Now a new featurette is giving Schwarzenegger's cybernetic organism more of the spotlight. Not only does it reveal the cyborg's name is Guardian, but it also confirms there will be an especially close bond between the formidable android and a younger Sarah Connor (played by Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke).
Just like in Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, this new (yet technically old) Terminator's sole purpose is to protect a specific human - in this case, Sarah Connor. While the trailers made that point obvious enough, this new video shows they have a dynamic similar to the one from James Cameron's second installment in the franchise. In Terminator 2: Judgment Day, John Connor grew attached to the T-800 that was protecting him, eventually viewing the cyborg from the future almost as if it was the father he always wanted.
In the upcoming Terminator Genisys Sarah also views the Guardian as her parent, but in this case it's based on years of bonding - the video shows just how 'young' the Guardian is when it meets Sarah, and its look is sure to make fans of the first movie feel a little nostalgic . They've grown so close that Sarah even calls the Guardian "pops" in one of the featurettes' clips. John's bond grew over a short and very hectic period of time, but Sarah's literally been raised by Guardian, allowing her to establish an even stronger connection to him.
Whether it's the handling of the action or the score, there's plenty of reasons why many people believe T2 is a great movie. One of the elements which further strengthened the movie was the amusing yet also emotional dynamic between John and the T-800, so it's promising to see the new movie will also have that kind of relationship placed front and center. The new video even shows a brief moment of levity between the two. One can only imagine the kind of madness the duo will encounter in this movie, yet Guardian is there to remind Sarah to put on her seat belt just like many protective parents do each and every day. Even if you're being chased by a T-1000, there's always time to buckle up.
In addition to revealing a little more about the new Terminator and just how closely it's connected to Sarah, the featurette also offers quite a few new looks at the movie's action scenes. We're treated to just a little more of the heavily anticipated Terminator vs. Terminator brawl - complete with Guardian using a shotgun to no avail, and Guardian saving what appears to be a police officer from an unknown enemy. It could be the main villain fully using his abilities, or perhaps even forces that are on his side.
It definitely looks like the movie will be action-heavy and Schwarzenegger tells fans to "expect great entertainment." The human and cyborg mayhem does look fun, but the story is taking a big risk by drastically altering the mythos. We'll just have to wait and see if the move pays off and turns into a mind-blowing story or if it'll feel like an unnecessary and convoluted change.
Terminator Genisys releases July 1st, 2015.