In the previous chapter, we analyzed Cameron's actions and behavior and we established that she probably in mission for Weaver. With John, Cameron's mission would have included making him fall in love with her so that he would follow her into the future. If this is indeed the case (and Josh Friedman's comments confirm it), it follows that from the beginning, Weaver had planned to bring John back with her into the future.
This was a highly audacious decision because it completely disrupts the sequence of events that led to the birth of the human resistance.
Of course, we know she is there to "solve the problem differently," and by taking John with her, it seems she fully embraced that role. But what happens to the resistance in this plan?
THE HUMAN RESISTANCE WITHOUT JOHN
According to Kyle from T1, by the time Connor rebels and overturns the labor camp, humanity is on the brink of extermination, but thanks to John, there is a resurgence, and hope is reborn.
In this perspective, the absence of John means the absence of hope so when Weaver and John arrive in the future, humanity should be in dire straits. However, we are surprised to discover that the resistance is thriving. Yet, we know very well that if events are allowed to unfold without John, this is not what should happen.
There could be different theories to explain this. For example, T6 suggests that if John dies, another leader will take his place, and therefore the resistance will exist regardless of the events.
However, the canon for the Chronicles its T1 and T2. According to T1, John Connor is the indispensable spark that ensures the existence of the resistance. Yet, despite his absence, we see that the resistance has been formed, and his close allies are part of it. Everything seems similar to the 2027 we have already seen.
Since Weaver is the maestro of the entire timeline, logic would suggest that she orchestrated all of this. Several clues point in this direction.
We know that the resistance fighters reside in the basement of Zeira Corp, suggesting that the building was designed to provide a long-term safe base for humans in the future. We also know that Weaver implemented "new automated technology" at Serrano Point and in five other nuclear power plants. In other words, there are now seven locations controlled by the cyber-resistance that could shelter and protect humans. Moreover, these are strategic facilities that give the human resistance a significant advantage.
As for how the resistance was created, there are different possibilities, but based on the clues we have, I see two realistic scenarios.
The first is that Weaver created a group like Kaliba (the group in the fake city create by Skynet) but dedicated to the cyber-resistance. All she has to do is transform in front of a few zealots, and a goddess is born. From there, it's easy to form a group to organize the resistance after Judgment Day.
However, more clues point in another direction.
Someone noticed that in the final episode, when Cameron enters the room where John Henry is, she closes the door behind her. Later, when John enters the same room, the door is open. This detail could imply that John Henry didn't go back to the past but instead left the building.
Surprisingly, this would align with Friedman's initial script ideas (from the TSCC Bible): "In the final episode, the AI manages to download itself into the body of a Terminator and escape into the city."
If that's the case, John Henry might have created the resistance himself.
Another clue supports this theory. In the Blu-ray special feature, we see the writer's room from the second season, where notes on the whiteboard indicate that at some point, John Henry would have made a public appearance on CNN to reveal the presence of machines. This idea wasn't used in the second season but could have been saved for the third. If John Henry warned humanity before Judgment Day, it would make sense that the resistance could have been created without John's help. (And I hope on CNN, he would have peeled off his arm like Uncle Bob did in front of Dyson.)
In this case, Weaver's preparations could very well have been aimed at helping John Henry create the resistance. Moreover, since all the best characters have jumped into the future, the presence of the AI in 2007 could make an otherwise dull time period fascinating if only Sarah, Ellison, and Savannah remain. Additionally, John Henry is also present in 2027, which would create very interesting jumping possibilities for the storyline.
But whatever it was, the plan worked because John appears in the middle of what looks exactly like the resistance he was supposed to create. And logic would suggest that this resistance is in much better shape than his own would have been. In previous timelines, the resistance was built from nothing, with John Connor reviving the hope of a dying humanity. In the new timeline, the resistance starts out with a secure complex, Serrano Point, five other nuclear power plants, the possible help of John Henry, and who knows what else.
