Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars is a twelve-issue comic book crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter with art by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton. It was tied to the same-named toyline from Mattel.
Publication history
The series was conceived by Marvel Comics' Editor-in-chief Jim Shooter:
Kenner had licensed the DC Heroes. Mattel had He-Man, but wanted to hedge in case superheroes became the next big fad. They were interested in Marvel's characters, but only if we staged a publishing event that would get a lot of attention, and they could build a theme around. Fans, especially young fans often suggested to me "one big story with all the heroes and all the villains in it", so I proposed that. It flew. Mattel thought that kids responded well to the word "secret", so after a couple of working names bit the dust, we called the story "Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars".[1]
Shooter also explained:
We went through a number of ideas for names for the toy line and series. Mattel’s focus group tests indicated that kids reacted positively to the words “wars” and “secret.” Okay. / Mattel had a number of other requirements. Doctor Doom, they said, looked too medieval. His armor would have to be made more high-tech. So would Iron Man’s, because their focus groups indicated that kids reacted positively...etc. Okay. / They also said there had to be new fortresses, vehicles and weapons because they wanted playsets, higher price point merchandise and additional play value. Okay. / When time came to actually do it, I realized that only I could write it.[2]
A cosmic entity called the Beyonder observes the mainstream Marvel universe. Fascinated by the presence of superheroes on Earth and their potential, this entity chooses a group of both heroes and supervillains and teleports characters against their will to "Battleworld", a planet created by the Beyonder in a distant galaxy. This world has also been stocked with alien weapons and technology. The Beyonder then declares: "I am from beyond! Slay your enemies and all that you desire shall be yours! Nothing you dream of is impossible for me to accomplish!"[13] The heroes include the Avengers (Captain America, Captain Marvel II, Hawkeye, Iron Man, She-Hulk, Thor, the Wasp); three members of the Fantastic Four (Human Torch, Mister Fantastic and Thing); solo heroes Spider-Man, Spider-Woman and the Hulk; and the mutant team X-Men (Colossus, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Professor X, Rogue, Storm, Wolverine and Lockheed the Dragon). Magneto is featured as a hero, but immediately becomes non-aligned when the Avengers question his presence. The villains include the Absorbing Man, Doctor Doom, Doctor Octopus, the Enchantress, Kang the Conqueror, Klaw, the Lizard, Molecule Man, Titania, Ultron, Volcana, and the Wrecking Crew. The cosmic entity Galactus also appears as a villain who immediately becomes a non-aligned entity. The heroes (the X-Men choose to remain a separate unit) and villains have several skirmishes. There are several significant developments in the series: villainesses Titania and Volcana are created;[14] the second Spider-Woman, Julia Carpenter, is introduced;[15]Spider-Man finds and wears the black costume for the first time, initially unaware that it is actually an alien symbiote (the symbiote would subsequently bond with journalist Eddie Brock, giving birth to the villain known as Venom);[16][17] Doctor Doom temporarily steals the Beyonder's power;[18] having fallen in love with the alien healer Zsaji (who sacrifices her life on Battleworld to save the heroes), mutant Colossus ends his romantic relationship with a heartbroken Kitty Pryde;[19] and the Thing chooses to remain behind on Battleworld and explores the galaxy for a year,[20] with She-Hulk temporarily joining the Fantastic Four as his replacement.[21] Years later, it was revealed that—while the heroes and villains fought on Battleworld—the Thing's girlfriend, Alicia Masters, was replaced by Lyja, a Skrull spy.[22] When the Fantastic Four returned to Earth without the Thing, she began a relationship with the Human Torch. The two eventually married,[23] and remained a happy couple until the Skrull's true identity was exposed by the Thing and the Puppet Master.[24]
Spider-Man and the Secret Wars In 2010, a mini-series titled Spider-Man and the Secret Wars was released. It tells the story from Spider-Man's perspective and features previously untold tales from the event. These tales include receiving the Beyonder's power and creating "New Parker City", Spider-Man and the Thing spying on Dr. Doom and a story featuring Spider-Man's suspicions concerning the Hulk.
Other versions What If?
