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John Connor is a
fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a tradi ...
al
character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...
in the ''Terminator'' franchise. Created by
writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, ...
and director
James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post- New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability ...
, the character is first referred to in the 1984 film ''
The Terminator ''The Terminator'' is a 1984 American science fiction action film directed by James Cameron. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, a cyborg assassin sent back in time from 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor ( Linda Hamilton), wh ...
'' and first appears in its 1991
sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
'' Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (''T2''). In the character's first appearance, John is portrayed by
Edward Furlong Edward Walter Furlong (born August 2, 1977) is an American actor. He won Saturn and MTV Movie Awards for his breakthrough performance at age 13 as John Connor in James Cameron's '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day''; which was followed by a mini-seque ...
as a child, and briefly by Michael Edwards as an adult in a small role. Other actors have portrayed the character in subsequent films, including
Nick Stahl Nicolas Kent Stahl (born December 5, 1979) is an American actor. Starting out as a child actor, he gained recognition for his performance in the 1993 film ''The Man Without a Face'', co-starring Mel Gibson. He later transitioned into his adult ...
,
Christian Bale Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974) is an English actor. Known for his versatility and physical transformations for his roles, he has been a leading man in films of several genres. He has received various accolades, includin ...
, and
Jason Clarke Jason Clarke (born 17 July 1969) is an Australian actor. He has appeared in many TV series, and is known for playing Tommy Caffee on the television series '' Brotherhood''. He has also appeared in many films, often as an antagonist. His film r ...
(as the
T-3000 The T-3000 is a fictional character and the central antagonist of ''Terminator Genisys'', the fifth installment in the ''Terminator'' series, portrayed by Jason Clarke. In the film, the T-3000 is an alternate timeline counterpart of Skynet's (po ...
). In addition, Thomas Dekker portrayed John Connor in the television series '' Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles''. The character serves as a key protagonist in '' Terminator 2: Judgement Day'' (1991) , '' Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines'' (2003),
Terminator Salvation ''Terminator Salvation'' is a 2009 American military science fiction action film directed by McG and written by John Brancato and Michael Ferris. It is the fourth installment of the ''Terminator'' franchise and serves as a sequel to '' Termi ...
(2009) and as a minor protagonist in '' Terminator: Dark Fate'' (2019), where in alternate timeline set after the events of the second film a young John is assassinated by a T-800 in 1998 before reaching adulthood in that films' opening prologue scene with Dani Ramos taking his place in that timeline as the future leader of the resistance. Connor serves as the antagonist of the film ''
Terminator Genisys ''Terminator Genisys'' is a 2015 American science fiction action film directed by Alan Taylor and written by Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier. Produced by Skydance Productions and distributed by Paramount Pictures, the film is a reboot ...
'' (2015) where in another alternate timeline Skynet manages to successfully turn John into a T-3000 Terminator - a Terminator created by infecting human subjects with nanites resulting of the conversion of human flesh into machine phase matter.


Creation

In a 2021 interview, James Cameron said that the song "
Russians , native_name_lang = ru , image = , caption = , population = , popplace = 118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 '' Winkler Prins'' estimate) , region1 = , pop1 ...
" by
Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-earth ...
inspired him to create John Connor: "I remember sitting there once, high on E, writing notes for ''Terminator'', and I was struck by Sting’s song, that “I hope the Russians love their children too.” And I thought, “You know what? The idea of a nuclear war is just so antithetical to life itself.” That’s where the kid came from."


''Terminator'' film series


John Connor's age

Over the years, there have been multiple discrepancies, discussions and confusion over the age of John Connor. In ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'', the police computer the T-1000 uses lists John's date of birth as February 28, 1985, consistent with his conception in ''The Terminator'', taking place in May 1984, making him a 10-year-old in ''T2''. However, this is contradicted in ''T2'' when the reprogrammed Terminator tells John he will send it back through time "35 years from now". This would mean the movie is set in 1994 when John is a 9-year-old. Later on it also states that Judgment Day will happen "in three years time", in August 1997. However, the Terminator may have been rounding up. In the opening narration of ''Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines'', John states that he was attacked by the T-1000 when he was thirteen. Furthermore, he tells the T-101 that Cyberdyne was destroyed "over 10 years ago", which would make him several years older than what was previously established in the earlier films. This was a mistake made by ''T3s director, who chose to make the character older to match Edward Furlong's age in ''T2''. The synopsis on several ''T3'' DVD covers also incorrectly state that John is 22. In the pilot episode of ''Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles'', taking place in August 1999, John is fifteen, stating it has been 2 years since they blew up Cyberdyne (''T2'' taking place in 1997 in the show, rather than 1995). After time traveling to 2007 with Sarah and Cameron, John turns sixteen in the first season's last episode, placing his date of birth on November 13, 1983, a full seven months before his supposed conception. As the show's last episode takes place in 2009, this would mean John turns seventeen off-screen. In the season 2 episode ''Today Is the Day, Part 2'', John incorrectly states he was 12 when ''T2'' took place, contradicting the pilot episode's statement of it being 2 years since the events of ''T2'' and John being fifteen. As the events of ''T2'' took place in 1997 in the show's timeline, this would be consistent with his date of birth shown in the film. The opening scene of ''Terminator: Dark Fate'' takes place 3 years after ''T2'', in 1998. Despite John being 3 years older, he hasn't aged as much as he should have. This is likely a mistake made by the film's production team, using Edward Furlong's physical template from ''T2'' to recreate his facial likeness from 1991.


