How Much Do You Know About the "Terminator" Movies?

By: Gavin Thagard
Estimated Completion Time
5 min
How Much Do You Know About the "Terminator" Movies?
Image: Carolco Pictures/Pacific Western Productions/Lightstorm Entertainment/Le Studio Canal+ S.A.

About This Quiz

Fans of the "Terminator" series might remember the cyborg's famous line "I'll be back," but you don't want to use that line on this quiz. There's plenty of fun to be had in reflecting back on the greatest moments from the various films in the franchise that have been produced since the first film came out in 1984. So don't wait; get started now.

Created by James Cameron and Gale Ann Hurd, "Terminator" has become one of the most iconic film franchises in cinema. In total, five films were produced in the series, and another film is on the way at the end of 2019. Aside from these films, numerous comic books, novels and even a television show have been placed in this cyberpunk-style world.

How big of a "Terminator" fan have you been since the first movie hit movie screens in 1984? Do you know the various cyborg units, both good and bad? Are you familiar with the storylines and the key events that shaped the series? Can you even recall what led to the basic premise of the plot? When you're ready to terminate this quiz, get started and hope you don't have to go back in time to get a better score.

1 - year 2029
Hemdale/Pacific Western Productions/Cinema '84
"The Terminator," the first film in the series, follows a cyborg who has been sent back in time to 1984 from what time period?
2000
2011
2029
2040
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"The Terminator: 2029" was a video game released in 1992 by Bethesda Softworks for the PC. The first-person grid-based game takes place in the future as the player shoots their way through cyborgs throughout eight different missions.

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2 - Sarah Conner
Hemdale/Pacific Western Productions/Cinema '84
Machines from the future sent the Terminator back to 1984 to kill which character?
Sarah Connor
Kyle Reese
Ed Traxler
John Connor
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sarah Connor received her own television series titled "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles," released in 2008. The show was well-liked by fans, but it only ran for two seasons, ending in 2009.

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3 - skynet
Intermedia/C2 Pictures
What's the name of the artificial intelligence from the future that became self-aware and started to see humans as a threat?
Lola
L7
The Matrix
Skynet
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 2000, a four-part comic-book story came out that pitted Superman against an army of Terminators. In the comic book, titled "Superman vs. The Terminator: Death of the Future," Skynet teams up with the Superman villain Cyborg to take down the Man of Steel.

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4 - The resistance
Carolco Pictures/Pacific Western Productions/Lightstorm Entertainment/Le Studio Canal+ S.A.
As a member of which group, Kyle Reese is sent back in time to protect Sarah Connor?
Rebel Alliance
The Resistance
The Society
The Federation
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Though the military started it, John Connor becomes one of the lead members of the Resistance. John is suited for this position after training for years in the jungles of South and Central America with his mother, where he learned to use hit-and-run-style tactics against more powerful foes.

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5 - nuclear attack
Carolco Pictures/Pacific Western Productions/Lightstorm Entertainment/Le Studio Canal+ S.A.
Are you familiar with the event that occurred during Judgement Day?
A robotic invasion
The destruction of all machines
The death of all humans
A nuclear attack
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When the first movie came out, the original date for Judgement Day was August 29, 1997. However, because of the alternate timelines due to time travel, the date changes throughout the various movies.

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6 - clothing
Carolco Pictures/Pacific Western Productions/Lightstorm Entertainment/Le Studio Canal+ S.A.
After being sent back to the past, the first thing the Terminator looks for is what?
His target
Clothing
Guns
A car
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The way that time travel works in the "Terminator" universe is that only organic material can travel through time. A human or cyborg who time travels will arrive without any clothing or weapons.

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7 - nightclub
Hemdale/Pacific Western Productions/Cinema '84
Sarah Connor learns that someone is hunting down people with her name, so where does she go to hide?
A police office
A diner
A nightclub
A warehouse
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Located on Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles, the nightclub where Sarah goes to hide before she is confronted by the Terminator is called "Tech Noir." The name combines two styles of film used to make the movie: film noir and sci-fi.

