Yesterday I was greatly disappointed when class ended and our discussion could not continue or branch out onto other subjects. One comment I wanted to make in class was that there is a scene in the first Terminator film that almost seems to directly challenge the artilleryman’s resistance plan. In this scene the protagonist returns from fighting cold and ruthless machines to a dingy sewer like bunker. Unlike the artilleryman’s hypothetical sewer, however, the sewer in the film is filled with the old, the desperate and mischievous children. The women that the protagonist encounters in the sewer and in battle are portrayed as heroic warriors rather than the fragile creatures that the artilleryman makes many women out to be. I believe the way Cameron filmed this scene was to show that humans have an inner strength and common bond, and this is what makes them unique and strong. If the Resistance was cold and rational, they would shun all those who couldn’t serve and were a waste of resources. However, it does not. If the Resistance had, it would be no different than the machines. The same would go for the artilleryman’s resistance. Should it have cast out the “unfit” and let the Martians slay innocent people as an act of appeasement, it would be just as ruthless as the Martians. In the Terminator series, it is through unity, ingenuity and bravery that the humans finally defeat the machines. This is a reflection of the human condition: with a capacity for evil and self preservation humans also have a capacity for love and selflessness. In the end, who would you rather be with: the artilleryman’s emotionless resistance or the Thunder Child’s selfless crew that destroyed two Martian tripods and saved countless lives?
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