Scariest Scary Robot - Terminator

[zephramc]

Hopefully this will be a fun poll for everyone.

Which of the following machines from the Terminator universe is the scariest. I'm leaving "scary" up to interpretation. One my find the machine scary due to the unit's appearance, capabilities or the portrayal by the actor/actress. I'm leaving that up to you. Please tell us why one particular model is more "scary" than the rest. I'm only including machines seen in the movies or on the television series, though I'm including an "Other" option for Terminator machines that are found in the various books, games, etc...

I'm choosing Cameron as the scariest robot. Mainly due to Summer Glau portrayal. It's hard to figure out what her (it's) agenda is. I guess that's my main reason.

 

[nx1701g]

Pre Season 2 spoilers I would have said Cameron, but things that I've learned about the character have me no longer truly seeing the character as that much of a risk. Going with those facts I'm back to the T-1000 with the T-X as a very close second.

There is a bit of a fallacy with your poll though too. The T-800/T-888 are essentially the same model but they were not permitted to use T-800 (it's still trademarked to Jim Cameron).

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Cameron has the potential to do the most damage when she (inevitably) goes bad.

 

[captcalhoun]

the T-1K because between morphing and Robert Patrick's performance, it's far scarier than Arnie's lumbering T-800/850

 

[BoxWhatBox]

I chose Cameron, but T-X was a close second choice. A hot age appropriate girl with cleavage would have a much easier time of getting close a teen/twenty something guy. Hell... she could get close to almost heterosexuals male.

 

[zephramc]

Pre Season 2 spoilers I would have said Cameron, but things that I've learned about the character have me no longer truly seeing the character as that much of a risk. Going with those facts I'm back to the T-1000 with the T-X as a very close second.

There is a bit of a fallacy with your poll though too. The T-800/T-888 are essentially the same model but they were not permitted to use T-800 (it's still trademarked to Jim Cameron).

I wasn't aware of that. I assumed they were upgraded models or somesuch. Thank you for the clarification.

 

[Fist McStrongpunch]

Pre Season 2 spoilers I would have said Cameron, but things that I've learned about the character have me no longer truly seeing the character as that much of a risk. Going with those facts I'm back to the T-1000 with the T-X as a very close second.

There is a bit of a fallacy with your poll though too. The T-800/T-888 are essentially the same model but they were not permitted to use T-800 (it's still trademarked to Jim Cameron).

I wasn't aware of that. I assumed they were upgraded models or somesuch. Thank you for the clarification.

The 888 is most certainly an upgraded model. The SCC dvd has a featurette talking about how the artist redesigned the endo-skeleton to be more capable. It's a different model.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Definitely the T-800. A ginormus lumbering cyborg with a bad Austrian accent and a shitload of weaponry (with the exception of the phased plasma rifle in the 40 watt range). Plus, once you burn away the flesh, you're stuck with a freaky looking metal badass endoskeleton with glowing red eyes, a set of pearly white teeth in a demented smile and one hell of an attitude problem.

Second place would have to go to the aerial HKs. Although I thought the ones in T3 were scarier looking than the ones in T1 and T2.

 

[V]

I'd say a toss-up between the T-1000 and the HK-tank.

The T-1000 is scary because its so non-human; it can pour itself like liquid, it can "do surfaces" as they say, and it can ***make knives and stabbing weapons***

the T-X I must admit is a logical step and not a redo: the one weakness of the T-1000 is that its a has a stability problem; its easy to knock it off its center of gravity because the liquid-metal isn't very strong that way; i.e. shooting it with an M75 grenade will literally blow it apart; granted this doesn't REALLY do "lasting" harm but it does slow it down

the T-X, however, kind of combines "the best of both worlds"; it can't make "knives and stabbing weapons", etc. it's really an endo-skeleton-based terminator like the T-800, with liquid-metal poured over that: so it CAN imitate humans and is a REALLY good infiltrator, but its more "robust" than that T-1000 (hitting it with a grenade won't "splash" it into pieces that have to waste time reforming)

Of course, the T-X has other "advantages": they finally took it too the next level and add in internal weapons. Since the first Terminator, I thought it was a good cheat that "nothing "dead" will go through the time machine, you come back naked, this is the logical reason why we don't come back with laser guns, but the Terminators cheated because they're basically cloned human skin and muscle stretched across a metal endoskeleton"......well, why not build weapons INSIDE of that flesh?

with the T-X, they did just that: make miniaturized internal-weapons, so it can bring plasma-weapons, flame throwers, etc. to the past.

it does have a leg-up on the T-1000 in that respect; and further, using Nanotech, it can **commandeer and reprogram vehicles and robots.

