[Andrew NDB]

Basically, things died when they started treating Terminator like product and not a robust thing that connected with generations. Kind of of like TMNT.

Honestly, we're lucky we even got as good of a T3 as we did. I know that Arnold himself injected some monies into it to make it better. After that, all bets were off.

Dark Fate was like the worst choice ever. Like, "Last movie, there's a multiverse and it all matters except it didn't matter because T1 and T2 were overridden... so now we're going to make absolutely all Terminator movies not matter, not even SkyNET or John Connor. Plus maybe we can sneak some attacks on the White House's treatment of illegal immigrants? Who's with me???"

Nobody, apparently. Nice way to tank an already ailing franchise.

Although jeeze. How to save Terminator after not T4 but T5. Because this is an important distinction. I guess after "Genisys" I would have maintained the loosey goosey "SkyNET knows all timelines" thing but thrust into the ultimate Future War movie. Like, we think we're watching the end of it in T6 as always prophecized. But SkyNET seems oddly ahead of the curve, or maybe we see tech the Terminators shouldn't have yet in 2029. But John Connor and TechCOM find some way to persevere.

The hope angle? OK. When Reese goes back to 1984 this time, maybe Connor whispers something new in his ear that may break the chain. Maybe. Something like this was what I was rooting for. The actual "Genisys" we got shot that dead, making my hopes for T6 pretty grim.