There had been some issues of What If that revolved around the Secret Wars:
"Brave New World" by Jay Faerber and Gregg Schigiel explored what would happen if the heroes became stranded on Battleworld,[25] after Galactus and Beyonder destroy each other in battle. The battle continues for a while, but after the deaths of Bulldozer, Captain Marvel, Cyclops, Doctor Octopus, Kang, Magneto, and Spider-Woman, both sides declare peace. Hulk heads into the wilderness to find a way to get everyone back home, while Doctor Doom builds a replica of his Latverian Castle. The Enchantress disappears, Mister Fantastic somehow dies, and Spider-Man's black suit causes him to turn cold and accelerates his aging to the point of becoming a skeleton. Eventually some of the inhabitants have children who inherit some of their powers; Bravado is the son of Thor and Enchantress, Chokehold is the daughter of Absorbing Man and Titania, Crusader is the daughter of Captain America and Rogue (although Rogue's body is now dominated by the personality of Ms. Marvel), Firefly is the son of Human Torch and Wasp, Gator is the son of Lizard, Malefactor is the son of Doctor Doom and Enchantress, Moleculon is the son of Molecule Man and Volcana, Mustang is the son of Hawkeye and She-Hulk, Raze is the son of Wrecker, and Torrent is the daughter of Wolverine and Storm. By Bravado's 18th birthday, Malefactor disposes of his father and gathers Chokehold, Gator, Klaw, Moleculon, and Raze in a plot to take over Battleworld. Bravado, Crusader, Firefly, Mustang, Torrent, and the heroes and reformed villains defeat them. Hulk and Doctor Doom (who faked his death when Malefactor attacked him) return to help end the conflict. Hulk has used 30th Century technology from the deceased Kang to create a portal that will take everyone home with the help of Thor's hammer. Uatu soon appears and warns them of the bad thing that will happen if they return to Earth. Though the adults call off the trip, the younger heroes sneak out at night and end up on Earth which is overrun with Sentinels. The five agree to stay on Earth as the Avengers and liberate Earth.[25] On a related note, these five had appear in the Destiny War storyline.
In another alternate universe, Doctor Doom retains the Beyonder's power and takes over the universe.[26]
In other media Television
An abbreviated form of the Secret Wars storyline appeared in the animatedtelevision seriesSpider-Man, where the Beyonder and Madame Web selected Spider-Man to lead a team of heroes (consisting of himself, the Fantastic Four, Captain America, Black Cat, Iron Man and Storm) against the villains Doctor Doom, Doctor Octopus, Lizard, Alistair Smythe, and Red Skull. The goal was allegedly to determine whether good or evil were stronger, but it was revealed after the war to have been carried out to determine which of several alternate Spider-Men was worthy to lead a team to save the universe. One completely written chapter of "Secret Wars" involved the X-Men, but transporting the X-Men cast to L.A. (where production for the Spider-Man animated series was based) from Canada (where the X-Men animated series was based) was too costly in the previous episodes the X-Men appeared in, so the episode was dropped and only Storm was used for the rest of the chapters of Secret Wars due to the fact that Iona Morris (who was the first voice of Storm) lives in L.A.[27][28] Hulk and She-Hulk weren't used in these episodes because the Hulk show was on UPN.[27][28] Furthermore, Quinton Flynn was the only voice actor to reprise his role from the Fantastic Four animated series.[28]
Toys
Mattel released three waves of action figures, vehicles and accessories in the Secret Wars toyline from 1984 to 1985.
Sequel
A year later, Secret Wars II was published, with the Beyonder visiting Earth and having a tie-in with every single Marvel comic book at the time.