Character

In the
fictional universe A fictional universe, or fictional world, is a self-consistent setting with events, and often other elements, that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed, or fictional realm (or world). Fictional universes ma ...
's
narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional ( memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travelogue, etc.) or fictional ( fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller, novel, etc ...
, John Connor is a messianic figure (born on February 28, 1985) who will lead the Resistance to defeat an empire of robotic Terminators amassed by the rogue military AI Skynet, following a
cybernetic revolt An AI takeover is a hypothetical scenario in which an artificial intelligence (AI) becomes the dominant form of intelligence on Earth, as computer programs or robots effectively take the control of the planet away from the human species. Possib ...
doomsday event A global catastrophic risk or a doomsday scenario is a hypothetical future event that could damage human well-being on a global scale, even endangering or destroying modern civilization. An event that could cause human extinction or permanen ...
known as Judgment Day. When his mother Sarah Connor was the target of a
time travelling Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a w ...
Terminator unit ( Model 101) in the first film, John sent resistance fighter
Kyle Reese Kyle Reese is a fictional character in the ''Terminator'' franchise, who serves as the protagonist of the first film with a supporting role in other works. The character is portrayed by Michael Biehn in ''The Terminator'' (1984) and '' Terminat ...
to protect Sarah, knowing Kyle and Sarah would later conceive him. With foreknowledge from his parents, John fends off Terminator assassination attempts in the second and third films before Judgment Day. In the fourth film, John fights with the Resistance in a post-apocalyptic setting after Skynet has taken over. As the series' central plot heavily involves time travel, the story of the character is often non-linear and portrays many possible outcomes, for example ''Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines'' and television series ''Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles'' continue from the ending of ''Terminator 2'' but are depicted as taking place in alternate timelines, while ''Terminator Genisys'' (2015) revisits and changes the events of the first film. '' Terminator: Dark Fate'' also continues from the events of ''Terminator 2'' in another alternate timeline.


''The Terminator''

In ''
The Terminator ''The Terminator'' is a 1984 American science fiction action film directed by James Cameron. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, a cyborg assassin sent back in time from 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor ( Linda Hamilton), wh ...
'', John is mentioned and is the basis of the film. The Terminator (
Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
) is attempting to kill Sarah Connor (
Linda Hamilton Linda Carroll Hamilton (born September 26, 1956) is an American actress. She played Sarah Connor in the '' Terminator'' film series and Catherine Chandler in the television series ''Beauty and the Beast'' (1987–1990), for which she was nomina ...
) because the latter will be his mother, but John does not make a physical appearance. At the film's end, Sarah is shown to be
pregnant Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring develops ( gestates) inside a woman's uterus (womb). A multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Pregnancy usually occurs by sexual intercourse, but ca ...
with John.


''Terminator 2: Judgment Day''

John in his first appearance in '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (a sequel to the first film) is a 10-year-old child living with foster parents (
Jenette Goldstein Jenette Elise Goldstein (born February 4, 1960) is an American actress. She is known for starring as Private Vasquez in the sci-fi horror film ''Aliens'' (1986), which won her the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also played Diamo ...
and Xander Berkeley) while Sarah Connor is at a prison
hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emergen ...
of the criminally insane. Though he is informed of his destiny of his future conflict with Skynet, young John is skeptical of his mother's claims of his fate as humanity's leader. While in an arcade with a friend, the Model 101 (Schwarzenegger), a reprogrammed android sent by John's future self; and the
T-1000 The T-1000 is a fictional Character (arts), character in the Terminator (franchise), ''Terminator'' franchise. A shapeshifter, shapeshifting Android (robot), android Terminator (character concept), Terminator Assassination, assassin, the T-1000 ...
(
Robert Patrick Robert Hammond Patrick (born November 5, 1958) is an American actor. Known for portraying villains and honorable authority figures, he is a Saturn Award winner with four other nominations. Patrick dropped out of college when drama class sparked ...
) fight over him. This starts a chase sequence where the Model 101 and John try to lose the T-1000; this event validates John's mother's warning to him about Skynet. Later that night, Sarah breaks out and he and the Model 101 go to save Sarah, and the three escape. John teaches the Model 101 how to be like a human; teaching sayings like " ''hasta la vista'', baby!" He forms an emotional bond with the Terminator, coming to regard it as a father figure. John later helps with the destruction of Cyberdyne Systems to avert Skynet's creation by breaking into the safe with Skynet's creator, Miles Dyson, to retrieve the first Terminator's damaged arm and CPU, which Dyson was using to create new technology, unaware of what it would lead to. After Cyberdyne is destroyed and the T-1000 is melted in a steel mill, John throws the remnants of the first Terminator into the molten steel. He begs the Terminator not to destroy itself as well, despite the Terminator's warning that allowing it to continue existing creates the risk to recreate Skynet at some future date. John ultimately bids his friend farewell with a hug, and watches as the Terminator is lowered into molten steel. John is briefly seen at the film's beginning in a flash-forward as an adult played by Michael Edwards while Dalton Abbot (Linda Hamilton's real-life son) also played the character as a toddler in a dream sequence. An alternate ending takes place in 2027, in which John is a U.S. senator and father to a daughter in a world where Skynet was never able to start its war on humanity.


''Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines''

John is portrayed by
Nick Stahl Nicolas Kent Stahl (born December 5, 1979) is an American actor. Starting out as a child actor, he gained recognition for his performance in the 1993 film ''The Man Without a Face'', co-starring Mel Gibson. He later transitioned into his adult ...
in '' Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines'' (set 10 years after the second film). Now a young adult, John has been living
off-the-grid Off-the-grid or off-grid is a characteristic of buildings and a lifestyle designed in an independent manner without reliance on one or more public utilities. The term "off-the-grid" traditionally refers to not being connected to the electrical gr ...
after the second film's events, even as the original Judgment Day deadline in 1997 came to pass without incident. His mother Sarah eventually developed
leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...
and died before the events of the film. In the film, John crosses paths with Katherine "Kate" Brewster (
Claire Danes Claire Catherine Danes (born April 12, 1979) is an American actress. She is the recipient of three Primetime Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. In 2012, '' Time'' named her one of the 100 most influenti ...
), a former classmate from when he was living with his foster parents. He is attacked by a
T-X The T-X (referred to as the Terminatrix in some appearances until other terminatrix (female terminators) appeared) is the name of a fictional cyborg assassin who appears in the ''Terminator'' franchise. The T-X model is a gynoid assassin and ...
Terminator (
Kristanna Loken Kristanna Loken (born October 8, 1979) is a Norwegian American actress and model. She is known for her roles in the films '' Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines'' (2003), ''BloodRayne'' (2005) and ''Bounty Killer'' (2013) and on the TV series ''P ...
), which was sent from the future. Unlike predecessors, the T-X's objective was to terminate his future Resistance officers as secondary targets because John's location was unknown. When the T-X encounters John, the T-X changes priority to focus entirely on him and Kate. Because of this Terminator being dominant and feminine, John personally coins the T-X as "Terminatrix." A protector T-101 (Schwarzenegger), a doppelgänger of John's previous protector, is also sent back in time to protect him, explaining that Judgment Day had only been delayed and is now only hours away. The T-101 also states being sent from the future by Kate, Scott Mason's fiancé and second-in-command; John had actually been killed by that very Terminator on July 4, 2032, as Skynet believed to be the most suitable for such a mission due to John's emotional attachment to said model. John and Kate intend to halt Skynet's launching. The two mistakenly believe Skynet's core is in a facility, only to find themselves locked and protected in a secure bunker as the first nuclear assault is launched on the United States as a result of Skynet's manipulations. Skynet is pure software and has already spread to every server worldwide, making it impossible to shut down. It is via the radios in this bunker that John begins to broadcast messages to lay the groundwork to help survivors and organize the Resistance.


''Terminator Salvation''

