Terminator Zerocreator Mattson Tomlin offers a promising update on the potential future of the TV expansion of the iconic sci-fi franchise. The Netflix anime series sees the familiar technological terror of the T-800 stalk a new cast of characters trying to avert Judgment Day in Tokyo. As of its release,Terminator Zerohas been acclaimedby both critics and viewers, being celebrated as a much-needed revitalization to the long-running sci-fi franchise.
AsTerminator Zerohas gathered critical acclaim, Tomlin has revealed toNetflixthat he has ambitious plans for where future seasons of the show could take its cast, should it find itself renewed for more episodes. Hinting at an arc that could last six seasons, Tomlin stated that the series would follow its young new heroes into a post-Judgment Day world, questioning whether the series could truly break free of its cycle of death and destruction that humanity would inevitably bring upon itself. Check out Tomlin’s full explanation below:
If I had my druthers and I could do all six seasons that I’ve got mapped out. It would be following these kids as they grow — they survive Judgment Day, and then what? And then they’re in their teens, and then they’re in their twenties, and then they’re in their forties, and then they’re in their sixties, and meanwhile they are jumping all over time trying to fix this mess.
The “mess” in question has to do with the big, complicated question of humanity’s future, which has always been integral to the Terminator franchise. “Are we doing anything while we’re here?" I’m not a nihilist — I’m a humanist, and I love people, and I think that there’s a reason that we’re on this planet. With something likeTERMINATOR ZERO, where you have these big themes about technology and about an apocalypse that is truly driven and created by human beings and our need to invent, press, and push weaponry, it felt like the question to ask: Can we change our fate? We seem to be marching towards doom, and we know it.
HowTerminator ZeroEstablished Future Seasons
Tomlin’s Plans Have Already Been Set Up and Explored
Tomlin’s teases for futureTerminator Zeroseasons align with the status quo that he established in the first batch of episodes. With his usage of time travel, Tomlin’s tale not onlycreated a largerTerminatorcontinuitythat can incorporate every on-screen entry, but reestablished the time loops of earlier movies, making the entire series a so-far unbroken cycle, as Judgment Day always arrives, no matter the capacity of Skynet’s involvement. His hopes to explore how humanity can break this chain of events was also established with Malcolm Lee’s (Andre Holland) plan.
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Rather than simply ensuring the right chain of events happens in the favor of humanity and the Resistance,Terminator Zero’s plot sees Lee attempting to launch his Kokoro AI as a counter to Skynet. A former Resistance fighter, Malcolm traveled back from the future and planned to launch a benevolent AI informed by humanity’s best that could prevent Skynet from enacting Judgment Day. Despite this, even Kokoro is seen as a potential threat by members of the Resistance that could be just as catastrophic, with the AI only being partially successful inTerminator Zero’s ending.
Though Malcolm’s plan didn’t fully halt Skynet’s fate,Terminator Zerodid show that there could be hope of fending off the worst of Skynet’s damage. Furthermore, Tomlin’s hint at a larger plan encompassing new timelines and cycles that tackle if Judgment Day can ever truly be halted does tease that the writer is willing to tackle questions that even the live-action movies have rarely touched upon. As such, futureTerminator Zeroseasons may truly challenge the series' narrative more than ever before, deconstructing the well-loved sci-fi hit.