In the present day of 1999, Sarah Connor and John Connor, who have been fleeing from time-traveling Terminators for years, come upon the city of Metropolis. Skynet has taken control of the world in the distant future of 2032 AD, and hope to kill the young John Connor by sending Terminators to the present. While walking in a Metropolis shopping mall, Sarah and John are attacked by a T-800 Terminator that emerges from a time portal and immediately begins destroying everything in sight. Superman spots the destruction while patrolling the city, and manages to subdue the killer robot. Eventually, Superman discovers that John Connor is destined to lead a resistance against Skynet, hence the reason for the attempted assassinations by Terminator cyborgs. Superman is taken through a time portal to the future world of 2032, where he meets an aged Steel, one of the few heroes to survive Skynet's takeover, and John Connor; the Resistance were attempting to retrieve the previously-dispatched Terminators and accidentally drew Superman into the future instead. Having recovered a version of his costume Steel kept as a memento, Superman promises to aid the two men in bringing down Skynet. Meanwhile, back in 1999, Lois Lane, Sarah Connor, Supergirl, and Superboy fight off a continual wave of Terminators, each one upgraded to a level that allows them to challenge Supergirl and Superboy, including miniature 'rockets' on their backs that enable flight. The robotic villain Cyborg makes an appearance, forming an alliance with a Terminatrix after leaving information in a Terminator skull that would allow Skynet access to knowledge about how to defeat Superman, and Lex Luthor makes an appearance, where he reveals that he had invested and supported Skynet back in 1999, and believes that he shall be in charge of Skynet if it is activated. The story concludes with Superman's return to the present after helping the Resistance detonate an EMP of sufficient power to shut down all machines on Earth- thus destroying Skynet for good-, following it up by annihilating the last remaining Terminators in the present.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (sometimes abbreviated as Terminator: TSCC or simply TSCC) is an American science fictiontelevision series that aired on Fox. The show was produced by 20th Century Fox Television, Warner Bros. Television and C2 Pictures (C2 Pictures was replaced by The Halcyon Company in season two). It is a spin-off from the Terminator series of films. It revolves around the lives of the fictional characters Sarah and John Connor, following the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The series premiered on Sunday, January 13, 2008, on the U.S. television network Fox. Production for the series was provided by Terminator 2 and Terminator 3 producers and C2 PicturesSony Pictures Entertainment (International) co-presidents, Mario Kassar and Andrew G. Vajna, C2 Senior Vice President James Middleton, David Nutter, and Josh Friedman, who not only served as Executive Producer but also wrote the script for the first two episodes.
The show opened mid-season with a shortened run of nine episodes, January through March 2008. It was the highest-rated new scripted series of the 2007–08 television season[1] and was renewed for a second season,[2] which began on September 8, 2008, and ended April 10, 2009. On May 18, 2009, despite fan efforts,[3] Fox Entertainment president Kevin Reilly announced Fox would not renew the show for a third season.[4][5]
On February 22, 2011, the Syfy channel announced it had gained the rights to all 31 episodes of the series, which began airing on April 7, 2011.[6]
Plot
Back story
Main articles: The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day At the end of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Sarah Connor, her son John and the 800 Series Terminator successfully destroy the T-1000, as well as the arm and CPU chip from the Terminator sent back to 1984 from the first film. The T-800 from the second film, at its own request, is then also destroyed to eliminate any future technology that could be used to create Skynet through reverse engineering. At the beginning of the television series, a T-888 using the name Cromartie is sent back to the time following Terminator 2: Judgment Day to kill John. Cameron, a Terminator that John sent back from 2027 to protect his earlier self, leaps forward in time with John and Sarah to 2007 jumping over the year in which Sarah would have died. Now wanted fugitives with the fear of pending cancer playing on Sarah's mind, they must also face the reality that other enemies from the future could be after them.
The pilot episode is set in 1999 and introduces Sarah, her son John, and Cameron, a Terminator that has been re-programmed to protect John. They are being pursued by a Terminator, Cromartie, sent back through time to assassinate John and also by FBI Special Agent James Ellison, who initially believes Sarah is an insane criminal (based on the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day).[7][8] Sarah is romantically involved with a paramedic named Charley Dixon, but ends her relationship with him to stay on the run. During the pilot, Sarah, John, and Cameron make a temporal leap to 2007. Cromartie suffers extensive damage while trying to kill them, but begins repairing his endoskeleton and artificial flesh and continues his search for John in 2007. Because John is frustrated with their life of running, Sarah resolves to go on the offensive against Skynet. Yet the world in 2007 proves complex: they find Skynet has sent additional Terminators back in time to support its own creation, and the resistance movement has sent back its own fighters to interfere. As they seek out an intuitive chess computer called The Turk (named after the 19th-century hoax using that name), which they suspect may be a precursor to Skynet, they forge an alliance with Derek Reese, resistance fighter and John's uncle. As the series progresses, the Connors are confronted with the reality that they will find more enemies, either at the present or from the future, bent to reshape the future for their own goals.
