Writers’ Strike

[Sumac]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

It's not a bad question. For all I know there's novels and comics about this stuff, but head canon... the criss-crossing nukes happen, bombing everyone and everything into oblivion. Then both sides are bought time. The humans to regroup in small pockets into TechCOM, and the machines in identifying like nuclear plants untouched by the devastation or hydro-electric dams and such. Then the crude assembly lines start rolling, like we saw in Salvation. Then by the time the humans are even organized enough to do anything at all, the machines are up and running in decent numbers. But yeesh... it's hard to imagine that happening, mostly on the human side.

In T1 Kyle says that no-one knew who had started a war, until somehow army of cyborgs appeared out of thin air. So humans couldn't start resistance, since they didn't even know who they were supposed to fight against at the time.

Likewise, Skynet might have bought a time, but then what? Who will create supply lines? Repair and built power plants and factories? All of those was supposed to be maintained by humans, if we go by an original T1/T2 canon. Even by T3/T4 canons. There were neither humanoid machines nor automated factories at the start of the war. At least none of it was mentioned in the movies themselves.

Even Skynet taking human into slavery is not working, since who actually going to hunt and round up humans? Who will build those labor camps and assembly lines in the first place? Tanks? Jet fighters?

I understand what Cameron was going for, but Terminator universe is not very well thought off.

I can headcanon all of this in 5 minutes, but it won't count for anything, sadly.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Sumac

In T1 Kyle says that no-one knew who had started a war, until somehow army of cyborgs appeared out of thin air. So humans couldn't start resistance, since they didn't even know who they were supposed to fight against at the time.

Likewise, Skynet might have bought a time, but then what? Who will create supply lines? Repair and built power plants and factories? All of those was supposed to be maintained by humans, if we go by an original T1/T2 canon. Even by T3/T4 canons. There were neither humanoid machines nor automated factories at the start of the war. At least none of it was mentioned in the movies themselves.

Even Skynet taking human into slavery is not working, since who actually going to hunt and round up humans? Who will build those labor camps and assembly lines in the first place? Tanks? Jet fighters?

I understand what Cameron was going for, but Terminator universe is not very well thought off.

I can headcanon all of this in 5 minutes, but it won't count for anything, sadly.

It'd basically have to be the T-1s and mini HKs from T3 doing all of the heavy lifting. Which is... hard to imagine for sure, in 2004 when it is set, and even harder during the original timeline when we're talking 1997. Though even if key military installations were bombed by the Russians or whatnot, there'd still be bunkers deep down intact with redundancy backup power. Like, we have this right now. And in the Terminator universe, T3 said SkyNET was tied into all of them. So it'd just really take one with the ability to produce stuff (like tanks, or basic machinery) and probably some T-1s and SkyNET coordinating to get some stuff done. Which wouldn't happen fast. But possible.

It's the humans into TechCOM stuff I have trouble wrapping my brain around. They all just got nuked and have no idea there's about to be a machine uprising... I guess they just cluster into radioactive survival clusters until the machines started showing up taking slaves.

[Barkworm]

Being called a redneck is definitely a first for me. I also enjoyed how Andrew's reply sounds like "fear-mongering redneck" is something you need a college degree for or something.

[Sumac]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

It'd basically have to be the T-1s and mini HKs from T3 doing all of the heavy lifting. Which is... hard to imagine for sure, in 2004 when it is set, and even harder during the original timeline when we're talking 1997. Though even if key military installations were bombed by the Russians or whatnot, there'd still be bunkers deep down intact with redundancy backup power. Like, we have this right now. And in the Terminator universe, T3 said SkyNET was tied into all of them. So it'd just really take one with the ability to produce stuff (like tanks, or basic machinery) and probably some T-1s and SkyNET coordinating to get some stuff done. Which wouldn't happen fast. But possible.

It's the humans into TechCOM stuff I have trouble wrapping my brain around. They all just got nuked and have no idea there's about to be a machine uprising... I guess they just cluster into radioactive survival clusters until the machines started showing up taking slaves.

There is another problem - Skynet is supposedly connected to all other machines via either wireless connection, most likely satellites (IDK, if it fits into T1/T2 canon). But if he wants to take over other machines, then he'd need other means like wired networks or wi-fi (once again, not sure if it fits OG canon).

Now, I am not sure, if I know what I am talking about, but I think a lot of nuclear explosions will cause a lot of electromagnetic impulses, which will fry electronic equipment and cause disruption in connections. Once again, due to destruction of power grid, a lot of data centers and servers and internet connection relays will be out of power or destroyed, so once again Skynet hurts itself much more than humans. It ends up without supply lines, materials and connections, which in his case is probably most vital for him, since Skynet is effectively just a code in a computer and it can't go anywhere. And there is no-one to move him anywhere.

It makes T3 look dumb, BTW, because, nuclear strike on power grid and Internet grid will hurt Skynet, if it spread throughout the net. Its like he cuts parts of its own body. Though, maybe he is OK with it.

As for human resistance, there are also a lot of questions. So US and Russia (USSR) major population centers are destroyed, but its not like Skynet launched nukes at every single village. Then there are other countries with and without nukes. Unless Skynet literally threw every single nuclear bomb at every single major and minor city, town and village, half of humanity should be alright. T2 even says that Skynet initial attack had killed 3 billion people and if we go by beginning of the 90s it would be around 50% of population of the planet.

And what about countries with nukes? If Skynet attacks them they bomb US ground twice, making even more damage to Skynet himself in the process. If not they relatively left intact. Yes, a lot of ground and atmosphere will poisoned and, of course, there are problems with supply routes and food shortages, but nothing which humanity would not be able to overcome with the time.

Which means that most of human non-US and Russia military should be intact to counter Skynet attack...which would be conducted exactly how, since Skynet in US and unless he has bases in Europe, Asia and Africa, which is doubtful, how does he plan attack humanity across the oceans?

And how does Skynet rounds up humans throughout the world to work for it? Most likely scenario, Skynet works only in the US, while the rest of the world deals with the consequences of the nuclear war and maybe not even aware of the war between humans and machines in US.

Oh, and another problem - where Skynet take additional fuel for his machines when they run out of gas and electricity, if military facilities are destroyed.

Basically, as I said before Terminator universe logic doesn't really work, if you think about it.

There is a lot of room for very interesting sci-fi stories, but most people will just either skip to Future War or "one cyborg chases other across time".