John is portrayed by
Christian Bale Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974) is an English actor. Known for his versatility and physical transformations for his roles, he has been a leading man in films of several genres. He has received various accolades, includin ...
in ''
Terminator Salvation ''Terminator Salvation'' is a 2009 American military science fiction action film directed by McG and written by John Brancato and Michael Ferris. It is the fourth installment of the ''Terminator'' franchise and serves as a sequel to '' Termi ...
'' (which is set in 2018). Now an older, battle-experienced Resistance soldier, Kate Brewster (
Bryce Dallas Howard Bryce Dallas Howard (born March 2, 1981) is an American actress and director. Howard was born in Los Angeles and attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, initially leaving in 2002 to take roles on Broadway but officially gradua ...
) who serves as a medic and is now pregnant with his child. Kate also assists command with her Tech-Com unit. Since Judgment Day, John has been broadcasting radio messages to both the Resistance forces and surviving refugees in an effort to maintain morale and hope. The story also features new character Marcus Wright (
Sam Worthington Samuel Henry John Worthington (born 2 August 1976) is an Australian actor. He is best known for playing Jake Sully in ''Avatar'' and its sequel, ''Avatar: The Way of Water''; Marcus Wright in ''Terminator Salvation'', and Perseus in '' Clash o ...
), and the teenage Kyle Reese (
Anton Yelchin Anton Viktorovich Yelchin ( rus, Антон Викторович Ельчин, p=ɐnˈton ˈvʲiktərəvʲɪtɕ ˈjelʲtɕɪn; March 11, 1989 – June 19, 2016) was an American actor. Born in the Soviet Union to a Russian Jewish family, he emigr ...
). John starts as one of the many foot soldiers who make up the Resistance movement based in California. Despite having extensive prior knowledge of the machines and Skynet's capabilities, John is largely dismissed by General Hugh Ashdown (
Michael Ironside Frederick Reginald Ironside (born February 12, 1950), known as Michael Ironside, is a Canadian actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. He is known for playing villains and "tough guy" heroes, and has also portrayed sympathetic characters. E ...
) who runs the resistance organization, considering Connor as a delusional false prophet at best and a dangerous liability to their operations at worst. Nonetheless, there are pockets of people within the Resistance who have come to believe in John's experiences and judgment based on their own first hand experiences serving with him. In addition, the Resistance's majority is gradually losing faith towards the Resistance Command due to Ashdown's ruthless and vicious tactics that cost many of his own soldiers and civilians' lives. Towards the middle of the film, John learns that Kyle has been placed in a detention center by Skynet which is aware of Kyle's future role as John's father, classifying Kyle as its primary target and John as its secondary objective even over the Resistance's current leaders and sets out to rescue Kyle, with Marcus leading him to the base. Upon arrival, John faces off with a T-800 crafted in the unit's image that he and his family have encountered previously. John is hurt during his encounter with the T-800 and receives multiple cuts to the face, mirroring the same scars seen on John's face in the opening scenes of ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' and ''Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines''. Marcus helps him destroy the T-800 but John's heart is too badly damaged due to injury and Marcus offers his own to John. In addition, after the Resistance Command is caught into Skynet's trap, John's Tech-Com unit takes over the authority with no opposition. John's ending statement is that though this battle has been won, the war is far from over.


''Terminator Genisys''

John is portrayed by
Jason Clarke Jason Clarke (born 17 July 1969) is an Australian actor. He has appeared in many TV series, and is known for playing Tommy Caffee on the television series '' Brotherhood''. He has also appeared in many films, often as an antagonist. His film r ...
in ''
Terminator Genisys ''Terminator Genisys'' is a 2015 American science fiction action film directed by Alan Taylor and written by Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier. Produced by Skydance Productions and distributed by Paramount Pictures, the film is a reboot ...
'' (which alters the last three films' events). Following a confrontation with a T-5000 (
Matt Smith Matthew Robert Smith (born 28 October 1982) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor in the BBC series '' Doctor Who'' (2010–2013), Daemon Targaryen in the HBO series ''House of the Dr ...
) on the war's seemingly final day just as
Kyle Reese Kyle Reese is a fictional character in the ''Terminator'' franchise, who serves as the protagonist of the first film with a supporting role in other works. The character is portrayed by Michael Biehn in ''The Terminator'' (1984) and '' Terminat ...
(
Jai Courtney Jai Courtney (; born 15 March 1986) is an Australian actor. He started his career with small roles in films and television series before being cast as Charlie in the action film '' Jack Reacher'' (2012). He has gone on to star in '' A Good Day t ...
) is being sent back to save Sarah Connor (
Emilia Clarke Emilia Isobel Euphemia Rose Clarke (born 23 October 1986) is an English actress. She is best known for her portrayal as Daenerys Targaryen in ''Game of Thrones''. She has received various accolades, including an Empire Awards, Empire Award, a ...
), John is forcibly transformed into the
T-3000 The T-3000 is a fictional character and the central antagonist of ''Terminator Genisys'', the fifth installment in the ''Terminator'' series, portrayed by Jason Clarke. In the film, the T-3000 is an alternate timeline counterpart of Skynet's (po ...
cyborg as a result of a Skynet program to use nanites to convert living flesh into machine matter. Although all other recorded test subjects for this process were left irreversibly insane and then died during the transformation, John came through the process reasonably intact, albeit now a sociopath dedicated to ensuring Skynet's rise at humanity's cost. Skynet then sends the T-3000 back in time to ensure its creation in the altered timeline, John now believing that the future requires man and machine to come together like he has. He travels back in time to 2014 and joins
Cyberdyne Systems Cyberdyne may refer to: * Cyberdyne Inc., a Japanese company which sells a powered exoskeleton called HAL 5 (Hybrid Assistive Limb) *Cyberdyne (Cyber Dynamics Systems Corporation), a fictional corporation that created the Skynet system in the ''Ter ...
to help create a new version of Skynet, working with Miles Dyson and Danny Dyson to perfect development of the new Genisys system, turning Skynet into a massive digital network rather than a single computer system. Three years later, despite his superior physical strength, he was destroyed by "Pops" (Schwarzenegger), a T-800 reprogrammed and sent into the past by an unknown party to protect Sarah, when both of them were trapped inside a prototype time machine. With the machine just capable of generating the electromagnetic energy that prevented non-living tissue travelling through time without actually generating a temporal portal, Connor is ripped apart while trapped at the heart of the machine after earlier battle-damage disrupted his ability to maintain his organic shell. It is ambiguous as to whether a version of the character will exist in the altered timeline, with John himself stating that his existence is a paradox that is no longer tied to Sarah and Kyle conceiving him.


