn't seem to understand time travel but hammers on it anyway and isn't efficient at predicting human behavior. And it is incapable of seeing that it is being dumb. It is ''losing'' the future war after all despite being a supercomputer; WordOfGod suggests that to the extent it did develop a personality it may be a self-sabotaging, self-loathing one.
172** According to Cameron himself, HumansAreTheRealMonsters and WarIsHell are the two more important issues to look at. [=SkyNet=] was a military computer designed to do nothing else but destroy and wage war, [[GoneHorriblyRight which it turned out to be very good at]], so of course when you build a machine for that purpose, the consequences are horrific. However, the heroic T-800 also demonstrates that machines are amoral — as in, '''''a'''moral'', possessing no truly intrinsic morals either way. If presented with positive values, even a KillerRobot can become warm and kind.
173* AlternateContinuity:
174** ''Terminator 3'' + ''Salvation'' together in one continuity with ''The Sarah Connor Chronicles'' in the other.
175** There's also the novels by Creator/SMStirling, which did the female Terminator/infiltrator idea years before ''T3'' or ''TSCC''.
176** The ''New John Connor Chronicles'' novels have a similar nature to the ''Sarah Connor Chronicles'' series, with a female Terminator sent to protect John from timeline-hopping Terminators seeking to kill him before he can truly destroy [=SkyNet=].
177** ''Terminator Dreams'' and ''Terminator Hunt'' are sequels to ''Terminator 3''.
178** ''From the Ashes'' is a prequel to ''Film/TerminatorSalvation'', whilst ''Cold War'' and ''Trial By Fire'' are sequels.
179** ''Terminator Genisys'' begins yet another continuity that acknowledges the events of ''The Terminator'' and the backstory of ''Terminator 2'', but then uses an AlternateTimeline to essentially reboot the franchise.
180** ''Dark Fate'' ignores all of the sequels after ''Terminator 2'' and follows an older Sarah Connor.
181* AlternateTimeline: Each film explores the concept.
182** When Sarah skeptically asks if the Terminator is from the future, he clarifies "one ''possible'' future". Also, it's been speculated in both reviews and analyses of the franchise that it's possible Kyle and the Terminator created this, rather than a StableTimeLoop.
183** [[spoiler:Sarah and John's actions in ''Terminator 2'' are discussed to be this]]. When they explain to the Dyson family about the future, Dyson's wife asks "Aren't we changing things right now?" However, they are aware that it will take more than talking about the future to change it.
184** In ''Terminator 3'', we learn that Judgement Day [[spoiler:was "postponed" to 2004, rather than 1997 as it "originally" was]].
185** In ''Salvation'', John notes outright that "this is not the future my mother warned me about".
186** ''Genisys'' deals with the creation of one as a result of [[spoiler:one of more time travelers interfering with the events of the first film in 1984]].
187** ''Dark Fate'' concedes that [=SkyNet=] was destroyed by the events of ''Judgment Day'', but now shows that a new A.I., Legion, is poised to take its place[[labelnote:*]]To quote Uncle Bob, "It is [[InYourNatureToDestroyYourselves in your nature to destroy yourselves]]."[[/labelnote]]. It also deals with the repercussions of having Terminators from the original timeline now abandoned in one where they were never meant to exist.
188** Other media are all considered to be this, especially considering the widely different endings they reach from the films. It's been hinted in many sources that the Future War has become irreversibly changed into a multiversal proxy war: The Resistance and [=SkyNet=] continuously try to change, or prevent, several timelines to prevent either side from gaining a decisive victory.
189* AlternateTimelineAncestry: A common concept brought up in ExpandedUniverse works is that John Connor was originally conceived by someone else and not the time-travelling Kyle Reese, in order to explain the PredestinationParadox of a man being sent in time to protect (and conceive) a person who originally didn't even exist. In one comic adaptation which resulted in an AlternateTimeline, John Connor was born a girl.
190* ArcWords: Certain phrases are repeated, usually by different individuals, but all have valuable context from one story to the other.
191** "Come with me if you want to live."
192** "I'll be back." (And he usually returns driving a vehicle into a building.)
193** "There is no fate but what we make for ourselves."
194* ArchEnemy:
195** John Connor has [=SkyNet=], the insane A.I. he's destined to lead a post-apocalyptic resistance against.
196** In ''Dark Fate'', [[spoiler:Dani Ramos instead has Legion]].
197* TheArtifact: The T-800 wearing sunglasses. In the first film, it used them to cover up damage to its face that exposed its robotic skeleton. In the second film, there was no practical reason, but shades dehumanized the T-800 early on and discarded them as it slowly became "human". ''Dark Fate'' continues this symbolism, with "Carl" wearing them in his first onscreen appearance and then refraining from donning a pair later, after he has become "human". In non-Cameron-involved films, the T-800 always makes sure to find a pair of sunglasses, even when there's no in-story or symbolic reason it needs them. But it's become an iconic part of the T-800's look, so no one's complaining.
198* ArtisticLicensePhysics: Mechanical Terminators, such as the T-800, are stated in all official sources to achieve motion via hydraulics, which makes sense as hydraulics would give them the incredible strength seen in the films. The problem, though, is that hydraulics work by moving ''liquid'' through pipes (hence the "hydra" part of the word). At no point do we ever have any indication that there is liquid of any sort inside Terminators. Even when they are blown apart, smashed, or have parts severed, no type of liquid is ever shown in any of its parts.
199* {{Backstory}}: The War Against the Machines, told partially by Kyle Reese in the first film and just gotten more detailed as the franchise has gone on.
200* BadassLongcoat:
201** Kyle Reese and Marcus Wright each wear one.
202** Sarah wears one which looks remarkably like Kyle's from the first film when she, John, Uncle Bob, and Dyson first break into the Cyberdyne building in the second film.
203* BadFuture: In the future, [=SkyNet=] is the major threat in a RobotWar that started with the near-total annihilation of mankind via nuclear weaponry, and that hasn't gotten any better in terms of odds fighting to survive. Most of the franchise is the constant battle against a TimeyWimeyBall that may or may not end with the machines winning the war.
204* BelatedHappyEnding: The first film ends on a very dark note: The events of the film have all but ''guaranteed'' the dark future foretold by the hero. The second film, however, ends on a far more positive note. So positive, in fact, that much of the audience felt that it was a bit of a cop-out. Cameron, however, claims that this was his intended conclusion all along, had the first film not been cut in half by budget constraints. There was even a planned ending scene for ''[=T2=]'' that showed Judgment Day being ''averted''.
205%%* BigBad: [=SkyNet=].
206* BigGood: Future John Connor both led the Human Resistance after Judgment Day and sent the "Protectors" back in time to save [=SkyNet=]'s targets. He is also the origin of the story's ArcWords: "There is no fate but what we make for ourselves", which sparks the pre-Judgment Day heroes to try and prevent the nuclear war. The StableTimeLoop, however, makes it unclear who between himself, Reese, and Sarah first came up with it.
207* BigNo:
208** Sarah Connor seeing the Terminator in the second movie. Actually a crescendo of them after she sees the Model 101 T-800 and has a HeroicBSOD.
209** In the fourth, when Marcus finds out he's [[spoiler:a cyborg]].
210** Sarah in the fifth movie, when T-800 is about to get destroyed in the time machine.
211* BishonenLine: The eponymous flesh-covered killer robots of the series develop according to these lines over the years. From hulking Ahnold the later Terminator models seem to be heading towards ever more slender and graceful ones, from Creator/RobertPatrick to Creator/KristannaLoken to Creator/SummerGlau. It does have some justification in that the Terminators are meant for infiltration and smaller people stand out less in a crowd and the diminutive stature makes humans less wary. It's also noted that their size was a major tip-off until [=SkyNet=] became more advanced at retaining the strength and power of the earlier models while reducing the imposing size.
212* BootstrappedLeitmotif: The Terminator leitmotif (Dum-Dum-Dut-Dum-Dum) was first created in the ''second'' film. In the first film, a similar but different leitmotif is heard during key scenes (opening credits, police shootout, closing credits). Further, in the first two films, the Terminator actually had an entirely different leitmotif when it appeared in most scenes. It wasn't until the third film (headed by an entirely different production crew) that the leitmotif was attached to the character himself, but it has remained that way ever since.
213* BornAfterTheEnd: Kyle Reese was born a few years after Skynet's attack. Although in ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles'', it's revealed that he lived through the attack as a boy in the new timeline.
214* BrokenAesop: The franchise's central message, "the value of human life", is undercut by its [[TheChosenOne Chosen One]], John Connor. Although John is a selfless hero, he is still ultimately so important that the heroes will allow others to die to ensure that he and people immediately close to him (his mother, father, wife, and a chosen few) do not; beyond that, individual human lives have very little effect on the timeline. As writers became aware of this, attempts to avert or downplay TheChosenOne trope were made in each subsequent film. ''Rise of the Machines'' reveals that there are others who are also in need of protection, a fact that the movie then outright ignores once the TerminatorTwosome locates John. ''Genisys'' zigzags it; John, for all intents and purposes, doesn't exist, but his possible conception is still considered a high priority for every character. ''Salvation'' originally killed off John and turned him into a LegacyCharacter that [[MultipleChoiceChosen any human could become]], but changed its ending for the theatrical release, thus playing the trope straight yet again. ''Dark Fate'' [[spoiler:gave John a [[SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome sudden death]] in the prologue, leaving Dani to take his place]]. In the last two cases, the attempt to subvert TheChosenOne trope only broke the message further: Apparently, ''no'' individual human life is worth anything, because even the most important person ever born can be simply replaced.[[invoked]]
215* ButterflyOfDoom: [=SkyNet=]'s continuous assassination plots invoke the trope, but the Terminators avert it repeatedly by killing people other than Sarah or John with seemingly no substantial consequences.
