The Terminator: Secondary Objectives

The Terminator: Secondary Objectives is a four issue comic series set after the The Terminator. Secondary Objectives is the second part of four. The series was published in July 1991 by Dark Horse Comics.

After the first attack on Sarah Connor, she has fled out in the desert near Mexico City. Later in 1984, another terminator switches to its secondary mission, to track down and terminate the now pregnant Sarah Connor. Another terminator arrives to assume the primary mission of protecting the genesis of Skynet. But help is coming; Mary, Ed Astin and I825.M, a re-patriated terminator hybrid cyborg.

The series was written by James Robinson, pencilled by Paul Gulacy (who also did the cover art) and inked by Karl Kesel.

Chronology

• The Terminator: Tempest
• The Terminator: Secondary Objectives
• The Terminator: The Enemy Within
• The Terminator: Endgame

Characters

The Z000.M unit

• Mary Randall, a Resistance Colonel sent from the future.
• Dr. Ed Astin, a former employee of Cyberdyne.
• I825.M, a self liberated terminator hybrid cyborg, also known as Dudley.
• C890.L, a terminator 800-series.
• Z000.M, a terminator 800-series.
• Dr. Bertram Hollister, manager of Cyberdyne.
• Mark Sloan, a detective.
• Paulo Ibarra, a policeman.
• San Braddick, a news reporter in Los Angeles.
• Barry Dill, a photographer.
• David Collins, an ordinary guy.

Mentioned

• Sarah Connor
• John Connor

#1

Issue #1

Prologue: In the future (2030), female terminator Z000.M has just completed production, going straight to a time displacement equipment for deployment to the past. This is the fifth terminator sent back in time from this facility. Z000.M' arrives at the same time as the previous group, but is misdirected into the ocean due to time-space slippage and the damaged TDE. Her primary mission is to asist the previous group in countering the human offensive, but her secondary mission is to kill Sarah Connor.

In the present in Los Angeles, the three survivors finally believe their assignment is done, and everything is over. Mary thinks about her life, Astin wonders what he is supposed to do now, and I825.M (later known as Dudley), a human converted into a terminator, is having problems fighting off the impulses of his cybernetic implants. All these individuals have missions to destroy cyborgs and prevent Cyberdyne from developing Skynet and the terminators. In the news they see a massacre caused by still functioning C890.L, currently on an unknown mission, and they come to realize that the war isn't over yet. I825.M tells Mary and Astin that the C890.L has changed his plan, to a secondary objective: To find and kill Sarah Connor.

Issue #2

#2

On an empty Santa Monica beach where a couple makes love in the sand, Z000.M stalks up from the ocean floor, requiring clothes. Mary sits on a stolen plane piloted by I825.M thinking about her past, and the future. She remembers the death of her father Vince fighting the war against the machines. Finally, in Mexico City, Mary and I825.M settle down and start preparing a trap to stop C890.L. While they work I825.M reveals that his human name was Dudley. The detective Mark Sloane is following the trasil of Dr. Hollister, Cyberdyne and Dr. Astin. Ed Astin tries to contact Dr. Hollister to arrange a meeting. On its mission to find Sarah Connor, C890.L breaks into a gun shop in San Diego to arm itself. Z000.M on the other hand, has assumed the mission to protect Cyberdyne and Dr. Hollister from any threats that would prevent the development of Skynet and the terminators.

Issue #3

#3

Still in Mexico City, Dudley identifies a second terminator, the Z000.M is also present while C890.L is en route to terminate Sarah Connor. Dudley is able to block its location from C890.L. Dr. Hollister who is in possession of a terminator skull, plans to develop robots out of it, and intends to eliminate everyone in his way. At night, before his scheduled meeting with Dr. Hollister, Dr. Ed Astin spies from outside his offices and finds out about his plans for betrayal. When a dog starts barking at him, he spots Z000.M heading towards him. Nearby, Mark Sloane had been watching Dr. Hollister for leads to Astin, and proceeds to fire on Z000.M when she raises an Uzi on the prowling Astin. Astin is able to run away while Z000.M attempts to terminate Mark Sloane, but she hits a car near him instead, blowing it up. The terminator vanishes mysteriously into the night. In Mexico City, Mary gathers more supplies for their fight against C890.L, when she notes a truck, and a stiffly moving silhouette walking in the shadows - C890.L has arrived. She shouts to warn Dudley, and then manages to lure C890.L away and hide herself in an alley. C890.L pursues her, and corners her. Mary is rescued from certain termination by Dudley who was able to give C890.L a massive electronic shock from the anti-terminator equipment they rigged into the Mexico City power grid, disabling it.

