In a new featurette recently released in anticipation of ‘Terminator Genisys,’ we finally get some information on the older Terminator we see Schwarzenegger playing in the film, including what his relationship is to Sarah Conner. It seems that at some point in the future, the machines got the bright idea to send a Terminator back in time to kill Sarah Conner’s parents, preventing both her and her son John Conner from ever existing. Fortunately, someone else in the future sent back The Guardian, a Terminator reprogrammed to protect Sarah Conner. Whatever the circumstances, it does seem like Sarah’s parents eventually died, but not before she was born, and the Guardian basically became her surrogate father, which is why she refers to him as “Pops” throughout the film.

As Emilia Clarke states in the featurette, it is a very strange father/daughter relationship, because even though they’ve been together a long time, with the Guardian never letting Sarah out of his sight, in the end he is still a robot, which means he is not quite as expressive as a real human father. The big questions coming from this reveal have to do with with who actually sent the Guardian back to protect Sarah Conner, especially in light of the leaks regarding who is a villain in this film, as well as musing about why Skynet did not just try to track down ancestors of Sarah Conner in the deep past and send a Terminator to wipe them out, thus preventing Sarah’s parents, and grandparents (etc) from ever being born.

What are your thoughts about Arnold playing an aged Guardian Terminator? Does it factor well in the franchise mythos? Or is it just something convenient to explain Arnold’s age in the current film? Let us know your opinion below! And make sure you check out the actual featurette below!

“When John Connor (Jason Clarke), leader of the human resistance, sends Sgt. Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) and safeguard the future, an unexpected turn of events creates a fractured timeline. Now, Sgt. Reese finds himself in a new and unfamiliar version of the past, where he is faced with unlikely allies, including the Guardian (Arnold Schwarzenegger), dangerous new enemies, and an unexpected new mission: To reset the future…”