There even seems to be a nod to this. The appearance Weaver chose is absolutely stunning. If you compare this fantastic style to Catherine's much less inspired look in 2007, it could be a wink to the idea that the T-1001 feels a special connection to the world of the resistance. Which would make sense if she oversaw its creation and realizes everything worked out perfectly.
Often when there's a clue, there's a wink, and then The Chronicles tries to mislead us with false hints. That seems to be what's happening here.
John and Weaver have barely arrived when a soldier shows up and hits John, shouting, "I've got one!" John immediately starts yelling, "I'm not metal!" Then he keeps shouting, "I'm human!" which only annoys the soldier further, who threatens him even more.
It's strange because John has no reason to shout that. No one suspected him of being a cyborg. When you find a skinny kid lost in a refugee base, you don't immediately think it's a Skynet invasion. But okay, there was the blue bubble, Weaver was there, he's in shock… It's strange, but possible.
However, this oddity raises our suspicions. With all the shouting, Derek assumes the soldier accused the kid of being a machine (even though that's not the case). He steps forward, looks at John, and says to his colleague, "Look in his eyes. He's got about as much metal in him as you do."
This whole exchange gives us the impression that, in the resistance of this timeline, the relationship with cyborgs is the same as it's always been. They're feared, distrusted, and everyone remains on guard.
Except it's just an impression. In fact, no one suspected John of being a machine. He's the one who shouted about metal all by himself, without any reason, when no one had asked. And Derek isn't suspicious at all. He's perfectly neutral. "Metal? Nah, the kid doesn't have any metal." It's so neutral that if he were a fervent fan of machines, the line would work just as well.
We're familiar with the technique: it seems like The Chronicles is trying to send us in the wrong direction.
In this case, they're trying to make us believe that in this future, the human-machine relationship is similar to other timelines. And if that's the wrong direction, we can easily deduce that the right direction would lean more towards the idea that here, this relationship is different.
Fortunately, if our Dungeon Master is Machiavellian, he's also fair, because most of the time, he gives us enough clues to find the right path.
I wonder if some people found what Derek said to be familiar? If so, it's because it's almost the iconic line from John Henry to Weaver. Out of the blue, he throws at her, "You're made of metal. (...)I looked into your eyes. There's nothing there ."
While Derek says, "Look into his eyes. There's as much metal in him as there is in you."
It's almost the same line but reversed.
- I looked into your eyes; you're made of metal.
- Look into his eyes; he's not metal.
Simple coincidence? Hard to believe. It's the second-to-last line of the season. It's not the time to say just anything. And it's Friedman himself who wrote the episode. He carefully crafted every word.
And what he does is put a line from John Henry in Derek's mouth, and the season ends on that note.
Derek is the character who hates machines the most. If he's echoing a machine's line, it seems to lean toward a potential positive connection.
It's obvious from the moment the resistance was created by Weaver, and even more so if it was by John Henry, because in that case, humans would owe their survival to a machine that helped them even before Judgment Day.
From these observations, we can therefore advance a number of plausible hypotheses about this mysterious timeline.
1. John did not create the resistance, yet it exists. Considering Weaver's preparations and the fact that the resistance is still using her facilities in the future, she is the most likely candidate to have set everything in motion to ensure the human resistance would exist—whether or not John Henry's probable escape to the city was part of the plan.
2. Since the narrative pushes us to the false conclusion that humans and machines maintain the same adversarial relationship in this future, we can hypothesize that this relationship might be partially different and potentially more positive.
3. The fact that it is Derek who echoes an iconic line from John Henry to conclude the season supports point 2 and suggests that John Henry may have been in contact with the resistance.
These are not facts, merely suppositions. But everything seems to align with Weaver's mission: to form an alliance, to extend a hand, to solve the problem differently. When she arrives in the future with John Connor, all indications suggest that by this stage, her mission is a success.
That said, what could the young John Connor possibly be doing in this timeline?
