Peter Silberman
From Terminator Wiki
Dr. Peter Silberman, a criminal psychologist, was brought in to question Kyle Reese, the soldier sent from the future to protect Sarah Connor from the Terminator machine that hunted her. He downplayed Reese's story as delusional and constructed in such a way that it cannot be refuted (such as how there was no evidence of advanced technology because the time machine can only send things back that generate a bio-energy created by living tissue). He left the police station before the Terminator's attack.
Later on(Terminator 2: Judgment Day), Dr. Silberman was one of the staff at Pescadero State Hospital where Sarah Connor was held, imprisoned as a mentally unsound patient. Silberman made little headway with her, and was constantly a victim of her attacks when the opportunity presented itself, even stabbing him in the knee at one point. After Sarah briefly used him as a hostage to try and get out of the asylum when he refused to have her transferred to minimum security, he witnesses both the T-800 and T-1000 Terminators when Sarah attempted to escape, stunned as the latter machine steps through a barred gate. He was ultimately left alone in the corridor with the unconscious guards as the two Terminators traveled down to the car park.
Contents |
T2: Infiltrator Timeline
In the second novel of the T2: Infiltrator saga, Rising Storm, Dr. Silberman has survived the professional disaster that was his last encounter with Sarah Connor, taking an extended break from his position at Pescadero for therapy. Coming to grips with what he saw and allowing his fellow practitioners to convince him it was all a psychotic break helped but he was unable to resume his duties at Pescadero. Looking into private and clinical work was difficult for Peter as well, as background checks eventually revealed the reason for his departure from Pescadero, and rejections began to pile up. Eventually he found acceptance at the Encinas Halfway House, handling the transition of patients, including those from Pescadero, back into greater society. Here Dr. Silberman was again brought face to face with Sarah (a shock to both of them) while she recuperated from injuries recieved at the hands of Serena Burns. Coming to the realization that what he encountered that night was not Sarah's delusions but her stark and terrifying reality, Dr. Silberman offers whatever help he can to Sarah and her allies. In November of 2001 while conducting a covert meeting of allies under the guise of a therapy session Dr. Silberman assists with her escape and helps Sarah across the border to Tijuana, Mexico.
The Sarah Connor Chronicles Timeline
In 2007, he was tracked down by Sarah Connor, using information she obtained from James Ellison's apartment. (SCC: "The Demon Hand") In the SSC Timeline Dr. Silberman has become a dangerous true believer in Judgment Day as a parallel to the biblical Apocalypse, resorting to imprisoning and torturing Agent Ellison in the mistaken belief he was a terminator. At the end of "The Demon Hand" Dr. Silberman is confined at what (ironically) appears to be the Pescadero Institute. Dr. Silberman's recollections of the events surrounding Sarah Connor's escape from the facility imply a number of other survivors who also witnessed the T-1000 and T-800 from that incident.
- In the extended cut of The Demon Hand it was revealed that Silberman had killed a hiker believing him to be a terminator prior to Ellison's arrival.
T3: Rise of the Machines Timeline
After the events of Terminator 2, a police force followed another Terminator, John Connor, and Katherine Brewster when the Terminator retrieved weaponry from Sarah Connor's grave. Among the police force was Dr. Silberman, who took Katherine aside and, quite unlike before, expressed some measure of self-doubt, possibly stemming from having seen the two Terminators previously in Pescadero (although he still seemed to partially put it down to stress from the traumatic situation). Upon seeing the T-850, however, Silberman runs from the scene.
Quotes
- Dr. Silberman: Why didn't you bring any weapons, something more advanced? Don't you have, uh, ray guns? Show me a piece of future technology.
- Kyle Reese: You go naked. Something about the field generated by a living organism. Nothing dead will go.
- Dr. Silberman: Why?
- Kyle Reese: I didn't build the fucking thing!
- Dr. Silberman: Okay, okay. But this cyborg, if it's metal...
- Kyle Reese: Surrounded by living tissue.
- The Terminator
- Dr. Silberman: Let's go back to what you were saying about those terminator machines. Now you think they don't exist?
- Sarah Connor: They don't exist. I know that now.
- Dr. Silberman: But you've told me on many occasions about how you crushed one in a hydraulic press.
- Sarah Connor: If I had, there would have been some evidence. They would have found something at the factory.
- Dr. Silberman: I see. So you don't believe anymore that the company covered it up?
- Sarah Connor: No. Why would they?
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day
- Dr. Silberman: You're safe now, they can't hurt you. Kate, my name is Doctor Silberman. I'm a post trauma counselor for the Sheriff's Department, how are you feeling?
- Kate Brewster: He's not human... he's really, not human.
- Dr. Silberman: I know what it's like to be in a hostage situation, I've been there myself. The fear, the adrenaline you find yourself, imagining things, impossible things, crazy things, insane things...take years to get over it.
- Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
- Dr. Silberman: I'm sorry for ever doubting you.
- Sarah Connor: (cold-cocks Dr. Silberman) Apology accepted.
- (SCC "The Demon Hand"):
Behind the scenes
- Dr. Silberman was portrayed by Earl Boen. Boen and Arnold Schwarzenegger are the only actors to have appeared in the first three films of the Terminator franchise. He is, however, the only actor to play the same character in all three films.
- In the original script of Terminator 2 as the T-1000 returns to Pescadero to acquire a vehicle, there were plans to show Silberman being placed in an Ambulance having a psychotic break (this deleted scene was referenced in th T2: Infiltrator novel}. The T-1000 walks right by him.
- Silberman's ultimate fate is unknown, but in an extended scene of Terminator 3's Judgment Day deleted scene, he was shown to be killed and only then finding out that he was completely wrong about everything he had said about Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese.
- In Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles the character is referred to as Doctor Silverman in promotional material.
Appearances
- The Terminator
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day
- T2: Rising Storm
- T2 3-D: Battle Across Time
- Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
- Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
- "The Demon Hand"
- "Mr. Ferguson is Ill Today" (Mentioned only)
