Orion Pictures
The 1984 classic, “The Terminator,” is a film much beloved for many reasons. Despite the challenges faced during its production, including a tight budget and time constraints, director James Cameron managed to create a masterpiece. A significant part of its success can be attributed to the character Sarah Connor, portrayed by Linda Hamilton. Without her, Cameron believes, there wouldn’t have been a film.
Producer Gale Anne Hurd ensured “The Terminator” didn’t have a conventional happy ending. If studio executives had their way, the film would have ended with Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) and Sarah Connor embracing, rather than the memorable scene of a Terminator exoskeleton emerging from flames. Sarah’s final line as she destroys Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800 is iconic: “You’re terminated, f****r.” It’s her self-determined action that arguably made “The Terminator” the classic it is today.
Cameron has a reputation for crafting strong female characters, and Sarah is a prime example. And it appears that Cameron drew inspiration for Sarah from another legendary female sci-fi character.
Influence from a sci-fi classic on James Cameron’s Terminator
20th Century Studios
Linda Hamilton turned down “Terminator: Dark Fate” because it attempted to soften Sarah Connor’s character. Hamilton understood the importance of the character’s strength and resilience. Before Cameron even started writing “The Terminator,” he had signed on to helm another project that would feature a character who would serve as a blueprint for Sarah Connor.
In an interview with The Ringer for “The Terminator’s” 40th anniversary, Cameron revealed he planned to direct the sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1979 space horror “Alien” due to his admiration for Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley. He stated, “The one film I really wanted to make was ‘Aliens.’ […] But I had already signed on to do that before I even started on ‘The Terminator’ and I wrote that script before I started on ‘Terminator.'”
Cameron was drawn to Ripley’s character, seeing it as an elevated version of the last girl horror story trope. It seems that his instinctive admiration for Ripley led him to create a similar character in Sarah Connor.
Sarah Connor as Ellen Ripley 2.0
While Cameron didn’t explicitly confirm that Sarah Connor was inspired by Ripley, his description of writing “The Terminator” as a “last girl horror story” akin to “Alien” suggests a strong connection. Cameron’s admiration for Ripley’s character likely influenced his creation of Sarah Connor in “The Terminator.”
Cameron continued to mirror Sarah Connor’s character with Ellen Ripley in his subsequent films “Aliens” (1986) and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991). In both sequels, the female leads evolve into more traditional heroes, ready to take on their enemies. Ripley’s character arc in “Alien” and Sarah’s transformation in “The Terminator” both played significant roles in shaping these characters.
Thus, Ridley Scott’s original “Alien” not only influenced the creation of Sarah Connor in “The Terminator,” but it may have also indirectly inspired “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” This connection is intriguing, considering “Alien’s” themes of birth and rebirth. However, the “Terminator” series became increasingly complicated and less popular after “T2.” If another “Terminator” film is ever made, it might do well to draw inspiration from the current state of Ellen Ripley’s character. But that would require meeting Sigourney Weaver’s condition to bring back Ripley — a rebirth that many fans would undoubtedly welcome.
Credit: www.slashfilm.com