Lena Headey as Sarah Connor: Sarah Connor is a major character in the Terminator series. She is the mother of John Connor who will one day become the leader of the human resistance. The authorities, however, see her as a deranged fugitive. Series creator Josh Friedman saw over 300 actresses for the role and described the actress he was looking for was someone "who embodied that spirit and who was believable in that role and not just some glammed up, Hollywood, actressy thing".[9]
After a friend recommended English actress Lena Headey for the role, Friedman watched her audition tape, and thought she was "a tough, tough woman".[9] Having seen The Terminator when she was a teenager, which "scared the hell out of" her,[10] Headey was aware of the iconic status of the character and in regards to Linda Hamilton's portrayal of the role in the film series, she remarked, "Linda Hamilton will always be the original Sarah Connor and it's a very strong print that she's left, but hopefully people will embrace what I bring to Sarah and see it with fresh eyes".[11] When asked about her approach to the role, Headey said "I'm playing a mother who is a single parent, bringing up a teenage son, who also happens to save the world—as a byline to her life. And the way I would play that is someone who's passionate and scared and angry and a mother, all these things. So I approach that just trying to be honest within the boundaries of her".[12]
However, the choice to cast Headey was criticized by several fans and critics who argued that she bore no resemblance to the athletic, muscular woman established by Hamilton, who transformed her body into that of a muscled warrior for Terminator 2.[13] The controversy was covered by the Los Angeles Times,[13]The Boston Herald,[14] and The Guardian,[14] as well as in online forums.[14]
Thomas Dekker as John Connor: John Connor is Sarah's son and the future leader of the human resistance. He is only 15 years old at the beginning of the show, turning sixteen in the season one finale. As the series progresses, John struggles with his feelings for Cameron, who is a Terminator. Dekker was cast after Headey secured the role of Sarah Connor.[15] Regarding the Terminator films, Dekker says "They are like my favorite films when I was younger. So it's very ironic that I'm getting to do this. And I know for the younger generation and for myself, John was equally important to me as Sarah was, and I know a lot of the people that I hear from really, really care about John".[16] Dekker describes his character as "a continuation of Eddie Furlong's character" but "he's in a darker, more mature place now".[10]
Summer Glau as Cameron: Cameron is a Terminator whom John Connor sent back from 2027 to protect his earlier self. Her model and exact capabilities are not known,[17] but she can mimic human mannerisms better than the T-800 model could, and she can also consume small amounts of food, a first for Terminators.[18][19] Her name is an homage to Terminator film franchise creator James Cameron.[20] Glau had not seen the Terminator films prior to being cast as Cameron Phillips, whose role in the series was initially kept concealed but was later revealed to be a Terminator sent from the future to protect John.[18] Friedman had previously wanted to cast Glau in a pilot he wrote four years prior to The Sarah Connor Chronicles, but she was already committed to Serenity.[9] Glau almost did not audition for the role because of her preconceptions of the character and she felt that she did not have "that Terminator look".[21] On playing Cameron, Glau said she was "intimidated" by the role because it was a challenge for her to balance the human and robot characteristics.[22] Later in the series it is revealed that Cameron assumed the identity of a resistance fighter, Allison Young, before being reprogrammed.
Richard T. Jones as James Ellison: James Ellison is an FBI Special Agent pursuing Sarah Connor. At first puzzled by what he initially thinks is Sarah's outlandish story, he later collects inexplicable evidence of the Terminators (including the body of Cromartie) and gradually realizes the truth. Jones describes his character as a "man of faith"[23] and likens him to that of Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive.[24] Jones was allowed to improvise a few lines to provide "a little bit of comic relief" to the show.[24] In the second season, Ellison pursues employment with ZeiraCorp, allying himself with Catherine Weaver (who he does not know is a Terminator until the series finale).
Brian Austin Green as Derek Reese: Derek Reese is a Resistance fighter sent to the past by the future John Connor. He is the older brother of Kyle Reese (John Connor's father) and paternal uncle of John. He knows Cameron in the future, but still does not trust her and becomes paranoid every time she's around, but throughout the series he begins to have a love–hate relationship with her. He is recurring in the first season but becomes a regular in the second season. Derek knows Jesse Flores who arrives from the future. He is killed by a Terminator while attempting to save Savannah Weaver. Another Derek from an alternate timeline is introduced in the series finale.
Leven Rambin as Riley Dawson: Riley Dawson is John's new love interest that he meets at school, much to the consternation of Sarah. John does not reveal the story of his life to her, but as they get closer, he realizes he is endangering her life. Unknown to John, a resistance fighter, Jesse, has brought Riley back from the future to prevent John from getting too close to Cameron, and to get close to John. She appears to develop genuine romantic feelings for John. Jesse later kills Riley after a struggle.