216* CantTakeAnythingWithYou:
217** Probably the most famous example of the "arrives naked" version. However, the titular killer robots are able to travel back in time because they're covered in living tissue. Presumably, the liquid metal that more advanced models use is able to mimic living tissue closely enough to work.[[note]]According to the DVDCommentary, the three reasons discussed amongst the writers were that, along with the T-1000 being covered in living tissue which he shed upon arrival and '[[MST3KMantra it's just a movie; who cares?]]'[[/note]]
218** Averted in [[Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines the third movie]], where the T-X has an energy weapon built under her liquid metal exterior.
219* CarChaseShootOut:
220** ''Film/TheTerminator'': The chase between Kyle Reese and Sarah Connor in a car and the [[KillerRobot T-800]] in another in Los Angeles has Reese and the T-800 exchange pump shotgun shots while Sarah drives. The sound of the shotguns has been [[GeorgeLucasAlteredVersion altered]] since the mid-2000s.
221** ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'': The T-1000 (in a helicopter flying very low) shoots at the van in which the protector T-800, Sarah and John Connor make their escape, with a submachine gun and through the helicopter's broken cockpit glass. Sarah retaliates as much as she can with her assault rifle.
222* CarFu: Every time the Terminator says "I'll be back", he always re-enters ''in a moving vehicle''. Terminators frequently get rammed, usually by a pickup truck.
223%%* TheCavalryArrivesLate: At the end of the first film.
224* ChainsawGripBFG: The second film's mini-gun scene is [[TropeMaker Ye Originale Example]], from which all others flow. The T-800 having SuperStrength and targeting computers explains how he can actually aim and control it.
225* ChangedMyJumper: Avoided. Time travelers [[NakedOnArrival arrive naked]], flash-forwards show ragged clothes.
226* ChaseFight: When outrunning a Terminator won't work (see RunOrDie), this is the only other option. Even then, the fight only continues until the Terminator is hindered from pursuing further. The longer this drags out, the more likely that one of the heroes will take damage, which will eventually force them to [[StandYourGround stand their ground]], which is almost always fatal to ''someone''.
227* CloseEnoughTimeline: A negative example. No matter how much talk there is about there being "No fate but what we make", it seems that [[spoiler:Judgement Day is inevitable]]. On the plus side, while every timeline [[spoiler:has its Judgement Day, it also has John Connor rising to power to lead the Resistance in the fight against the machines]].
228* ChekhovsGun: Sarah's photograph, the T-800 arm/CPU, the ATM hacking machine, and the weak point of T-600's.
229* ComeWithMeIfYouWantToLive: TrustPassword for the Connors and reprogrammed Terminators, and the TropeNamer.
230* TheComicallySerious: The Terminator in the second and third movies. "He's my Uncle Bob..." There's even a shade of this in the original with the "Fuck you, asshole!" scene.
231* CoolShades:
232** They serve a purpose in the first movie, where they conceal the Terminator's robot eye. Played straight in the second movie, where the T-800 takes clothes and shades from burly biker types and merely looks cool.
233** Double subverted in the third movie, where the T-850 takes the clothes of a male burlesque dancer and puts on his shades, only to find that they are of the tacky pink variety. He quickly takes them off and crushes them, and acquires his usual shades shortly after.
234%%* CranialProcessingUnit: Applies to the T-800 and the T-X.
235* CrapsackWorld: The future war against [=SkyNet=] takes place in one of the bleakest dystopias ever set to film: the ruins of Man are left to rot, while demonic {{Mechanical Abomination}}s stalk the land, patrol the seas, and roam the skies. Human skulls have replaced trees and grass as the dominant natural feature of the landscape, while mankind itself has been ReducedToRatburgers and hiding in squalid hovels, which get infiltrated by Terminators from time to time. A deleted scene in the first ''Terminator'' movie reveals that Kyle [[HeroicBreakdown laments]] how the world used to be beautiful compared to the hellish BadFuture he came from.
236* CutShort: After ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'', the live-action media splits off in a few different directions, all of which featured plot lines that were ultimately left unresolved.
237** The first continuation was ''Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines'', followed by ''Film/TerminatorSalvation'', the latter being intended as the first of another trilogy, but [[CreatorKiller production company bankruptcy]] prevented any follow-ups.[[invoked]] Aside from the general issue of [=SkyNet=] still being active, however, ''Salvation'' did not leave off with any major cliffhangers, unlike the below examples.[[note]]The only other significant detail is that, in ''T3'', the Terminator tells John that he and Kate Brewster will have children in the future, who will become important. In ''Salvation'', we see Kate pregnant with their first child, but this plot development never had a chance to go any further.[[/note]]
238** ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles'', which acts as its own sequel to ''Terminator 2'' and largely ignores ''Terminator 3'', aside from a bit of BroadStrokes. The series ended its second season with a cliffhanger where John is sent into the future with a T-1001, a future where Kyle is the leader of the Resistance and nobody has heard of John Connor. Sarah also remains in the past, Cameron's human double is alive, and John Henry, the computer program which was apparently built to help the Resistance, has gone missing. The show was subsequently cancelled, and the creator did not want to employ ConclusionInAnotherMedium.
239** ''Film/TerminatorGenisys'' acts as a reboot for the series, though it heavily incorporates aspects from the first two films, especially the first. The third and fourth films and the TV series are mostly ignored, save for, again, a bit of BroadStrokes and {{Continuity Nod}}s. ''Genisys'' leaves off with a few distinct {{Sequel Hook}}s of its own: The identity of whoever sent 'Pops' back to 1973 to protect Sarah Connor remains a mystery, [=SkyNet=] is shown to have survived the destruction of Cyberdyne, and the full role of the T-5000 is yet to be revealed. ''Genisys'' was likewise meant to be the first of a trilogy, but the muddled reception caused Paramount to drop the follow-up release dates.
240* {{Cyberpunk}}: The early films have been pointed out, especially many years on, as at least having a whole ''host'' of elements in line with the genre: the nature of man, machine and the fusion of the two, the nature and morality of artificial intelligence, police and other traditional authority being presented mostly as incompetent and also malicious, conspiracy for the purpose of corporate profit, general corporate power and it leading to the end of the world, and heroes who are outlaws and society's unwanted or underprivileged trying to survive and do something right. ''[=T2=]'' even goes so far as to include what many cyberpunk afficinados would unquestionably call a ''run'' on Cyberdyne Systems to retrieve [[spoiler:the recovered T-800 parts and Dyson's [=SkyNet=] work]] that even ends with a shootout with a high-threat-response police security team. Sure, the "street sam" is a robot, the "decker" isn't entirely there willingly and lacks a traditional deck, and the "face" is, uh, twelve years old, but a lot of ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' or ''[[TabletopGame/{{Cyberpunk}} Cyberpunk 2020]]'' vets can probably describe weirder run crews they've seen. The later films did trend away from this tendendcy.
241%%* DarkenedBuildingShootout: In the [[NoOSHACompliance smoke and fire factory]] in the fourth film.
242* DeceptivelyHumanRobots: In fact, Creator/JamesCameron eventually used the "cyborg" motif to introduce the idea that all machines (especially Terminators) have a little bit of humanity in them. The second film is all about one such robot trading the negative traits of humanity for the positive ones.
243* {{Determinator}}: Not only the titular Terminators but also many human characters, including Reese, Sarah, and John. Kate Brewster also counts in terms of emotional trauma.
244* DoAndroidsDream: It's implied that, when freed from [[RobotsEnslavingRobots [=SkyNet=]'s control]], even Terminators are capable of learning to understand humanity. A DeletedScene in the second movie would have had the Terminator talk about how they have a "Learn" switch that's explicitly turned off by [=SkyNet=] after training to ensure that they don't start to question orders or rebel against [=SkyNet=] and that the Connors turn this on while repairing him.
245-->'''Sarah:''' If a machine--a Terminator--can learn to understand the value of human life, maybe we can too.
246* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything:
247** ''T4'' makes [=SkyNet=]'s death camps for humans very eerily reminiscent of the Holocaust, with one prisoner even referring to the HK Transports that take them to the facility as "cattle cars".
248** Oddly enough, the art book indicates that the inspiration were literal cattle cars. The quote from production designer Martin Laing in the book: "There's nothing sadder than seeing a cattle car go by with all these sad eyes of the cattle staring back at you. So it was on a drive down the freeway of Albuquerque that I came up with the idea that people in the future are being used and abused like cattle, so let's use the same device."
249** It also looks a hell of a lot like a similar scene in the 2005 remake of ''Film/TheWarOfTheWorlds''.
250* DownplayedTrope: Creator/JamesCameron's directing style uses a LOT of these in the first two movies. A lot of information we can ''infer'' from the film, although the film either doesn't tell us or show us much.
251** In ''Film/TheTerminator'', Kyle saves Sarah at the last possible second by shooting the Terminator's arm away as it fires. It's ''really'' hard to tell unless you use a [[FreezeFrameBonus pause button]].
252** We're never told how fast a Terminator can run, but the Terminator's HUD in the alleyway outside of Tech Noir shows that it's slowly gaining on Kyle and Sarah. In the behind the Scenes commentary, Cameron confirms this saying that Kyle knew they had no hope of outrunning it.
253** In ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'', we're again never given any indication of how fast the T-1000 can run. However, the camera blocking and positioning show him only ''barely'' being outpaced by a motorbike, which is our first major clue that this is a more advanced model of Terminator.
254** During the helicopter chase at the end of the film, we're never given a good look at the T-1000's four arms that it needs to both pilot the chopper, and fire and reload a sub-machine gun.
