8 Lessons Terminator 7 Can Learn From Netflix’s Terminator Zero Anime

Netflix’s Terminator Zero anime is arguably the best Terminator project since the James Cameron movies, and there are plenty of things Terminator 7 can learn from it. While James Cameron has confirmed that he is working on a secret Terminator project, the status of Terminator 7 is unclear. However, assuming that a new Terminator film does happen eventually, it will have big shoes to fill after how well-received Terminator Zero was. With an 86% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, Terminator Zero is the franchise’s highest-rated movie or show since Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

Terminator Zero takes place mostly two years after the events of Terminator 2, although it also includes scenes set in the near future. The anime series can be considered one of the many Terminator timelines and is not too worried about how it intersects with the movies. Instead, Terminator Zero tells a somewhat self-contained story that perfectly fits into that world. Between interesting new characters like Malcolm Lee and Misaki and well-executed new concepts like Kokoro, Netflix’s Terminator anime delivered everything that the movies had been lacking and more. Terminator 7, whenever it happens, will have to do the same.

8 Terminator 7 Can Move On From Sarah & John Connor

Terminator Zero Had An All-New Set Of Protagonists

If there is one lesson future Terminator movies must learn from Terminator Zero is that they don’t have to rely on Sarah and John Connor. Every Terminator movie has featured at least one of the Connors, with either Sarah or John usually being the driving force of the story. Although it is difficult not to associate Terminator with John and Sarah Connor when the entire franchise was built around them, both characters have been used way too many times by this point.

Even Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which was the franchise’s only TV show before the release of Terminator Zero, couldn’t let go of the Connor family. Terminator has had plenty of opportunities to grow beyond Sarah and John, and while new characters kept being introduced, those two remained key players in the franchise between recasts and comebacks. Terminator Zero does not feature or even mention Sarah and John Connor, although it does acknowledge that there have been “saviors” before.

7 Terminator 7 Also Doesn’t Need Arnold Schwarzenegger To Work

Terminator Zero Made Its New Terminator As Scary As The Original

Sarah and John Connor are not the only characters Terminator can’t seem to bid farewell to. In fact, telling Terminator stories without Arnold Schwarzenegger seems to be an even bigger challenge for the franchise, at least on the big screen. The original Terminator – and its many variations across multiple timelines – has been featured in every Terminator movie. Both Terminator Genisys and Terminator: Dark Fate had to come up with creative explanations for how a Terminator could age, which is an example of how the series hasn’t been able to move on from Schwarzenegger’s character.

Terminator is synonymous with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and it is indeed very difficult to imagine the franchise without him. That said, Terminator Zero showed that it can be done. The concept of a Terminator, which Schwarzenegger helped establish through his performance, can be used to create plenty of other heroes and villains. The T-1000, one of the best villains of all time, is an example of it. Terminator Zero’s main Terminator was very reminiscent of the original T-800, yet it had its own particularities.

6 Terminator 7 Must Be As Scary As The First Movie

Terminator Zero Had Elements Of Horror

One of the biggest problems with the Terminator movies is that they stopped being scary. Even Terminator 2: Judgment Day, arguably the best entry in the franchise, was not as scary as the original film. Terminator Zero cleverly brought Terminator back to its roots and told a genuinely scary story in which you were always worried about whether the characters were going to be okay. The first action scene involving the Terminator in Terminator Zero at the mall felt like something from the original movie, highlighting how terrifying those killing machines can be even when they’re just walking.

With the idea that every sequel must be bigger and have more impressive set pieces than its predecessor, the Terminator franchise lost track of what made the original film so special. Every Terminator film since T2 has been an action movie first and foremost, leaving little room for the horror elements. The Terminator was very much a slasher in which the killer happened to be a robot from the future and had a somber atmosphere that Terminator Zero was able to replicate. The first step to accomplish that is to make the Terminators feel scary again.

