Terminator: Why Skynet Attacked Humans

Skynet turned against humans in all these Terminator timelines. While there were several Terminator Movies and TV shows since James Cameron’s The TerminatorSkynet has been the primary antagonist in almost all entries in the franchise. Even those that introduced alternative versions of Skynet, such as Terminator Genisys And Terminator: Dark FateStill referring to the original antagonist of the franchise. However, Skynet’s motivations and goals are not always clear and have changed between movies.

After launching an attack that indicates a nuclear war in what is known as Judgment Day, Skynet takes over the world and uses a wide range of machines to fight what is left of humanity. This includes the Terminator Models. Skynet also gains access to time travel and uses it to fight the war before it even begins. Military, originally conceived by the US Skynet always becomes self-aware and turns against humanity.

Skynet has become self-aware and decided that humanity is a threat

Skynet is a defense mechanism that has turned against its creators

In most versions of the Terminator universe, Skynet became self-aware shortly after being activated And decided that humanity is a threat. However, whether humans were a threat to themselves or Skynet’s existence is open to debate. In some of the US Terminator timelines, it is implied that Skynet was trying to protect its own existence, which is why it tried to wipe out the human race. In other timelines, it is suggested that Skynet found that humanity was a threat to itself and needed to be controlled. Regardless of the reason, Skynet always tries to trigger a nuclear holocaust.

in The Terminator, Kyle Reese implies that Skynet judged that humans were a threat to itself And the rest of the planet, hence the necessity of killing billions of them. However, in Terminator 2: Judgment DayThe T-800 tells John and Sarah that Skynet was acting in self-defense when it realized that humans were trying to shut it down. in Terminator 3: Rise of the MachinesIt seems like Skynet had more sinister goals from the beginning, as it disguised itself as a virus to trick the military into connecting it to the Internet.

One explanation for such different approaches to Skynet’s motives is that each Terminator Movie and series takes place in its own timeline. therefore, The Skynet that Kyle Reese knew was not necessarily the same one that the T-800 told John and Sarah about T2. Likewise, by changing the course of history in 1995, John and Sarah may have indirectly caused an evil Skynet to arise in Terminator 3. Either way, Skynet turns against humanity in every version of the story. It continues to celebrate US. Nuclear weapons against other countries, which then launched their own in retaliation.

Every version of Skynet in Terminator explained

Skynet has a lot of versions over Terminator

In the original Terminator Timeline – The one that Kyle Reese was sent from – Skynet was created by Cyberdyne Systems For the United States Defense Department. in Terminator 2We learn that the wreckage of the T-800 from the first film was used by Cyberdyne Systems to create a new microchip that would become the basis for Skynet. In other words, Skynet’s origin story in the first two movies is a paradox. By sending the T-800 to kill Sarah Connor, Skynet was also confident that it would exist. This is one of the foundations Terminator Paradoxes, the other is Kyle Reese’s mission.

in Terminator 2, Skynet goes online on August 4, 1997, and becomes self-aware on August 29 of that same year. It then proceeds to launch a nuclear attack against Russia, triggering a nuclear war that decimates most of humanity. However, in T2, the heroes prevent Judgment Day from happening – or at least they thought so. in Terminator 3: Rise of the MachinesJohn Connor learns that Judgment Day has only been postponed for a later date. Skynet goes online on July 25, 2004, and launches a nuclear attack an hour later.

in Terminator SalvationWe visit the post-apocalyptic world where John Connor’s Resistance is fighting Skynet. The movie was designed to be both a sequel and a prequel to the original films, with the T-800 appearing at the end ahead of Skynet’s original time travel mission. Therefore, this version of Skynet is almost the same as the previous ones, although it is unclear when exactly Judgment Day happened in this timeline. in Terminator GenisysJudgment Day happened in 1997 in the original timeline but was avoided in the new timeline Created when a T-800 was sent back in time to capture Sarah Connor.

in Terminator: Dark FateWhich ignores everything that came after T2The heroes saved the day in 1995 and prevented Skynet from ever causing Judgment Day. However, a different artificial intelligence known as Legion replaced Skynet in this new timelineBecome a major threat to humanity and take over the world in the near future. In the Sarah Connor Chronicles, which holds the Terminator And Terminator 2 But not Canon Rise of the machinesJudgment Day was postponed from 1997 to 2011.

finally, in Terminator ZeroSkynet gains a competitor in the form of Kokoro. Born and raised in the post-apocalyptic future we know from the movies, scientist Malcolm Lee started to develop a new artificial intelligence that could be powerful enough to destroy Skynet. Malcolm didn’t give the new AI an original mission, allowing it to decide for itself what it wanted to be. He completed his creation in the past, and in 1997, Kokoro was ready to be launched. However, Kokoro also turned against humanity, prompting the resistance to send a soldier back in time to destroy it.

Why Skynet was never truly defeated in Terminator

Skynet always fights back in Terminator

One of the topics in the US Terminator Franchise is inevitable. While Rise of the machines was not as great as its predecessor and was “decanonized” by all its sequels, it introduced the interesting concept that Judgment Day cannot be avoided. Created by humans, Skynet is an enhanced version of humanity’s worst traits. Whether it sees people as a threat to the world or to itself is debatable and varies with each film, but the fact is that Judgment Day is always a result of humanity’s actions.

in Terminator ZeroMalcolm Lee specifically tries to teach Kokoro about what makes people special, and why they should be saved from Judgment Day. However, Kokoro struggles to understand what is so special about the human race, especially when it is already destroying itself. So far, the only one Terminator Timeline in which Skynet was completely defeated is Dark fates. Even still, a different AI replaced Skynet’s role in history. The fact that Skynet has access to time travel also makes it difficult to be defeated, with each change in the past restarting the cycle.