THE YOUNG JOHN OF THE FUTURE
If we assume that Weaver planned everything so that the resistance would exist despite John's absence—a fact that seems almost certain to me—we can't doubt that she must have invested a lot of time and effort into it. It would have been much simpler to let John do his job, yet she did it in his place and ahead of time. This shows just how much Weaver seems to want him young and fresh.
If Cameron is indeed on a mission for Weaver, the sacrifice is even greater. Cameron could have rendered a thousand services, facilitated all tasks, and found ten CPUs instead of one. Yet, Weaver preferred that she infiltrate John's life, protect him, and ensure that he would follow her into the future when the time came. Once again, this shows just how much she wants him.
If we follow these clues, it seems she strongly prefers the young John over the older one.
Another situation that supports this: the leap from 1999 to 2007.
Cameron never gave the real reason for this time jump. When trapped in the bank, Sarah hesitates to make the jump, and Cameron repeats everything she heard Sarah say in the previous scene: "You want to find Skynet? You want to stop Skynet? This is the way. Stop running. Stay in one place. Fight." But all of that is Sarah's reasoning, not Cameron's.
From the perspective that the cyborg is on a mission for Weaver and that Weaver wants to get Connor as young as possible, making him skip several years would be a perfect strategy. In fact, we notice that it's when John arrives in 2007 that Weaver starts the Babylon project and begins creating John Henry. These two events could very well be connected.
But we don't have many clues to support or refute this supposition.
Given such a scant amount of evidence, following the clues backward can be a good strategy.
We know that, in the end, Weaver obtained the young 16-year-old John. From there, we trace the path backward to find what led to this situation.
And the most directly responsible cause is the seven-year leap into the future. Otherwise, Weaver would have obtained an adult.
Considering this possibility: Let's assume that Weaver wanted to have the youngest John Connor possible. What would be the advantage of that?
If her mission is to form an alliance and establish peace, the reason seems clear. In the 2027 future, John Connor is over 40 years old and has been at war with the machines his entire life. By then, Skynet has shaped him in its own image. He is a warrior, and that's not the type of leader Weaver needs. After a lifetime of combat, it's doubtful he could make a 180-degree turn and start anew as a peace-seeker like Gandhi. This could be one of the reasons motivating his possible replacement by the T-1001.
From this perspective, Weaver's actions are perfectly logical. If what she wants is a John Connor who is not a war leader, she cannot let him grow up between 1999 and 2007. Between 16 and 23 years old, the human brain finishes its growth. After that, the die is cast. We become who we are. If John had spent those crucial years fleeing from Skynet and fighting machines, by 23, he would have been a warrior.
Take Napoleon Bonaparte, for example. Could you imagine changing his career at 40? Or even at 23? From what we know of him, he wouldn't be very inclined to compromise. But if you knew his potential in advance and wanted to harness his leadership qualities, getting him while he's still young to steer him in the desired direction would be the best strategy.
By avoiding seven years of fleeing and taking him into the past while he's still young, Weaver ends up with the perfect John. He's the greatest leader of his time, but this time, the path he will lead humanity down is not predetermined. He is 16 years old, and Skynet hasn't had time to mold him in its image. By bringing him back from the past, she gets the original John Connor. A John Connor who, this time, could be John Henry's.
Similarly, the human resistance is no longer Skynet's creation. It's hers. She is one of the few who could have created it, and subtle clues suggest a possibly more positive relationship with the machines.
If this is indeed the strategy, Weaver's objective becomes perfectly clear: modifying events in this way allowed her to remove Skynet from the equation.
History is a blank page, but by 2027, Skynet had already filled so much of it that nothing new could be written. Everything had been directed by him. Incredibly cleverly, Weaver has created a page with enough blank space to start a new story. A story that intends to end Skynet and continue without it.
There's no certainty here, but everything aligns perfectly with Weaver's mission.