Garret Dillahunt as Cromartie / John Henry: Cromartie is a T-888[25] sent back in time to kill John Connor in the pilot episode, in which he was portrayed by Owain Yeoman.[26] He takes damage to his biological covering, revealing his metal endoskeleton. After he finds a new biological covering in the episode "The Turk" in the shape of actor George Laszlo, he continues his search for John. After chasing John and Riley into Mexico, Cromartie's chip is destroyed and John buries his body in the desert. When John returns later to destroy Cromartie's body, it has been moved. Ellison has recovered the body for Catherine Weaver, who connects Cromartie's body to the Babylon A.I. named John Henry. Dillahunt was a recurring character in the first season, but becomes a regular character in the last season, portraying Laszlo, Cromartie and John Henry.
Shirley Manson as Catherine Weaver: Catherine Weaver is a shape-shifting Terminator disguised as the CEO of a high-tech corporation called ZeiraCorp. A model T-1001, her liquid metal form as she changes shape resembles a faster and an easily-recovering version of the T-1000 seen in Terminator 2: Judgment Day.[27] She is focused on developing artificial intelligence using The Turk, the intuitive computer at first believed to be a precursor to Skynet (but later shown to be a separate entity). She targets other Terminators to reverse-engineer Skynet technology in the present, and to prepare for the future war. She plans on using this research to fight Skynet. Despite the revelation that Weaver is an enemy of Skynet, it is still unknown where her allegiance lies.[28] Weaver hints at her motives in the episode "Born to Run" when she asks Cameron, "Will you join us?" through messenger James Ellison. During the episode "Today Is the Day, pt.2" Cameron explains to Jesse Flores that John Connor asked the same question of the T-1001 in an attempt to forge an alliance against Skynet.[27]
Other characters
Dean Winters as Charley Dixon: Charley Dixon, a paramedic, is Sarah's fiancé until she leaves him in the pilot episode and travels eight years forward in time. Although he marries another woman in the interim, during subsequent episodes he builds a friendship with the Connors and renders medical assistance when needed. When his wife is killed in the second season episode "The Mousetrap", he is not seen again until the episode "To The Lighthouse", which reveals that he now lives in a lighthouse, being a safe house that Sarah set up for him, which he has booby trapped and alarmed to protect against further attacks. When the house is invaded by human assassins acting for the apparent proto-Skynet, Charley is killed enabling John Connor to escape.
Stephanie Jacobsen as Jesse Flores: Jesse is an Australian resistance sailor and Derek Reese's love interest. In her timeline, she sailed to Australia to deliver supplies aboard the upgraded nuclear submarine USS Jimmy Carter, captained by a reprogrammed Terminator, Queeg, of which she is the executive officer. Queeg diverts the submarine to pick up the T1001 and return it to John Connor. However, after Queeg kills a crewman, Jesse terminates him and destroys the submarine in an attempt to kill the T1001. In 2007 she is on a possibly self-imposed mission to find and stop Cameron from adversely influencing young John, by recruiting Riley Dawson in the future and bringing her back to frame Cameron for her murder. In the future from which Jesse comes, John has withdrawn from humans and speaks only with Cameron. It is unclear whether this mission is self appointed, but comments by her and the fact she was able to access the time travel machinery with Riley suggests others in the Resistance leadership group may share her concerns about Cameron's influence on John. John Connor later figures out that Jesse killed Riley and informs Derek, but orders her life to be spared. Derek confronts Jesse, but whether or not Derek actually kills her is left ambiguous, although he does pull the trigger on his handgun. When asked about it by John he states the fact that John Connor instructed him to let her go. Later on, Cameron tells Derek that Jesse was pregnant with Derek's child whilst aboard the USS Jimmy Carter, but later miscarried when it sank.
