I'm creating this appendix because even after 15 years, that damned series still haunts me.
It was a long time ago now, I had tried to finish off a fic where I had promised myself to tie up all the plots in such a way that I could finally sleep in peace. A grand program if there ever was one, and obviously a failure.
What prevents me from mourning is the skill with which the story was woven. Each episode gives us fascinating snippets of information, but at the same time, nothing ever leads anywhere; and revelations who trickle in, they often completely lose us.
But we know there's a larger plan, a brilliant plan, a magnificent plan in this intricately crafted plot. We know it, and it drives me crazy because we will never have the key to it. It's painful to live with this fact. Even so many years later... at least for me.
So from time to time, I rewatch the Chronicles and gather my new findings, nibbling away at my bits of intrigue.
I was at a point where I was trying to unravel the tangle of contradictory information about the resistance alliance. Specifically, I wanted to know who had invited the other to join first. The humains or the cyborgs?
One of the key scenes in this regard is when Allison is captured by Skynet and held prisoner on an aircraft carrier. Cameron appears before her like a sinister twin, and she speaks to Allison about the cyborg resistance, cyborgs who desire peace with humans. However, we don't know if this is true because Cameron could just as easily be on a mission for Skynet.
Regarding the question of the alliance, I didn't find any clues, but one detail I hadn't noticed struck me: the aircraft carrier. Its a scrap. So rundown and rusty you wonder how it's still afloat.
Skynet operating on this old shit? Isn't that a bit odd? It's the kind of thing that gives me the feeling of a loose end. And when I find a loose end, I can't help but pull on it.
Ultimately, pulling on this thread led me so far that I arrived at a theory that ties up all the plots. It didn't come to me in a flash; it took a lot of time and research, but unexpectedly, I ended up with a hypothesis that seemed plausible.
When you think you have a good theory, the next step is to present it to the fan community and, much like in medieval jousts, get your assertions knocked about in grand style. That's the obligatory passage for any respectable fan theory, and I intend to joust with this one.
If I may, however, I'd like to specify that I'm not on a mission for truth but for satisfaction. This unfinished series has driven me mad for too many years, and my goal is to reach a satisfying explanation. Not the true one. We probably won't ever have that. But a legitimate, sensitive, and logical explanation that personally allows me to finally sleep in peace; because is it possible to truly sleep without knowing the end of the Chronicles? No.
On a often noted that Josh Friedman changes his mind a lot. Some argue that he may not have the truth himself. As for the other seasons, I agree, but obviously, he has the keys to the puzzles he has already set up. For example, regarding the story of the submarine bringing back a frozen T-1001 in a box, there is certainly a solid explanation already in place. Only a madman would submit such complex puzzles without knowing the answers, and Friedman is certainly not crazy to that extent. On the contrary, he is meticulous and incredibly cunning. Hence our fascination.
So it is these intrigues that interest me and those I intend to try to explain. With all due humility, of course, and I confess, in the hope of not getting too demolished because all this work could allow me to finally put an end to this damn obsession. But these are just hopeful wishes because the only one who can joust hoping to be spared is the king. And we certainly call for his appearance in the arena, script in hand, so that we can cheerfully give him the victory.
That said, saddle up!
* Please note, English is not my first language. I apologize for any mistakes.
THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER
So, revisiting the scenes of Allison's capture, I was intrigued by the state of the ship. It's quite striking. It's in very bad shape. Faced with this ancient hulk, the first question that comes to mind is: would it really be conceivable for Skynet to use this old piece of junk?
Why would he? It's an old, crumbling contraption. In terms of performance, it's immediately clear that it's subpar and likely difficult to maneuver. Why bother with this debris? Skynet can build supersonic boats and entire fleets as he pleases.
Moreover, it makes even less sense for this wreck to house prisoners who could get close to John Connor, Skynet's ultimate target. One would wager that Skynet wouldn't keep such a precious captive on a rusty old boat. And if he did, it's absolutely certain that the security system wouldn't consist entirely of a net woven from rope.
When Allison escapes and manages to jump overboard, she's captured and hauled up with a rope net. Old brown jute rope with strands sticking out here and there. If she had had a sharp object, even a simple piece of iron, she could have easily cut that damn rope. So what's the security level here? 2 out of 10? Less? Have we ever seen Skynet let things go to this extent?
On the other hand, there might be the possibility that this is just a temporary setup used, for example, to hold prisoners until they are retrieved?
