Puzzle Over the Complete TERMINATOR Franchise Timeline

As a seasoned gamer with a penchant for unraveling the tangled webs of time-travel narratives, I must say that the Terminator franchise has been an absolute rollercoaster ride through the fourth dimension. With my years spent navigating the labyrinthine timelines of games like ‘Life is Strange’ and ‘The Witness’, I can confidently attest to the complexity that this series has woven for itself.


In the groundbreaking 1984 film “Terminator,” an unexpected twist unfolded: John Connor, the future leader of humanity against machines, had dispatched his own father, Kyle Reese, back in time to safeguard his mother, Sarah Connor. Due to their short-lived relationship, they brought forth the human savior destined to fight against machinery. This concept, called a causal loop, is one of the intricate themes in science fiction. When you expand this “Terminator” timeline into a series, things can get quite tangled up.

In his own pursuit, our colleague Adam Murray devoted several years of his life to comprehensively studying the entire 40-year span of this franchise, encompassing the original series, sequels, the television adaptation, and theme park attractions. His goal was to create a clear-cut chronology for the series’ events. It’s…quite peculiar. In fact, it’s even more confusing than the Alien timeline he previously worked on. With Judgment Day shifting repeatedly and numerous John Connors dispatching several T-800 models, the chronology is a tangled web. Yet, it certainly makes for engaging discussion!

If you’re curious about every detail from the source itself, feel free to check out Adam’s complete video down below. It’s packed with behind-the-scenes facts, film inconsistencies, and an overwhelming number of LA references. Don’t miss out on this first Judgment Day celebration on August 27th by giving it a watch.

Kyle Anderson serves as the Senior Editor at TopMob, where he also hosts a weekly exploration of pop culture called Laser Focus. His film and TV reviews are available here, and you can keep up with him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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2024-08-22 00:32