SPOILER ALERT!!! Most of the debate on Screen Rant’s Terminator Salvation discussion forum has been over what many felt were glaring plot holes in the film’s story. Questions like “How did Skynet know about Kyle Reese?”, “Why does Skynet need a T-800 when it already has Marcus Wright?” or “Since when are T-800s impervious to molten steel?” have popped up again and again and again.
Well, MTV News recently decided to end the trend of circular questioning by taking some of the most debated plot holes straight to Terminator Salvation director McG, who tried his best to plug them with some logical explanation.
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Here are some fan-submitted Q&A snipits from MTV News‘ interview with McG (Again, HEAVY SPOILERS):
Q: In the earlier movies, Skynet is not aware of Kyle Reese. So, why are they aware of him now?
McG: It’s a function of their recon during the dark period, and a function of their awareness of the events that had happened since Kyle Reese traveled back. By virtue of John Connor being alive, that means Kyle Reese did meet Sarah Connor and impregnate her. That data exists, and was brought into the fold at Skynet.
Q: If Kyle Reese had been killed in “Salvation,” what would’ve happened to John Connor? Would he simply cease to exist?
McG: Will he be erased in the photograph, like in “Back to the Future”? That’s an excellent question that theorists have been bandying about for the ages. We play it more simply. Kyle Reese must be kept alive, so he can be sent back in time from 2029 to protect Sarah Connor, impregnate her and she’ll give birth to John Connor who will save us all. And the simplest way to understand that is to protect the triangle of Kyle, John and Sarah. Any deconstruction of that leads to more headache than satisfaction.
Q: How come lava melted a T-800 in “T2,” but it doesn’t in “Salvation”?
McG: That’s not lava. There are different characteristics of molten steels, and that was an earlier steel process after it had been separated from the coke. We went over this with a metallurgist, discussing which metals burn at which degrees. And also, if it had stayed on [the T-800], perhaps it would’ve melted him, but it was frozen quickly enough by the [liquid nitrogen]. Plus, we make the transition from the molten metal to the cooling property so quickly — as a function of the T-800 being on [John] Connor — that it wouldn’t have had time to melt the existing titanium exoskeleton in time.
Q: When Marcus is inside Skynet and learning about how he was created, the visage of Dr. Serena Kogan mentions that he’s managed to do something that none of the other Terminators have been able to. Is Skynet aware of the alternate futures and other events that have taken place?
McG: Skynet is aware of the alternate futures, and the way that we play it is in the spirit of parallel worlds, as theorized by Einstein. We try to pay attention to that approach to a fundamentally theoretical construct. So yes, they are aware of the other attempts on the life of John Connor, and they’ve always subscribed to a bigger-gun philosophy, from the T-800 to the T-1000 to the TX. Now they’ve decided to bring in a machine with enough humanity in it to properly infiltrate the Resistance and lure John Connor to their lair. That’s why Serena speaks of thinking differently, thinking radically.
Q: At the end of the film, is John Connor ever made aware that Marcus was an infiltration unit? Or does the secret die with him?
McG: That’s an interesting question. But I think it’s of very little consequence. What Connor is focused on [at the end of the movie] is that Marcus did come through for him and Kyle Reese. It wasn’t clear, when he gave his word at the riverside, whether that was an example of Skynet using the best of ourselves against us…his action transcends the question, if you follow me.
As I said, these are just a few choice snipits from the Q&A. For more answers to some Terminator Salvation plot and continuity questions (Will John Connor still be killed by a “T-850″ as hinted in T3? And what did Marcus do, exactly, to end up on death row?), you can check out MTV News‘ full Q&A session with McG by either going here or here.
Personally, I think McG did a good job addressing fans’ questions about some of the T4 plot holes – although it’s painfully obvious that he ducked that last question about John Connor ever realizing that Marcus is an infiltrator unit. Weren’t prepared for that one, huh McG?
In the end though, it doesn’t matter how well McG fills the plot holes of Terminator Salvation. We, as the audience, shouldn’t ever have to sift through MTV or Screen Rant blogs for these answers – the answers should be clear and stated within the context of the film. Period. The less guess work your audience is left with, the better.