A difficult supposition to defend. Skynet has complete fleets of state-of-the-art flying or floating machines. He can show up anywhere in ten minutes, so it's hard to imagine why Allison would spend days on this boat.
Nothing adds up in this story.
Skynet using a rope net is like a nuclear power plant lighting its reactors with flint. It's Darth Vader wielding a baseball bat. It's capitain Kirk calling the Enterprise with a rotary phone. It's so Out of Character that only a novice who knows nothing could conceive of such heresy. That said, the Chronicles have never strayed from canon. Not once. Perfect track record.
(With the exception of course of Cromartie's head which borrows the bank's time machine without being covered in skin. However, this gross error is the work of FOX who, fearing that a human head would scandalize us, forced the scriptwriter to betray the rules. Consequently, this disgrace should not be attributed to the series but to the stupid scaring of the ignorant people at FOX by whom, ironically, the scandal finally arrived.)
A perfect journey then and suddenly Skynet which is at the height of his power would bring out an ancestral jute net borrowed from the Pirates of the Caribbean setting? Is it conceivable that the irreproachable Chronicles could make such a ridiculous mistake?
Let's be serious, there's much more chance that Mr. Spock finally does a striptease for us.
That being said, there's only one possible option: this aircraft carrier is not controlled by Skynet.
However, for the cyborg resistance...
For them, this hulk would be a damn good hideout. Especially if Skynet is unaware of their existence. Even if the boat is slow, it can be moved. It's large enough to set up a lab to cover a cyborg with skin. If you think about it, it would even be ideal for delivering a box containing a T-1001 to a remote oil platform in the Indonesian archipelago.
In fact, for the cyborg resistance, using an old aircraft carrier as an operational base would be perfectly logical.
However, one scene clearly opposes this theory.
When Allison arrives on the ship, an endoskeleton engraves a laser code on her arm. This tattoo has always been associated with Skynet's labor camps, and this detail suggests that we are indeed dealing with him.
Dear termi-readers, this detail is the perfect example to introduce the concept of false clues. Allow me to take a moment to discuss it.
THE MACHIAVELLIAN MANIPULATION OF SPECTATORS
The Chronicles use various clever techniques to mislead the spectators and keep us in the dark. But the most cunning and impressive technique is certainly that of the false clues.
The strategy is as follows: When there is a clue that should alert us, something that seems off and should attract our attention, the Chronicles conceal it by adding a detail capable of blinding us. Here, it is perfectly illogical that this old rickety boat is controlled by Skynet, but before we can notice, we see the endoskeleton engraving a code with a laser on Allison's arm, so without thinking too much, we take it for granted that we are dealing with Skynet. It's brilliant because, following this deduction, we are much less likely to notice that this old rotten boat is the opposite of everything we know about Skynet.
The Chronicles are extremely skilled at confusing us this way. They use classic tropes that normally guide us in the story but they pervert them to send us in the wrong direction.
This is a typical method of Dungeon & Dragon masters, who leave false clues and hide the real ones to mislead the players. In this way, if they want to find treasures rather than monsters, they need to stay alert.
It's a rather complex strategy that we don't often see in series; at least, not in such a subtle way. Normally, when a typical villain symbol appears, it means the villain is there. No need to look further. With such easy clues, our sense of observation dulls, and fooling us becomes all the easier.
However, once we notice the trick, we are able to identify the strategy. In the case of the laser code engraved on Allison's arm, it is about tracking prisoners. For this, not only has Skynet's method already proven effective, but unless it wants to announce its presence to everyone, it would be foolish to create a distinctive code. It is therefore in the cyber-resistance's interest to use the same codes as Skynet.
In other words, the laser code on the prisoners is not proof that this ship belongs to Skynet. It is a completely fabricated impression. A false clue.
Later, we will notice that Allison's murder presents the same characteristics. When Cameron explains to the young woman that she is part of the cyber-resistance, that she wants to help humans and make peace, we think that she might indeed be on the "good" side, except that a second later, she coldly kills Allison. This seems cruel to us, and we spontaneously deduce that she is ultimately on the bad side, Skynet's side.
This time, isn't it obvious, we immediately see the trap. The script subtly plays with morality. It dangles peace in front of us and then horribly and coldly sabotages what it just said, leaving us with the impression that this is typical murderous Skynet behavior.
