The Terminator franchise has an incredible amount of lore, but these 12 Terminator fan theories completely change the movies. Due to the Terminator series heavily involving time travel and consisting of multiple reboots and retcons, there are tons of loose ends, plot holes, and inconsistencies throughout the six films. Because of this, there is plenty of room for fan theories to expand on the Terminator universe, and here are 12 theories that drastically change how audiences see the series.
James Cameron's 1984 film The Terminator was a low-budget sci-fi movie that introduced the world to Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800, the time traveling killer robot that wants to prevent the birth of resistance leader John Connor. Due to the massive success of the first film, the franchise was expanded upon heavily, with many considering Terminator 2: Judgment Day to be the peak of the franchise. However, things have gone downhill since the first film, with the subsequent four Terminator movies being a mixed bag. With the state of the franchise in flux, fans have turned to theories like these in order to expand on the Terminator universe.
12 Skynet Is Inevitable
Much of the Terminator saga is concerned with human attempts to prevent the rise of Skynet, the AI network that led to Judgment Day and the collapse of human civilization. One popular theory states that Skynet is inevitable, with Judgment Day being an absolute point in time no matter what humans do. While it is possible to take down Skynet after the decimation of the human population, the rise of Skynet is a fundamental part of the Terminator timeline according to this theory.
11 Terminators Have Accents In Order To Cover Up Their Robotic Speech Patterns
Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800 is one of the first and oldest Terminator models seen in the franchise, with the machine sporting Schwarzenegger's signature Australian accent upon going back in time. This theory posits that the Austrian accent was a conscious choice by Skynet, with it being used to cover up the robotic speech patterns of the Terminator. Due to the accent, suspicious humans could blame any odd Terminator moments on the foreign accent rather than suspecting that the T-800 is a robot. However, later Terminator models improved on replicating human speech patterns, making the need for accents obsolete.
10 John Connor's Original Dad Wasn't Kyle Reese
The entirety of the Terminator franchise relies on a causal loop, with John Connor sending Kyle Reese back in time, Reese sleeping with Sarah Connor, and Sarah giving birth to John. However, depending on how Terminator's time travel functions, someone other than Reese must have been the father of John Connor originally. It's possible that Sarah had another boyfriend before Kyle, with the original John being the son of a man other than Kyle.
9 Kyle Reese Doomed The Resistance By Sleeping With Sarah Connor
If Kyle Reese truly changed history by erasing the original John Connor and fathering his own version of John, sleeping with Sarah could have doomed the resistance. The original John Connor was a resistance leader, and while Kyle's version of John was trained to be a leader throughout his whole life, he may not be as good as the original John. Thus, the new version of John may not have what it takes to win against Skynet, dooming the resistance.
8 The Terminator Causal Loop Is Fixed By A Miscarriage
An alternate way to fix this causal loop has also been theorized. Sarah Connor is pregnant at the end of The Terminator, with John being 10 in Terminator 2. The theory states that Sarah had a miscarriage with Kyle's child, with her later meeting John's father and having John. This theory does have some problems, with Sarah referring to Kyle as John's father throughout the series, but this still seems like the best way to fix the franchise's main paradox.
7 Skynet Wanted To Ensure It Was Built, Not Kill John Connor
The reason for Skynet sending Terminators back in time is purportedly to kill John Connor, the leader of the human resistance. However, an alternate theory explains that Skynet's intention is actually to ensure its creation. Skynet needs the Terminators to prevent Sarah, John, and the rest of the humans from the 1990s from taking down Cyberdyne Systems, with Skynet keeping its true motives a secret.
6 The T-1000 Starts To Enjoy Killing In T2
The T-1000's early murders in Terminator 2 are quick and efficient, only for the Terminator to get more sadistic and prolonged with his killings later in the film. This could be because the T-1000 actually learns to enjoy killing, showing that Terminators can have emotions in a dark way. This would be an interesting parallel to the T-800's arc in the film, with him learning how to be kind and human from John.
5 Time Travelers Can Smuggle Technology Through Time In A Gross Way
In the Terminator universe, no synthetic material can travel through time. This is why the Terminators have to wear human skin, with the machines being covered by biological material. Because of this, it is theorized that time travelers could transport technology and weapons through time by hiding them inside their bodies. This gross theory was hinted at in a Terminator comic, making it seem pretty likely.
4 Humans Are Trying To Postpone Judgment Day, Not Stop It
Humans may have accepted that Judgment Day is inevitable, causing them to change up their strategy in the later films. It's possible that the resistance simply wants to postpone Judgment Day, giving the humans more time to prepare. This could be why Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines reveals that Judgment Day has been pushed back to 2004, proving that this could be a winning strategy.
3 The Terminator Franchise's Timeline Is Actually A Multiverse
The Terminator franchise is pretty convoluted, with it being made up of tons of timelines and retcons. However, these changes could be explained by a multiverse, with the different Terminator timelines all being canon stories that take place in different realities. So, it could be that each time a Terminator travels backward, it is actually creating a branching timeline that runs simultaneously with the original timeline.
