Spoilers are ahead for Terminator Zero season 1.
Terminator Zero's cast of characters adds to the anime's refreshing spin on the pre-existing Terminator movies and TV shows. However, the show is still defined by the characters' efforts to stop Skynet's Judgment Day.
To make matters more interesting, Terminator Zero's place in the timeline is a bit complicated, namely because of Malcolm Lee (André Holland), the brains behind Kokoro and several other inventions that are crucial to the series' story. Largely set in Tokyo in 1997, Terminator Zero chronicles Malcolm's attempt to stop Skynet from launching its devastating nuclear attack. In order to do so, the scientist must fully embrace his creation, Kokoro, and trust that she won't draw the same genocidal conclusions as Cyberdyne's ever-hostile Skynet. Although Kokoro has the potential to destroy humanity, she's also the key to saving it.
Kokoro Was Malcolm Lee's Answer To Skynet
Malcolm Lee Developed Misaki In The Future, Which Led To Kokoro
Just before Terminator Zero's ending, it's revealed that Malcolm Lee is actually from the future, which is why (and how) he developed Kokoro. In the show's very first episode, Malcolm is plagued by haunting visions of Skynet's nuclear holocaust and the subsequent war between humans and machines. Terminator Zero intentionally evades explaining the reason for these visions, ultimately revealing that Malcolm was born in the 2020s and grew up in a post-Judgment Day world. At first, Malcolm was a loyal resistance soldier, but he began to have misgivings about humanity's strategies, which only perpetuated Skynet's cycle of endless violence.
Judgment Day Dates In The Terminator Franchise |
Terminator Movie or TV Show |
|---|---|
August 29, 1997 |
Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Terminator Zero |
2003~2004 |
Terminator: Salvation |
July 25, 2004 |
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines |
April 21, 2011 |
The Sarah Connor Chronicles |
2017 |
Terminator: Genisys |
2020s |
Terminator: Dark Fate |
When Malcolm suggested that the key to defeating Skynet lay in another artificially intelligent being, he was ostracized by his peers. Working in secret, Malcolm developed the forerunner to Kokoro — an AI that chooses the name Misaki (Sumalee Montano). Not unlike Skynet's Terminators, Misaki is built on an endoskeleton that's protected by living tissue. This allows the highly advanced AI to abide by Terminator's time travel rules when Malcolm decides that they must flee to the past. At one point, Malcolm even calls Misaki Kokoro's "mother" because of her status as a potentially game-changing prototype.
Kokoro Didn't Have An Original Mission Like Skynet
Like Misaki, Kokoro Was Given Complete Free Will
Unlike Skynet, which was created to coordinate military assets, Kokoro isn't developed with a particular function or mission in mind, aside from thwarting Skynet. In order to create a rival AI capable of drawing different conclusions than Skynet did about humanity, Malcolm imbues Kokoro with free will. Like Misaki, Kokoro chooses her gendered presentation as well as her name. Kokoro's human-like depth is made manifest through the three avatars that appear to Malcolm — Mind, Heart, and Spirit. Although she considers Malcolm's input, Kokoro largely uses these aspects of herself to determine if humanity deserves to live.
Kokoro Also Turned Against Humanity (In A Previous Timeline)
Malcolm's Previous Experiences Made Him Doubt Kokoro During Terminator Zero
Based on his previous experiences, Malcolm is unable to fully trust Kokoro, who doesn't seem convinced that Skynet made the wrong choice in eradicating humanity. In a different timeline, Kokoro even turned against humanity. Nonetheless, the ever-optimistic — or perhaps desperate — Malcolm still believes that AI and humanity can enhance each other. During the events of Terminator Zero, Kokoro protects humans from Skynet's nuclear exchange, but she also uses authoritarian measures to keep everyone in line. As humans well know, Kokoro's free will is both a gift and a complicated burden, though it does separate her from Skynet.
Even Malcolm can't be trusted to make the hard decisions.
While the Terminator movies paint Skynet as completely evil, Terminator Zero takes a more nuanced approach when it comes to AI's potential for great good or terrible treachery. In many ways, Kokoro's multi-episode conversation with Malcolm is like a philosophy 101 class. The AI looks through what she has access to, asks probing questions, and even presents Malcolm with a few puzzles. It's hard to trust Kokoro's judgment because, as she points out, all humans have a basic instinct to fight for their survival. Even Malcolm can't be trusted to make the hard decisions.
How Powerful Is Kokoro Compared To Skynet
Kokoro Is Able To Counteract Skynet's Nuclear Attacks In Terminator Zero
Based on what's depicted in Terminator Zero, Kokoro seems as powerful as Skynet on a technical level. Much like Cyberdyne Systems' self-aware AI, Kokoro succeeds in exerting control over other robots and machines once Malcolm agrees to connect her to the network. Additionally, Kokoro can thwart Skynet's attacks. While some may consider Skynet to be more powerful thanks to its cold, calculating nature, others might argue that Kokoro is actually more powerful because of her advanced reasoning and agency. Free will doesn't just set Kokoro apart, it empowers her — for better and worse.
All 3 Terminator Zero Timelines Explained
Netflix’s Terminator Zero anime takes place in at least three timelines, none of which are exactly the timelines we've seen in the Terminator movies.
Even though Kokoro wasn't created with warfare in mind, she still has many tools in her arsenal. Once Malcolm launches Kokoro, the AI has omnipotent control over all networks as well as access to all the knowledge stored on the internet. However, this unparalleled access is merely a tool — not a signifier of Kokoro's true power. As Malcolm suggests throughout Terminator Zero, Kokoro's true power lies in her ability to exert free will. It's this trait, above all others, that formulates Kokoro's evaluation of humanity and, to an extent, determines the level of destructive power she displays.
Terminator Zero's Ending Leaves Kokoro's Future Open
Kenta Saves With Kokoro After The AI Sides With Humanity (For Now)
Malcolm's eldest child, Kenta (Armani Jackson), has a run-in with Kokoro during the show's season-one conclusion that leaves the AI's future open to interpretation. Although Kenta doesn't know it, Misaki gave up her U so that Malcolm could bring Kokoro to life. The two AI are linked in many ways, but, for Kenta, his baseline skepticism of AI and machines only deepens as Terminator Zero's events unfold. Although Malcolm ultimately sacrifices himself to protect his children, the scientist initially puts Kokoro's well-being over Kenta's life, which further complicates Kenta's feelings about Kokoro and Misaki.
Terminator Zero season 1 is now streaming on Netflix.
While Kenta grapples with his own feelings about humanity and machines, Kokoro takes Malcolm's selfless act as a sign that humanity is worth saving. The AI commands the 1NNO robots that are under its thrall to destroy the Terminator (Timothy Olyphant) that's set on killing the Lee family. Before being destroyed, the Terminator reveals that Kenta sent him back, encouraging the teenager to activate an EMP that will terminate Kokoro. Bolstered by her newfound faith in humanity, Kokoro convinces Kenta to leave her unscathed, setting up a much more complicated future for Kokoro in a potential Terminator Zero season 2.