And yet, the fact is that this murder indicates nothing at all. We know that if it serves her mission, Cameron will kill Allison coldly no matter which side she is on. However, thanks to these very clever false clues, we end the episode with the impression that this is not our Cameron but Skynet's cyborg. Even better, we are uncertain about what to believe and completely confused.
This is high-level manipulation. Because all this time, the answer was right in front of our eyes, shining like a neon sign: This boat is an old piece of junk. Consequently, the canon does not allow it to be controlled by Skynet. It is not a possibilities.
That said, we have every right to be in absolute disagreement with this conclusion. This conclusion is based on the fact that Skynet would be Out of character. From there, a counterargument would simply have to demonstrate that for Skynet, using such a vehicle is actually In character.
From my point of view, it would be like defending the idea that Batman is the type to leave his Batmobile in the garage to patrol Gotham in an old rusty car. That seems somewhat difficult to support, but who knows...
Until then, for our part, we adhere to the laws of probability, and according to these, if you possess entire fleets of amazing Batmobiles, the chances of you preferring to drive an old clunker that barely runs are infinitesimal.
I hope my termis-friends won't find that I'm going on too long. I assure you, I'm not always this obsessive. If we have studied this example in detail, it is because I wanted to highlight the strategy of false clues.
Since we find these kinds of clues scattered everywhere, they become a huge advantage for us. Once we know there are false clues, instead of falling into the trap, we use them to our advantage. A false arrow sends us to the left? We can be certain that something important is to the right.
Fortunately, if the Chronicles are somewhat Machiavellian, they are also good sports, and when we find a trap, they always give us a little wink that can confirm our intuition. For example, in the case we are dealing with, when Cameron appears in front of Allison like a nightmare twin, she compliments her on her hair: "Your hair is so beautiful. We worked very hard to replicate it."
Since Sky is not new to making wigs, the fact that he had to "work very hard" to replicate ordinary brown hair is certainly unexpected. Moreover, a cyborg that refers to itself and Skynet as "we" seems quite incongruous. On the other hand, this phrase makes perfect sense if it is from the cyber-resistance, who probably don't have the hair-making machines on the spot and who can certainly consider themselves as a group.
It could very well be a wink suggesting that we are dealing with the cyber-resistance.
Am I imagining all this? Who knows. No one is immune to a termi-psychosis. But I would tend to believe that I'm not inventing anything. Because we are not dealing with an ordinary screenwriter. We are dealing with a Dungeon Master and a particularly cunning one who has hidden his decoys with consummate art. Like any good master, he loves to see us suffer but is also magnanimous. If we manage to bypass the traps, he grants us what we are looking for.
From this perspective, we have managed to spot the allusions to Skynet that were meant to mislead us in the aircraft carrier. Therefore, we do not get lost, which allows us to find the hidden treasure in the ship: Crucial information.
The aircraft carrier belongs to the cyber-resistance.
If the aircraft carrier is controlled by the cyber-resistance, this implies that:
1- At that moment, Cameron is part of the cyber-resistance.
2- It is they who kidnapped and kill Allison.
3- Cameron's infiltration with John Connor was planned and organized by the cyber-resistance.
This information sets the quest in motion by giving us a direction.
Now, it's about finding the right path.
Thanks to the aircraft carrier, we have a clue that the cyber-resistance can establish its bases in isolated human constructions. Places in poor condition but functional, controlled by cyborgs.
Do we know of other places that possess these characteristics?
Yes. Two.
The oil platform where the submarine will retrieve the T-1001 frozen in a box. A decrepit, isolated human construction guarded by cyborgs. It is indeed a base of the cyber-resistance, confirming that these characteristics can be a distinctive sign of the latter.
The only other similar place we know of is the old house.
THE OLD HOUSE
I am of course talking about the house where Derek and other resistance fighters are taken after being captured. An isolated, abandoned place controlled by cyborgs. Furthermore, the security seems as deficient as that of the aircraft carrier, to the point where Derek manages to make a hole in the floor with just his fingernails.
Nonetheless, it is not excluded that Skynet might use such a shack to temporarily hold prisoners caught here and there. However, three clues suggest otherwise.
1- The first is that all the prisoners are released rather than killed.
Skynet would never release prisoners without a good reason. If it doesn't kill them, it would send them to a labor camp. Of course, we don't know the details of his plans, but the continuation of the story proves that the released resistance fighters are of no use to him. On the other hand, they serve Cameron, who sends them into the past.
