Terminator: Dark Fate is the latest installment in the beloved sci-fi franchise which hopes to refresh things after the last few disappointing entries. The film certainly has a lot of big draws for fans of the original films. James Cameron is back and heavily involved in shaping this new story, and he’ll be joined by franchise veterans Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton.
The first trailer for the film hinted at what the new story has in store, but there are still a lot of things we don’t know. The series has a lot of mythology to address in this sequel along with all the new elements and mysteries it will be adding. Here are the biggest questions we hope Terminator: Dark Fate answers.
What Is The New Timeline?
As popular as the Terminator series still appears to be, even the most loyal fans will admit it has turned into a bit of a mess in the last few entries. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was a serviceable but uninspired sequel while Terminator: Salvation and Terminator: Genisys both tried and failed to do something new with the franchise. Not surprisingly, this new film ignores all those entries.
Dark Fate will be a direct sequel to Terminator 2: Judgement Day. While you think that would uncomplicate things, it still leaves a lot of questions. It has been almost 30 years since Terminator 2, so has the same time elapsed in the movie’s world?
When Will Judgment Day Happen?
The first Terminator introduced the idea of Judgment Day, the day when the machines take over and humanity is doomed. That first film dealt with saving Sarah Connor so she could give birth to John Connor, the man who would lead the human resistance. Terminator 2 dealt with trying to stop Judgment Day before it happened.
Sarah and John succeed in their mission in Terminator 2, but Terminator 3 shows that Judgment Day is inevitable and ends with the machines taking over. With that film now erased from the canon, has Judgment Day been prevented, or have the machines found another way?
What Has Sarah Connor Been Doing?
Schwarzenegger has been at least a presence in every Terminator film to date, but Linda Hamilton, the franchise’s original hero, is making her triumphant return after nearly 30 years. The first film saw her as a mild-mannered waitress who is thrust into this adventure. Terminator 2 showed she has accepted her role and become a warrior.
It’s hard to believe that Sarah would just be lying low for all this time, so what has she been doing since the events of Terminator 2? It could be that she was in hiding along with her son. Or maybe she knew this new threat was coming and was preparing all this time?
Who Is Arnold’s Character?
The return of Schwarzenegger is not too surprising, even given his age as an action star. As mentioned before, he is the face of this franchise and it would be strange to not have him involved in some way. James Cameron even insisted on his return.
Terminator: Genisys introduced the idea that a Terminator’s human appearance can age over time, which would explain his aged appearance in the film. But since the T-800 was destroyed at the end of Terminator2, he can’t be the same machine. Is he another Terminator sent from another time? Or is he actually a human character?
Where Is John Connor?
It was great seeing some familiar faces in the Dark Fate trailer, but there was one very noticeable omission: John Connor. Though he didn’t appear in the first film, John Connor has always been a big part of this franchise. He is said to be the man who could lead humanity to victory. But this new film might have changed that fate.
With John not appearing in the trailer, it has caused many fans to theorize that he is dead. Perhaps a Terminator finally succeeded in the mission and assassinated John. This would be a pretty significant development for the series.
Who Is Mackenzie Davis’ Character?
Even with Sarah Conner back in warrior mode, it was a new character that was front and center in the first trailer. Mackenzie Davis (Blade Runner 2049) looks to be the new badass hero of the movie, and she looked very impressive in the first glimpse at the film. However, her character is still very much a mystery.
We see in the trailer that she has the fighting skills and strength of a Terminator, and she is certainly not a flesh and blood human, though she insists she is. Some think she is a human-Terminator hybrid, introducing a new interesting element. It’s also possible she is a Terminator who doesn’t know she is a machine.
Who Are They Protecting?
Another new cast member for the film is Natalia Reyes as Dani Ramos. From what we can tell, Dani is the new target of the Terminators, as we see Mackenzie Davis’ character protecting her from the latest attack. It seems like Sarah Conner knows who Dani is as well as explains, “I used to be you.”
If John Connor is, in fact, dead, is Dani humanity’s next best chance at survival? Could she be the future mother of the savior, or is she herself the one that will lead the people? It would be fitting for Sarah to be guardian to the new hope for the world.
What Is The New Terminator?
While the heroes of this film certainly appear to be an interesting group of characters, we can’t forget about the villain of the show. As with every new Terminator film, we are introduced to a new version of the Terminator. This latest deadly emotionless foe will be played by Gabriel Luna, and it seems to have an interesting set of skills.
The trailer shows that this new threat has what appears to be either the liquid metal abilities of Terminator 2’s T-1000 or some sort of nanotechnology. In any case, it allows the Terminator to duplicate himself. We’ll have to wait to see what other terrifying abilities it has.
What Role Will The Franchise Veterans Have?
Dark Fate is getting a lot of attention for welcoming back the veterans of the franchise, but just how much will they be involved in the movie? Judging by the trailer, the film looks to be focusing much more on the new characters and creating a whole new story.
Hamilton makes a definite impact in the trailer, but she really isn’t featured in that much footage. And Schwarzenegger only has a brief appearance. Will they play a large role in the film or have more supporting roles? Though one trailer is not a lot to go on, their involvement might not be as substantial as we think.
How Will This Reboot The Franchise?
Along with Cameron returning to the franchise he started for this new film, he has said that he’s laid out a plan for how Dark Fate will begin a new Terminator trilogy. While these promises have been made before with this very franchise, it’s never wise to bet against James Cameron and his vision.
With that in mind, how will Dark Fate set up this new path for the series to take? It looks like they’ve put a lot of effort into creating new and interesting characters we can follow. Will the new films include Hamilton and Schwarzenegger as well, or will Dark Fate be the end of their stories?
