Although the novelization of Terminator: Dark Fate.
However, even before all of these cinematic retcons, the Terminator movies had another canon snag to contend with. The novelization of 2003’s sequel Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines featured a slightly different story from the movie itself, meaning there was yet another instance of the Terminator franchise confusing its chronology with contradictory versions of events. However, to be fair to the creators of Terminator: Salvation, Terminator: Genisys, and Terminator: Dark Fate, these reboots at least retconned the franchise’s story on purpose.
In contrast, author David Hagberg’s novelization of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines changed such a small set of minor details that the switches almost seemed more like continuity errors than active storytelling choices. However, like the seemingly minor choice to cut Sarah Connor’s death from Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, these small alterations to the story did have a big knock-on effect on the Terminator franchise as a whole. Despite this, the Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines novelization barely addresses the inconsistencies between the book’s text and the movie’s version of events, whether it is the T-850’s construction, the T-X’s choice of weapon, or the question of when and where the T-850 came from.
The T-850’s (Changing) Origin Story
In the movie’s version of the story, the T-850 that saves a young John Connor's life was captured and successfully reprogrammed by John’s team after assassinating an older John in the future. Although Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (ill-advisedly) cut John Connors’ assassination scene, the movie version of the sequel still uses this setup and leans into the plot’s inherent irony. The T-850 tasked with saving John’s life is the exact same machine that would have already killed him in the future, an irony that makes the T-850 harder to trust despite its heroism. This adds a frisson of extra unease to interactions between John and the T-850, which makes it all the odder that the novelization changed this backstory completely.
Where The Novelization’s T-850 Came From
In Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines' novelization, the T-850 was found and reprogrammed by the very much alive John Connor, his wife, and his team. This much less dramatic version of events makes the T-850 seem a little less dangerous in the novel since it was never tasked with killing John. While killing off John Connor didn’t work in later sequels as it no longer surprised jaded franchise fans, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was the first Terminator movie to refer to his death - and did so by having his trusty T-850 be the one to kill him. Even off-screen, it was a mean-spirited death and an effective twist, making it a strange surprise for the Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines novelization to drop this intriguing backstory. Oddly, later in the novel, the T-850 claims it was caught and reprogrammed by John’s team after killing John, even though this contradicts events depicted earlier in the book.
The Terminator’s Difference Construction and Weapons
The T-850 of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines’s novelization is made of durable plastic, whereas the movie’s version of him is made of living tissue. The franchise’s many different Terminator models make this change understandable as the T-1000, the T-850, the T-X, and the Rev-9 all operate based on different rules. This change also makes the T-850 feel a lot more antiquated than the T-X, making his odds against her in a fight seem even direr. The T-X is still one of the franchise’s most ferocious and powerful Terminator models, so clarifying that she is more technologically advanced than the classic T-850 and being faster, stronger, and more lethal serves to make her an even more effective antagonist.
As if aware that the movie’s T-X couldn’t outdo Robert Patrick’s iconic T-1000 from Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the novelization reinforces the new villain’s impressively dangerous capabilities. However, this does make a later storytelling choice harder to justify. While the T-X replaces her plasma cannon with a flamethrower in the movie, in the novelization of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines she simply switches to a weaker version of the damaged plasma cannon. It’s a far less cinematic substitution that, while believably efficient, doesn’t exactly make the villain seem more threatening.
The T-X & T-850’s Timelines
As if the earlier issues with the novelization’s T-850 backstory weren’t enough, the book’s version of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s original Terminator antagonist is not entirely clear on where (or when) it comes from. According to the Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines novelization’s opening, the T-X and T-850 were both sent from 2029 back to 2003, where the story takes place. However, later in the plot, the T-850 claims it was sent back from 2032. While there is a good chance that this is simply a continuity error, there’s also an argument that the novelization of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is doing something more interesting with this inconsistent bit of time-keeping.
Can The Novelization’s Terminator Lie?
While various Terminator models might be terrifying antagonists and effective heroic figures at various points throughout the franchise, one thing they aren’t is particularly emotive. Theoretically, the Terminator can’t feel anything, which makes the fan theory that Schwarzenegger’s T-850 was sentient and sadistic so groundbreaking. However, the fact that T-850 in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines’ novelization changes its backstory three times throughout the novel could be seen as evidence that the Terminator can lie, meaning the machine can feel and think for itself. While there is scarcely enough evidence in the largely faithful book for this to sustain an entire sentience theory, this Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines novelization change is still proof that the sequel’s written retelling does add something new to the franchise mythos.
