Terminator: Guide to the Future

It was a beautiful Spring day in March: the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and there I was in my car eating a Moon Pie (yes, a Moon Pie) when, suddenly, for about 3 minutes, the complete Terminator chronology came to me with the speed of a Moto-Terminator. It was, in a word, magical. I like to think that the "Governator" (aka Schwarzenegger) and Michael Biehn would be so proud.

However, I then lost my knowledge cloud. If you know the 'Terminator' timeline like the back of your hand, I commend you. But seeing as I am a visual learner, I thought I'd make a little 'Terminator Timeline Guide' that will (hopefully) provide an accurate and succinct chronology of all four movies of the franchise. If you take into account the different "Terminator" editions throughout the series, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, you may already be confused. Thus, a breakdown:

Terminator:

Terminator: T-800 (Evil)

Terminator 2: Judgment Day: T-800 (Protector, reprogrammed, sent back by adult John Connor)

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines: T-850 (Protector, sent back by Katherine Connor)

Terminator Salvation: T-800 (Evil, original, in a very unnerving CGI form)

The Baddies: 

Terminator: T-800

Terminator 2: Judgment Day: T-1000 = The liquid metal assassin

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines: T-X = Terminatrix

Terminator Salvation: Skynet and a "clustercuss" of machines and robots including the original T-800

Timeline:

1984 (May) - T-800 tries to kill Sarah Connor. Sarah and Kyle Reese make the baby. Kyle Reese dies.

1995 – John Connor is 10 (a very mature looking one at that. Hmmm). John and the reprogrammed T-800 (sent from the future by adult John to protect young John) break, a now buff and kick-butt, Sarah out of a psych ward and attempt to stop Skynet from being created.

1997 – Sarah Connor dies from Leukemia.

2003 – Pre-cyborg Marcus Wright signs body over for medical research to Skynet.

2004 (August) – John Connor is 19/20. John again meets his future wife and second in command, Katherine. Skynet is activated and initiates Judgment Day.

2018 – John Connor is 33/34. The war between Skynet & humanity ensues. Kyle Reese is primary Skynet target due to the knowledge that he will go back to 1984 and become John's father. John Connor fights along side, cyborg, Wright against the T-800 and they blow up Skynet station.

2021- 2027 – Kyle Reese serves in 132^nd Infantry of Resistance.

2027 – 2029 - John Connor and Kyle Reese are BFF’s. ("Papa, can you hear me?") Reese works in Tech-Com under Connor.

2029 – Resistance takes down the last of Skynet’s defense, but Skynet’s secret masterplan sends evil T-800 back to 1984 to destroy Sarah Connor. Connor sends Reese back to 1984, too, but the time travel equipment gets destroyed leaving them in 1984.

Whew! I don't know about you, but there are now some beads of sweat upon my brow. Now, if more movies are made and let's say, Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) or Michael Biehn return to the series, my head just may explode. Ha!