Judgement Day

Written by: Adam "ManKorn" Korenman, CC2K Video Games Editor

The Humans Need a Leader, Any Leader

Take into account the events of the third movie (and I am SO sorry for even bringing it up). John is killed at some point in the future by a T-800. The machines knew that he would be less likely to suspect it because of his time with Arnold in T2. The same T-800 they sent back to protect him. To form the bond. So that one day, when John becomes the leader of humanity (not because he is WORTHY, but because he was told his whole life that he MUST be) they could send in an agent to cut off the head of the snake.

That’s right. Terminator 2 is the first step in a long con to destroy the rebellion.

At the end of Rise of the Machines, John Connor/Reese and (Unfortunate Female Stereotype #4 played by future Homeland star Claire Danes) arrive in a bunker that they believe holds Skynet. Instead, they find it is just an old nuclear fallout shelter. Nevermind that they have no way to get out, considering a minor nuke just went off overhead, caving in the entrance to their mountain hideout. Nevermind that this particular bunker might not have been stocked since the 1960’s, considering the amount of dust on all the computers. And never mind that these two characters have nearly killed each other SEVERAL TIMES over the course of the film. This is what humanity has to hope for. 

And that’s why they sent back the (now actually) reprogrammed T-800 in the first place. After Arnold-bot killed John in the future, effectively destroying the rebellion and spelling doom for humanity, a few scientists realized the truth. They read the secret within the machine’s code and discovered that it was all a long con. The robots saved whiny John in the past so that he could be the crappy John in the future. 

The original JC would never create a power vacuum in death. He would have created a contingency plan for every possible event. He had a chain of command so thick he could beat you to death with it. Losing him would only bolster the rebels to fight harder, stronger, smarter. 

New John? He’s in charge because his momma always said he would be. His momma also said alligators were angry because they’ve got all those teeth and no toothbrush.

But he was in charge. Just like a sailor will say “any port in a storm,” the rebels knew they needed SOMEONE to be the leader. It’s an unenviable position, considering that murder robots will constantly be aching to remove your flesh from your bones if you take on that title. But when someone comes screaming out of a bunker saying, “I’m the leader of humanity, John Connor. I knew all this would happen and warned ABSOLUTELY NO ONE,” you have to look at the glass as half full.

Which is why, after much deliberation and vetting, the rebels decided that John Connor/Reese would NOT become their savior. Instead, they relegated him to scouting and gruff voice talking, two roles he was born to do. The only reason John becomes the leader of the rebels later is…uh oh.