Production Conception On November 9, 2005, Variety reported that a television series based on the Terminator franchise was being produced by C2 Pictures, which produced Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, in association with Warner Bros. Television. The Fox Broadcasting Company also joined the project by making a commitment to the pilot, with Josh Friedman set to write the pilot and to serve as an executive producer for the series. Among the executive producers were C2 Pictures' Andy Vajna, Mario Kassar and James Middleton.[29] The series, initially titled The Sarah Connor Chronicles, focuses on the character Sarah Connor who is on the run with her son after the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Regarding the character, Middleton said, "She has the weight of the world on her shoulders and also has to raise a teenage son who may be the salvation of humanity." Friedman commented that the series would contain fewer action sequences due to the smaller budget of television in contrast to feature films.[29] Fox Broadcasting greenlit production on August 28, 2006, after Warner Bros. Television hired David Nutter to direct the pilot.[30] The series was among seven new TV shows picked up by Fox on May 13, 2007 for its 2007-08 television season.[31] In regards to the plot of the series, Friedman said the show would avoid the "Terminator of the Week" plot device, and that Sarah, John, and Cameron will have other threats than just Terminators. Skynet would also come into play as the series progresses. Furthermore, Friedman stated that the events of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines occur in an alternate timeline from that of the TV series.[9] In addition to having planned the entire story arc for the first season, Friedman has a rough idea for the plot of the following three seasons.[32] The series focused extensively on exploring religious and humanistic themes and ideas as had been started by the first movies in the Terminator franchise.[33] At the 2008 press tour, the show's cast and crew promised season two would be less serialized than the first.[34] Producer Josh Friedman said his plans were to incorporate the unfilmed storylines from the remaining four episodes of season 1 into the start of season 2.[35]
Filming The pilot episode was filmed primarily in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The principal photography started on January 24, 2007 and took approximately one month to complete.[26][36] Subsequent episodes in the series were filmed in the backlot of Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California, on a set previously used by Gilmore Girls to depict their fictional town, Stars Hollow.[37]
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles features incidental music composed by Bear McCreary. For financial reasons, the main theme of the Terminator film series, originally composed by Brad Fiedel, is featured only briefly in the TV series—mainly during the title sequence.[38] McCreary has stated that his score is inspired by the tone of Fiedel's score in the first two Terminator films and since Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is a direct sequel to Terminator 2: Judgment Day, he felt that the tone of the music should be consistent with that of the film as much as possible.[38][39] He began working on the score by recording metallic sounds, using "oil cans, whale drums, chains, anvils, brake drums, garbage cans, thundersheets, tin cans...", after which he edited the samples and created his own custom library of metallic drums.[39] For every episode thereafter, live metal percussion elements were recorded on top of the electronics.[39] While Fiedel's scores were performed using synthesizers, McCreary chose to use an ensemble of electric string instruments instead.[39] A musical theme was created for each of the principal characters. The theme for Sarah Connor is the most frequently used theme in addition to being the longest and the most developed theme in the series.[39][40] There are two main sections to Sarah's theme with one presenting her "bad-ass, stoic warrior" side and the other as "a loving mother".[40] John's theme was originally composed for a specific scene in the pilot episode and performed with a solo clarinet to convey his loneliness and awkwardness.[40] McCreary stated that the "musical ambiguity in the melody" is used to show John's transformation in the series.[40] Although themes were also written for other characters such as Derek Reese, James Ellison and the "evil terminator[s]", no themes were written for Cameron during the first season because McCreary felt that "her character was defined by her relationship with John, Sarah and the others around her" so Sarah's or John's theme was used in most of her scenes.[40] The series mainly features McCreary's original score. Songs and instrumental music from other sources are used sparingly. Alter Bridge's single "Rise Today" was used for the promotion of the first season. Three songs have been used in the series so far: "The Man Comes Around" by Johnny Cash was used in the first season finale and a cover of "Samson and Delilah" by Shirley Manson was used in the second season premiere. Both songs were used as background music for an action sequence in their respective episode. The second season episode "The Mousetrap" features "Safe Within Your Arms" by Greg Garing. "Nocturne in C-sharp minor" by Frédéric Chopin was used in the first season episode "The Demon Hand". The episode "Mr. Ferguson Is Ill Today" features the song "La Llorona", originally written and recorded by Chavela Varga but Bear McCreary made his own version of it. The episode "Adam Raised a Cain" features a moody cover of "Donald, Where's Your Trousers" originally written and recorded by Andy Stewart, performed by Garret Dillahunt and Mackenzie Brooke Smith at the closing. The record label La-La Land Records released the original television soundtrack for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles on 23 December 2008.[41]
Release Marketing
