Complexity Theory: Judgment Day is Inevitable
I watched Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines on TV last night. Fox’s new series, ‘The Sarah Connor Chronicles’ debuts next weekend, so expect a lot of terminator promotion in the next seven days.
Compared to the unexpected cult classic of the original Terminator, and the campy fun of its sequel, T2, the third film in the series is difficult to quantify. It was hardly received with critical acclaim. No, the film was largely panned, as was its hero, who was about to embark upon a real-life mission to terminate California’s then-governor, Gray Davis.
And yet for me, T3 is by far the most disturbing film of the bunch. The ending took me completely by surprise. After I saw it the first time, I went into a deep funk, muttering for days about humans, robots, and Armageddon. Without being specific, I’ll reveal that T3′s ending is very, very bleak. It’s also (time travel aside) very, very plausible.
One line in the film bothered me the most. The good terminator tells John Connor, “Judgment Day is inevitable.” Why, I asked? This flew in direct conflict with one of the film series’ primary themes—’There is no Fate but what we Make.’ So why would Armageddon suddenly be inevitable? Where did that come from?
I believe I’ve found an answer, and it comes in an unusual book called Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why
Tyndall - North Rib
Shasta - Hotlum-Wintun Ridge
Thermarest Dreamtime
San Jacinto - Snow Creek
Langley - Northeast Couloir