Do you like the answers about T4 that McG is providing, or (like me) do you feel that the movie is solely responsible for filling in all the blanks?
Terminator Salvation is currently in theaters.
Source: MTV Movies Blog & MTV News
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119 Comments
Plugging plot holes after the movie comes out is lame – a good film maker plugs them before release not after.
For all the people concerned/annoyed about plot holes not explained within the movie, it’s never explained in T2 how the T-1000’s (and later the T-Xs) Mimetic Poly-alloy (liquid metal) is able to time travel – when only living tissue is capable of being sent back in time – thus the T-800s coming through. There’s a LOT of assumed mythology in Terminator.
@X-SOLDIER, I think its safe to say that Skynet found its way into and past all the militaries defense systems. It would have needed to do that asap after it became self aware in T3.
Also, Connor should have been smart enough as a young hacker/resistance mastermind to foresee that a radio strike wouldn’t work and could easily lead to skynet triangulating the signal back to the source. Doah? Some great military planning on that one, Ironside.
I would respect Mcg if he just came out and admitted “the writing sucked.”
@Wickamo if you want endless praise check out a Pixar review. Unless Vic’s changed the name of Screen Rant to I love movies no matter how bad they suck.com.
(This could have happened as Vic changes things all the time around here, lol) this is where we bitch about plot holes etc!!!
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Here’s a cool site for Terminator/timetravel/Skynet fanatics.
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http://www.goingfaster.com/term2029/contents.html
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Whoever this guy is he’s put up some cool stuff!!!
@ 790 – I agree with you here as well. Though I fully admit the writing could have been better, the film still managed to stay within the mythology set up by the previous films & do well with what it had.
Ironside’s character continuously transmitting the signal is pretty stupid, I mean, they are under water continuously movie. I think that should be their defense. There really is no need to be transmitting this signal if they feel that they can’t be found in the first place… For them to not anticipate that a continuously transmitted signal can be used to pinpoint their location is pretty dumb.
Ken J,
their Excuse would be everybody knows John Connor is going to lead the resistance.
So they can kill the dummies in the sub.
I’m with Wickamo and Gunsmith.
I thought the movie kicked ass, plot ‘holes’ and all.
When is the last time you die hard critics just sat down and enjoyed a movie on it’s own merits?
Thought so..
Wow it would be nice if these were explained IN THE MOVIE.
@JessSayin
When I watched the new Star Trek Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, The Dark Knight, The Terminator, Terminator 2, Aliens, Predator…
Should I keep going?
Thought so.
@JessSayin,,,
Balls of Fury and Starship Troopers 3 Marauder,,,
LOL, 790 and Ken J always have the best comments on a Terminator post.
@Matt Keith,,,
Were both real big Terminator fans, and hate to see the franchise go down this road…
790,
Yeah, I still say it SHOULD HAVE ended w/ T2 and for me it does.
Terminator 2 Judgment Day “Special Edition”
My favorite Science fiction film.
Uh oh Matt, don’t go there! lol
Yah, I personally enjoyed watching this, but not for its story, the story was so full of holes a T1000 could walk right through it, lol, sorry, can’t help myself…
When it comes to the Terminator continuity, it ended with T2. This was just another action movie with Terminators in it… lol
They should just make another film where they send James Cameron back in time to prevent T3 from being made and even thought up.
Nah, they should send a CG Arnold T800 back to kill everyone involved in the production of T3, lol. Sorry 790, you better hope they send someone to protect you, lol.
Lol, Ken,,,
No matter what I’ll always love Terminator 3, Rise of the Machines…
Great film, loved every minute of it… Good memories!
20x better than T4, (IMO)
Rag on it all you like,,,,,
Also how would a Computer Graphic Arnold pose a threat ???
I don’t know, how would any Terminator from the future that only exist in movies pose a threat? lol
Jess Sayin,
Star Trek.
I agree we shouldn’t have to go throught his process, the writers and McG should have done this before the movie was shot. they should have properly vetted the script to make sure that there weren’t any unexplained issues.
