When word got out in 2019 that the original Sarah Connor would return for Terminator: Dark Fate, it took fans of the nearly forty-year-old franchise by storm. In 1984, Linda Hamilton portrayed the young waitress in James Cameron’s The Terminator; she was an average woman with a not so average future ahead of her.
Sarah Connor is a staple to the Terminator franchise, as she's the woman who is meant to give birth to the hero destined to save humanity from the machines. Whether she physically appears or is mentioned, she remains an integral character to every single one of the films. From the original film to its 1991 sequel, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, and beyond, Sarah undergoes a shift from waitress to an all-out combat warrior. In fact, she goes through an array of changes throughout the entirety of the franchise.
While more of Sarah Connor’s history and timeline are revealed the further the franchise develops, there are major events that happen to her in each film. Most of these events focus on the fact that her offspring will offer a chance for the human race to continue. Whether she is chased by the Terminator or fighting for humanity herself, here is everything that happened to Sarah Connor in each of the movies.
The Terminator (1984): Sarah Connor’s Story Begins
In 1984 Los Angeles, the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) arrives and begins to kill all women named Sarah Connor. Before he can kill the Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) he’s been hunting, she is saved by Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn). He reveals Skynet and the artificial intelligence defense network to her. But, most importantly, Kyle tells Sarah that her future son, John Connor, will lead the resistance movement against the machines. She must survive in order to save humanity by having her future child.
Kyle was sent by John to rescue his mother. After various attempts at destroying the Terminator, the two successfully kill the machine (or so they think) but in the process, Kyle dies. The most important part of Sarah’s story line in the first film is the fact that, without Kyle traveling back in time, John would not have been born; the end reveals that John Connor is the child of Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese.
Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991): Sarah and John Connor Save The Day
In Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Sarah is initially locked in a mental institution for trying to bomb a computer factory. She has trained John for the upcoming nuclear warfare that will take place in 1997 at the hands of Skynet. With the knowledge that Judgement Day is imminent and that the Connors will do anything to stop it, a new Terminator is sent to earth. However, the future John Connor sends a reprogrammed Terminator to help his younger self and his mother.
With the help of John and the Terminator, she escapes and flees to Mexico before Judgement Day can occur. Sarah and John ultimately stop Judgment Day from happening and destroy the Terminator so that he cannot be reprogrammed. She narrates the end and questions the ability for machines to develop human-like qualities whether humans can develop machine-like qualities as well. The two drive off into an unknown future.
Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines (2003): Where Has Sarah Connor Gone?
The 2003 film, Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines, only mentions Sarah Connor on a few occasions. It takes place ten years after the second film. Within the first half, it is revealed that Sarah Connor has died somewhere between this period. Except, Sarah Connor returns in the fifth film, Terminator Genisys.
Terminator Genisys (2015): Sarah Connor's Altered Timeline
In 2015, the franchise decided to make a drastic shift in the Terminator story line. Terminator Genisys begins in 2029 as John Connor sends Kyle Reese to protect his mother, now played by Emilia Clarke. As it turns out, a reprogrammed Terminator was sent to Sarah in 1973 to protect her. They discover the timeline has been altered.
Sarah and Pops the Terminator created a time machine similar to Skynet’s and travel to the year 2017 where they discover its name is now “Genisys.” Sarah, Kyle, and Pops locate their headquarters and place bombs at key points on the Cyberdyne mainframe. When considering the plot of an altered timeline and its impact on the future, the whole premise gets a bit murky and Sarah's death in the third film becomes rather confusing. Regardless, they stop Genisys from coming online. Yet again, Sarah Connor is an essential key in assisting in the future revolution.
Terminator: Dark Fate (2019): Sarah Connor And The New Savior
Returning for the sixth film, Linda Hamilton signed on to reprise her role as Sarah Connor nearly forty years after making her first appearance. Terminator: Dark Fate takes on a whole new weight when the beginning of the film shows that a Terminator was sent to 1988 and successfully kills John Connor. The film follows Sarah as she travels to encrypted messages that end with "For John" that lead her to locations where Terminators are being sent. Grace, a cybernetically enhanced soldier, informs Sarah that neither John nor Skynet exist in her timeline, so the messages are virtually impossible.
Regardless, Sarah leads the front on stopping the threat of the Rev-9 and protecting the new savior of humanity. With the help of Grace, she keeps Daniella "Dani" Ramos safe from the threat of being killed by a Terminator. Now that John is gone, Dani is destined to take his place. As the film reaches its end, Sarah and Grace are seen watching over Dani. They are determined to protect and prepare her for the rising threat of the machines.
Throughout the franchise, Sarah Connor plays a pivotal role in saving humanity. Despite not appearing in the fourth installment, Terminator Salvation, she remains the constant source of viability that the franchise has. Without her, John could not be born and lead the revolution against the machines. While she does appear to have died in the third film, her death is used as a catalyst to set the plot in motion. Ultimately, Sarah is the total package to destroy Skynet and Genysis as well as any Terminator she comes in contact with. The events that happen to Sarah Connor are plentiful and each one delivers an integral moment for the entire Terminator franchise.