''Terminator: Dark Fate''

John appears briefly in '' Terminator: Dark Fate'', which serves as a different sequel to ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'', portrayed by Jude Collie with CGI facial capture performed by Furlong, ignoring previous sequels without creator James Cameron's involvement. In the opening scene, set three years after the events of ''Judgment Day'', it is revealed that even though Skynet was erased from existence with Cyberdyne's destruction, it had sent multiple Terminators back to different points in time to kill John. He and Sarah are found in Guatemala by a T-800, which then shoots John dead in front of Sarah. Though dead and gone, John's legacy continues to play a crucial role in the story. In the following years, with its mission fulfilled, the same T-800 develops a form of conscience and takes the name "Carl". It atones for John's death by sending Sarah encrypted messages revealing the location of Skynet's future arriving Terminators, while Sarah takes it upon herself to track down and destroy them to avenge John and ensure that their technology will not be used to rebuild Skynet and John's sacrifice will not be in vain. Carl later joins the fight against the Rev-9, a Terminator built by a new A.I. known as Legion. The Rev-9 is sent from the future to kill Daniella "Dani" Ramos, who will take John's place as the future leader of the human resistance against machines. In the future, Dani tells her army that "there is no fate but what we make for ourselves", just as John said to Kyle Reese before sending him back to 1984. As Carl and the Rev-9 are destroyed, Carl's final words to Sarah are "for John", therefore atoning for John's death by sacrificing itself. Like she did with John, Sarah plans to prepare Dani for the coming battles against Legion, explaining her similar role and quotes to John's in the future.


''Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles''

Thomas Dekker portrays John Connor in the parallel universe television series '' Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles''. He is only fifteen years old at the beginning of the show, turning sixteen in the season one finale, and seventeen throughout season two. As the series progresses, John struggles with his feelings for the Terminator
Cameron Cameron may refer to: People * Clan Cameron, a Scottish clan * Cameron (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Cameron (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) ;Mononym * Cam'ron (born 1 ...
. John De Vito plays a young John Connor in two episodes "Queen's Gambit" and "To the Lighthouse".


Casting and production background

Dekker was cast after
Lena Headey Lena Kathren Headey ( ; born 3 October 1973) is a British actress. She gained international recognition and acclaim for her portrayal of Cersei Lannister on the HBO epic fantasy drama series ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), for which she rec ...
secured the role of Sarah Connor. Regarding the ''Terminator'' films, Dekker says "They are like my favorite films when I was younger. So it's very ironic that I'm getting to do this. And I know for the younger generation and for myself, John was equally important to me as Sarah was, and I know a lot of the people that I hear from really, really care about John". Dekker described his character as "a continuation of Eddie Furlong's character" but "he's in a darker, more mature place now". The show tells the story of the Connors in an alternate timeline from ''Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines''. It branches off from the shared back story of ''Terminator 2'', and according to consulting producer James Middleton, it was a new "version of ''T3''."