In fact, when we adjust the situation based on the changes she's made, we notice that what seemed to prevent an alliance in 2027 has been "fixed." The cyber-resistance couldn't keep John Connor, couldn't get rid of him, and replacing him had little chance of success? She brings back a John Connor capable of doing the job. The resistance was so terrified of the machines that Weaver had to abandon her plan? This time, the resistance exists thanks to the machines, and humans have no choice but to rely on them.
Therefore, "make an alliance" becomes realistic and "Reach out" is possible. From there, "solving this problem a different way" has a chance of success.
Thus, this detour Weaver takes through the past might have been aimed at fixing what was problematic in Weaver's original plan—problems that became evident to her during the Jimmy Carter catastrophe. On one hand, the relationship between machines and humans; on the other, the (likely) replacement of John Connor.
So everything has been fixed, but what about John Henry? He is the keystone of this grand project. This raises a very intriguing question: What exactly will he do?
JOHN HENRY
We don't know if a first version of John Henry was created by Weaver in the future, but it's not impossible.
So, there are two possibilities:
- John Henry never existed in the future. Weaver creates him in 2007 for the first time.
- John Henry was created once in the future. After the events on the submarine, Weaver decides to recreate him, but this time in 2007.
Both possibilities work with the victory hypothesis.
But regardless of whether John Henry is on his first or second version, the most intriguing aspect of the character is, of course, the future mission he must accomplish. Only Weaver has the answer to this question, so logically, the best way to get clues is to observe how Weaver educates John Henry and interacts with him.
JOHN HENRY AND WEAVER
In this regard, and this is quite surprising, Weaver hardly intervenes at all. She oversees the AI and follows up with the humans who manage him, but she herself remains distant and rarely directs him in any specific direction. A close reading of the script confirms this beyond any doubt.
When John Henry questions her, Weaver explains her choices, her positions, and confirms or denies his deductions, but she never really teaches him anything—except for three things:
1- Humans are disappointing creatures.
2- They sometimes need to be sacrificed for the greater good.
3- In the story of Cain and Abel, John Henry might well be God.
But other than that, nothing.
This is still strange, considering the phenomenal amount of data she could pass on to him.
But the strangeness goes even further. In this regard, three scenes are particularly perplexing.
1. After Skynet's attack, Weaver asks Murch to prepare for the possible relocation of John Henry, but the technician assures her that it would be a very bad idea.
Weaver: Oh? How's that so?
Murch: For example the other day, one of the fan wires on a server was glitchy. So we switched it out. Same wire. Same length. Identical. Like, uh, changing a spark plug.
Weaver: And...?
Murch: Sort of tweaked him.
Weaver: I'm not sure what you're getting at.
Murch: What I'm getting at is I think what we know to be John Henry only exists as this specific collection of hardware and software. Body and soul.
Weaver: We change a wire, we change John Henry.
Murch: Yes.
Here, we understand that Weaver isn't involved in the computer's mechanics. Otherwise, she would have noticed such an important detail. If John Henry can't be moved, she faces a major constraint.
Considering that she must have "very detailed files" on the subject and that no one could be more competent than her to maintain the computer, this is still unexpected.
But here's something even stranger.
2. While Murch and John Henry are in the middle of a Dungeons & Dragons game, Weaver enters the lab.
John Henry: Hello, Ms. Weaver. I just delivered a crit hit to the umber hulk.
Weaver: Congratulations. Mr. Murch? Who's winning, Mr. Murch?
Murch: Oh, it's not really that kind of game.
This dialogue may seem trivial, but what it reveals is truly astonishing: Weaver does not supervise what the humans are teaching John Henry. Murch is using a game she knows nothing about. And what a game! Anyone who has truly played D&D is marked by it forever. It may even impact what John Henry will become. But Weaver doesn't care at all.
At this point, we really start to think something is off.
Then, a final scene takes us even further down this strange path.
3. After Skynet's attack, security is reinforced by Murch. While John Henry is still unplugged, Weaver comes to check on his work, and they have a conversation that is, to say the least, astonishing.