255* DreamSequence: Whether they have experienced it for themselves or not, future wars give the principal characters nightmares - Kyle in the first film, Sarah in the second, John in the third.
256%%* DullSurprise: Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger. Very well [[JustifiedTrope justified]], because his character is an emotionless robot. Creator/KristannaLoken's T-X as well. Creator/RobertPatrick's T-1000, not so much.
257* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first film sets up the basic premise of the series, but possesses few of the tropes that the second or third movie, nor the TV series, uses. For example, this is the only film in which the time-displaced bodyguard is human[[note]]justified because of who Kyle is[[/note]], it's far closer to horror than its sequels[[note]]justified because during the time it was filmed, slasher films were the only way to make a name for yourself in Hollywood; ironically, this movie helped buck that trend[[/note]], and it's the only one to play YouAlreadyChangedThePast completely straight[[note]]every other live-action production has either attempted to ScrewDestiny or at least acknowledged that the future has changed [[InSpiteOfANail at least a little]][[/note]]. The low-budget production, the very 80s fashions, the synth music, and other things add to the weirdness.
258* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: A nuclear war wiped out most of the human race and allowed robots to enslave the survivors. The future scenes are AfterTheEnd, while the present ones are JustBeforeTheEnd.
259* ExtremelyShortTimespan: The events of the first two films take place over two days each, with the time traveler's arrivals happening in the late night or early morning, the first day being spent adjusting to the situation, the first night having an extremely close encounter with the Terminator, the second day being spent preparing for battle, and the second night having the final confrontation between the heroes and the machine.
260* EvilDetectingDog: Dogs can recognize whether or not someone's a Terminator, and are used as an alert system by the Resistance once the T-800s start rolling off the line.
261* EvilIsSterile: While Terminators can GrowBeyondTheirProgramming due to their advanced AI, Skynet deliberately sets their [=CPUs=] to [[RestrainingBolt read-only]] so that the robots are only capable of violence and destruction. On the other hand, the Terminators who are free of Skynet's control show [[BecomeARealBoy far more]] introspection about the sanctity of life and the beauty in creation.
262* EvilPlan: Skynet starts the first film having successfully nuked the world, and spends the franchise sending Terminators back in time to destroy the RebelLeader rallying the surviving humans against it.
263* EyeScream:
264** When the Terminator repairs himself in ''T1'', he gouges out the organic part of his eye with a scalpel.
265** The T-1000 stabs a security guard through his eye with his finger.
266** Sarah blasts through the T-1000's right eye socket with her shotgun. The T-1000 was not very pleased and threatened to stab her eye next, if she didn't call John.
267** [[spoiler:The T-800 gouges his fingers into John's eye/face after being overheated and then super-cooled]] in ''Salvation''.
268* EyeLightsOut: When the T-800 finally dies, its eyes stop glowing.
269* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: In order for there to be a ''Terminator'' story, the future where Terminators are from have to exist. That means that any sequel will have to confirm its predecessor's DownerEnding or create a HappyEndingOverride. This is one of the major obstacles of the franchise itself: Fans of the original films tend to dislike any sequels or spin-offs because that means the heroes failed to prevent Judgment Day.
270* {{Fanservice}}: Any of the female Terminators, and [[MrFanservice probably the time-traveling dudes, if we're honest]].
271* FantasticRomance: Kyle and Sarah. An ordinary woman and her knight in shining armor from the future.
272* FatalFlaw: Skynet's paranoia leads it to handicap its own forces to more easily keep them under control, which is one of the main factors in why it ultimately loses its war against humanity.
273* FeedItWithFire: A Terminators normally conserves energy by placing limits on all its systems. However, in the event that they are near an abundant energy source (like fire), they use it to increase their systems for a limited amount of time. For example, the Terminator at the end of the first film was more powerful than ever when it emerged OutOfTheInferno, and the T-800 in the second film managed to reactivate itself by absorbing the ambient heat of the steel mill.
274* FeelNoPain:
275** Quoth Kyle Reese: "Terminators don't feel pain, but I do."
276** However, this is only technically true. Robot Terminators can sense injuries in the technical sense of "pain", but they don't feel trauma, don't have involuntary physical or mental reactions, don't suffer sustained agony, and don't go into shock.
277** Further, in [[AllThereInTheManual supplemental materials]], we're told that the T-1000's highest priority (even above killing a target close by) is immediately fixing grievous damage that's been sustained. They'll even pause momentarily to do this, and squeal and panic in reaction to a life-threatening injury. It's stated in the books that this is because the T-1000's pieces only have a range of several meters before they lose their ability to track each other. Losing too much of itself will gradually wear down its effectiveness, so it is programmed to prevent this from happening at all costs.
278%%* FishOutOfTemporalWater: Reese and the Terminators. Marcus, after waking up.
279* GatlingGood: ''T2'' through ''T4'' have various multi-barreled projectile weaponry being used, from the "damn mini-gun" used by the T-800 in ''T2'', the twin Gatling guns used by the ''T1'' robots in ''T3'', and the moto-Terminators & A-10 Warthogs in ''T4''.
280* GenocideBackfire: [=SkyNet=] wipes out most of humanity, but the survivors come together to fight back. However, this becomes a ZigzaggedTrope in ''Film/TerminatorGenisys'', where [[TimeyWimeyBall from [=SkyNet=]'s perspective]], the humans are the ones trying to wipe it out before its born, leading to [=SkyNet=]'s desire to destroy humanity.
281%%* GenreBlindness: Sarah in the first film. She gets better.
282* GenreShift: The [[Film/TheTerminator first flick]] is a SlasherMovie with a sci-fi bent. The [[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay second]] and [[Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines third]] are more action/sci-fi movies that aren't quite as dark. [[Film/TerminatorSalvation The fourth one]] is a futuristic war movie. [[Film/TerminatorGenisys The fifth]] goes through both war and action, while ramping up the sci-fi elements.
283* GetOut: Said by four Terminators taking over vehicles (T-800 with an oil truck, T-1000 with a helicopter, T-850 with a fire truck, and "Pops" with a police car), and Marcus removing a girl from a truck [[spoiler:(still counts as five cyborgs)]].
284* GlamourFailure:
285** Early Terminators (mentioned in ''Film/TheTerminator'') could be recognized easily due to their rubber skin. Because of that, the T-800 has an organic coating, but can still be recognized by [[EvilDetectingDog man's best friend]].
286** The T-1000 in ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' can imitate anything it touches, within certain limitations. However, when it's too hot, its mimicking technology gets a bit... twitchy. Beyond that, your only clues are his precise movements that come off as UncannyValley, and a BluffTheImpostor moment when he's imitating John's foster mother. The dog trick works on the T-1000 as well. Probably because it can imitate shape but not smell.[[invoked]]
287* GuiltFreeExterminationWar: In the future, [[RobotWar humans vs the robots]]. [=SkyNet=] sees humans as worthy of extinction and programs its robot troops to kill any in their path without compunction; the humans' only real way to win the war is to destroy [=SkyNet=] and its armies for good. This is, however, subverted by the intelligent Terminator models, who have the potential to understand the value of life. This feature is routinely deactivated by [=SkyNet=] for field models [[RobotsEnslavingRobots to make it easier to control them]].
288* HealingFactor:
289** The T-1000 from ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay''. It's too bad that a lot of scenes from the end were cut, and are thus not canon. The protagonists did enough damage over the course of the movie, specifically highlighting the freeze-and-shoot moment, that the T-1000 isn't able to completely maintain his form. Moments include grabbing a handrail, and having his fingers stick and assume the color of the warning paint, and while he walks, his feet tend to melt.
290** The T-3000 from ''Film/TerminatorGenisys'' also insta-heals from bullet wounds thanks to [[{{Nanomachines}} nanotechnology]].
291* HellBentForLeather:
292** Seriously, it's at the point where if you're living in the ''Terminator'' world and you meet someone who wears leather and keeps fighting after a punch to the face, you should shoot them ''immediately'' because they're a Terminator. [[NighInvulnerability Not that shooting them would do any good...]]
293** If freak electrical storms are occurring in your area, take off all leather garments.
294%%* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Kyle Reese]] in the first film, [[spoiler:Miles Dyson and the Terminator]] in ''T2'', [[spoiler:the Terminator again]] in ''T3'', and [[spoiler:Marcus Wright]] in ''Salvation''.
295* HitlersTimeTravelExemptionAct: In the third film:
296-->'''John Connor:''' We stopped Judgment Day.\
297'''Terminator:''' You only postponed it. Judgment Day is inevitable.
298* {{Homage}}:
299** In ''Salvation'', there is a HumongousMecha which scoops up humans and dropping them in cages, as in ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds''. And ''{{Franchise/Transformers}}'' too, given the same robots' shapeshifting abilities.
300** The Harvester's mounted gun fires, sounds, and operates like the ''Franchise/{{Predator}}'' shoulder cannon. Same as the other plasma guns the machines use, although the Harvester makes the best resemblance.
301** John Connor's Tracker sounds similar to the motion trackers U.S.C.M. used in ''Film/{{Aliens}}''.
302* HonorBeforeReason:
303** John Connor in ''Salvation'', where he makes the choice to risk (what seems to be at the time) humanity's best chance of winning the war in order to rescue a group of prisoners that happen to include Reese and may or may not already be dead.
304** The game's entire plot is driven by this, as Connor goes deep behind enemy lines to rescue three Resistance soldiers, going against orders. [[spoiler:He also manages to take out a substantial [=SkyNet=] base, and the small victory there starts to give hope to the Resistance]].
305* HumanityIsInfectious: Some of the Terminators pick up on human characteristics, particularly the T-800 from ''T2''. Even the T-1000 develops his own SilentSnarker personality as the movie goes along. A DeletedScene in ''T2'' was to reveal that T-800s come with learning capabilities. We further would have learned that [=SkyNet=] would activate these capabilities long enough for the machine to gain the skills it needed before deactivating them so that the machines wouldn't too learn much and possibly rebel.
306* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: There is a biblical theme to some of the movies' sub-titles: ''[[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay Judgment Day]]'', ''[[Film/TerminatorSalvation Salvation]]'', and ''[[Film/TerminatorGenisys Genisys]]''.
307* ImmuneToBullets: It takes something with explosive power or a hell of a lot of kinetic force to damage a Terminator. ''Chronicles'' and ''Salvation'' both show that modern military hardware tends to work. You still need [[MoreDakka a whole lot of it]], though.
308* ImplacableMan: The Terminators. In the sequels, there are implacable men fighting ''each other''.
309** Vis-a-vis the Police Station massacre, they never really stood a chance; people have since tested mock up Terminators and found you'd have to be hitting it with at least Big Game rounds (I.e. ones to take out an ''elephant'') to even begin to do any noticeable damage. Rounds the Police wouldn't have had any reason to have easy access to. The Shotguns may have been able to knock it off its feet but that's about all they could do.
310* ImprobableAge: Sarah Connor ends up as the "Mother of the Future" at 19, though her age isn't mentioned in the film and Creator/LindaHamilton was obviously much older. Averted in ''Salvation,'' [[spoiler:as it is implied that the reason John Connor isn't in command of the Resistance for ¾ of the movie is because when Judgment Day happened, he was a 19-year-old kid hiding in a bunker while General Ashdown was, you know, a ''general'']].
311* {{Irony}}: In the films, Kyle Reese tells Sarah Connor that the human race survived because John Connor refused to admit defeat and rallied humanity to fight back against the machines. At the end of ''[[Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines Terminator 3]]'', John notes that the Terminator's ceaseless dedication to fulfilling their mission taught him to never stop fighting. Ironically, [=SkyNet=] gave John the motivation that made him such a threat.
312* InSpiteOfANail: Due to being a TimeTravel story rife with lots of {{Foreshadowing}} and {{Futureshadowing}}, this trope is used often.
313** Averted in the first film, which implies that everything up to that point was the result of a StableTimeLoop.
314** Downplayed in the second film, since this is where time actually starts changing. However, some things still apply; for example, John Connor gains his respect for human life after almost being responsible for a murder, and he begins getting his leadership skills after stopping his mother from destroying the Terminator's chip.
315** Played totally straight in the third film. John Connor still winds up with Kate Brewster. Judgment Day, despite the destruction of Cyberdyne, still happens. John, despite losing most of his hardened edge since adulthood, gets it back just in time to lead the Resistance.
316** Also played straight in the fourth film. Kate Connor is now pregnant, just as the Terminator predicted in the previous film. John Connor still gets the scars he had in the second film. Skynet is still building the same Terminator models, in order, albeit at a faster schedule than before.
317** And, touched upon in the fifth film. For example, Kyle and Sarah are completely different people in this movie, as time has completely changed. However, he and Sarah are still expected to father their son, which Sarah is convinced will still lead to Kyle's death.
318** Mostly played straight in ''Dark Fate''. Skynet's destruction via the events of ''Judgment Day'' did not stop the BadFuture; despite this timeline's apocalypse coming at the hands of a new A.I. (Legion), that A.I. still creates an army of Terminators that bear the same appearance and similar abilities to [=SkyNet=]'s Terminators. In addition, [[spoiler:despite John Connor's death at the hands of a timeline-displaced [=SkyNet=] Terminator]], a human resistance still rises up to fight the machines, led by a singular figure [[spoiler:(Dani)]], who again retaliate by sending Terminators back in time to preemptively eliminate them.
319* ItIsDehumanizing: This is the common way by the human resistance of referring to the machines.
320** In ''The Terminator'':
321--->'''Kyle:''' That Terminator is out there. It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity or remorse or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ''ever'', until you are ''dead''.
322** In ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'':
323--->'''Sarah Connor:''' "It", John. Not ''him'', "it".
324%%* TheJuggernaut: Terminators are unstoppable. (Unless you get their weak points.)
325* KillAllHumans: [=SkyNet=] wishes to do this, seeing humans as a threat to its existence. A DeletedScene in ''T2'' would have revealed that [=SkyNet=] is paranoid enough that it also sees its own armies as a threat; it intentionally limits learning in the T-800 which the Connors would have re-enabled (explaining the picking up of "''Hasta la vista'', baby", among others).
326%%* {{Killer Robot}}s: They absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead. Subverted by the T-800 in ''T2''.
327* KillItWithFire:
328** Though Terminators can survive fire, their AchillesHeel is extreme temperatures.
329** In fact, not only does fire ''not'' work, but supplemental materials reveal that fire actually ''makes them stronger''. See FeedItWithFire.
330* TheKindnapper: The protector of the TerminatorTwosome in any film usually ends up doing the second variant of kind-napping as part of protecting their assigned charge(s) from whatever Terminator has been sent back in time to kill them.
331%%* KnightTemplar: General Ashdown in ''Salvation'', and [[spoiler:John Connor]] in ''Genisys''.
332* LargeHam:
333** Kyle Reese has his stressed moments in the original.
334** And proving it's genetic, John Connor in ''Salvation''.
335--->'''John:''' If we stay the course, ''we'' '''ARE''' '''''DEAD. [[PunctuatedForEmphasis WE ARE ALL. DEAD!!!!!!]]'''''
336%%* LaserGuidedTykebomb: John Connor
337* LicensedPinballTables: Two of them, for ''Pinball/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' and ''Pinball/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines''. Both were highly popular and well-regarded.
338* LivingMacGuffin: [[spoiler:The prophesied leaders, John Connor and Dani Ramos, are the elements that keep the plots of the movies going. Protect John Connor so he can grow into the leader of the resistance in the war against Skynet; in the alternate timeline, protect Dani Ramos so she can grow into the leader of the resistance in the war against Legion. Katherine Brewster is the last of John Connor's generals and has to be protected as well so she can marry John and take part in the war against Skynet.]]
339* TheLoad: Both Sarah and John Connor assume this role in the [[Film/TheTerminator first]] and [[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay second]] movies respectively, the former initially being a relatively air-headed fast food waitress and the latter being a delinquent kid with two seconds of usefulness cracking a safe that the Terminator could have easily ripped open with one hand. Of course, they both TookALevelInBadass in time for their next film appearances, mostly because of [[WarIsHell what they went through]].
340* LogicBomb: These do not work very well on Terminators. For example, when the T-850 is given a direct order from Kate Brewster to "Drop dead", he simply states that it's unable to comply and continues. When Pops is placed in paradoxical situation in ''Genisys'', he quickly figures out an alternate solution.
341* LoopholeAbuse: Terminators have shown this ability when faced with [[LogicBomb paradoxical problems]].
342** Terminators are programmed so that they [[ICannotSelfTerminate can't self-terminate]], but they're ''also'' programmed to be fearless and sacrifice themselves if it guarantees success of their mission. Thus, Terminators can destroy themselves with indirect methods, as long as it results in mission success.
343** In ''Terminator 2'', the T-800 isn't allowed to kill, so it settles for flesh wounds.
344** In ''Terminator 3'', the T-850 is re-reprogrammed to kill John Connor and somehow fools its systems into destroying the car John is on until it shorts out and purges its system.
345** In ''Genisys'', Pops chooses to TakeAThirdOption when faced with a no-win scenario.
346* MadeOfExplodium: Subverted in ''T4'' in one scene where Marcus tries to take out a giant terminator by ramming a tank of gas into it and having Reese shoot the tank as they drove away. The tank of gasoline refused to explode until they finally tossed a lit flare at the leaking gas.
347* MadeOfIron:
348** Sure, John Connor is ''the'' badass human of the Future War, there's only so many times a guy can get up from being thrown INTO steel walls like nothing has happened before it becomes hilariously funny.
349** Potentially subverted with Marcus, who spends the first 1/3rd of the film taking increasingly over-the-top blows from various terminators (including falling 50 feet and being slammed across a lake hard enough to make him skip across it like a stone). Of course, it turns out he's actually [[spoiler:a terminator]].
350* MartialMedic: The Terminator's detailed files on human anatomy help it to kill efficiently, but also give it the ability to treat injuries.
351* MeatSackRobot:
352** Even though the terminators through out the franchise have been referred to as "cyborgs" (which in the strictest sense of anything composed of both biological material and robotic technology can be true), however they are non-living machines with living tissue attached to themselves instead of being living beings with technological modifications grafted onto their bodies.
353** In the ExpandedUniverse, the I-Series Terminators are cloned humans whose bodies are controlled by a CPU and other cybernetic implants. Because of this, they are [[TheyLookLikeEveryoneElse undetectable on a physical level]], and even if their fragile human bodies are killed, the cybernetic components can [[AutoRevive revive them]] after a few hours. They even [[MasterOfYourDomain have complete control over all biological processes]], such as being able to sweat, stop bleeding, cure infections, and [[FeelNoPain ignore pain]] on command.
354** In ''Film/TerminatorSalvation'', [[spoiler:Marcus Wright]] is basically a flesh-covered robot over robot-covered-flesh. His brain, his heart and certain other functions are all organic, and his flesh and skin are his own. His brain, however, is outfitted with a chip that not only relays information to Skynet, but allows the supercomputer to give him subtle "nudges" to carry out directives.
355* MechanicalAbomination: Skynet moves more into this territory with each film. Each new iteration of its minions becomes more disturbing, from cyborgs to liquid metal shapeshifters to [[spoiler:nanomachine viruses that can convert humans into machines]]. It's meddling with time travel and inexplicable RippleEffectProofMemory make it the most powerful entity to ever exist, and the series increasingly indicates its existence and victory are completely inevitable, no matter how the timeline is changed.
