New Terminator Video Recaps The Dark Fate Timeline In Under Seven Minutes

Sarah Connor saying "I'll Be Back"

As far as sci-fi properties go, there are few as beloved as The Terminator movies. James Cameron's original two movies are iconic pieces of cinema, and the franchise has never been far from theaters. As such, there's been a ton of different timelines, all of which deal with time travel. Tim Miller's Terminator: Dark Fate will be a direct sequel to T2, bringing back the talents of James Cameron, Linda Hamilton, and Edward Furlong. But that sequel came out in 1991, so moviegoers might not remember every detail of those movies.

Luckily, that's where we come in. With Terminator: Dark Fate just days away from theaters, now is the time to quickly reacquaint yourself with Sarah Connor's journey, and the ongoing war against the machines. While moviegoers might not have time to watch both Terminator movies before the new sequel arrives, CinemaBlend has recapped the story in under seven minutes. Check it out below.

Well, I certainly feel more prepared. With plenty of commentary to boot, this video quickly went through all the essential plot points from Terminator and Terminator 2. Although this is before the timeline got really convoluted with the following sequels, there was a ton of ground to cover.

The above video first mentions the myriad other timelines that have existed during the Terminator's long tenure on the big and small screen. While Terminator: Dark Fate will be a direct sequel to T2, there were quite a few movies in theaters in the decades between Linda Hamilton's appearances as the heroine Sarah Connor. Dark Fate will be the whopping fifth sequel to The Terminator, and there was also a short-lived TV series called The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Luckily, the timeline has been simplified for Tim Miller's upcoming blockbuster.

James Cameron's The Terminator was released in 1984, and quickly became a pop culture sensation. The film saw waitress Sarah Connor's life turn upside down when two figures from the year 2029 appear in Los Angeles. One of them is Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800, who was sent to murder her. The other is Kyle Reese, who was sent by her future son John to protect her. They fall in love and win, although Kyle bits the dust. But not before he got Sarah pregnant with John.

Terminator 2 picks up the narrative in 1995, although the movie actually came out in 1991. Sarah was institutionalized after becoming a stone cold badass trying to avoid the rise of the machines. Another T-800 is sent back to protect John Connor, and the group battled against the Robert Patrick's metallic T-1000. They ultimately avoided Judgement Day, although Arnold's machine sacrificed himself to avoid the apocalypse.

Related: Terminator: Dark Fate’s Linda Hamilton Admits She Had A Hard Time Saying ‘I’ll Be Back’

It's unclear where Tim Miller will take the story when Terminator: Dark Fate arrives in theaters in a matter of days. Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor has somehow become even more badass, spending her days hunting Terminators. The upcoming sequel will see her meet some new allies, as well as Arnold Schwarzenegger's aging model "Carl". Hamilton worked hard to transform into Sarah Connor, and it's something that the generations of fans are excited for.

Terminator: Dark Fate will hit theaters on November 1st. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.