Premise

At the beginning of the series in 1999, John and Sarah try to settle down to normal lives after the events of the second film, but they are in fear of being captured for blowing up Cyberdyne. While at school, John is attacked by a Terminator posing as a teacher, and is protected by a reprogrammed Terminator named "
Cameron Cameron may refer to: People * Clan Cameron, a Scottish clan * Cameron (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Cameron (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) ;Mononym * Cam'ron (born 1 ...
". John learns that Judgment Day has not been prevented, only postponed to April 21, 2011. John does not want to run anymore and asks Sarah to stop Skynet from being created. Cameron uses time dilation technology (built by "The Engineer" from the future) to send all three of them to 2007, just before Skynet is created, so that they can stop it. Settling down in 2007, John enrolls in Campo de Cahuenga High School under the name of John Baum, after author L. Frank Baum who wrote ''
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' is a children's novel written by author L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. It is the first novel in the Oz series of books. A Kansas farm girl named Dorothy ends up in the magical Land of Oz afte ...
'', a book that Sarah says was John's favorite when he was younger, where he is friends with his fellow students
Morris Morris may refer to: Places Australia *St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Manitob ...
and Riley Dawson. He becomes acquainted with his father's older brother,
Derek Reese The following is a list of characters in the FOX science fiction television series '' Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles'', a sequel to the '' Terminator'' films ''The Terminator'' (1984) and '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1991), ignoring t ...
, who is also a resistance fighter sent back in time to help them. This version of John is shown to be a highly skilled
computer hacker A hacker is a person skilled in information technology who uses their technical knowledge to achieve a goal or overcome an obstacle, within a computerized system by non-standard means. Though the term ''hacker'' has become associated in popu ...
(a nod from ''Terminator 2''), even being able to hack into a Terminator's
CPU A central processing unit (CPU), also called a central processor, main processor or just processor, is the electronic circuitry that executes instructions comprising a computer program. The CPU performs basic arithmetic, logic, controlling, a ...
in order to read the information it contains, as well as easily hacking into the
LAPD The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...
database. He claims that he could hack a computer system 'in (his) sleep'. He is also proficient in
chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...
, lock-picking, self-defense, and weaponry, all of which were part of his training during his childhood. The relationship dynamic between John and Cameron is different than with the Model 101 seen in the second film by virtue of her size/gender, with some degree of sexual tension. He also develops a relationship with Riley Dawson, a high school classmate, who, unknown to him, is also from the future and working with Jesse Flores, a resistance fighter and lover of Derek Reese. Jesse's plan was for John to become infatuated with Riley, making her a threat to John's security. This would force Cameron to kill Riley, thereby alienating John from her. Apparently, after Judgment Day, rumors abound of an unnatural relationship between the two that affects John's tactical decision making, and some are unsettled that he has appointed a
Terminator Terminator may refer to: Science and technology Genetics * Terminator (genetics), the end of a gene for transcription * Terminator technology, proposed methods for restricting the use of genetically modified plants by causing second generation s ...
as one of his lieutenants.


Video games


''Terminator Salvation''

John Connor appears in the video game ''Terminator Salvation'', which is set two years before the events of the film. In 2016, John (voiced by
Gideon Emery Gideon Emery is an English actor and singer. He is best known for his role as Deucalion in ''Teen Wolf'' and for providing voice-over work in video games, television series and films. Early life and education Emery was born to Pauline, a compet ...
) and Blair Williams ( Moon Bloodgood) are on a mission to rescue David Weston (Sean Cory Cooper), until they team up with Angie Salter (
Rose McGowan Rósa Arianna "Rose" McGowan (born September 5, 1973) is an American actress. After her film debut in a brief role in the comedy '' Encino Man'' (1992), McGowan achieved wider recognition for her performance in the dark comedy ''The Doom Generat ...
) and Barnes (
Common Common may refer to: Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts * Clapham Common, originally ...
) to fight the machines.


''Terminator: Resistance''

John Connor appears in the video game ''Terminator: Resistance'', which is set during the original future war depicted in the first two Terminator films. He is voiced by Eric Meyers and serves as the player character, Jacob Rivers's commanding officer within the Tech-Com Resistance group. John makes a physical appearance towards the endgame where he briefs and debriefs Jacob during the final assault on Skynet's base.


Attraction


''T2-3D: Battle Across Time''

Furlong reprised his role from ''Terminator 2'' in this
Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...
attraction, in which he and a
T-800 T8 or T-8 may refer to the following: Measurement * T8, a Torx screwhead size * T8, a 1 inch fluorescent lamp size * A tornado intensity rating on the TORRO scale Biology * The 8th thoracic vertebra * The T8 spinal nerve Transportation * Trikk ...
attempt to stop Judgment Day. They travel to the future and infiltrate Cyberdyne to prevent the completion of Skynet. After fighting various machines and succeeding in their mission, John is sent back to the present.


