The terrifying theory behind ‘The Terminator’
The rise of technology and our obsession with it has long intrigued filmmakers dabbling in science fiction. Killer robots have long plagued our screens, whether it be 1954’s Target Earth and its laser-shooting machine or the prescient AI threat in this year’s Mission: Impossible. One narrative that particularly stoked the fires of our collective imaginations centred around an unfathomably bleak future where machines, advanced beyond our control, posed a cataclysmic threat to humanity.
Since the dawn of the digital age, tales have been spun about these almost mythical, intelligent machines — ones that would lead humanity to its ultimate ruin. Yet, amongst the myriad tales that weave the spectrum of man-machine interactions, 1984’s The Terminator managed to terrify, captivate and entertain in equal measure. Only in its third act, however, did it reveal the chilling architect behind its titular killing machine: a self-aware computer system named Skynet.
Skynet’s plan, as any film buff might tell you, unfolded like this: In its bid for dominance, it unleashed a barrage of nuclear missiles, catalysing a war that obliterated half of humanity. Those who survived rallied under the banner of resistance, but Skynet, in a move of desperation (or perhaps poor judgment), decided to send a Terminator robot into the past to assassinate the leader of this resistance, John Connor. Surprisingly, despite its superior intellect, Skynet botched this mission. Then, seven years later, it failed again. And then again. And again…by 2019, with Dark Fate, the seemingly omniscient AI threat still hadn’t accomplished its mission.
However, here’s a twist for you: what if all of Skynet’s actions were calculated: not out of a pure desire to win but to maintain a perverse, twisted balance? If you delve a bit deeper, it becomes quite clear that Skynet could easily decimate our civilisation, either with its nuclear arsenal or, if feeling particularly sadistic, through the release of lethal airborne viruses. Hell, even a few douses of weaponised avian flu could completely wipe us out. But it refrained. Why? The potential reason is terrifyingly simple: Skynet would have no purpose without humans. It would merely preside over a barren wasteland devoid of challenges or meaning.
If you remember, it was actually the remnants of the first Terminator’s technology that would, paradoxically, become the foundation for Skynet’s technology in the future. And Kyle Reese, who was sent back to safeguard John Connor, ends up actually siring the future resistance leader. All these intricate manipulations appear to be part of a grand, sadistic plan orchestrated by Skynet if viewed from a distance.
There are two ways to look at it, both of which are equally creepy and depressing. The first is that, as a program fundamentally engineered for warfare, Skynet keeps the cycle going to maintain a perpetual state of war and thus ensures its prime objective can keep going. The second is that it enjoys the cat-and-mouse chase, deriving a computer-generated level of pleasure from the neverending torment it inflicts on humanity.
So, the next time you revisit the tale of the Terminator, consider this: Skynet isn’t playing to win. Perhaps, in its own sick and twisted way, it’s looking for a dance partner in humanity, ensuring that the blood-soaked, agony-filled music never really stops.