Still, the question was which is "scarier", and really, the "knives and stabbing weapons" and ***ability to blend in with a floor surface*** make the T-1000 much more "Scary". With the T-X you can at least say "well there are no other human-sized people in the room, the T-X isn't here; with the T-1000, how do you know it isn't disguised as the floor? or a wall?

****But as for what REALLY scared me, actually, the Hunter-Killer tank variant. Ironically, they aren't even tactically that "superior" like the T-1000 is; we see grunt Resistance soldiers actually destroying HK tanks, shooting out their treads, etc.

But its the *psychology* of the HK tanks: I think Skynet is intentionally trying to capitalize on this; it's this towering mechanical titan and heavy weapons platform. To a frontline soldier they seem kind of invincible, even though they are a conventional army unit.

***I really always wanted something like T4, something to actually SHOW us the future war and how the HECK the Resistance beats Skynet. For that matter, how did Skynet recover from the war so fast? automated factories?

 

[nx1701g]

Pre Season 2 spoilers I would have said Cameron, but things that I've learned about the character have me no longer truly seeing the character as that much of a risk. Going with those facts I'm back to the T-1000 with the T-X as a very close second.

There is a bit of a fallacy with your poll though too. The T-800/T-888 are essentially the same model but they were not permitted to use T-800 (it's still trademarked to Jim Cameron).

I wasn't aware of that. I assumed they were upgraded models or somesuch. Thank you for the clarification.

The 888 is most certainly an upgraded model. The SCC dvd has a featurette talking about how the artist redesigned the endo-skeleton to be more capable. It's a different model.

He's right. I hadn't seen the designing The Sarah Connor Chronicles featurette at the time of posting that (my DVD only arrived at 6:30 this evening). Originally the producers had said that the T-800 was something they didn't have rights to (this is also why the T-800 was upgraded for Terminator 3). I was not aware at the time that it was a new design.

The T-888 has from what was said modifications to its leg assemblies to allow it to literally cut people in half as well as augmented armor plating allowing it stronger impacts against enemies while hitting. Plus it had increased torso armor as opposed to the T-800.

 

[Brikar99]

The T-1000 gave me nightmares when I saw the movie the first time. Gonna go with that.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I'd have to say the aerial H/K's. The less humanoid a Terminator is, the scarier it is.

 

[V]

s not aware at the time that it was a new design.

The T-888 has from what was said modifications to its leg assemblies to allow it to literally cut people in half

how do leg modifications allow it to cut people in half?

 

[Brikar99]

s not aware at the time that it was a new design.

The T-888 has from what was said modifications to its leg assemblies to allow it to literally cut people in half

how do leg modifications allow it to cut people in half?

Scissor kick!

 

[nx1701g]

^ Exactly right.

The endoskeleton's hip assemblies have been modified on the T-888 as compared to the T-800. The inner legs of the T-800 are blocky whereas the inner legs of the T-888 are sharpened. If the unit could somehow get it's legs around someone it could cut them in half.

This could be a potential problem though. If they are that sharp it would theoretically cut into the synthskin created by Skynet for the Infiltrators potentially damaging it.

 

[nx1701g]

We now have a list of the Terminators that will appear in Terminator Salvation:

Spoiler: The List

Hydrobot
T-1 Unit
Aerostat
Harvesters
Mototerminator
Classic Aerial Hunter-Killer
Transport
Ground Hunter-Killer
T-600
T-800

 

[Brikar99]

^ Exactly right.

The endoskeleton's hip assemblies have been modified on the T-888 as compared to the T-800. The inner legs of the T-800 are blocky whereas the inner legs of the T-888 are sharpened. If the unit could somehow get it's legs around someone it could cut them in half.

This could be a potential problem though. If they are that sharp it would theoretically cut into the synthskin created by Skynet for the Infiltrators potentially damaging it.

...I was making a pun... or, apparently, just trying to.

 

[nx1701g]

^ Your pun was also the correct answer though

 

[captcalhoun]

We now have a list of the Terminators that will appear in Terminator Salvation:

Spoiler: The List

Hydrobot
T-1 Unit
Aerostat
Harvesters
Mototerminator
Classic Aerial Hunter-Killer
Transport
Ground Hunter-Killer
T-600
T-800

one wonders wth a 'mototerminator' is...

 

[Meredith]

The T-600 with the plastic skin and rubber gloves is really creepy.