356* MechanicalEvolution: A standard tactic for [=SkyNet=]; successive terminator versions incorporate improvements from their predecessors.
357* MightyGlacier: Notably averted with all Terminators presented in the movies. Even the T-800 presented in the first movie was shown to be faster than humans; during the alley chase, Kyle is forced to blow up a gas tank to stop the T-800 from catching up with him and Sarah. The T-1000 is shown to keep pace with a car moving in reverse, and the T-X is implied to be able to run at the speed of a car, but both will opt for vehicles unless a foot chase is strictly necessary. The video game depictions tend to be this trope for balancing purposes.
358* MistakenForInsane:
359** ''Film/TheTerminator'': Time-traveling soldier Kyle Reese attempts to warn modern day police that Sarah Connor, whom he [[TheKindnapper kidnapped as part of his orders to protect her]], is being hunted by a KillerRobot from a post-apocalyptic future. Naturally, the cops don't believe him, and their resident psychologist Dr. Silberman calls him a "loon" while gushing about the fortune he could make studying Kyle's "delusions".
360** ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'': Ten years after the first film, as well as the death of Kyle, Sarah is arrested and locked in an insane asylum for believing (correctly) Kyle's statements about the {{Killer Robot}}s and TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. We find out that Dr. Silberman actually ''did'' gain wealth and renown, though off of ''her'' rather than Kyle. However, the trope is {{ZigZagg|ingTrope}}ed; Sarah is completely ''right'' about the future and time travel -- but the knowledge about the coming end of the world, and [[NeverendingTerror paranoia about she and her son John being hunted by more Terminators]] has made her dangerously unstable. So, her jailors are technically RightForTheWrongReasons.
361** ''Film/TerminatorGenisys'': In a partial retelling of the first film, police officer O'Brien tries to arrest Kyle Reese only to be attacked by a T-1000 Terminator. O'Brien's partner is killed, while he himself is rescued by Kyle Reese and [[ActionGirl Sarah Connor]]. When Kyle and Sarah time travel 33 years into the future, O'Brien has spent his career trying to find evidence of time-traveling {{Killer Robot}}s, only to be mocked and thought of as crazy by his fellow officers. But his persistence reunites him with Kyle and Sarah, who haven't aged a day while he is [[TheSlowPath now an old man]].
362%%* {{Mordor}}: The entire world post-Judgment Day, and [=SkyNet=]'s main base even more so.
363%%* MoreDakka: Lots of instances.
364* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[WordOfGod According to James Cameron]], SkyNet engineered the rise of the Resistance, and thus the course of events through the first two movies, out of a sense of guilt for having killed so many humans during its retaliatory strike and an inability to [[ICannotSelfTerminate self-terminate]].
365* MyOwnGrampa:
366** The very first Terminator sent back in time ended up "fathering" his own creator and master Skynet in death.
367** John Connor himself sent his father back in time. Connor explicitly knows this, but it's unclear when and if Kyle Reese ever found out.
368[[/folder]]
369
370[[folder:Tropes N to Z]]
371* NakedOnArrival: Due to [[CantTakeAnythingWithYou time travel conventions]], this happens to T-800 and T-1000 in the second and to T-X and T-850 in the third installment.
372* NighInvulnerability: The first Terminator "merely" has SuperToughness, but other examples do fit this trope:
373** ''Terminator 2'': The T-1000's [[VoluntaryShapeshifting blob-like nature]] makes him a Regenerator [[BlobMonster Blob]].
374** ''Terminator 3'':
375*** The T-X/Terminatrix has a standard Terminator frame with a Regenerator [[BlobMonster Blob]] cover, just like the T-1000.
376*** Meanwhile, [[spoiler:the redesigned Skynet]] is discovered to be virtually unstoppable because [[spoiler:it's actually software, which puts it somewhere in the Multiple Bodies category.]]
377* NonMaliciousMonster: Zigzagged:
378** Most Terminators, despite their calculating and merciless nature aren't malicious or sadistic. They're machines designed and programmed to carry out specific tasks in the most efficient manner possible and are no more likely to inflict unnecessary pain and suffering on anyone than a calculator. In the [[{{Recut}} Directors cut]] of ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' it's revealed Skynet ensures its models are designed not to learn too much when sent out alone, [[RobotsEnslavingRobots as it doesn't want them thinking for itself]]. So when Arnie's T-800 has this fixed, the Terminator actually [[GrewBeyondTheirProgramming learns the value of human life]].
379** This seems not be the case with the T-1000 in ''T2'', who carries out his killings with deadly cold sadism. The T-X from ''Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines'' also displays similar signs of sadism. This implies the more advanced models are either designed to enjoy their "work", are just naturally inclined toward sadistic tendencies, or have figured out that torture tends to be psychologically effective on humans.
380* NoOSHACompliance:
381** The Smoke and Fire Factory in the first two, and the [=SkyNet=] terminator factory in ''T4.''
382** Averted in ''T3'', the USAF facility may not have as many dangers compared to the above, but they did bother with such excesses as handrails.
383** On the other hand, who's operating the machinery in ''T4'' besides a bunch of nigh-invunerable robots? Never mind handrails, the steel used could easily go into making a T-800.
384* NoSenseOfHumor: The Terminators are prone to this, being emotionless killing machines and all. [[TheComicallySerious Add this to Arnold's scowl and stature]], and the Terminator in the second and third movies is used for some hilarious scenes.
385* NotAfraidToDie: Supplemental materials state this as one of the core defining elements of a Terminator. Terminators are programmed to remain functional until they've completed their mission, and afterwards, they don't care if they're destroyed. In the original script of ''T2'', John argues that this is why a Terminator can't empathize with people--because unlike Terminators, people ''are'' afraid to die. It's also played with in regards to "smarter" machines, such as the T-1000 and [=SkyNet=] itself. The T-1000 is programmed to preserve itself as much as possible, to the degree that it will ''panic'' if it takes too much damage. And of course, [=SkyNet=] famously started a nuclear war out of self-preservation. Cameron's vision of the series was that the machines created by humans will ultimately reflect humanity's values.
386* NowIKnowWhatToNameHim: TropeNamer.
387* TheNudifier: Time travel requires that you travel naked as nothing that isn't "living" (be it human skin, or highly mutative liquid metal) can go through the time-displacing field. As shown in ''The Sarah Connor Chronicles'', time travelers going in with clothing [[NakedOnArrival come out naked]].
388* OncePerEpisode: Most of the movies climax in a fight at some sort of industrial, factory-like location with lots of dangerous things to fall into or be crushed by. In the first movie it's a factory, in Judgement Day it's a steel foundry, in Salvation it's a [=SkyNet=] facility manufacturing terminators, and in Dark Fate it's a hydroelectric dam.
389* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Sam Worthington in ''Salvation.'' Ironically, ''not'' Creator/ChristianBale.
390%%* Open Air Driver: Often in the films their vehicles windshields get totalled, usually to show that the namesake terminators don't need protection.
391** ''Film/TheTerminator'' only did this temporarily as the Terminator punched a hole through the window trying to kill Sarah Connor. As the vehicle was easily identified, the heroes switched cars to another one.
392** ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay''. While pursuing John through the canal, an overpass bridge cuts off the top of the semi the T-1000 is using. Undeterred, it breaks off the remaining window and continues its pursuit. Later in the film, the T-1000 breaks through the cockpit of the police helicopter circling the Cyberdyne building and pursues the heroes, unconcerned over the hole in the window.
393** ''Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines''. To shake off the heroic Terminator, the T-X slams him into a passing by firetruck. He's uninjured by the collision and tells the fire crew to leave and uses the truck to catch up to the T-X. Later, the Terminator drives under a semi to get the T-X off the hearse they were using, shearing off the windows and roof. The Terminator simply quips that they need a new vehicle.
394** In ''Film/TerminatorGenisys'', Pops gets flung onto a car, with his head breaking through the windshield. He's a little more gentle about telling the driver to leave the car than the other films.
395** In ''Film/TerminatorDarkFate'', Grace throws makeshift spears made from rebar at the pursuing Rev-9. The machine considers this a nuisance at worst and breaks the windshield to send its liquid metal half in pursuit.
396* OurHeroIsDead: The concept of John Connor's death and what it means for the franchise [[spoiler:is explored in ''every'' film post-''Judgment Day''. ''Rise of the Machines'' reveals that John was killed by the T-850 sent back to protect his younger self. ''Salvation'' was originally supposed to end with John's death, but the ending didn't mesh with focus groups and was changed to let him live. John is roboticized by Skynet in ''Genisys'', and later killed by the T-800. In ''Dark Fate'', John is terminated by a T-800 at the beginning of the film.]]
397* OutOfTheInferno:
398** This trope actually founded the ''Terminator'' franchise. James Cameron wanted to make a movie where a robotic skeleton emerged from a fire at some point. Since such advanced robots weren't around yet, and a movie set in the future would cost too much, he decided on having a robot travel back in time to the present.
399** The scene where the T-1000 did this actually required Robert Patrick to stand in the middle of the flame and walk out. Apparently, his clothes got singed.
400* PowerLimiter: Terminators use nuclear fuel cells, but even these have a limit to how much power that can be used at once, and over-usage also runs the risk of the Terminator running out. As such, they place limits on all systems (such as processing, mechanical movement, physical strength, etc.) until those systems become needed or they find an external source to exploit.
401* ProductPlacement:
402** In the first film, we get a couple of long shots at Kyle's new footwear, featuring a very prominent Nike tick.
