Question about Terminator: Salvation (spoilers)

[Immolatus]

I enjoyed the movie overall as a good action flick. all this could have happened in the time line, we don't know battle (adventure details). but of course there were a few things I don't understand, what happened to the plasma rifles, everyone, including the machines were using normal weapons, even Reese. did he not say in the 1st movie after he convinced Sarah that there was a cyborg after her, that he doesn't know if he could stop it with these weapons. That's all they had in this movie, AR-15 type rifles and such. there were a few other things that made me go "what?"

 

[Lookingglassman]

I gotta agree.

 

[Sephiroth]

supposedly, the terminators up to that point were made of common steel, the "Arnold" terminator was the first to be made from the new alloy mix

 

[Caretaker]

T:S occurs in a different timeline then the first film. After T2, history occurred differently because Judgment Day was delayed from 1997 to 2004 - hence, different weapons, different players and different fates.

"Fate is what you make." In this case, John, Sarah, Lies and Uncle Bob changed fate from what happened originally. Nothing that we know happened (according to the time travelers in the first two films) was a sure thing to happen again.

 

[nx1701g]

The answer to your questions:

Common weapons: Skynet had not yet developed the plasma technology - there are prototype plasma weapons supposedly, but they are not yet in wide usage by Skynet's footsoldiers.

A common misconception is, also, that the machines are destroyed by the standard weapons. In the film there are actually no machines shown destroyed by conventional weapons - at least endoskeletons - but we do see one get destroyed by a minigun. The T-600 shot in the endoskull in the opening scenes of the Battle of the Skynet VLA is the same as the one that attacked John after the helicopter crash.

As was said though this is an alternate reality from the future depicted in the first film. Skynet progressed at a faster rate according to dialogue (which was oddly cut from the film) related to the T-800. Entire scenes were cut relating to John saying how Skynet wasn't supposed to have the Series 800 active yet during the briefing in the Resistance submarine. As for the components of the machines we don't actually know what the endoskeletons are made from yet. In TSCC, which has no relationship with the film series (well unless the new claims are true from McG), the 600 series is made of titanium while the Series 800 is a Coltan mixture.

 

[Mr Light]

The sci-fi laser guns are developed later in the timeline. This is the early days of the machine occupation. I don't recall the details of the movie but I read the prequel novel and the human guns can only knock down the Terminators not kill them unless you have a gattling gun or something like that.

 

[Immolatus]

The answer to your questions:

Common weapons: Skynet had not yet developed the plasma technology - there are prototype plasma weapons supposedly, but they are not yet in wide usage by Skynet's footsoldiers.

A common misconception is, also, that the machines are destroyed by the standard weapons. In the film there are actually no machines shown destroyed by conventional weapons - at least endoskeletons - but we do see one get destroyed by a minigun. The T-600 shot in the endoskull in the opening scenes of the Battle of the Skynet VLA is the same as the one that attacked John after the helicopter crash.

As was said though this is an alternate reality from the future depicted in the first film. Skynet progressed at a faster rate according to dialogue (which was oddly cut from the film) related to the T-800. Entire scenes were cut relating to John saying how Skynet wasn't supposed to have the Series 800 active yet during the briefing in the Resistance submarine. As for the components of the machines we don't actually know what the endoskeletons are made from yet. In TSCC, which has no relationship with the film series (well unless the new claims are true from McG), the 600 series is made of titanium while the Series 800 is a Coltan mixture.

you know ur right, no endoskeletons were destroyed by AR15s, I assumed the T600 johnny boy shot was a different one that attacked him. I haven't seen TSCC but I do have it on dvd (just been lazy). is it worth it?

so synet developed the plasma rifle? then how did the resistence get a hold of them?

 

[Samurai8472]

so synet developed the plasma rifle? then how did the resistence get a hold of them?

They could have gotten them off dead Terminators.

Perhaps set up a trap to get a Terminator with a Plasma Rifle then used that plasma rifle or re-engineer it.

 

[Immolatus]

so synet developed the plasma rifle? then how did the resistence get a hold of them?

They could have gotten them off dead Terminators.

Perhaps set up a trap to get a Terminator with a Plasma Rifle then used that plasma rifle or re-engineer it.

I can see that happening but how would thay mass produce them for the troops?

 

[Sephiroth]

so synet developed the plasma rifle? then how did the resistence get a hold of them?

They could have gotten them off dead Terminators.

Perhaps set up a trap to get a Terminator with a Plasma Rifle then used that plasma rifle or re-engineer it.

I can see that happening but how would thay mass produce them for the troops?

In the T-2 Infiltrator novels, John had a good R&D facility set up in Northern Canada before the war *he and Sarah also set up numerous weapons cashes all over the continent, they has prepared as well as they could for Judgement Day*

 

[nx1701g]

They could have gotten them off dead Terminators.

Perhaps set up a trap to get a Terminator with a Plasma Rifle then used that plasma rifle or re-engineer it.

I can see that happening but how would thay mass produce them for the troops?