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8 - sunglasses terminator
Carolco Pictures/Pacific Western Productions/Lightstorm Entertainment/Le Studio Canal+ S.A.
Knowing it needs to appear human, why does the Terminator wear sunglasses?
Its eye gets damaged.
It doesn't have eyes.
Both eyes are completely black.
It can't see without them.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The iconic sunglasses Arnold Schwarzenegger wore in "The Terminator" are Gargoyles ANSI Classics. Clint Eastwood, as Harry Callahan, previously wore these sunglasses in the film "Sudden Impact."

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9 - Terminator destroyed
Hemdale/Pacific Western Productions/Cinema '84
In "The Terminator," how is the cyborg finally destroyed after terrorizing Sarah Connor for most of the movie?
A tanker truck explosion
Crushed in a hydraulic press
A pipe-bomb explosion
With a grenade launcher
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When Sarah Connor crushes the Terminator in the hydraulic press, the only part of the machine that's left is its arm, which had reached out of the press to strangle her. This arm would later be a critical component in the creation of Skynet.

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10 - state hospital
Carolco Pictures/Pacific Western Productions/Lightstorm Entertainment/Le Studio Canal+ S.A.
Struggling with her first encounter with the Terminator, where is Sarah Connor at the beginning of "Terminator 2: Judgement Day"?
State hospital
Prison
A nunnery
Rehab
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sarah spent the years between the first and second movie training her son to embrace his role as humanity's protector in the future. However, she also tries to stop the rise of the machines by destroying a computer company, leading to her imprisonment at the state hospital.

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11 - police officer
Carolco Pictures/Pacific Western Productions/Lightstorm Entertainment/Le Studio Canal+ S.A.
A cyborg from the future goes after John Connor in "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" first disguised as what?
His adopted father
The neighbor
A police officer
His teacher
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The cyborg that disguises itself as a police officer isn't the only cyborg sent back into the past. The other machine is modeled after the Terminator from the first movie, but this time, he's been sent back to protect John Connor.

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12 - Miles Dyson
Carolco Pictures/Pacific Western Productions/Lightstorm Entertainment/Le Studio Canal+ S.A.
Though it wasn't his intention, who was responsible for the development of Skynet before it tried to exterminate humanity?
Ed Traxler
Ginger Ventura
Hal Vukovich
Miles Dyson
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The role of Miles Dyson was offered to Denzel Washington before the casting of Joe Morton. Washington decided to turn down the role because he thought the character was portrayed as a coward.

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13 - no fate
Carolco Pictures/Pacific Western Productions/Lightstorm Entertainment/Le Studio Canal+ S.A.
Before she makes the tough decision to assassinate the person responsible for building Skynet, what does Sarah Connor carve into the picnic table?
"No Fate"
"Judgement Day"
"End It"
"Terminator"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"No Fate" became an important quote for the "Terminator" franchise, representing the human ability to make their own decisions. John Connor later brings it back up at the end of "Terminator Salvation" when he says, "There is no fate but what we make."

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14 - destroy the chip
Carolco Pictures/Pacific Western Productions/Lightstorm Entertainment/Le Studio Canal+ S.A.
Do you know what Sarah Connor convinces Miles Dyson to do instead of just quitting Cyberdyne?
Kill the lead scientists
Download all of their data
Continue to work on the project
Destroy the chip obtained from the cybernetic arm
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

After breaking into the Cyberdyne building and placing the bombs throughout the lab, Miles Dyson is shot by SWAT team members. Knowing he will die, Dyson decides to stay behind to complete the mission while the others escape.

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15 - one more chip
Carolco Pictures/Pacific Western Productions/Lightstorm Entertainment/Le Studio Canal+ S.A.
Knowing its existence could threaten the safety of John Connor, what does the original Terminator do at the end of "Terminator 2: Judgement Day"?
Blows itself up
Goes back to the future
Asks to be lowered into molten steel
Gets chained and thrown into the ocean
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Terminator is programmed in a way that does not allow it to destroy itself. Despite opposition from John Connor, it asks Sarah Connor to lower it into a container of molten steel, ending a potential threat down the line should its programming be altered.

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16 - Sarah Conner death
Intermedia/C2 Pictures
The tragic news of Sarah Connor's death is revealed in "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines." How did she die?
A cyborg kills her.
She dies of leukemia.
She kills herself to save John.
John kills her to change the future.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

One would think that a warrior like Sarah Connor would go out on the battlefield, but the "Terminator" series decides to pull back on the action when it came to her death. Instead of a blaze of glory, Sarah dies more subtly from leukemia.