2- It's a T-600 guarding the prisoners.
Considering that T-600s are not very bright, it's risky to have only one guarding a bunch of poorly restrained prisoners. Skynet surely doesn't lack T-800s to do the job, so why use this outdated model? The answer: it probably wouldn't. However, recycling old discontinued cyborgs is a specialty of the cyber-resistance.
3- The cyborg that captures Derek.
While Derek is observing endoskeletons, he gets captured by a T-800 cyborg and taken to the old shack. This Terminator – let's call it Thickhead – is seen shortly after in a resistance base. I imagine we haven't forgotten it. It's the one that starts shooting at everything that moves in the shelter in the middle of the night. Cameron manages to take it down and then turns to Derek and says, "Sometimes they go bad. We dont knows why."
So Thickhead, who captures Derek, is also part of the collection of reprogrammed Terminators of the cyber-resistance. Despite all this, it proves nothing. It could just be a popular model like Uncle Bob, for example. Nevertheless, bringing back Thickhead is a choice and since it's heavily emphasized, it's probably not without reason.
And one possible reason is that Thickhead creates a link between the events of the old house and the cyber-resistance.
However, all these arguments are circumstantial; they are not proofs. But there is another one that is absolutely decisive and, above all, undeniable.
JET ENGINES
Personally, I believe that the jet engines are the irrefutable evidence that proves beyond any doubt that all the events we witness in the future are entirely orchestrated by the cyber-resistance.
Here's why:
When Derek and the others leave the base to spot the Centaur patrol that is passing by, they are astonished to find that these are endoskeletons dragging a huge jet engine. Then, two HKs fly towards them, and they are captured by Thickhead.
While they are chained to the floor in the old house, HKs pass over them a few times. The second time, Derek observes the vehicle through the open door. It is carrying something suspended beneath it: a huge jet engine.
So this is the second time we see machines transporting these engines.
Later, we see jet engines one last time. At the end of the episode, Cameron takes Derek to a time machine, and all around the blue energy bubble are arranged, guess what? A dozen jet engines. This is why the machines were transporting the engines. They were gathered to provide the energy needed for the cyber-resistance's time machine. The machine that will send Derek and the others into the past.
Of course, we don't have proof that is the same jet engines.
But what are the chances that the jet engines transported by the machines have nothing to do with the jet engines powering the cyber-resistance's time machine?
Frankly, none whatsoever. It's not every day that you see machines carrying jet engines. If a giant inflatable octopus floats by my balcony and right next to it is the Giant Inflatable Octopus Festival, what are the chances that this octopus has no connection to the festival? It seems illogical to give even the slightest chance to that idea.
According to canon, by 2027, Skynet is fully operational. Therefore, he doesn't need old human scraps to power his operations. There is no conceivable reason why he would waste time recycling junk. Similarly, if I have a working electric kettle, there is no chance I'd go through the trouble of gathering pieces of wood furniture to light a trash fire in the yard for heat water.
Therefore, these jet engines can only be gathered by the cyber-resistance. This means that at all the moments when we see jet engines, we are dealing with the cyber-resistance. When the endoskeletons are pulling the engine, when Thickhead captures Derek, and in the old house that the HK flies over, it is the cyber-resistance. Skynet has nothing to do with these events.
This seems relatively indisputable.
In other words, everything has been planned and executed by the cyber-resistance. They are the ones who abducted Derek and the soldiers. They are the ones who abducted and killed Allison.
But why?
NOCTURNE IN C-SHARP MINOR
The heart of this enigma lies in the basement of the old house.
One after another, the prisoners are taken downstairs to be interrogated. Unfortunately, we don't know who is conducting these interrogations, an essential piece of information that could illuminate the entire plot.
But within this maze of intertwined stories with a cunning touch, there is a crucial clue: a merciful gift from the writer to the poor mortal obsessives: Chopin's Nocturne in C-sharp Minor.
We hear this piece in three different episodes:
1- During the glitch when Cameron believes she is Allison. She calls Allison's pregnant mother and interrupts her while she is playing the piece on the piano.
This music is therefore associated with Allison, who grew up hearing her mother play it.
2- When Cameron infiltrates a ballet class. At the end of the episode, she dances to this piece alone in her room, under Derek's astonished gaze. Cameron was introduced to this piece through Allison during the interrogation on the aircraft carrier, and later listens to it by choice, in a context that seems to indicate a personal preference.