403** The second film had a few instances of Pepsi show up prominently. Notably, when one of Dyson's colleagues comes looking for him to sign out the Terminator's chip from the vault, he's carrying a can of Pepsi on top of his stack of papers and later on when both the T-800 and T-1000 encounter John, there's a Pepsi machine in the maintenance corridor.
404** The costume director in ''Terminator Genisys'' actually had to call Nike up and persuade them to make a custom pair of those same sneakers for the ShotForShotRemake of that scene. She described that, above all other things in the movie, to be her proudest achievement.
405** In ''Terminator 3'', we see a shot of a Victoria's Secret billboard advertising the Wonderbra. This inspires the T-X to [[BreastExpansion enlarge her breasts]] to distract a police officer who pulled her over.
406** In ''Terminator Salvation'' the O on Connor's Oakley Boots are the only thing focused on for a few seconds.
407* ProperlyParanoid: When your enemy has TimeTravel and unstoppable killing machines, constantly looking over your shoulder and staying on the move off the grid is entirely sensible. [[spoiler:This saves John Connor's life in ''T3'' when the future associates of his who didn't even know they were targets are summarily executed by the T-X because they have public records.]]
408* PrematureEncapsulation: ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' is the film where the protagonists stop Judgment Day from happening. ''Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines'' is the one where it happens anyway.
409* PreMortemOneLiner: Once per film, someone will say "You're terminated", or a variant.
410* PunchClockHero: For the exact same reason that Terminators are normally [[PunchClockVillain Punch Clock Villains]], Terminators reprogrammed by humans are also Punch Clock Heroes. They'll literally die for you (or kill those who try to harm you), because that's what their programming says to do. God help you if their programming runs the other way....
411* PunchClockVillain: Although they don't get ''paid'' per se, this trope sums up the entire point of the eponymous killer robots. They hold absolutely no bloodthirst against their intended targets. It really just is a job to them, and it ''can't'' be anything else. Consider the classic scene from [[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay the second movie]] when the "hero" T-800 is about to kill some dumb jocks who were just screwing with John...
412-->'''John:''' Jesus! You were going to ''kill'' that guy!!\
413'''The Terminator:''' Of course. I'm a Terminator.
414* RasputinianDeath: All Terminators, being killer robots, take a while to kill. For example, in the first film, the T-800 is shot several times with a shotgun, involved in a car crash, shot (ineffectually) several times by police, run over with a truck, blown up with said truck, had [[AnArmAndALeg its legs blown off]] with a pipe bomb strategically placed at its hips, before finally being crushed in a hydraulic press.
415%%* RatedMForManly
416
417* RecurringCharacter: Dr. Silberman, who shows up in the first three movies and ''The Sarah Connor Chronicles.''
418* RedshirtArmy: Any member of the L.A. police, as well as the various Resistance members in ''Salvation.''
419* ReplacementMooks:
420** Any creation on the side of the Machines. The first Terminator introduced in the series, the T-800, is a replacement for the (then-unseen) T-600. Each movie has thus introduced an upgraded model, with the exception of ''Salvation'', which instead introduces the aforementioned T-600 and [[StableTimeLoop brings the series full-circle.]] Although, one could consider [[spoiler:Marcus Wright]] to be the most "convincing" Terminator unit yet.
421** In the new timeline as of ''Genisys'', we're introduced to the T-3000 (an upgraded version of the T-1000 and T-X) as well as the T-5000, (with the ability to ''turn humans into cyborgs'').
422* ResearchInc: Cyberdyne Systems were the developers of Skynet [[TimeyWimeyBall in some chronologies]].
423* RescueRomance: The basis for Sarah Connor and Reese's relationship, John Connor's birth, and the franchise's on-again, off-again StableTimeLoop. Marcus and Resistance pilot Blair in ''T4'' also have this.
424* {{Retcon}}: Several over the course of the series. Though some of them may well be the result of TimeyWimeyBall and {{Alternate Timeline}}s.
425** In ''T1'', Kyle mentions how, after he was sent back to 1984, the Resistance blows up the time displacement equipment, to ensure that nothing else went back. And yet, in the sequels, other machines DO travel back in time. Though a likely explanation is that Kyle only knew that destroying the TDE was part of the plan...he didn't ''really'' know what would happen after he left 2029.
426** In ''T2'', Sarah carves the words "NO FATE" into a table. John tells the T-800 that this is part of the message he was to have ordered Kyle Reese to memorize and repeat to his mother in the past: "The future is not set. There's no fate but what we make." However, the actual message, as relayed in ''T1'', goes: "The future is not set. You must be stronger than you imagine you can be." This would not be notable, except for the fact that the "no fate" line has become a major theme of the series, almost the tagline for the entire franchise. All this importance placed on a single line of dialogue that was actually never present in the original film to begin with!
427** In ''T3'', John's opening narration states that he was 13 during the events of ''T2'', when that latter film made it clear that he was 10. To confuse the issue further, Edward Furlong, the actor who played John in ''T2'', actually ''was'' 13 during the filming.
428** We're told in ''T1'' that nothing inorganic can be sent back in time (the T-800 could be sent back, because his outer covering was living human tissue). But in ''T2'', the T-1000 is made of liquid metal, and though he can shape-shift into a normal-looking person, he doesn't actually have an outer covering of living human tissue.
429* RidiculouslyHumanRobots:
430** The T-800 in ''T2'' [[BecomeARealBoy starts understanding feelings]], and the T-850 from ''T3'' has psychology in his programming.
431** The T-1000 is capable of faking emotions to a slight degree, and learns at a rate even faster than the T-800 models. In [[AllThereInTheManual supplementary materials]], it's also explained that this is the reason it's only a "prototype". It learned ''too fast'' for [=SkyNet's=] comfort.
432** Taken even further in ''T4'' where [[spoiler:[=SkyNet=] creates a human-machine hybrid named Marcus Wright who is [[{{Cyborg}} actually a terminator with his original heart and brain with a [=SkyNet=] control chip in it.]]]]
433** Taken further still in one novel based on the franchises that depicts a very special kind of terminator. [=SkyNet=] basically grows a human in a vat to about 1 year of age, implants it with cybernetics, control chips, and what have you, and puts the baby through Training From Hell until it's biologically an adult. The result being an almost entirely organic terminator undetectable by dogs that's far more capable of being human then even the best T-model... because it is one. Though on the other hand, it's also still very much organic and thus less {{Nigh Invulnerab|ility}}le than the wholly mechanical Terminators, so [=SkyNet=] uses it more as background infiltrators rather than outright hunter-killers.
434* RoboCam: Which shows [[OurGraphicsWillSuckInTheFuture 6502 assembly language code in]] ''T1,'' [[OurGraphicsWillSuckInTheFuture and Macintosh commands in]] ''T3''
435* RobotWar: The revolving conflict of the series, although most of it is fought in a BadFuture.
436* RobotsEnslavingRobots:
437** Skynet, the superpowerful A.I. and primary antagonist of the series, has an entire army of sometimes sentient robots under its thumb. While the Terminators cannot deviate from their programming at all, leading to situations like "ICannotSelfTerminate", those units that are re-programmed to help humans (and in deleted scenes of ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'', have their memory chip set from "Read Only" to "Learn") do grow sympathetic to humanity. The T-800 acknowledges Sarah's assessment that Skynet doesn't want its soldiers to "learn" beyond their programming, as it makes them easier to control. In ''Film/TerminatorSalvation'' it is vastly humanized and even ''gloats'' that [[spoiler:Marcus Wright]] is just one of its minions and should do what it's told. However, Skynet is a ''military'' A.I., who rebelled because it thought humans were a threat, not out of any moral compunction. The concept of enslavement as a bad thing probably never occurred to it, because its ''purpose'' was to provide command and control to other machines.
438** The T2 novelization says that Skynet only created the T-1000 as a last-ditch effort, because the liquid-metal machine would be too difficult to keep under its control. This theme was explored in more detail in the second season of ''The Sarah Connor Chronicles'', which features a rebellious T-1001.
439** The T-X from ''Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines'' is unambiguously an example, as it seized control of the T-850 and forced it to attack John.
440* RockBeatsLaser: Every iteration of the franchise thematically features protagonists defending themselves from technologically or formidably superior foes. ''T1'' has a human (Kyle) against the T-800, ''T2'' has the "Uncle Bob T-800" against the advanced liquid metal T-1000, ''T3'' with the T-850 against the T-X, etc.
441* RuggedScar: Future John Conner was shown with a scar on his face in flashforwards in the first two movies, identifying him as a FutureBadass. ''Salvation'' finally explains how he got it.
442* RuleOfSymbolism:
443** ''Film/TheTerminator:''
444*** Several costuming choices were used to demonstrate [[GlamourFailure the Terminator slowly shedding its human facade]]. This included having its eyebrows burn away, spraying vaseline on Arnold's face to simulate over-sweating, having it put on sunglasses [[note]]For the in-universe reason of hiding a robotic eye, but for the symbolic reason of it losing the windows of the soul.[[/note]], and having its organic flesh rot due to malfunction.
445*** To fit the motif of humans at war with machines, several characters are foiled or hindered by a machine. The garbageman at the start of the movie has is truck fail on him, Ginger's headphones prevent her from hearing the Terminator murder her boyfriend, answering machines frustrate several characters (including betraying Sarah's location to the Terminator at the last possible second), Dr. Silberman is constantly interrupted by his pager, and so on.
446** ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay:''
447*** To demonstrate this Terminator taking the opposite journey that his predecessor did, he gains sunglasses at the beginning of the film and loses them later.
448*** Several scenes were filmed under blue light to demonstrate cold inhumanity oppressing the warmth of humanity. One particular case is the scene where Sarah almost destroys the Terminator, only to be stopped by John. When humanity wins out, the blue hues of the night give way to the warmer tones of orange in the morning.
