Summary
Netflix’s upcomingTerminatoranime has its own version of Skynet, and it is exactly what the franchise needs after a series of underwhelming villains.Terminator Zerois bringingTerminatorback to the small screen with an anime series from Production I.G.,the studio behindGhost in the Shell(1995)andGhost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.Terminator Zero’s timelineindicates it will adhere toTerminator 2: Judgment Day’s canon regarding the date Skynet took over the world, a promising sign considering it is the bestTerminatormovie.
Terminator Zerois expected to take place primarily in 1997, although the show’s synopsis also mentions the war between humans and machines in 2022. InTerminator2, it is revealed that Skynet went online and rebelled against humans in 1997, which Sarah and John tried to avoid in 1995. Although the multipleTerminatortimelinescan be confusing, the upcoming anime series has some clear connections to the movies. For example,Terminator Zerowill introduce a different AI created as an answer to Skynet.
Terminator Zero’s AI Will Be Japan’s Answer To Skynet
If activated, Kokoro can be as powerful as Skynet.
Netflix’sTerminator Zerocharacter descriptions reveal that the anime series will include a new form of artificial intelligence that is as powerful as Skynet, Kokoro. This AI will have been created by Malcolm Lee, who is described as a genius computer program. Kokoro is said to be“Japan’s answer to Skynet,”and if it is activated, it will be as powerful as theTerminatorfranchise’s ultimate AI villain. Per the show’s synopsis,Kokoro will have to decide whether humanity is truly a plague.Interestingly, Skynet was faced with the same decision once it was activated.
Skynet has been the primary villain in everyTerminatormovie and TV show.
Presumably, Skynet concluded that humans themselves were a threat to humanity and decided to wipe them out. It seems thatTerminator Zero’s AI will make similar calculations to decide if humans should be extinct. It is unclear whether Kokoro will beTerminator Zero’s only villain, but the fact thata soldier from the future will be sent to prevent Malcolm Lee from launching this AIsuggests that it does become a threat in the future. This mirrors the stories of thefirst twoTerminatormovies, particularlyJudgment Day, during which the creator of Skynet discovers what his project leads into.
Terminator Zero’s Skynet Rival Can Be A Unique Terminator Villain
Terminator’s recent villains have been disappointing.
Skynet has been the primary villain in everyTerminatormovie and TV show.TerminatorGenisysdid attempt to reinvent the franchise with the introduction of the Genisys system, but it was essentially just Skynet under a different name. Likewise,Terminator: Dark Faterewrote the franchise’s timeline and tried to introduce new factions, but it all once again came down to the war against the machines. AlthoughTerminator Zero’s premise is relatively similar to that of the first two movies, the anime seems to be doing something excitingly different from the franchise.
2003~2004
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
2017
2020s
Terminator: Dark Fate
So far, no potential villain other than Kokoro has been confirmed for Netflix’sTerminator Zero. Additionally, it is unclear whether the show’s mainTerminatorplayed by Timothy Olyphantwill be a good guy. Considering that Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800 was the villain inTheTerminatorand the hero inTerminator 2, both options are on the table.EveryTerminatormovie has featured at least one new Terminator model as the main villain, so it would be interesting if the antagonist inTerminator Zerowas the Kokoro AI itself and not just another Terminator.
Terminator Zero’s Kokoro Is Already Different From Skynet
Will Kokoro even be a villain in Terminator Zero?
Kokoro may be an answer to Skynet, butTerminator Zero’s AI is already very different from the one from the movies. Firstly, Kokoro has a physical presence, or it can at least project a representation of it. Early theories argued thatTerminator Zero’s mysterious figure could be a techno ghost or a spirit, but it is now confirmed that it is Kokoro, the Japanese AI created by Malcolm Lee.Rosario Dawson will voice Kokoro inTerminator Zero, meaning it will be an actual character and not just a symbolic threat like Skynet.
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This is not the first timeTerminatorhas given the AI a physical form, although this idea has never quite worked.Terminator: Salvationintroduced a human-robot hybrid, whereasTerminator Genisysmade Matt Smith’s character into Skynet’s human form, sort of. The fact thatTerminator Zero’s Kokoro will be more than just a faceless AI even suggests it may not be the show’s ultimate villain after all. Giving Skynet a body or even a voice in live-action is difficult to pull off, yet this can work greatly in animation given the possibilities offered by the medium.
Source: Netflix
Terminator
The Terminator franchise, launched by James Cameron in 1984, explores a dystopian future where intelligent machines wage war against humanity. The relentless pursuit of key human figures by time-traveling cyborg assassins known as Terminators is central to the narrative. John Connor, the future leader of the human resistance, is the core target of the malicious machines.
