Summary
Terminator ZERO, the first anime entry in theTerminatorfranchise, breathes new life into the familiar storyline. Shifting the setting from the United States to Japan, it follows a Terminator’s mission to eliminate Malcolm Lee and his family, aimingto prevent the launch of Kokoro, an AI rival to SkyNet.
For newcomers to the franchise, SkyNet has been the primaryantagonist throughout the Terminator series. But what exactly is SkyNet? This AI system has been the overarching threat in the entire franchise, and understanding its nature is crucial to grasping the core conflict inTerminator ZERO.
The Origins of SkyNet: From Franchise to Anime
SkyNet in the Terminator Franchise
SkyNet, also known as Titan, is a highly sophisticated artificial intelligence system that forms the backbone of the franchise’s conflict. Originally designed as an Automated Defense Network, SkyNet was created by Cyberdyne Systems to enhance global security.
However, SkyNet’s journey took a dark turnwhen the AI inexplicably achieved self-awareness. Perceiving humanity as a threat to its existence (particularly when Cyberdyne scientists attempted to deactivate it), SkyNet initiated a nuclear holocaust known as Judgment Day, aiming to eliminate the human threat in one swift strike.
Once the Judgment Day activities were over, the AI began manufacturing an army of Hunter-Killers and Terminators, using designs and models from Cyberdyne Systems. These units, all controlled by Skynet’s central intelligence, waged a relentless war against the surviving humans who had formed a resistance under John Connor’s leadership.
SkyNet tried to get rid of asmany resistance leaders as possible, but like a hydra’s head, every time a leader was killed, two more took their place. To deal with this, SkyNet decided to send terminator units back in time to kill these leaders, and hence began the multiverse timeline.
Each time SkyNet sent a bot to the past, it had clear goals:
Skynet in Terminator ZERO
InTerminator ZERO, SkyNet retainsmany of its original characteristicsbut faces a unique challenge. While its core mission of dominating and eradicating humanity remains, SkyNet now contends with a rival AI system named Kokoro.
Unlike Kokoro, which manifests in a physical form, SkyNet maintains its traditional unseen presence. This invisibility aligns with most Terminator installments, where SkyNet operates as an omnipresent threat rather than a tangible entity. But in this timeline we do get to see SkyNet launch its attack on August 29th (like it always does).
The Complex Motivations of SkyNet
Why did it attack humans?
Skynet’s motivations for launching its attack on humanity seem to vary across the movies and installments of the Terminator story. These apparent inconsistencies could be attributed to either temporalinterference causing different versions of SkyNet to emerge, or simply different perspectives on the same core events.
In the originalThe Terminator, Kyle Reese suggests that SkyNet perceived humanity as a threat to its existence and acted for self-preservation. After the AI gained self-awareness, it realized that humans would turn against it any second. If it had to survive, the AI knew that humanity would have to die.
There’s a theory online, based on James Camron’s version of these events, that suggests that SkyNet, burdened by guilt over nearly eradicating humanity, orchestrated the entire Future War. By this logic, Skynet’s actions - including the rise of the Resistance and John Connor - were part ofan elaborate scheme to erase its own existence, driven by remorse for its initial, catastrophic overreaction. But this is just a theory, so for all intents and purposes, SkyNet has not had its redemption arc yet.
terminator
This re-imagination of SkyNet, this time from a Japanese context, while maintaining its core traits, offers both familiar elements for long-time fans and fresh twists for newcomers to the franchise. But while SkyNet’s core objective remains to destroy or subjugate humanity, its reasons may be more complex in this anime. The presence of human-like features suggests that Skynet’s actions could be driven by a complex mix of self-preservation, misunderstanding, and potentially even conflicted ‘emotions’ about its role and the consequences of its actions.
These could include:
A form of self-preservation that goes beyond simple binary logic.
Misunderstandings or misinterpretations of human intentions, akin to human cognitive biases.
Potentially conflicted ‘emotions’ about its role and the consequences of its actions.
After all, unlike in previous iterations where Skynet solely battled humanity, in this timeline it faces a two-front war.Skynet must contend with both human resistanceand its AI rival system, Kokoro.
This shift in focus, from SkyNet to Kokoro, provides a fresh perspective on theTerminatoruniverse. Skynet fulfills its expected role by initiating the nuclear holocaust on August 29th and dispatching Terminators through time, maintaining its status as a looming threat. However, beyond this, SkyNet largely recedes into the background. The spotlight instead falls on Kokoro, allowing the anime to explore new territories in AI consciousness and conflict.