This music is therefore associated with Cameron.
3- When the prisoners in the old shack hear this piece several times coming from the interrogation room in the basement. This music thus links Cameron to the interrogation room in the old house.
In other words, if we hear this music in that room, it's certainly because Cameron is in that room.
Furthermore, when Derek sees her upon arriving at Serrano Point, he recognizes her as a cyborg because he starts shouting "machine!" To know it's a machine, he must have previously encountered her with Alisson face in a context where her cybernetic nature was unmistakable. And the only place where he could have met her in such a context is in the interrogation room of the old house.
A few other details also support this, but it is unnecessary to mention them since the vast majority of fans agree that it must be Cameron who conducted the interrogations at the old shack.
Given this, we are right to consider it pratically certain.
The remaining question is why Derek and the others were abducted by the cyber-resistance.
THE BRACELETS
Yes, the bracelets. Of course.
These are the ones that allow soldiers to enter the base.
The soldiers captured in the house are high-ranking, and the last scene of the series suggests that Allison is part of this group in the future. If she has a bracelet, it's certain that Derek, being one of John's top soldiers, also has one, and probably the other members of the group as well. Moreover, in all the scenes of this narrative arc, great care is taken to hide the wrists of all the soldiers, and even though Derek gets a tattoo on his wrist, we never see his other wrist.
This would perfectly explain where Cameron got the famous bracelets she shows Allison during the interrogation on the boat.
In fact, everything fits together from A to Z: from the aircraft carrier scene with Allison and Cameron, to the old house scene with Derek, to the jet engines, and the reprogrammed Terminators.
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
The final argument I would add to this mountain of evidence is a very interesting comment that accompanies the last episode of the second season. In this episode, John Henry and Mr. Murch are in the lab playing a game of Dungeons & Dragons.
"Dungeons & Dragons is very important. We have an episode called Dungeons & Dragons, and here we have a reminder. It's our little visual pun."
This comment indicates that Dungeons & Dragons, the episode we just analyzed, has particular significance.
As highlighted earlier, in The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Josh Friedman seems to act like a Dungeon Master, sprinkling clues, trapping us, confusing us, and rewarding us, rather than just being a straightforward storyteller.
Here, this little gem of a comment proves that this is indeed the case. It also allows us to see the kind of subtle clues the master has hidden for us everywhere. And here, the subtlety … well, it really required knowing its there to see it.
In this scene, the fact that John Henry and Mr. Murch are playing Dungeons & Dragons is therefore a "reminder" of the episode Dungeons & Dragons. It's a "visual pun" because D&D is very important. In other words, it's a clue that this episode has special significance.
And as we've just seen, it's precisely the episode that provides proof that everything we see in the future of 2027 is solely the work of the cyber-resistance.
A mere coincidence?
For my part, I would say no.
WHAT SEEMS CERTAIN
Once it's established that these scenes involve the cyber-resistance, let's see how the story unfolds from this perspective.
The aircraft carrier is a base of the cyber-resistance. The cyber-resistance orchestrates Cameron's infiltration and thus abducts Allison. Allison is taken to the aircraft carrier, interrogated, and Cameron is given her appearance.
However, it's necessary to verify the information provided by the prisoner.
During the transport of the jet engines, which will be used to power the time machine, the cyber-resistance encounters human resistance fighters (by chance or intentionally, as Allison likely provided the location of the camp). They capture them and take them to the old house, a temporary base of operations. Meanwhile, the transport of the jet engines continues. Cameron goes to the house, interrogates the prisoners—including Derek—and learns about the bracelets.
Cameron then returns to the aircraft carrier, shows the bracelets to Allison as proof of her deception, and then kills her. Following this, she infiltrates the resistance, and John accepts her among them.
Everything is explained, everything falls into place, everything aligns perfectly. The logic is simple and irrefutable. The jet engines are transported for the cyber-resistance, so wherever we see the jet engines, it is the cyber-resistance at work.
We can thus say with what appears to be certainty that in all scenes involving the jet engines, it is only the cyber-resistance. Skynet is not present. Nowhere. At no point.
This seems certain to me.
Nevertheless, let's leave room for disagreement. It is always good to consider that we might be wrong.