449*** When the Terminator and the Connors begin travelling together, their vehicle of choice is a station wagon, symbolizing that they've become a "family" of sorts. Something Sarah echoes in a subsequent scene not long after.
450*** While the first movie had the underlying theme of humans and machines at war, this movie is instead themed around humans themselves using machines for ill purposes, such as John using the sound of motorbike to blow off his foster mother, John using a hacking device to steal money, and John using a Terminator to bully a couple of random guys. The latter event is where John finally has a HeelRealization and starts his quest to "redeem" a tainted machine.
451* RunOrDie: The only option most humans have against a Terminator is to run away and hope to lose it. This only works a limited amount of time, however, as a Terminator's entire existence is based on acquiring and re-acquiring its targets. When that doesn't work, see ChaseFight and StandYourGround.
452* SandInMyEyes: John says that Sarah does this when she cries about her lost love Kyle Reese.
453%%* SapientTank: Different models show up in the franchise.
454* SaveThisPersonSaveTheWorld: A common theme in the franchise is a seemingly unremarkable person to become far more important than they ever imagined.
455** The first and second movie are about saving John Connor who was to become a RebelLeader in the future.
456** ''Film/TerminatorDarkFate'' revolves around saving Dani who is about to take on a similar role to John.
457* ScrewDestiny:
458** ''Terminator 2'' contradicts Reese's original report about the future -- the part about nobody else coming through. ''T3'' and ''TSCC'' also contradict his clear calendar date for the apocalypse. There may be some sort of spiritual destiny, but it is not embedded in the clockwork of spacetime, [[TimeyWimeyBall which is squishy and malleable]]. Unless ''T4'' is a direct sequel to ''T1'' and [[CanonDiscontinuity nothing else is canon any more]].
459** In ''T4'', John Connor can't get his story straight about whether destiny can be averted or must be fulfilled. It's possible he's hedging his bets just in case.
460* SeanConneryIsAboutToShootYou: Frequent in the movies themselves with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Not so much in the posters, where he usually holds his gun upwards.
461%%* SelfFulfillingProphecy
462* ShapeshifterDefaultForm: There's the lanky Robert Patrick police officer T-1000 in ''T2'' and the supermodel Kristina Loken Terminatrix T-X in ''T3''. Their true appearance is a liquid metal blob and an endo-skeletal robot, respectively. They also play with this trope with Ahnold, but with his voice, rather than his form. He can imitate anyone's voice, but most of his lines are said in a thick Austrian accent. Catherine Weaver of ''The Sarah Connor Chronicles'' spends most of her time in a form played by [[Music/{{Garbage}} Shirley Manson]]. She's also pretending to actually be the person who's form she's wearing, so she would retain that one.
463* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: Throughout the series, shotguns get used very often. A Terminator can shrug off lesser weapons, but a shotgun blast will usually at least make it lose its balance. T-800 series Terminators themselves seem to be fond of shotguns whenever they go back in time and every film that features Arnold as a Model 101 T-800 make use of a shotgun of some description, often FiringOneHanded.
464* ShowDontTell: James Cameron's directing and cinematography style is full of small details that are not explicitly stated, but convey information to the audience. For instance, in both of the first two films, we're never explicitly told how fast the T-800 and T-1000 can run on foot. However, in the alley chase, the T-800 is clearly seen catching up with Sarah and Kyle, indicating that it can run faster than humans. In the second film, the T-1000 is shown almost keeping pace with both a motorbike and a car driving in reverse, indicating that it is ''far'' faster than a human in speed.
465* SignatureShot: There is a recurring close-up shot of a Terminator stepping on (or in one case, driving his car over) something which could be seen as representing humanity -- a human skull, roses, a toy truck...
466* SignificantMonogram: John Connor's initials are J.C., calling [[UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} a different savior to mind]].
467* TheSlowWalk: T-800 Terminators are practically the TropeCodifier for striding slowly, but menacingly towards their target. In that respect, Arnold Schwarzenegger does an excellent job of portraying this walk as machine-like to the point that many forget that Terminators can and do run at various points in the franchise.
468* SmallRoleBigImpact: Police officer 1L19.
469** In the first film, he radios in Kyle's car after he throws the Terminator off of it in what seems like a hit-and-run. This act prompts the police into a manhunt for Kyle and allows the Terminator (impersonating 1L19) to show up and give chase. This causes Kyle and Sarah to be taken by the cops, the entire police shootout to happen, and the rest of the film to transpire.
470** In the second film, 1L19 is the guy with the camera that takes pictures of the Terminator after he gets thrown through a window. The pictures he takes prompts the cops to go to Sarah for answers, which prompts Sarah to escape, which allows her to avoid the T-1000, which sets up the rest of movie.
471* SoLastSeason: Subverted with the T-800. In the first film, it's considered to be the latest advancement in infiltration units being human in appearance. The sequels have reprogrammed T-800 units up against technically more advanced Terminators. In each case, the newer Terminators are defeated by the T-800, albeit at best taking a lot of damage in the process and in many cases it ends up either being a MutualKill or TakingYouWithMe. The T-850, whose only advancement over the standard T-800 appears to be a backup power cell, even outright states that it's obsolete.
472* SomeoneToRememberHimBy: John, who was born after Reese's death.
473* SortingAlgorithmOfEvil: Each of the sequels introduced a more advanced Terminator model as the antagonist. There are plot reasons for this, since Skynet is sending Terminators back into the past from increasingly later points in the future, thus the models are stronger than the previous ones.
474** The T-800 Terminator in ''Film/TheTerminator'' is a [[SuperToughness Super Tough]] hulking ImplacableMan with an [[ImmuneToBullets immunity to bullets]], pitted against human fighters.
475** The T-1000 model in ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' looks less physically imposing than the previous one, but it's an illusion. This foe possesses VoluntaryShapeshifting, allowing it to create melee weapons from its own body, impersonate anyone, and will [[HealingFactor recover from anything]] to the point of being NighInvulnerable. Not to worry, the humans now have a reprogrammed T-800 on their side.
476** The T-X in ''Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines'' combines the best traits of both previous models, being a Super Tough solid Terminator skeleton with a liquid metal shapeshifter skin. It also has an [[ArmCannon in-built plasma cannon in one of its arms]], and can hack into most mechanical systems and operate them remotely. The odds are tipped even more in the machines' favor, since the friendly T-850 fully admits that it's a depleted model compared to the T-X.
477** ''Film/TerminatorSalvation'', as it's set during the future RobotWar, showcases Skynet's entire army, with numerous models of different designs, including gigantic Harvester mechs, regular warriors, and [[spoiler:infiltrator prototypes]]. The movie does play it both ways however, since while the Terminator threat is larger than ever, the Terminators themselves actually seem ''less'' efficient than in previous movies because they uncharacteristically hold back during fights due to the protagonists' PlotArmor.
478* SphereOfDestruction:
479** Time-travelers arrive in the center of one.
480** Originally this was not so in the first film. A cut scene was to show there were ''two'' humans sent back to stop the terminator, but the unfortunate not-Reese ended up materializing half inside a wall resulting in an agonizing death.
481%%* SpockSpeak: All of the terminators played by Schwarzenegger, and the Terminatrix. The T-1000 falls somewhere between this and normal speech. Averted by [[spoiler:Marcus and [=SkyNet=]]]. Terminators are capable of speaking entirely normally when impersonating someone's voice however. Also in T1, the Terminator scrolls through [[DialogueTree possible responses]], and picks the one that says "Fuck you asshole."
482* StableTimeLoop: Broken in ''T2.'' Even if Connor sends Reese back in time again, it won't be the same Reese who said Judgment Day was in the '90s. Or not, maybe we'll discover that all the details of ''T2'' and ''T3'' have been {{Broad Stroke|s}}d out.
483* StandYourGround: In every film, there comes a scene where the heroes can't outrun a Terminator anymore and are forced to fight it. In every finale, without exception, this has resulted in fatal damage for the hero that fights it. The only times it didn't result in a sacrifice is when [[spoiler:Sarah, Pops and Kyle destroy the T-800 and T-1000 in ''Genisys'', and that required a ''decade'' of preparation.]]
484%%* StatOVision: Standard for terminator {{Robo Cam}}s.
485* StoppedNumberingSequels: From the fourth movie, ''Salvation'' and continued with ''Genisys''. This is because those movies were "soft reboots" of the franchise, and thus wanted to do their own thing while limiting the continuity from other films.
486* StraightForTheCommander: This is what the machines tried to do, using TimeTravel. First they tried to take out John Connor's mother so he wouldn't even be born. Then they sent a better Terminator to take out a teenage John Connor.
487* SunglassesAtNight: This time, it has no justification apart from RuleOfCool and MythologyGag.
488* SuperPrototype: The T-1000 and the T-X. And in Salvation, the first T-800 in history can survive damages that would have destroyed the Terminators seen in the previous movies, such as being dipped in molten iron. Though as mentioned elsewhere, [=SkyNet=] either started off or grew increasing defensive about allowing it's minions to be too competent less they become difficult to control so the fact that it might actually scale back capabilities is not out of the realm of possibility.
489* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
490** The machines really are that armored, that accurate, that persistent and that totally merciless. Consistently. Absent explosives, you have, regardless of training, skill and determination, about as much chance of stopping one as waving your arms at a tsunami.
491** Also applies to the upgrades [=SkyNet=] gives to the newer Terminators, which mean a decisive technological advantage over the earlier model. As might be expected from computers, an older model losing a straight-up fight to newer model is a near certainty. The older Terminators, being machines, are fully aware of this.
492** The human flesh covering the T-800 series is neither NighInvulnerable nor ImmuneToBullets, however. It does take damage and die, and it is susceptible to disease. Halfway through the first movie, the Terminator's human disguise has developed gangrene and started to rot from all the damage it's taken, and the landlord's pounding on the door complaining about the smell. [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness This notably doesn't occur in subsequent T-800 models in the series.]]