Prior to its broadcast on television, Fox undertook a large marketing effort to promote the show, which was described by Joe Earley, Fox Executive Vice President of Marketing and Communications, as the "biggest campaign for a new mid-season show in years."[42] The advertising campaign began months prior to the premiere date to make sure that it would attract existing Terminator fans as well as welcome in new fans.[43] After 24 was postponed to the 2008-09 TV season, more time was devoted to the show by Fox's marketing team and more on-air promotional spots were available for the show that would otherwise have gone to 24.[43] Fox began their advertising campaign for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles on September 27, 2007, with a brief teaser which ran during primetime programs, consisting of an image of two red dots that lasted for a few seconds on screen before disappearing.[42] The two red dots were revealed to be the eyes of the Terminators from the show in the second phase of the advertising campaign, which began two weeks later. The final phase of the campaign commenced in November 2007 with more broadcast information being added to the advertisements. In addition to on-air teasers, Fox heavily promoted the show during the World Series by releasing the first 45-second preview for the show on October 27, 2007. Other forms of advertisements used included: mobile tours on "Terminator" buses sponsored by Verizon Wireless; an interactive cell phone game based on the series offered by Verizon's V CAST, which rewarded the players with ring tones, wallpapers and behind-the-scenes footage; cable tie-ins; online outreach via the official website and wiki; online sneak peeks; and a poster design contest run by Fox.[44] Advance screenings of the pilot episode were also held at the 2007 Comic-Con International convention and at Golden Apple Comics in Los Angeles on January 4, 2008. In Super Bowl XLII, a Terminator was featured in a brief advertisement fighting Cleatus the Fox Sports Robot.[45] Billboard advertisements, which were described by Variety to have "blanketed New York and L.A.", contained images of Summer Glau's Terminator in a "Lady Godiva-esque pose" used to target the young-male demographic, while the key art emphasized on Sarah Connor being at the core of the show to attract the "mom demo".[43] Fox originally planned for more outdoor marketing in other cities but the marketing budget was reduced because of the Writers' Strike.[43] A promotional partnership with automobile manufacturer Dodge began in the show's second season and featured placement of Dodge products in several episodes, Dodge's exclusive sponsorship of the extended, 52-minute episode "Goodbye to All That," and a four-week vehicle giveaway entitled "The Never Back Down Challenge."[46]
Broadcast information An extended cut of the pilot was publicly screened for the first time on July 28, 2007, at the 2007 Comic-Con International convention.[47] Originally scheduled to premiere on January 14, 2008, the television broadcast of the show was rescheduled to commence on January 13, 2008, after Fox reorganized their broadcast timetable due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike.[48] As such, Fox's original intention to air Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles in the Monday 8:00 p.m. ET timeslot as a lead-in program for 24 was also changed. The show was moved to the Monday 9:00 p.m. ET timeslot with Prison Break as its lead-in program.[49] Following the resolution of the WGA Strike, the Los Angeles Times printed a chart indicating the status of American network television series. The chart, reprinted by a number of other websites, categorized the series as "on the bubble", a term used to describe series in danger of cancellation.[50] The Hollywood Reporter stated that the show would likely return.[51]TV Guide then reported that "Fox has given producers the green light to start booking directors for next season's first three episodes".[52] Fox later confirmed that the series would indeed receive a second season, which began on September 8, 2008, in the Monday 8:00 p.m. ET timeslot. Due to schedule changes from Fox, the show had a two month break between December 16, 2008 – February 12, 2009. The show then aired on Fridays at 8:00 p.m. ET. The show was officially canceled on May 18, 2009.
DVD and Blu-ray The first season was distributed under the title Terminator – The Sarah Connor Chronicles: The Complete First Season on both DVD and BD-ROM by Warner Home Video. The three-disc DVD set was released on August 11, 2008 in the United Kingdom,[53] on August 13, 2008 in Australia,[54] and on August 19, 2008 in North America.[55] The Region 1 DVD set contains all nine episodes aired from the first season, commentary on select episodes, audition tapes for select actors, video of Summer Glau practicing for her ballet scenes, making of features, and deleted scenes for certain episodes. The Region 2 and 4 versions have all nine episodes but has excluded all the special features apart from one deleted scene. On the other hand, both the three-disc Blu-ray sets released in North America and Europe contain the same bonus features offered by the Region 1 DVD set. On the Blu-ray Disc set, each episode is encoded in 1080p, VC-1 compression with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio and is presented with a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. The second season was released on September 22, 2009 in North America and on November 16, 2009 in the United Kingdom, under the title Terminator – The Sarah Connor Chronicles: The Complete Second Season on DVD and Blu-ray. In Ireland the second season was released along with a boxset containing the first and second seasons of the show on November 16, 2009. The North American release date was originally planned to "coincide with the home video release of the summer blockbuster Terminator Salvation", but the release of Terminator Salvation was later postponed to December 1, 2009.[56][57] In New Zealand the second season DVD set was released on November 11, 2009[58] as was a boxed set containing both seasons.