Who knows? Perhaps someone might argue that the old aircraft carrier is a Skynet base of operations, even though it's out of character. But one would need to explain how Skynet would entrust the security of such an important prisoner to an old rope net, how endoskeletons transporting engines for the cyber-resistance could act under Skynet's orders, and why Skynet would use rusty old T-600s when it has armies of T-800s at his disposal. All the elements that have been raised and which all point in the same direction would also need to be refuted.
But nothing is impossible, and it could make for a great fan fiction: "Skynet and the Old Jute Net. An Forbidden Love," Rated M.
More seriously, I might have missed a small detail. We all know the feeling of having an invulnerable theory, only to have someone say, "Did you consider this?" Um … No. And suddenly everything falls apart. I've really explored the question thoroughly, but it's never impossible.
But until a counter-explanation arises, I'm inclined to believe that The Chronicles provide evidence that all the machines we see in 2027 belong to the cyber-resistance. All without exception.
That said, I seem to be asserting that the point is indisputable, but that's not the case. Other theories might potentially explain all these elements and arrive at completely different or even opposing conclusions.
However, what is certain is that this theory perfectly clarify the story, explaining the entire intrigue. It shows how events are connected, the timeline on which they occurred, and reaches a logical conclusion I hadn't seen coming. Nothing is left out, everything fits, everything aligns 100%.
Thus, this theory can be classified among those that have arrived at a very compelling result. Of course, this is said with all humility. Because all we've done is pull on the thread of the aircraft carrier. And it has led us much further than we could have imagined.
When everything fits together so perfectly, it's tempting to see it as a glimmer of truth. But it's a temptation that it would be vain to give in to. The law states that as long as Josh Friedman hasn't given it to us, no one will have the truth. … Which, however, does not stop us from seeking it.
And in this quest, I will rely on the very plausible hypothesis that all the machines we see in 2027 belong to the cyber-resistance.
SKYNET IN 2027
When we viewed the scenes of the future in the series, we assumed that the machines, cyborgs, attacks, etc., were all the work of Skynet. Everything seemed normal. However, we now know that it is highly possible that everything we see might actually be the work of the cyber-resistance.
So, what about Skynet?
In the remaining future episodes, we see one machine and hear about two:
1- We see a Skynet HK in a brief reenactment of the 2006 Serrano Point attack by the human resistance.
2- During the Kansas Bunker battle, where Martin Bedell is killed, soldiers describe a CT-Tank with wagons transporting prisoners. The battle doesn't have an official date, but since we never hear about this battle or Bedell in 2027, it's almost certain these events occurred before.
3- The crew of the USS Jimmy Carter submarine mentions being attacked by a "kraken," Skynet units patrolling the ocean.
That's it. Two old battles that occurred before 2027 and thus have no bearing on our current timeline. Then, we have just a kraken on the loose. A kraken. That's all.
Yet, Skynet has never been one to be discreet. In fact, he's always been at the center of the story. In 2007, it's clear that Skynet is at work. We recognize his style, his kind of plans, attacks, infiltration, etc. Who doubts that Skynet is active in 2007? No one.
However, in 2027, we can't attribute anything to him with certainty—except for a kraken lost in the ocean (and two other attacks we will discuss later). This is quite astonishing.
In fact, it almost makes one wonder if Skynet is even there.
THE TIMELINE OF VICTORY
Based on all these elements and the clues we've gathered, I propose a theory that might explain everything. The entire series:
The future we see in 2027 is the future of victory over Skynet. The cyber-resistance has won, and Skynet has been defeated.
At first glance, this might seem like a strange idea, but everyone would agree that if Skynet ultimately loses, a timeline of victory would inevitably exist. And this timeline could very well be the one in 2027.
Personally, I never would have thought of such a thing. What leads me to this hypothesis are the clues we have already gathered.
These clues tend to prove that only the cyber-resistance exists in 2027, and if Skynet is not present, I see only one possibility: the cyber-resistance has won.
At first glance, it seems unlikely for a very simple reason: the war is not over in 2027.
However, it seems that once again this might be a false clue; a well-thought-out trap.
The point is that if the war against Skynet were won in 2027, the victory itself would not be secure.
Those who need to return to the past to maintain the timeline have not yet left. Kyle and the others are still all in 2027. Yes, we found the winning formula, but we absolutely must send the ingredients back to the past for the timeline to be preserved.
And for that, the war must absolutely continue.
