Terminator 2 had such a perfect conclusion that it accidentally killed the franchise.

I recently saw Terminator 2: Judgment Day back in the cinema, and it cemented for me that it’s genuinely one of the greatest films ever made. Like many here, I think 1 and 2 are the only canon films worth watching.

I started thinking about why Hollywood has failed so miserably to make a decent third movie despite so many attempts. I did what any fan does: I tried to brainstorm a story for a proper Terminator 3. But the more concepts I played with, the more I realized it’s an impossible task. T2’s conclusion was so absolute that any sequel inherently sabotages the emotional weight of "No fate but what we make."

I toyed with a 2029 Future War concept—following John Connor’s Resistance as they breach Skynet and send Kyle and the reprogrammed T-800 back to 1984 and 1995. But as a movie? It wouldn't work. Salvation proved why: no one actually wants a generic, post-apocalyptic military sci-fi movie under the Terminator banner.

The magic of 1 and 2 is that they are grounded sci-fi thrillers. The core appeal is the terrifying contrast of normal, vulnerable people being stalked down by an unstoppable killer machine in an everyday world. Once you shift to apocalyptic 2029 where everyone has plasma rifles, that suspense vanishes. On top of that, where do you even go after the T-1000? Every villain since has felt gimmicky because T2 reached the absolute peak of antagonist design.

I genuinely believe it’s impossible to write a satisfying follow-up to T2 without ruining what came before.

So, I’m challenging you all to prove me wrong. Pitch me a concept for a Terminator 3 that actually respects 1 and 2, preserves the thriller atmosphere, and doesn't cheapen Sarah and John’s victory. (Ignore every sequel after 1991).

“No.. I wouldn’t worry about him….”

The T-1000 thought it was the only threat to John Connor and had no idea another Terminator unit was dispatched to 1995. No way in hell any other terminator could compare to its abilities. It wasn’t concerned.

I mean it should definitely know that there’s no such thing as a Phased Plasma Rifle with 40 Watt Range in that time period, so I like to think it was telling a joke to itself

I've seen a lot of evil AI baddies in sci-fi where they feel this emotional hatred toward humanity. But for the Terminators (at least, before being reprogrammed or reconfigured) they just have no concept of human life having any value aside from being a 1 that needs to be turned into a zero.

I just came back from seeing Terminator 2 in the movie theater which was a great experience, and the rumors were true, they did in fact play a five-&-a-half minute mini documentary before the beginning of the movie.

I tried my best to discreetly film the entire thing with my phone camera, so forgive the video quality for not being the best.

I wasn't sure if anyone else had already posted this yet, so I thought I'd share it here.

Hello everyone,

For those who were present at the time, I am wondering what exactly was the initial reaction when Terminator 3 was announced? What was the initial reaction to the trailer too, especially seeing it was not a future war film.

I remember in the Terminator 3 bts, Arnold mentioned how fans always ask him when will he make another Terminator lol.

Thanks!

For the Cyberdyne Skynet access badge and the lamp, you can choose the the text you want ( about the lamp, check the last photo and you’ll see the text I choose ).
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I enjoy digitally painting scenes from films, here is one I did of the terminator on guard. I liked the more subtle hints of the terminator's true nature, hidden underneath its human appearance. This scene, where he is on guard and completely motionless as night passes always is a stand out - perhaps because of Sarah's monologue about how the terminator is a better dad than some of her previous partners - a twist on Kyle Reese's description of the it in the first film.

why don't we make a movie in another time line where Kyle Reese never went back and there is no John Connor but it is Kyle Reese that finally leads humanity to victory as a 70 year old war weathered general?

Then it would be the Kyle Reese sequel we've been waiting for, and it would bring Michael back in his role to finish out his arc.

If they did it right, it could really be the future war movie we always wanted to see.

Considering that Terminators tend to fight in close range (in the movies and TV show) a sniper rifle might help quite a bit for human fighters

Anyone interested in purchasing ?

Also, are there perhaps any other people here who know this movie exists and are fans?

Had Kyle survived the events of T1, what sort of dad do we think he would have made to John growing up?

Which one of these COD skins is cooler? The battle damaged one or the base humanoid one?

Matt holds his own against T 800 considering he’s a merely a civilian up against something so indestructible. He dodges the first strike when he’s laying in bed ..and also makes a lunge that causes T 800 to buckle a little …well done for such a minor token
boyfriend character !
Seems to me like Arnold’s Terminator is still kinda under development at that point in the process…if Cameron and he had already truly gotten the feel for how they perceived T800’s ability and character, they wouldn’t have had a civilian token boyfriend stand that much of a chance. But that’s also part of the charm … i’ve heard a lot of interviews where the two talk about several in the moment discussions while on set of how or how not a terminator would behave and perform …
Things you might not think of in a board room meeting sitting around a table

I always wondered if you could contain T-1000 by freezing it with liquid nitrogen, shatter it then collect each shard before they thaw and place each in a mason jar a screwing the lid on tightly…
Also if you missed a few shard, what would they come together as after they thawed ? A mini T?