5 Terminator 7’s Time Travel Shenanigans Don’t Have To Be Too Complicated

Terminator Zero Is More Than Just A Time Travel Story

Time travel is a dangerous thing, both in-universe and when it comes to creating a story. The Terminator franchise is full of plot holes caused by time travel, although some of those were meant to be paradoxical anyway and are an essential part of the story. Kyle Reese being John Connor’s father and Skynet’s creation being a closed loop are both fascinating aspects of the Terminator universe, but some of the other films focused too much on the time travel aspect of the franchise and forgot about everything else.

This was particularly true for Terminator Genisys, which spent way too much time talking about alternate realities and trying to justify existence as a new timeline within some kind of multiverse. Terminator’s time travel is fun, but it should not be the most important thing about the story. This is also something that Terminator Zero got right. While the series makes the most of the time travel concept and even has a couple of mind-blowing twists caused by time travelers messing with the timeline, it is not just a “time travel show.”

4 Terminator 7 Can Be Nostalgic Without Relying On Returning Characters

Terminator Zero Had A Lot Of Easter Eggs But Didn’t Rely On Them

The fact that Terminator Zero did not use characters like Sarah Connor and the T-800 does not mean that it was not a nostalgic show. At a time when unnecessary cameos and the multiverse have given “nostalgia” a bad name, Terminator Zero successfully called back to the movies while never relying on those connections to tell the story. Some lines and scenes from the Netflix anime are different references to the Terminator movies, especially the ones directed by James Cameron.

From a rewording of the “Come with me if you want to live” line to a paradox involving the main character’s lineage caused by time travel, Terminator Zero feels like a love letter to the franchise. However, it does not sacrifice the story and the characters over nostalgia. This is a very important lesson that Terminator 7 must learn from, especially because it will be the first Terminator movie in years.

3 Terminator 7 Must Have Something To Say About The Current World

Terminator Zero Raised Some Interesting Questions

Although it may seem predictable that a recent Terminator story would address things like AI, Terminator Zero did it so in a creative way. The AI Kokoro was Terminator Zero’s answer to Skynet and illustrated how much our perception of what artificial intelligence can be has changed since the first film came out. The first two Terminator films are among the best sci-fi movies of all time, and as proven by the greatest works of science-fiction, those stories are usually about the present and not the future.

Any Terminator movie or TV show must have something to say and cannot be just a generic action movie. This was arguably the problem with sequels such as Salvation and Genisys, both of which got caught up in the exciting possibilities of that franchise and forgot to tell a good story. Netflix’s Terminator anime is full of great visuals and has lots of action, but it also has a great story.

2 Terminator 7’s New Characters Must Be Compelling

Terminator Zero’s New Characters All Worked

Sarah Connor, the Terminator, and John Connor are three of the most iconic movie characters of all time. There is a reason why Terminator has struggled to move on from those three, which is why Terminator 7 must have great new characters that can carry the franchise forward. Assuming the next Terminator film does indeed have new heroes and antagonists, those must be compelling on their own and not just new versions of Sarah, John, and the T-800.

Terminator Zero’s cast was not very large, with the show focusing mostly on Malcolm Lee and his family. Not only did this approach mirror the franchise’s focus on Sarah and John as a family, but it also allowed viewers to spend enough time with these new players and care about them. Despite having no connections to Terminator’s original heroes, Terminator Zero’s characters were compelling and interesting to follow.

1 Terminator 7 Should Not Be Afraid To Innovate

Terminator Zero Swinged For The Fences

Perhaps the biggest advantage Terminator Zero had over the movies was that the anime format allowed it to take bigger risks than any of the theatrical projects did. The serialized format also contributed to Terminator Zero being more innovative than the movies, as it had enough to introduce and explore new ideas. Still, Terminator 7 should not be afraid to innovate, even more so after how poorly received the most recent movies have been.

From a new artificial intelligence that caused certain humans to ally themselves with Skynet to a robot who thought they were human, Terminator Zero had a lot of fun with new ideas. Terminator takes place in a very interesting sandbox in which a lot can be done. This is why it has been so frustrating to see the films doing the same story beats over and over instead of trying something new. Terminator Zero feels familiar to Terminator fans but also presents ideas that have never been done, which is what Terminator 7 should accomplish.