Imagine if humans knew that Skynet was defeated. Everyone would rejoice, celebrate, everything we had hoped for would become possible… Who would then be interested in going back to the past to get slaughtered? The circumstances are different, so this time Derek might very well refuse to go. In that case, what do we do? Do we throw him forcefully into the time machine? I would say he's unlikely to appreciate it, and the Chronicles could be radically rewritten. Timeline 2: Derek at the beach not giving a damn about the mission. And even if Derek agreed to be killed for the greater good, he wouldn't leave with the same mindset, which would change his actions. The same goes for all the soldiers.
If we want to be certain that the victory is maintained, humans must be unaware that it is won; otherwise, we're gambling. Given such a stake, the cyber-resistance wouldn't gamble at all. They would take the only guaranteed course: to recreate the same sequence of events, the conditions must be the same. This means that the cyber-resistance would necessarily maintain the appearance of the war until everyone has left.
It's the most basic logic.
So, we've identified and defused the trap: the presence of the war proves nothing at all.
Thus, all the clues we have allow us to consider that the future we see might be one of victory.
Wouldn't that be crazy? What a shocking twist.
It seems to me that this would be exactly the kind of thing the series would do to give us such a shock.
But for now, these are just speculations, so let's see if the story can really support this theory.
First, let's look at an astonishing clue for which we have no certain explanation.
THE T-1000s
A detail that has stirred up rivers of keyboard clacking is the models of Terminators sent to the past by Skynet.
To our knowledge, Skynet does not send anything more advanced than T-888s. This means that not a single T-1000 is sent.
How is this possible?
Why wouldn't Skynet send his T-1000s in 2007 if he has already sent one in 1994? With Weaver, we can see for ourselves how much of an advantage it would give him. Everyone would agree that if Skynet sent an army of T-1000s, everything would be doomed for us.
So why doesn't he ?
Skynet will inevitably create them (Weaver is proof of that) and could thus send plenty of T-1000s to the past if he wanted to.
If we return to the victory timeline hypothesis, this situation is easily explained: Skynet simply never creates them. In other words, in the T2 timeline, he arrived at the time when the T-1000s were created; in the Chronicles timeline, he does not. And the only way he does not arrive there is if the war was won before he got there.
But of course, other reasons could very well explain the absence of the T-1000s.
The most commonly accepted explanation among fans is that T-1000s are difficult to control and are more prone to autonomy (Weaver being a good example), and therefore are less reliable than the 800 series. For this reason, Skynet would have ceased their production.
This is perfectly logical and plausible.
But in my humble opinion, this solution has a small flaw. If the T-1000s proved to be unmanageable to the point of discontinuing them, why would Skynet create the T-1001s?
Another solution could be that Skynet know of Weaver's arrival and the cyber-resistance. In this case, Skynet in 2027 might have decided not to create T-1000s, or if they were already created, to cease production and destroy the stock models before using them.
Personally, I don't see many other possibilities. If Skynet does not send any T-1000s, either the war was won before he invented them, or he did not create them because somehow these models represent a threat to him.
Otherwise, what else? Does he not send them out of kindness? To give humans a chance, perhaps. A very romantic pathos to read in the fic: "Skynet and the sentimental algorithm that messed up the timeline," Hurt/comfort.
I'm joking, but in fact, it's serious.
In Terminator Vault, a book written by Ian Nathan and Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Cameron says that according to him, Skynet felt guilty for almost exterminating humanity and is trying to redeem itself by allowing the existence of John Connor and the resistance.
… Okaaaay.
Let's say this really raises a lot of questions about why he still sends plenty of machines to kill Connor. I say this just as a side note, but maybe James Cameron is softening a bit with age. Like George Lucas with his Star Wars remakes (It was Han Solo who shot FIRST!). However, since the Chronicles are perfectly faithful to the canon, our favorite series would definitely take this opinion into account.
Fortunately, the Chronicles aired in 2008 and Terminator Vault was published in 2013, which spares us from having to consider this opinion. Thank God. I mean… where is the world going, I ask you. Anyway, let's discard a guilty and repentant Skynet. In the Chronicles, this possibility is null and void.
So, where were we?
We said that the absence of T-1000s could indicate that we are in the victory timeline because if Skynet does not use them, it might be because he lost the war before he could create them.
Of course, there could be other reasons for the absence of T-1000s, but among the few logical possibilities, the victory scenario is undoubtedly one of them.
This is the path we will follow here.
Especially since it sheds light on and could even explain one of the most baffling enigmas of the entire series.
An epic that we will address in the next chapter.