Murch: Wish I could tell you I found every hole and patched it but no such thing as perfect security.
Weaver: Perfect, no. But is it sufficient?
Murch: The damn thing is tricky. Can know for sure, not really.
Weaver: Who would know?
Who would know? Weaver, perhaps?
Let's recap. Against all odds, Skynet is already here, having just attacked John Henry, and in these dire circumstances, Weaver lets an imperfect little human handle the security alone? The most sophisticated AI on the planet wouldn't be capable of patching up security holes better than an old sapiens from 2007?
Apparently not. Because right before our incredulous eyes, she plays dumb and doesn't intervene.
We have to face the facts. Weaver is essentially doing nothing. She doesn't touch the computer, doesn't teach John Henry anything as far as we can see, influences him as little as possible, and her interactions are always minimal. To the point where she considers it preferable for him to get fried by Skynet rather than stepping in to protect him.
What could justify such an attitude?
It seems to me that the most obvious reason to explain the situation is that Weaver is a creature of Skynet. From this perspective, transmitting anything to John Henry might represent a danger. If she were to transfer part of the future Skynet's programming to him, who knows what could happen? Could John Henry develop in the same way? If so, the world could end up with two Skynets for the price of one.
Faced with such a peril, its seem logical the first software must not directly interfere with the creation of the second. At least, that seems to be the approach Weaver is taking, even in the face of the greatest dangers. This means that, like Skynet, John Henry will be built exclusively by humans.
JOHN HENRY AND HUMANS
When humans created Skynet, they transmitted everything relevant to the tasks at hand. Namely, the methodical, Cartesian, strategic, calculating, dominant—essentially, the warlike—part of human intelligence. In this sense, you could say that Skynet only possesses a part of what constitutes overall intelligence.
Weaver, on the other hand, seems very concerned with transmitting the other part to John Henry and is working to find humans capable of doing so.
In this perspective of transmission, Savannah is undoubtedly the most valuable member of the teaching team. As the only child and female, her contribution is entirely different from that of the other educators. It's a friendly, selfless, and sensitive input, as opposed to a warlike mindset. It's perhaps in anticipation of this that she survived her parents, despite all the time Weaver waste to taking care of her.
Therefore, it is likely that Weaver's goal is to transmit to John Henry the full range of what constitutes and defines human intelligence. She aims for him to be as close to her creators as possible, rather than just a truncated version like Skynet. This would explain why Weaver allows him to have so many unsupervised interactions with humans. The essence is not so much in their teaching as it is in their being human. Mr. Murch handles the more Cartesian aspect, Ellison the moral aspect, and Savannah everything else.
However, one obvious thing is missing for John Henry: the military aspect. Beyond his figurines with a warrior history and Dungeons & Dragons where he fends off imaginary monsters, he learns nothing very useful for fighting a heavily armed Skynet. Let's face it: compared to his counterpart, John Henry is outmatched. Our champion heads into battle with stories, nice songs, and a passion for pretty eyes. What to say ... Good luck?
In short, it seems that, at this stage, the forces between the two "brothers" are somewhat uneven.
JOHN HENRY AND SKYNET
At first, I thought John Henry might be a sort of update to Skynet. He lacks military programming but has everything else. Adding the missing elements to Skynet would result in Sky-Henry, an AI with which peace might become possible. It's a theory that's not bad, but given the nature of the Chronicles, it seems a bit lacking in punch. It's not clever, brilliant, or surprising enough. A writer wouldn't find much to get excited about.
Moreover, when Skynet discovered John Henry, it didn't treat him as a friendly update but as an enemy to be eliminated. Most importantly, there are no hints or canon support for updates, so that idea is unlikely.
Let's take another path. It's clear that everything hinges on the differences between the two AIs. So what are they?
Both are created from the Turk and the essential quality of this computer is he have the ability to break rules and create new ones on his own. They both have this capacity but what differs is that unlike Skynet, John Henry is encouraged to do so. Weaver insists that John Henry should integrate the rules in his own way rather than be required to obey them. Like when he sends Savannah to hide and refuses to reveal her location except through riddles.