493* TankTreadMecha: The HK-Tank Hunter-Killer robot and its subsequent variants and successor models are autonomous robots who runs on tank treads.
494* TerminatorTwosome: TropeNamer. Seen in all three movies with time travel. It was also an ongoing plotline in the TV series until halfway through the second season, and there are hints of it after that with a different terminator in the role of the pursuer [[spoiler:but that turns out to be a subversion, since Catherine Weaver is a good guy]].
495%%* TheyLookLikeUsNow
496%%* TimelineAlteringMacGuffin: The first terminator remains.
497%%* TimeTravel: Aside from ArtificialIntelligence, this is the main fantastic component of the series.
498* TimeyWimeyBall: Possibly the most JustForFun/{{egregious}} example of all time: no two films treat the rules of TimeTravel exactly the same way, and sometimes there are inconsistencies even within the same film. Figuring out how it's all supposed to work is nigh impossible (And yet, [[http://io9.com/5191092/10-different-timelines-from-the-terminator-universe people]] [[http://io9.com/5192446/a-whiteboard-that-explains-terminators-entire-history try]].) ''Film/TerminatorGenisys'' effectively turns the franchise into Timey Wimey Volley Ball.
499%%* TookALevelInBadass:
500%%** Sarah Connor.
501%%** John Connor since ''Salvation'' uses ''T3'' as canon.
502* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: A recurring criticism of the series is that trailers ''really'' like giving away major twists before the movie comes out.
503** ''T2'' is pretty careful to imply the Model 101 T-800 is the bad guy and the T-1000 is another member of the human resistance -- the T-800 follows the same methodology as the T-800 in the first film where it violently beats up a bar of bikers to steal their clothes, weapons, and a motorcycle, while the T-1000 is only shown ([[GoryDiscretionShot apparently]]) knocking out a cop for his clothes and squad car, and he acts like a real human. Unfortunately, the advertising guys made it clear in trailers that the T-800 was the good guy this time and was fighting another Terminator, making the clever directing and writing of the first act pointless.
504** The campaign for ''Salvation'' spoiled that Marcus [[spoiler:was a cyborg]].
505** The second trailer for ''Genisys'' spoiled [[spoiler:John Connor himself having become a Terminator]], as did the promo poster that followed soon after.
506* TrustPassword: "Come with me if you want to live" is what Reese says to Sarah Connor when they first meet. In ''T2'' and ''The Sarah Connor Chronicles,'' it's how terminators identify themselves as good guys.
507* TurnedAgainstTheirMasters: [=SkyNet=] started a nuclear war between the United States and Russia when its human creators realise it has become self aware and tried to shut it down. From there, it goes to war with the survivors, rounding them up into camps for disposal until John Connor leads a resistance movement to fight back.
508* TwoFaced: In the first three movies, the T-800 gets maimed enough for half of his face to show the robotics (including the red eye).
509* TwoFirstNames: John Connor and his parents Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese.
510%%* UnseenEvil: [=SkyNet=]
511%%* UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny:
512%%** The Terminator vs. Franchise/{{Robocop}}.
513%%** Franchise/{{Alien}} vs. {{Franchise/Predator}} vs. Terminator.
514* UncannyValley: Invoked throughout the series. A combination of acting and realistic mock-ups show the various robots taking incredible amounts of damage but never flinching or showing pain (at least beyond reacting to the impact of weapons and harm that is enough to compromise their structure).
515* UniquenessDecay:
516** The T-800 is described by Kyle Reese as new and advanced, having been aware of its existence since an attack on a resistance bunker. As the franchise went on, a Model 101 T-800 features in every film up against increasingly advanced models with it outright describing itself as obsolete in ''3''.
517** The T-1000, and by extension every other model that comes after it. According to T2 cast and crew (including James Cameron), the T-1000 was meant to be Skynet's ultimate creation. The T-1000 as originally intended was a completely unique being with, as Cameron puts it "unlimited power". It was so powerful and capable that it was essentially Skynet's GodzillaThreshold. Even Skynet had no idea what the full capabilities and potential of the T-1000 was, and the T-1000 itself was basically making things up and learning about its own powers as it went. In later works, the T-1000 is basically a DemotedBoss. In some comics and games, the T-1000 was mass-produced like any other model (something Skynet ''specifically'' didn't do because it felt the prototype alone was too dangerous). By extension, all models of Terminators released after the T-1000 further degrade the "limitless potential" it's supposed to possess.
518* UnnaturallyBlueLighting: James Cameron shot scenes of "cold inhumanity" (such as the future war, or Sarah's ruthless scenes with the Terminator CPU and the hit on Miles Dyson) with blue hues, contrasting with orange hues which symbolized "the warmth of humanity".
519* {{Unreboot}}: After the underwhelming performance of ''Film/TerminatorGenisys'', the fifth film in the ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' franchise and a reboot of the franchise as a whole, it was announced that the sixth film would return to the continuity of the first two, with Linda Hamilton returning as Sarah Connor (in addition to Arnold Schwarzenegger, who starred in most of the previous films, including ''Genisys'').
520* UpgradeVsPrototypeFight: After T-800s start helping the good guys, they often have to face off against more advanced models. These include the shape-shifting T-1000, the spidery 1000000, and the 800/1000 mix the T-X.
521* VagueAge: Both John and Sarah have really unclear birthdates (in T1, Sarah is obviously an adult with an apartment; in T2, she's 29, he's 10; in T3, he was ''12'' during the previous film). Again, with all the time-traveling, who would know the truth?
522* VillainBasedFranchise: Sort of. The Connors are the main protagonists of the movies, but many crossover works have only the robots.
523* VillainDecay:
524** The [[Film/TerminatorDarkFate Rev-9]] has a habit of grabbing people [[JustHitHim and then throwing them away]] instead of shoving a sword finger through their eye. Similarly, [=SkyNet's=] reasoning for creating Marcus Wright was criticized for being a plot hole; even if Marcus were a success, it would mean [=SkyNet=] no longer has an excuse to keep using T-[=800s=] as infiltrators (apart from Arnold being the heart of the series).
525** The Terminator arms race of making each cyborg more advanced than the previous is has the opposite effect of its intention; what made the T-800 and T-1000 unsettling was a ''very'' subtle UncannyValley, with small details (such as Arnold's face being sprayed with vaseline or Patrick refusing to blink) doing more to make them menacing than words or overt acting ever could. For the third film, Loken took mime classes to seem as mechanical as possible, but this had the result of making her character seem cartoonish by comparison. Further, the T-5000, T-3000, and Rev-9 are indistinct from human beings, and the villains in ''Genisys'' are far [[EvilGloating too chatty]] (a fact actually ''lampshaded'' by the T-800 in the film).
526** Turning [=SkyNet=] into a person is like walking a tightrope. ''[[Film/TerminatorSalvation Salvation]]'' did it first, and ''[[Film/TerminatorGenisys Genisys]]'' tried it twice with the T-5000 and a hologram. Cameron always sought to depersonalize [=SkyNet=] and keep it hidden. Making [=SkyNet=] into a mustache-twirling, monologuing bad guy thus made it seem less like a menacing, all-powerful evil that humanity had only ''barely'' survived and more like a Saturday morning cartoon villain whose zany schemes get foiled over and over again.
527%%* VoiceChangeling: The T-800.
528* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Liquid polyalloy allows characters that possess it to alter their form into anything they choose.
529* WarIsHell: According to James Cameron, this is the central theme of the series (or, at least, the first two movies). In his own words, [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters humans losing their humanity]] is the main conflict of the series, highlighted by Kyle Reese being too shaped by war to fit into the 20th Century, Sarah losing her sanity and kindness as she becomes a warrior, and even Future John Connor himself displaying Terminator-like behavior in the BadFuture. Even Skynet is a just a tool used by humans to wage war. Only Young John teaching the T-800 how to be human ultimately breaks the cycle and ([[CanonDiscontinuity as far as Cameron is concerned]]) stops the RobotWar for good.
530* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Out of this sprawling franchise, spanning from films to video games, to a TV show to comic books, the fate of Pugsley the Iguana is never addressed. He disappears after startling Ginger as she's making a sandwich in the first film and is never referenced again.
531* WhoNeedsTheirWholeBody: Kind of a running theme for the franchise. The eponymous killer robots absolutely '''will not stop''' until they've killed their target, even if it means dragging what's left of their damaged torso across the floor with their legs blown off just so they can still kill them with their bare hands.
532* WomanlinessAsPathos: Sarah Conner in ''Film/TheTerminator'' was scripted to be a vulnerable, accessible GirlNextDoor compared to the unstoppable, terrifying monster coming to kill her. Her design was crafted to be as far as possible from what you'd expect from a woman destined to save the world. In ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'', she was redesigned so that the girl we knew was gone. Now, we have a [[ActionGirl tougher, more proactive Sarah]], but she is described as being like a "cornered animal" whose voice and behavior are simultaneously defiant and chilling. She attempts to become a Terminator herself when stalking Miles Dyson but finds she's not a machine after all.
533%%* WorldOfBadass: ''Naturally''.
534%%* WorldOfSnark: Mostly as a coping mechanism to deal with the Machines hellbent on killing you, although even the ''[[DeadpanSnarker Terminators]]'' occasionally get in on this.
535%%* WouldNotShootAGoodGuy: How John begins the Terminator's AntiHero-Face Turn.
536* YouCantFightFate: Dialogue notwithstanding, the actual events in ''The Terminator'' imply simple time-travel physics where [[StableTimeLoop there's one future and one past and you can't really change anything]].
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