Series 700

From Terminator Wiki

The Series 700 is a Skynet Terminator series which served as the stepping stone between the Series 600 and Series 800 endoskeleton.

The true nature of this machine has yet to be revealed, and all information regarding it has been met with a great deal of controversy and debunkment. An early concept image shows it to be more compact than the Series 600, yet it is still slightly larger than the Series 800 battle unit. However, this idea of the machine has never been seen outside of this original sketch. ^[1] The purpose of the T-700 is unanimously agreed to be that of the precursor of the T-800, a purpose the cyborg Marcus Wright fulfilled in Terminator Salvation, which generates a lot of speculation as to whether or not the T-700 exists, existed in pre-concept, or was dropped in favour of the Marcus concept. It could also be that Marcus is himself the T-700, as were the many hybrids seen in the original script (Serena Kogen being one of them).

Appearances

Movies

Terminator Salvation

The T-700 was seen rarely, if at all, in the film since the main focus was the construction of the T-800s. However, according to the "Official Companion Guide" to the movie, the darker endoskeletons being constructed in the factory are in fact T-700s, as the Companion has an entire section on them. However, distinguishing between the T-800 endos and the T-700 during the factory scene is very difficult due to lighting. To date, no confirmed appearance has been documented.

Note: The "Official Companion" has an entire section on the T-700, which shows images of T-700 props that look almost (if not completely) identical to the T-800. Interestingly, the T-800 does not have a section in the book. An error regarding the true nature and purpose of Series 700 in this film may be possible as a result.

Lost on the Cutting Room floor?

The existence of the T-700 appears to have been an idea dropped early in the development process. Perhaps they played a part in the original script for Terminator Salvation (for there were many) but were dropped prior to the final script being written. The most solid evidence of the T-700s ever being considered for the film is the concept image. Following this are the toys which are basically a darker toned variant of the T-800.

The promotional screen captures of a T-700 skull on the factory line is in fact a T-800 skull in a dark reddish light, and all of the chrome machines shown in the images below and the production images in the Official Companion are also T-800s. It is also made specifically clear through the dialogue between John Connor and Kyle Reese that the machines being mass-produced in the factory are T-800s, not T-700s. It is therefore reasonable to assume that the T-700's name has been misplaced onto T-800 images. However, it should be note that T-700's endoskelton (as shown below) possesses several differences to T-800's, such as shoulder joints, waist, legs, and chests.

(Left to right: T-700 concept sketch, Marcus Wright's endoskeleton, & T-700 toy design)

It should also be considered that the T-700 was deemed unnecessary to the story, given the design and purpose of Marcus Wright. From Skynet's point of view, Marcus fulfilled the purpose of bridging the gap between the T-600 androids and the T-800 cyborgs. Though he is entirely unique in his design, the original concept depicted many cyborgs like Marcus, including Dr. Serena Kogen. However, if Marcus were to be designated a T-700, he would truly be the only model and could not be identified as one of a series.

Notes

Series 800 (left) & Series 700 (right)

The color difference between T-700 and T-800 mentioned above is also presented in the Playmates Terminator Salvation toyline. T-700 and T-800's toys share same molds with different painting application.

The packaging of Playmates action figure for Marcus Wright identifies him as a Series 700 terminator, though this is likely an error on their part as the official novel does not confirm him as one and stresses his unique design.^[2]

Oddly enough, despite all the merchandise present for the T-700, the only T-700s are incomplete T-800s being built in the Terminator Factory.

The website for Playmates toys shows the T-700 as the Terminator first encountered in the film Terminator: Salvation.
- This could very well be correct, as the Terminator seen at the beginning when the helicopter lands on it is of a dark, dull grey in colour (like on the T-700) instead of a light and shiny silver (like on the T600 and T-800 models).

It should be noted that due to the lack of information surrounding T-700's, it is completely possible the endoskeletons under construction in the factory were inferior to the T-800's in some fashion. For example, the endoskeleton itself may not have changed much due to being relatively sound in design, however it may be the T-700 is designed for rubber skin only and does not have the onboard equipment necessary to equip it with Living Tissue and allow it to sustain it in the field (for example the micro pumps in T-800's allowing them to 'bleed').