A new theory is making the rounds on-line that Titanic could be a prequel to the original Terminator movie. Apart from drawing a connection between two of James Cameron's most famous films, the theory also explains some of the anachronisms in Cameron's movie regarding the famous maritime disaster.
James Cameron has come far from his early career working on films like Piranha 2: The Spawning. While it could be argued he's still a B-movie director at heart as most of his films are science-fiction pieces, Cameron has also proven himself as an auteur who has mastered the craft of filmmaking. Cameron's 1997 film Titanic is a testament to that fact, having earned over 100 cinematic awards, including the 1998 Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director. However, while Titanic is a beloved film, it has been taken to task by some historical experts regarding a number of historical research failures.
Some of these anachronisms can be justified by a fan theory that Cameron's Titanic is set in the same universe as The Terminator movies. The theory posits that Jack Dawson was a time-traveler from the same future where Skynet had taken over the Earth and humanity's days were numbered. Much like Kyle Reese went back in time to protect Sarah Connor from a T-800 Terminator and set up the birth of resistance leader John Connor, the theory goes that Jack Dawson sacrificed himself to save Rose because that was his mission: he went back in time to protect Rose Dewitt Bukater, who was another ancestor of John Connor, to prevent her suicide and ensure she survived the sinking of the Titanic.
The main reasoning behind this theory is that it would explain several inconsistencies regarding Jack's background and knowledge in the film. For instance, when talking about his childhood, Jack claims to have grown up by Lake Wissota, near Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin and gone ice-fishing there. Lake Wissota is a man-made lake that wasn't made until 1917; five years after the Titanic sank. At another point in the movie, while discussing what they want to do when they get to America, Jack suggests going to the pier in Santa Monica where they can "ride on the roller coaster until we throw up." Santa Monica's pier did not acquire a roller coaster until 1916. It has also been noted by various vintage clothing experts that Jack's rucksack was of a style that wouldn't be manufactured until 1939 by the Swiss Army, to say nothing of Jack's spikey hairstyle not fitting the time period!
While this theory is a fun idea that connects the worlds of Terminator and Titanic, it doesn't hold up to close scrutiny. While it explains the anachronisms in Jack's background and dialogue, it does nothing to explain why Rose made reference to Sigmund Freud's ideas regarding the male preoccupation with the size of their genitals — an idea Freud didn't discuss until his 1920 essay Beyond The Pleasure Principle. It also begs the question of why Skynet didn't send a Terminator back to kill Rose directly or how the human resistance of the future would have known about the need to stop Rose from attempting suicide.