And I have to take issue with his answer wrt Skynet knowing about Kyle Reese. his answer still doesnt make any sense.
His answer doesn’t make sense because it was never planned that way, he’s just trying to figure a way to explain it so it might seem to make sense to some people. But you know what? I give him an A for effort because most of the time when a movie comes out and things don’t make sense, the director or writers don’t make ANY attempt to satisfy the fans.
Sounds very much like McG had to come up with some answers after the release -i.e., probably didn’t even think about it while making the movie. Still didn’t answer why Skynet didn’t just kill Reese instead of holding him prisoner, or did I miss that hole in alternate future discussion. His answers might as well have all been “quantum fluctuations”
Star Trek (all series and movies, not just the current release) have plot holes-a-plenty, but atleast they explain most of them, even if it is jibberish
In watching things that went on during the production, there was a lot of research done, so I’m pretty sure that most of this was thought up in advance (things about the effects of a nuclear apocalypse by studying Chernobyl, etc).
The reason he didn’t answer the bit about not killing Kyle as soon as he was captured is because it wasn’t one of the questions that was submitted. I think that I covered that fairly thoroughly if you look at where he is, and what’s going on in the scene when Kyle stabs the T-600. Though of all the points, I wish that this one was explained a bit more clearly, because the reasoning behind it is pretty awesome.
@ JMoney
yeah, McG’s answer on Reese makes no sense, he’s using the “Wookie defense” haha
“What would’ve happened to John Conner if Kyle Reese were killed?”
McG:
“You don’t worry about John Conner, you let ME worry about John Conner”
or…
“Well, you see, because of the quantum fluctu… LOOK BEHIND YOU!” [runs away from the podium]
or…
“I think the pumping soundtrack answers that question. [waits for laugh] Next question?”
The T-1000 has been slowed down by repeated shotgun blasts & grenade launcher rounds due to it’s liquid metal composition. The T-X’s hardened exoskeleton allows it to shrug off most weapons fire, including AK-47 fire & RPGs. A powerful magnet can slow the T-X down, but it can free itself with it’s built-in weapons. The T-1000 would be helpless in the same situation, having no onboard weapons available to free itself. When frozen solid with liquid nitrogen, the T-1000 is rendered completely helpless without a sufficient heat source. The T-1000 also becomes vulnerable to shattering, which would damage it’s ability to imitate people/objects if restored to it’s liquid metal status. Though it’s liquid metal exterior would fare no better, it is likely the T-X’s endoskeleton would prevent it from being frozen solid. It is also unlikely you could shatter the T-X, meaning it’s imitation capabilities would not be sufficiently impaired like the T-1000’s. Though the T-1000 can form it’s limbs into bladed weapons, the T-X is powerful enough to put it’s fist though a man’s torso with ease. It also has onboard weapons capable of terminating a T-800, nanobots though which it can control other machines, & can access the internet to gather intel on it’s targets. I’d say the T-X is far superior to the T-1000, having many of it’s strengths and none of it’s weaknesses.
@Iron Patriot
Go back and watch The Terminator, particularly the nightclub “Tech Noir” scene. A Terminator with an endoskeleton gets knocked back much more by shotgun blasts than a liquid metal Terminator. It’s something called physics. Shoot a solid object, then shoot a gelatin. You tell me which one moves more.
You’re welcome.
You realize why they didn’t actually show how the TX got free from that collider right? BECAUSE IT’S IMPOSSIBLE! If the magnet is strong enough to hold onto the liquid part, it’s strong enough to hold on to the solid part because, hey, you know what? It’s all metal right?? lol That’s why they don’t really show it, one second she’s stuck to the collider so John can get away, the next second she’s magically free, it’s all BS.
There was a scene in T2 that was deleted because it was too cheesy, it was a scene similar to the cheesy scenes of the TX gathering intel on the people she wanted to kill. The scene showed the T1000’s ability to analyze the molecular make up of people and objects just by touching. But they deleted it because it was cheesy looking, but in T3, they kept those cheesy scenes, lol.
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