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17 - T-X
Intermedia/C2 Pictures
Skynet refuses to give up and sends which cyborg unit back into the past to stop the Resistance in "Terminator 3"?
T-800
T-900
T-1000
T-X
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While casting "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," casting went through thousands of actresses before finally deciding on Kristanna Loken to play T-X. The audition process was strange, as Loken had to walk around a hallway as if she were a robot while stopping and shooting occasionally.

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18 - General Brewster
Intermedia/C2 Pictures
Kate Brewster and her father play an important role in the third "Terminator" movie. Name the job her father holds?
Detective
U.S. Senator
Air Force general
U.S. diplomat
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A member of the United States Air Force, General Robert Brewster oversaw the Cyber Research Systems, which was responsible for Skynet. Though he oversaw the program, Brewster was never in favor of allowing the machine to control itself; instead, he hoped to keep a human operating it.

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19 - activate skynet reason
Intermedia/C2 Pictures
Why does the U.S. Air Force decide to activate Skynet despite recognizing the dangers?
To stop a computer virus
A war breaks out
To stop the Terminator
Pressure to complete the project
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Believing that a foreign entity was trying to hack their systems, General Brewster was convinced to turn on Skynet so that it could protect itself. However, the virus was a trick launched by Skynet, resulting in it becoming self-aware.

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20 - skynet core Crystal Peak
Intermedia/C2 Pictures
After receiving information from Kate Brewster's father, John Connor and Kate head to Crystal Peak because they believe what lies there?
A nuclear base
Skynet's system core
Terminator technology
Weapons to stop T-X
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

General Brewster informs John Connor and Kate Brewster that they could destroy Skynet if they head to Crystal Peak. However, once they get there, the area is revealed to be a fallout shelter, where they survive the coming nuclear attack.

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21 - Terminator Salvation year
Columbia Pictures/The Halcyon Company/Wonderland Sound and Vision
Can you identify the year that "Terminator Salvation" (the fourth film in the franchise) takes place?
2009
2011
2018
2023
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Set in 2018, "Terminator Salvation" is the first film in the "Terminator" franchise set after Judgement Day. However, the timeline has yet to reach the point where cyborgs are sent back into the past to change the future.

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22 - Marcus Wright death row
Columbia Pictures/The Halcyon Company/Wonderland Sound and Vision
Where is Marcus Wright when he agrees to provide his body to Dr. Serena Kogan for medical research?
Dying in the hospital
On death row
In an ambulance
At his home
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

After donating his body to Dr. Serena Kogan for medical purposes, Marcus Wright is transformed into a human-machine hybrid who maintains his heart and brain. When he's revived in the future, Marcus has no knowledge of this until a mine explodes, exposing his metal endoskeleton.

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23 - submarine
Columbia Pictures/The Halcyon Company/Wonderland Sound and Vision
Do you know the location of the Resistance Headquarters in "Terminator Salvation"?
An underground bunker
A school
A subway station
A submarine
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The name of the submarine where the Resistance Headquarters is located is called the USS Wilmington. Built by the U.S. Navy, this submarine was of the Los Angeles class, managing to survive Judgement Day and carryout a fight against Skynet.

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24 - Kyle Reese
Columbia Pictures/The Halcyon Company/Wonderland Sound and Vision
When the Resistance gets hold of a kill list transmitted by Skynet, who is number one on the list?
Kyle Reese
John Connor
Kate Connor
Hugh Ashdown
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Skynet discovers that Kyle Reese is the father of John Connor, the result of Kyle being sent into the past to protect Sarah Connor. To keep this from happening, Skynet puts him number one on its hit list.

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25 - humans stem cells
Columbia Pictures/The Halcyon Company/Wonderland Sound and Vision
In "Terminator Salvation," it's revealed that Skynet was kidnapping humans for what purpose?
To obtain workers
For their stem cells
To convert to cyborgs
To convert to energy
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The stem cells that Skynet acquires in the events of "Terminator Salvation" lead to the creation of the T-800 cyborg, the first cybernetic organism. This new organism cannot only infiltrate the Resistance but is also capable of going back into the past.