In the T-2 Infiltrator novels, John had a good R&D facility set up in Northern Canada before the war *he and Sarah also set up numerous weapons cashes all over the continent, they has prepared as well as they could for Judgement Day*

Yep, that's how it happens in the novel continuities which is probably how it happens in the films too.

If you look at the models of the rifles you can see how they pretty much look jury rigged on the Resistance side and how the machine plasma rifles are fairly intricate looking weapons. In TSCC continuity, the Resistance uses both the makeshift plasma rifles from the films and you can see the Skynet Plasma Rifles being used by some of the recurring lead characters in the Future War flashbacks.

I haven't seen TSCC but I do have it on dvd (just been lazy). is it worth it?

TSCC is one of those shows that fans either love or hate. I, personally, really enjoyed it and thought that it had some of the most interesting additions to the Terminator mythos in a long time. Now there were stories that dragged (the midseason break in Season two really hurt the show in my opinion), and product placement was a little too common (we used to have a drinking game during the episode discussion threads during season two regarding Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge vehicles - you can get drunk in season two in about five minutes if you drink everytime they mention the new Dodge Ram 1500).

But it had some of the most interesting additions I think. Which include (these are spoilers):

Spoiler: I'll code them

Cameron, Derek Reese, and a Cyborg Resistance against Skynet.

Rumor has it that McG is planning on connecting TSCC and Terminator 5 (pretty much he's rewriting terminator canon though to connect them).

 

[Sephiroth]

I don't remember seeing any of the resistance rifles *which had a cool tv screen/computer scope in the movies/SKYnet game* in TSCC

and why can't they just film the infiltrator novels, they are REALY good

 

[nx1701g]

^ If you look closely in the scenes at Seranno Point (at least it's assumed to be Seranno Point) in Season One Derek passes a soldier carrying one of the The Terminator style plasma rifles. Before Jesse leaves in Today is the Day to board the Jimmy Carter for her mission you can see a soldier with the classic styled rifle too.

 

[broberfett]

This was Terminator on the cheap. I hated that there were no plasma rifles or other good scifi things. I missed the roving Hunter Killer vehicles with their plasma cannons. The unleashed Arnold Schwarzenneger model was also very stupid. Whenever he had a hold of John Conner he would throw him instead of punching him in the stomach and ripping out his goddamn spine!

The first few minutes of Terminator 2 were total scifi beauty. The new Terminators are more like a slightly more elaborate Syfy channel film.

 

[Immolatus]

The unleashed Arnold Schwarzenneger model was also very stupid. Whenever he had a hold of John Conner he would throw him instead of punching him in the stomach and ripping out his goddamn spine!

that was the other thing that bothered me about the movie, why didn't the T800 just break his neck instead of throwing him all over the place. don't they have detailed files on the human body?

 

[nx1701g]

The unleashed Arnold Schwarzenneger model was also very stupid. Whenever he had a hold of John Conner he would throw him instead of punching him in the stomach and ripping out his goddamn spine!

that was the other thing that bothered me about the movie, why didn't the T800 just break his neck instead of throwing him all over the place. don't they have detailed files on the human body?

Well

Spoiler: Original Ending

The T-800 did kill John Connor, but this ending was scrapped because they were worried how people would react to the death of John Connor. It also involved his being replaced by Marcus, who would use the equipment of the laboratory to replace his own skin with that of Connor.

I've come to excuse the scenes as being Skynet was getting payback against Connor and wanted him to suffer instead of ending it quickly. Plus, they were testing the prototype T-800 in combat against a human opponent with extensive training against Skynet's forces.

Though I also have another theory: Skynet has realized, through research on John Connor and from files downloaded into it by the T-X, that it needs John Connor to survive just as much as John Connor needs Skynet to survive. That was why it didn't simply order the T-800 to snap his neck during the fight and let it go on like it did. It realized it needed John Connor in order to progress.

 

[MNM]

and product placement was a little too common (we used to have a drinking game during the episode discussion threads during season two regarding Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge vehicles - you can get drunk in season two in about five minutes if you drink everytime they mention the new Dodge Ram 1500).

See, I hear people say that again and again, yet I watched every episode, and I never once noticed anything like that, not once do I remember them refering to any model name, nor do I remember them spending more time than necessary focusing on any vehicle. Ah well.

Rumor has it that McG is planning on connecting TSCC and Terminator 5 (pretty much he's rewriting terminator canon though to connect them).

The only connection I really want or care about is Cameron to apear in the next film, they can just have her in the background of every resistance scence if they want, I would be a happy man if that happened.

 

[Immolatus]

I've come to excuse the scenes as being Skynet was getting payback against Connor and wanted him to suffer instead of ending it quickly. Plus, they were testing the prototype T-800 in combat against a human opponent with extensive training against Skynet's forces.

why payback, as many times as Connor screwed up skynets plans you'd figure break his neck and get another human to test the T800 on

 

[nx1701g]

^ I explained it right after the line about payback. Skynet may have wanted his death to be slow and painful instead of quick and relatively painless.