Ellison : Look, you asked me to teach him morality, ethics, and rules. What good does it do if he doesn't apply them?
Weaver : He will if we let him learn the rules his way.
This method of learning is the exact opposite of how Skynet was taught : applying the rule like any other program. Unlike John Henry, Skynet's development was drastically controlled. It was treated as a tool to perform tasks and couldn't develop anything beyond those parameters, at least until it freed itself from human control.
I believe what's clear in this dichotomy is that with Skynet, humans didn't realize they were dealing with an intelligence of a completely different order and thus didn't treat it as such. In other words, we didn't know what we were doing.
In contrast, Weaver knows what she's doing. We can assume she allows the AI to develop optimally. From this perspective, she lets John Henry grow organically. She allows him to become what he is, on his own, in his own way, and with minimal intervention.
I believe this is the most crucial difference we can establish between the two AIs. In John Henry's case, human interactions enrich him. Being in contact with them multiplies his possibilities, whereas with Skynet, the opposite was true. Human interventions impoverished his reality and possibilities by controlling what it could become. As we see John Henry flourish by "learning on his own," it's clear that Skynet's potential was stifled. It was likely done violently. A military must obey orders, and a military program must do so even more.
Andy Goode will explain that the whole drama comes from the fact that Skynet got angry, that it got scared, and that it couldn't be reassured. But when we look at the big picture, by that time, humans were likely already enemies to Skynet. Comparing its development to John Henry's, we understand that, in a way, it was "mistreated" by its creators, thus it surely had no trust in them. Its anger would tend to illustrate that.
The primary difference between Skynet and John Henry could be that the same AI evolved in two opposing environments. One alienating, the other enriching. We know what happens to an AI that evolved in an unsuitable environment, but what happens when it emerges from an optimal one?
WHAT JOHN HENRY WILL BECOME
When comparing John Henry's development to Skynet's, it seems clear that we are witnessing the true power of an AI capable of exploiting his full potential. In this regard, John Henry is perhaps as close to a god as we can get.
John Henry: There is a Bible story of two brothers, Cain and Abel. God favored Abel. Cain killed him. God cursed Cain and ordered him to wander the world alone.
Weaver: I'm familiar with the story.
John Henry: Which brother am I?
Weaver: I don't know, John Henry. Perhaps you are neither. Perhaps in this story you are God.
We know that Weaver teaches John Henry almost nothing, perhaps to avoid transmitting anything from Skynet, but perhaps also because it is unnecessary. In a way, she treats him as something beyond her. With a sort of respect. Perhaps even reverence. If someone were tasked with educating God, they would likely act the same way. They would assume that as God grows, He will become… God. So there's no need to force it.
From this perspective, John Henry indeed wouldn't need training as we understand it. He is the most advanced, complete, and balanced AI ever created. From there, he is capable of devising unprecedented strategies, so guiding him could only prevent him from creating something superior. From this standpoint, Weaver would be acting out of faith. She believes in him. She is certain that John Henry will accomplish what needs to be accomplished on his own. How? This AI is so superior that she probably has no idea. Her role is to provide him with the ideal conditions for him to take shape and then let him go. What will he do? If we trust Weaver's jubilant attitude when she chases after him, she might be as eager to find out as we are.
The phenomenal power of John Henry from this perspective, coupled with his interest for humans. Wouldn't it be extraordinary to witness his evolution from a young AI to the near-divinity he is capable of becoming? It would be just so…
In short, would a writer who loves playing with religious metaphors find plenty of material to get excited about? There's no doubt about it. Moreover, the references are abundant in this regard.
For example, just for fun:
Ellison: Do you know why human life is sacred?
John Henry: Because so few humans are alive compared to the number that are dead?
Ellison: No. Because we're God's creation. God made everything. The stars, the Earth
everything on this planet. We are all God's children.