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26 - Marcus give John his heart
Columbia Pictures/The Halcyon Company/Wonderland Sound and Vision
How does Marcus Wright save John Connor at the end of "Terminator Salvation"?
Blows himself up
Seres as a distraction
Donates his heart
Drives a helicopter into a cyborg
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

After reviving Marcus Wright, John Connor is impaled with a steel bar by a T-RIP cyborg. Marcus is able to destroy the cyborg, but John is in serious condition. Knowing that he had his own second chance at life, Marcus decides to give John a second chance as well.

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27 - Time Displacement Equipment
Skydance Productions
The Resistance wants to destroy the TDE in "Terminator Genisys." What does TDE stand for?
Time Displacement Equipment
Total Destruction Equalizer
Tactical Death Equipment
Terminator Display Educator
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Time Displacement Equipment is not only capable of sending living tissue backward in time but also forward in time. Catherine Weaver uses the machine for this purpose in "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles."

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28 - John Conner
Skydance Productions
During the war in the future, who led Operation Chrono?
Kyle Reese
Sarah Connor
T-800 Terminator
John Connor
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Operation Chrono was the battle that led to Skynet realizing that it needed to destroy John Connor in the past before he could lead the Resistance. Ultimately, the operation leads to the events of 1984.

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29 - Pops
Skydance Productions
Are you familiar with the nickname of the T-800 Terminator that protects Sarah Connor in "Terminator Genisys"?
Pops
Tom
Robo
Nuke
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Before Pops was sent back to 1973 to protect Sarah Connor, its memory was wiped so that no one would know who sent it. When Pops arrives, it finds Sarah, but her parents are killed by the T-1000. Pops then takes it upon himself to raise Sarah.

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30 - Sarah and Kyle 2017
Skydance Productions
"Terminator Genisys" sees Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese jump forward in time to what year?
1997
2003
2017
2029
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Due to alterations in the past, Skynet does not come online in 1997 as it had originally occurred. Instead, it was moved to 2017, which Kyle Reese realizes when he's in the process of going back to 1984 to find Sarah Connor.

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31 - T-3000
Skydance Productions
After being infected with nanotechnology by Skynet, John Connor is transformed into which model of cyborg?
T-1000
T-3000
T-5000
T-8000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

As John sends Kyle Reese back in time, he is attacked by a disguised cyborg named Alex. During the attack, John is transformed into the T-3000 and travels back to 2014, where he helps create the Genisys Program that later becomes Skynet.

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32 - Colorado
Skydance Productions
To attack the main defense grid of Skynet in 2029, the Resistance launches an attack where?
Los Angeles
New Mexico
Washington D.C.
Colorado
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In "Terminator 5: Genisys," there was an extended film script that included events surrounding the Colorado Unit's attack on Skynet. The extended scene states that the war is over and Skynet has been defeated.

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33 - Det. O'Brien
Skydance Productions
Can you identify the police officer who frees Kyle Reese and Sarah Connor after they are captured on the Golden Gate Bridge?
Detective Harding
Detective O'Brien
Detective Cheung
Detective Timmons
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It's revealed that Detective O'Brien was one of the cops at the department store in "The Terminator." During this event, O'Brien finds out that a robot has been sent back from the future, which shapes his view around Sarah and Kyle when they tell him their story.

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34 - Magnetic fields
Skydance Productions
In "Terminator Genisys," the T-3000 is shown to have a weakness to what?
Water
Fire
Magnetic fields
Radio waves
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The T-3000 uses a magnetic field to hold itself together, which is why other magnetic fields interrupt this process and damage its body. When the T-3000 loses its organic skin, it is destroyed by the Time Displacement Machine, which rips apart inorganic matter.

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35 - Rev-9 terminator
Paramount Pictures/Skydance Media/20th Century Fox/Tencent Pictures/Lightstorm Entertainment
Which robot has been revealed as the primary antagonist in "Terminator: Dark Fate"?
T-X
T-1000
Guardian
Rev-9
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Rev-9 is an advanced Terminator unit with the ability to separate its endoskeleton from its organic skin. Each of these separate units is able to fully function on its own, making it quite the danger to its target.

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You Got:
/35
Carolco Pictures/Pacific Western Productions/Lightstorm Entertainment/Le Studio Canal+ S.A.