USA Today gave the premiere episode four and a half stars out of five, calling the series, "smart, tough and entertaining."[62]The New York Times referred to it as "one of the more humanizing adventures in science fiction to arrive in quite a while",[63] while the Los Angeles Times declared the show "has heart and feeling" and "an almost Shakespearean exploration of fate vs. character" that features "plenty of really great fight scenes, and explosions, as well as neat devices developed in the future and jury-rigged in the present."[64] In addition, film industry journal Daily Variety declared the series pilot "a slick brand extension off this profitable assembly line" that showcases "impressive and abundant action with realistic visual effects and, frankly, plenty of eye candy between Glau and Headey."[65] At the start of the second season, Variety praised "Headey's gritty performance as Sarah—managing to be smart, resourceful and tough, yet melancholy and vulnerable as well" and that the Chronicles "continue to deliver", getting "considerable mileage out of the constant peril" facing the characters.[66] The Connecticut Post placed it on its list of the top 10 TV shows of 2008: "It's smart, with thought-provoking meditations on parenthood, destiny and human nature, and features good performances by Lena Headey, as Sarah, and Summer Glau."[67] On Metacritic, a review aggregator which assigns a normalised score out of 100 to each review, the first season currently holds an average score of 74 based on 24 reviews.[68] The second season has a score of 75, based on only 4 reviews.[69]
Not all response has been positive, however. The Futon Critic, in a June 14, 2007 review of the pilot episode, declared that "it's actually far more ingrained into the Terminator mythology than you'd expect," but stated that "this installment feels less like a 'pilot' and more like an excuse to rearrange the deck chairs on the 'Terminator' franchise to potentially have a TV show."[8] One negative report from La Lámina Corredora reported that "the pilot feels too much like a cheap remake of T2."[70] Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle derided the entire conceptualization and production of the series. Though limited to his viewing of the first two episodes of the series, Goodman leveled criticism against Fox for having "taken the wholly predictable course of putting a lot of money into explosions and regenerating cyborgs" but not having "paid much attention to plot, casting or writing."[71]
In its review of the second season, IGN felt that despite a few middling episodes and the restrictions of a TV budget, "[the series] turned out to be intelligent, complex and consistently operated on a deeper emotional level than anyone could have expected."[72] Looking back on the series, Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger was disappointed by Sarah and John as well as the sluggish pace of the show; however, he felt these weaknesses were outweighed by the strength of the performances of Summer Glau, Brian Austin Green and Garret Dillahunt as well as the writers' commitment to showing the emotional toll on the characters. Commenting on the final episode of season two, he called it a "terrific" finale which took the show in a new potential-filled direction.[73] In May 2009 the show won the E!Online "Save One Show" poll, and has received positive coverage from places such as Wired and CNN.[74][75][76] In an effort to keep the series on the air, fans created support communities on Facebook and MySpace and uploaded videos to YouTube.[3]
Awards Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicleswon the following awards:
Teen Choice Awards: Choice TV Actress: Action Adventure, 2008 (Summer Glau)
Teen Choice Awards: Choice TV Breakout Show, 2008
Teen Choice Awards: Choice TV Breakout Star Female, 2008 (Summer Glau)
Teen Choice Awards: Choice TV Breakout Star Male, 2008 (Thomas Dekker)
Teen Choice Awards: Choice TV Show: Action Adventure, 2008
Primetime Emmy Award: Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series, 2008 (Paul Karasick for "Pilot")
Primetime Emmy Award: Outstanding Special Visual Effects, 2008 (James Lima, Chris Zapara, Lane Jolly, Steve Graves, Rick Schick, Jeff West and Bradley Mullennix for "Pilot")
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