John Connor might be the savior of humanity in theTerminatorfranchise, but trying to do anything with the character afterTerminator 2: Judgment Dayhas been a major problem that has destroyed nearly every film or television show since. After numerous attempts to revitalize the franchise,mishandling John remains a recurring and common problemwith each new project. For such a simple concept presented in the first film and expanded on in the second, this series just cannot help but overcomplicate itself – resulting in diminishing returns.
FromTerminator 3: Rise of the Machinesthrough the most recent entry in the franchise,Netflix’sTerminator Zeroseries, every project runs into the same issue: no one seems to know what to do with a story that has effectively already ended. Arguably,the series should have finished at its peak with theoriginal ending ofT2, which showed a future where Skynet never came to be. Instead, we continue to get dystopian tales of John as a failure in stories that are either wild departures from what made the first two films great, or uninspired rehashes. John Connor’s journey epitomizes this.
Why John Connor Is So Important To The Terminator Series
John Connor Being Humanity’s Savior Is The Entire Point Of The Story
InThe Terminator, it is flat out stated that due to the time loop created by sending Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) back to 1984 to impregnate his mother, Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), John has closed the circle andTerminator’s so-called “final battle"is over. In the future,John and the human resistance have already won.This was Skynet’s last-ditch effort, but it is destined to fail, so long as John finishes the story and sends his father back. The series could have ended with just the original film and it would have made perfect sense.
T2expands on the quote of “There is no fate but what we make for ourselves” anddoubles down on John as humanity’s savior, but in an even more satisfying conclusion. Ignoring the original coda that directly spells it out, the theatrical ending still implies Skynet is likely to never be created in the first place, and the actions of protagonists John and Sarah will spare Earth a nuclear holocaust. However, despite howT1andT2are the only truly beloved entriesin the series, the ever-present lust to continue the franchise for monetary purposes beckons writers to keep navigating avenues that contradict this complete arc.
Every John Connor Twist Has Been A Hollow Gimmick
Playing The “What If” Game With John Connor Is No Substitute For Substance
T3is where the series' character missteps begin in earnest. John (Nick Stahl) is dead in the future,all the actions ofT2meant nothing, and it is his wife, Kate (Claire Danes), who is responsible for sending the heroic T-850 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) back in time.John is a metaphorical punching bagthroughout and doesn’t truly accomplish anything on his own. The next film did feature John (Christian Bale) as mankind’s greatest hero, but theoriginal ending ofTerminator Salvationwould have killed him off in the early days of the war, further sidelining the once central character.
Terminator Genisystook this a step further and madeJason Clarke’s John the main villainof the film by merging him with Skynet. Likewise,Terminator: Dark Fatedecided to kill Johnfrom the start to get him out of the way, only to replace him with a carbon copy. The film is a lesser version of theT2story, where Skynet is renamed as Legion, the T-1000 is the Rev-9, and instead of Sarah teaming up with a good Terminator to save her son, a boy from California, they protect Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes)—a girl from Mexicowith the same character traits as John.
The television seriesThe Sarah Connor Chronicleskeeps John’s importance and value intact better than anything else, but even that ended on an unresolved cliffhanger. Likewise, inTerminator Zero, the timeline explanations essentially toss all the previous characters aside for another “what if” that focuses on Japan.All the new characters are just merged concepts of what came before them, with Malcolm Lee filling in for John and Miles Dyson, Misaki as the heroic Terminator, and Eiko as a combination of Kyle Reese and Sarah. Time and again, these twists have failed to deliver narratively or dramatically.
Writing Off John Connor Is The Easy, But Lazy Way Out
“Taking Out Connor Then Would Make No Difference.”
These attempts to rewrite history likely arise becauseit can be hard to write a story where the hero is destined to win, as it feels like there are no stakes or surprises. In order to create tension and an unpredictable element, writers take the easy way out, sideline John or completely negate his story, and replace him with a new hero that has no expectations to be infallible. Then, with a promise to be better next time and a new novelty stunt or superficial marketing tactic to drum up interest, always with a rewritten timeline for a blank slate, the cycle repeats itself.
All this results in lackluster redoes ofT1andT2that come across more akin to a MarvelWhat Ifor DCElseworldsone-shot comic, rather than a true sequel. If no one can crack the code to make a true follow-up with John’s character written as he was intended to be, thenthe Terminator story is truly finished and shouldn’t continue. Similar to how theStar Warssequel trilogy merely retold the same basic plot of the originals, recapturing the magic isn’t as simple as tossing the Chosen One aside and redoing their story. It will always fail to live up to the classic it will inevitably be compared to. That future is indeed written.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Cast
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a sci-fi action film directed by James Cameron, set ten years after the original. It chronicles a new effort to eliminate future rebellion leader John Connor, despite a reprogrammed terminator dispatched to safeguard him.