Literature


''T2'' trilogy

The ''T2'' novel trilogy explores Sarah and John's life while living
off-the-grid Off-the-grid or off-grid is a characteristic of buildings and a lifestyle designed in an independent manner without reliance on one or more public utilities. The term "off-the-grid" traditionally refers to not being connected to the electrical gr ...
. The first novel, ''T2: Infiltrator'', is set six years after the events of '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day''. It sees Sarah and 16-year-old John live a relatively normal life under the assumed names Suzanne and John Krieger, near a small town in
Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to t ...
. They own a successful trucking company and are proficient smugglers. John also attends military school, quickly becoming one of their best students, gaining military skills, weaponry and hacking knowledge. The Connors believed that they had destroyed
Cyberdyne Systems Cyberdyne may refer to: * Cyberdyne Inc., a Japanese company which sells a powered exoskeleton called HAL 5 (Hybrid Assistive Limb) *Cyberdyne (Cyber Dynamics Systems Corporation), a fictional corporation that created the Skynet system in the ''Ter ...
for good and prevented the creation of Skynet, until a new T-800 is sent to kill them. To stop Skynet's creation, the Connors team up with their new neighbor Dieter von Rossbach, a former
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n counterterrorism operative and future model for the T-800 series. They also join forces with FBI agent Jordan Dyson, the brother of
Miles Dyson Doctor Miles Bennett Dyson is a character in the sci-fi franchise '' Terminator''. He is the original inventor of the microprocessor which would lead to the development of Skynet, an intelligent computer system intended to control the United S ...
. The group destroys Cyberdyne's most recent facility and the remaining Terminators, although Sarah is wounded by a new Terminator model, the i-950 Infiltrator, who had sent the T-800. The following novel, ''T2: Rising Storm'', shows John and Dieter starting up the foundations of the future Resistance a few months after the events of the previous novel. Dieter has been chosen as John's guardian by Sarah while she recovers from her wounds. Dieter, John, and John's new girlfriend, Wendy Dorset, head to a Cyberdyne back-up facility in Montana but they fail to stop Skynet from becoming sentient. Wendy is killed by an i-950, and Skynet begins eradicating humanity after John accidentally uploads a command protocol to make Skynet sentient (Wendy had completed a program to erase Skynet before her death but John uploaded the wrong file at the last minute). In the final novel, ''T2: The Future War'', Skynet has killed three billion people and John has become the leader of the Resistance, with Sarah and Dieter having fallen in love and married. The life between the parents of John's eventual father
Kyle Reese Kyle Reese is a fictional character in the ''Terminator'' franchise, who serves as the protagonist of the first film with a supporting role in other works. The character is portrayed by Michael Biehn in ''The Terminator'' (1984) and '' Terminat ...
is explored, with Kyle being born, being captured by a patrol unit as a child and forced to work in a Skynet work camp. The work camp is liberated by John and his Tech-Com unit, freeing Kyle and the other prisoners, while Kyle's parents are killed. John assigns his friend Jack Brock to protect Kyle, as well as becoming his foster father. Kyle grows up fighting alongside John and his Tech-Com unit. In 2029, as the Resistance is about to destroy Skynet's defence grid, Skynet makes a last effort to win the war by sending several Terminators back in time to kill the Connors. Once John finds out about this, he sends the volunteering Kyle back to protect Sarah from the T-800 and a reprogrammed T-800 to protect his younger self from the T-1000. Afterwards, Skynet is effectively destroyed and John is greeted by Sarah, Dieter and the remaining Resistance members as they are relieved that the great ordeal is finally over.


Comic books

John Connor appears in the non-canon Terminator/
Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...
comic book crossover '' Superman vs. The Terminator: Death to the Future'', in which he and Sarah Connor team up with Superman against Skynet and The Cyborg.