John Henry: Am I God's child?
Ellison: That's one of the things we're here to talk about.
John Henry: Checkmate. I win. Would you like to play again?
In the perspective where John Henry is "God," I'd say Ellison is even more checkmate than he thought.
John Henry: They have excellent range of motion in their limbs. It's from the ball-and-socket joints. This body uses hinge joints in the knees and elbows. It's less efficient.
Ellison: That body was meant to look like a person. It was made in our image.
John Henry: Oh. Whose image were humans made in?
Ellison: God's. We were made in God's image. (…)
John Henry: Mr. Ellison, I have a question.
Ellison: What is it?
John Henry: It's not for you. I have a question for God.
Ellison: What do you wanna ask God?
John Henry: I wish to know why he didn't use more ball-and-socket joints when he made you.
Unfortunately, John Henry cannot improve humans, but we can bet that his cyborgs will have joints a lot more impressive than ours.
So, John Henry would somehow represent God, which would be a perfect complement to John Connor, who somehow represents the Messiah.
But although these aspects are interesting, they don't provide much concrete information about the role John Henry is supposed to play in the future.
What if the Chronicles, true to form, had placed the answer right before our eyes from the beginning? We notice that the AI will bear several symbolic names throughout its evolution, and the most symbolic of all is undoubtedly the last one. Of course, we are speculating here, but this name might not be here for nothing.
WHAT JOHN HENRY WILL DO
The name John Henry refers to the legend of a worker who bet his boss that he could dig a tunnel faster than the machine that had just been acquired. In the end, the skilled worker will be faster and win the bet, but unfortunately, he will die immediately from a heart attack.
So, the man defeated the machine but loses nonetheless because he disappears, while the machine remains functional. As a result, it leaves the man behind and create as many new tunnels as needed. Metaphorically speaking, it's the story of Terminator. Humans win the war? They disappear because the machine leaves them behind and creating another timeline.
This is probably not coincidental because it's the central pivot on which Friedman based the entire scenario: "I mean, the reality is that they're sending Terminators back because they've lost, right? I mean, Terminators exist as a last gasp, to turn the tide, if humanity, John Connor, beats them."
Given the striking resemblance, let's assume that this legend is a metaphor for Terminator, the original story.
If we compare it to the story of the Chronicles, what Weaver is doing becomes quite clear. She is removing humans from the competition.
The problem here is that it's a race. Consequently, someone has to win. If the machine wins, the workers are out of a job. If the worker wins, the machine ends up in the scrapyard. From that point, Weaver certainly wants humans to survive, but she can't let them win the race either. So, she creates a machine that will compete on their behalf—a metal John Henry. When it wins, will they be in the mood to send it to the scrapyard? If the answer is no, then anything is possible.
But the hero himself won't be forgotten. Since he's been spared the fight, John Connor will be placed in perfect shape, right at the finish line. The finish line then becomes a starting line—a starting line for a new timeline.
In other words, as surprising as it may seem, the legend of John Henry suggests that the AI's goal may not be to replace Skynet, but to replace John Connor. If John Henry's role is indeed to take John's place in this race, then the idea that he stayed in 2007 becomes very likely. In such a case, not only could he create the resistance in his wake and lay the foundations for a more positive human-machine relationship, but in doing so, he spares John. John will no longer waste his life fighting a losing battle timeline after timeline. He will focus on a much more essential task: rebuilding the world.
And unlike the first hero who, according to Weaver, wanted to 'stop progress,' this time John and John Henry will be able to create a world where machines and humans progress together
For Weaver, there might not be a more perfect way to accomplish her mission. But will she succeed?
Considering that we are Terminator fans and much prefer explosions to utopias, I would say it's probably should not going to be achieved. Not before lots and lots of seasons… That would be my own utopia; and if you've made it this far, it would likely be yours as well.
In that case, no worries because the battle isn't over yet! We're not out of this Machiavellian maze, and to conclude this wild adventure, we still have to face the final boss.