Every August 29, fans of the Terminator saga remember one of the most iconic and, why not, feared dates of the franchise: Judgement Day, as it was mentioned in the first film.
In the dystopian universe created by James Cameron, this day marks the moment when the artificial intelligence Skynet, originally designed for military purposes, achieves self-awareness and decides to declare war on humanity.
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In the original Terminator timeline, August 29, 1997 was the day marked for the apocalypse. As depicted in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, at 2:14 a.m. that day, Skynet activated and launched a massive nuclear attack that unleashed global devastation that would change the course of history.
Today, August 29, the artificial intelligence Skynet began its war with humans in Terminator. (Photo: Courtesy of Cbr.com)
However, as the sequels progressed, the date of Judgement Day was changed due to the characters’ efforts to avoid this dystopian future. Thus, according to the canon of the saga, Judgement Day was postponed to 2004, 2011, 2017 and 2020.
Confusion on social media
On social media, this morning it began to circulate and went viral that the catastrophic event in which Skynet begins to gain consciousness and launches the attack against humans, was taking place today, August 29, 2024. But this is not correct.
First, after Sarah Сonnor, her son John, and the T-800 (the cyborg played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) destroyed Cyberdyne headquarters and all backup copies of their work and research in Terminator 2, the date for Judgment Day was moved from August 29, 1997 to July 25, 2004.
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And then, many users confused that date with another one mentioned in the first installment of the franchise. In the film released in 1984, Kyle Reese (played by Michael Biehn), the soldier sent from the future to protect Sarah, says: “In 40 years, Skynet will be able to create cyborgs with human tissue on the outside.” For the timeline of the Terminator universe, 2024 would be the year he mentions.
A legacy that transcends fiction
Beyond dates and timelines, August 29 is the date remembered by all for being the first concrete mention of the beginning of Judgement Day in Terminator. Today, in a world where artificial intelligence is advancing by leaps and bounds, it also serves as a warning about the dangers of losing control over our own technological innovations. And the idea of an AI that turns against its creators sparked a debate about the risks and ethical implications of development that is just beginning.