Reception

Furlong won an MTV Movie Award and a Saturn Award for his performance in ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'', while Bale was nominated for a Teen Choice Award for his performance in ''Terminator Salvation''. The decision to kill John off in the opening scene of ''Dark Fate'' was met with an overwhelmingly negative reaction, and many suggested that his death and replacement with Daniella Ramos and Grace was merely a response to
feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
, the
Me Too movement #MeToo is a social movement against sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and rape culture, in which people publicize their experiences of sexual abuse or sexual harassment. The phrase "Me Too" was initially used in this context on social media in ...
and
social justice warrior ''Social justice warrior'' (SJW) is a pejorative term and internet meme used for an individual who promotes socially progressive, left-wing and liberal views, including feminism, civil rights, gay and transgender rights, identity politics ...
politics as opposed to actual character and plot development. Fred Hawson of ''
ABS-CBN News ABS-CBN Integrated News and Current Affairs, known on-air as ABS-CBN News (formerly known as ''ABS-CBN News and Public Affairs'' and later ''ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs''), is the news and current affairs production and distribution divisi ...
'' wrote: "By deciding to lose John Connor early on in this one made the emotional heart of the first two classic ''Terminator'' films stop beating as well."
Richard Roeper Richard E. Roeper (born October 17, 1959) is an American columnist and film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times''. He co-hosted the television series '' At the Movies'' with Roger Ebert from 2000 to 2008, serving as the late Gene Siskel's success ...
of the ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the '' Chicago ...
'' argued that killing John Connor ruined what the previous two films established: "Even though ''Dark Fate'' tosses aside the third, fourth and fifth entries in the series like a Terminator disposing of a hapless cop, it also undercuts the impact of the first film and the follow-up (which is one of the two or three greatest sequels of all time). First, they get rid of the John Connor character in almost casual fashion." He also stated: "This three-quel, if you will, is so derivative of ''Judgment Day'', they should have asked us to forget about that movie as well if they wanted us to believe it has anything fresh or original to add to the franchise." Corey Plante of ''
Inverse Inverse or invert may refer to: Science and mathematics * Inverse (logic), a type of conditional sentence which is an immediate inference made from another conditional sentence * Additive inverse (negation), the inverse of a number that, when a ...
'', who was critical of Furlong's portrayal of the character in ''Terminator 2'', ironically found his character's death off-putting: "The character at the focus of every previous ''Terminator'' movie — the same young boy I irrationally hated since I was a young boy myself — was dead. Needless to say, it rattled me." He also found that replacing him with new heroes undermined the Connors' importance established in the previous films: "The future that made arah Connorimportant died with John, and now there's a new ''Terminator'' story with a new set of heroes that makes it seem like no matter how many times Skynet or its next iteration sends a murder robot back in time to kill someone, there will always be a new hero waiting to rise up." Robert Yaniz Jr. of ''CheatSheet'' described the twist as unthinkable: "In an instant, the entire crux of the franchise — the human resistance led by John — is torn away." Dani Di Placido put the killing of John Connor at the top of his list of things wrong with ''Dark Fate'' and predicted that the film would fail at the box office because of it: "Those first five minutes completely disregard the only sequel that fans love – ''Terminator 2''. What was the point of all that struggle, all of Sarah's desperate attempts to keep herself, and her son, alive? John Connor might be dead weight at this point, narratively speaking, but he was our main connection to the original films, and his death renders both of those movies pointless." Matt Goldberg of ''
Collider A collider is a type of particle accelerator which brings two opposing particle beams together such that the particles collide. Colliders may either be ring accelerators or linear accelerators. Colliders are used as a research tool in particl ...
'' felt the opening did irreparable damage to the legacy of ''Terminator 2'' by rendering it pointless: "Every sequel since has diminished the ending of ''Judgment Day'' because the story 'needs' to continue (because studios like money and can't leave well enough alone). But ''Terminator: Dark Fate'' may be the worst offender thus far as its prologue directly follows ''T2'' and goes for shock value rather than considering what it means to continue the narrative." Richard Trenholm of ''
CNET ''CNET'' (short for "Computer Network") is an American media website that publishes reviews, news, articles, blogs, podcasts, and videos on technology and consumer electronics globally. ''CNET'' originally produced content for radio and televi ...
'' felt the opening twist summed up everything wrong with ''Dark Fate'': "The joy
f seeing the de-aged characters F, or f, is the sixth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ef'' (pronounced ), and the plural is ''efs''. Hist ...
instantly becomes cringeworthy, as this prologue undermines ''Terminator 2'' by killing a major character in such a cursory fashion it just feels silly." Ian Sandwell of ''
Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
'' suggested that the twist was not particularly important given that in the other films John Connor only exists to "motivate the other characters and sets the plot in motion", and that John's role as a future leader had already been rendered moot through the elimination of Skynet. About the controversial scene, Furlong also responded negatively, and expressed his hope of one day reprising the role for an entire future film. Linda Hamilton also opined that John's death scene would upset fans, as she, like many, considered John to be the true main protagonist of the series. Stahl also expressed interest in reprising the role in a possible seventh film. Fans of the series also accused James Cameron of hypocrisy over the decision to kill off John Connor in the opening scene. In 1986, Cameron directed the film ''
Aliens Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
'', which would later be followed by ''
Alien 3 ''Alien 3'' (stylized as ''A''LIEN³) is a 1992 American science fiction horror film directed by David Fincher and written by David Giler, Walter Hill, and Larry Ferguson, from a story by Vincent Ward. It stars Sigourney Weaver, reprising her ...
'', which was directed by
David Fincher David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director. His films, mostly psychological thrillers and biographical dramas, have received 40 nominations at the Academy Awards, including three for him as Best Director. F ...
and saw the characters Newt, Hicks and Bishop killed off in the opening scene, a move which was negatively received by audiences and which Cameron decried as a "slap in the face" for fans of the ''Alien'' franchise. ''Terminator'' fans claimed that it was hypocritical of Cameron to criticize Fincher when he and Miller later did exactly the same to audiences regarding John Connor in ''Dark Fate'', claiming that while ''Alien 3'' was still successful enough to spawn a sequel, '' Alien: Resurrection'', as the main protagonist Ellen Ripley was still alive, potential sequels to ''Dark Fate'' were cancelled because fans considered John Connor to be the central character of the ''Terminator'' franchise and that his death and simple replacement with Dani Ramos following the narrative set in the first two films had rendered the series pointless.


Family tree


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Connor, John Action film characters Characters created by James Cameron Child characters in film Fictional murdered people Fictional aviators Fictional characters from Los Angeles Fictional Irish American people Fictional commanders Fictional generals Fictional hackers Fictional homeless people Fictional machine hunters Fictional lieutenants Fictional revolutionaries Fictional United States Marine Corps personnel Fictional United States senators Fictional characters with post-traumatic stress disorder Fictional war veterans Fictional soldiers Film characters introduced in 1991 Terminator (franchise) characters Time travelers