Issue #4

#4

Ten days after the defeat of C890.L in Mexico City, Mary and Dudley have left the city. Linking up with Astin, they are trying to find Sarah Connor to warn and protect her. Dudley was able to re-program C890.L to attack Z000.M when she arrives Mexico City to investigate the break in contact. When Z000.M arrives a fight between two machines occurs. During the battle C890.L runs over Z000.M with a truck, and the Mexican paramilitary police arrive on the scene. As their battle rages into nearby storefronts, a gas leak triggered by the destruction of the police APC is ignited, leveling the building and rendering the Z000.M inoperable. Unfortunately, although C890.L was severely damaged in the blast, it has returned to its original programming and begins trying to fix itself. Mary, Astin and Dudley are finally able to find Sarah Connor's hideout, only to find a note which says she left the place without indicating where.

Q&A

• What exactly are the primary objectives of C890.L and Z000.M?

Pursue and terminate Resistance members attempting to interfere with the future to protect the Genesis of Skynet.

• Just before Z000.M are deployed with in TDE we see a person/something on the floor. Who is this?

This is one of the three members of Colonel Mary Randall's resistance team that were killed during the assault on the TDE facility. One died outside, one in the halls approaching the Time Displacement Chamber, and one in the room.

• Why did Z000.M kill David Collins?
• Where did Dr. Hollister get the terminator skull?

C890.L sent him the intact head of HC875.S. All others were clearly illustrated as being destroyed.

• How did Z000.M find out Ed Astin were at Dr. Hollisters house. How did she know Ed Astin intended to destroy Cyberdynes research?

Note

• It is stated that four terminators are sent from the future to the past:
  • The first terminator: Presumingly the T-800 from The Terminator was not one of these four, as it was sent from the prototype facility, not this one
    • Secondary Objective: Kill Sarah Connor.

These are the four units described by the Processing Command Center:

• • A terminator cyborg hybrid: I825.M (Dudley)
    • Primary objective: Tissue Maintenance Technician/Intelligence Operative.
  • A terminator (Series 800): HC875.S
    • Primary objective: Terminate Resistance members attempting to subvert the creation of Skynet
  • A terminator (Series 800): C850.L
    • Primary objective: Terminate Resistance members attempting to subvert the creation of Skynet
  • A terminator (Series 800): C890.L
    • Primary objective: Terminate Resistance members attempting to subvert the creation of Skynet
    • Secondary objective: Kill Sarah Connor. Kill Mary and I825.M
  • The fifth terminator: Z000.M
    • Primary objective: Countering Humanoid Offensive.
    • Secondary objective: Kill Sarah Connor and destroy I825.M and humans interfering.
• The comics never state the exact date or year, but it refers only the time frame as "present". The comics were released in July 1991, so the present is presumed to be July 1991.

The comics state their events are 19 days after the "nightmare" of the events in The Terminator: Tempest where I825.M states it is 1990.

The comics later contradict this with the statement by Mark Sloan in The Terminator: Endgame as he records the specific date 30 September, 1984 while documenting one of his cases. Mary also recants on the date, stating that the upcoming birth of John Connor happens on October 4th, 1984. This had to happen, because Sarah's preganancy becomes a central element of the plot, and absolutely could not have remained tied to the previously stated dates in 1990. Therefore the entire Tempest - Endgame saga has to play out between the destruction of the original terminator in May 1984 and Sarah's delivery in Octover 4th, 1984.

• The Z000.M (a female terminator) is stated by the comic narration to weigh 400 lbs (about 182 kg).
• The С890.L (a male terminator) is stated by Mary to weigh about 500 lbs (about 227 kg). This could be inaccurate, since she is guessing at the weight.
• The I825.M eats potato chips, which is unusual for a terminator.

Dudley is a hybrid cyborg, crafted from a live human with significant organic components remaining, not a true terminator.

• Two terminators are able to get a precise location of another terminator by using the method of triangulation the coordinates.
• The re-programming of C890.L anticipates a crucial plot point of Terminator 2: Judgment Day: Terminators can be captured by humans, reprogrammed and made to fight other Terminators. The comic however stated that such reprogramming would only be temporary, and a Terminator could not be permanently brought over to the human side (never hinted to be a problem in the movie).