Agree with Guru. It is my understanding that while Skynet is sentient, each of it's creations are merely advanced AI operating off programming. I suppose the programming could be so intricate that a terminator's "decisions" would be nearly indistinguishable from rational thought, but I don't think that's the case here. Most of the T-800's responses are pretty transparent and based a a few simple guidelines.

The T-800 is capable of thinking for itself. John Connor wanted to go home in T2.

"Negative. The t-1000 would definitely try to reacquire you there."

Which is why Skynet flips the switch to read only.

If its CPU is switched to where it can think and learn from past experience, it becomes capable of independent choice, including the ability to defy orders.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrDo7...eature=related

Skip ahead to 40 seconds.

It's in its programming to know what the other terminator will do. It's a terminator.

Threads like these are why the Herolympics are awesome.

Still no choice involved there. It was completely at the mercy of either Skynet programming or them shutting it down to reset the switch for it to learn. It was still following orders at the end though. If it was able to think for itself why couldn't it self terminate at the end of the movie?

I definitely agree. I've enjoyed this.

Sacrificing yourself for the greater good.

FWIW, depending on what you can consider canonical, this issue has already been dealt with in the TV show.

This is basically my college years rehashed. Spending more time dissecting a movie or comic book mythos than the original writers spent coming up with it.

I watched the series but don't remember that part of it.

While it couldn't physically kill itself, it did make the decision to allow itself to be terminated. This could be seen as progress beyond what Skynet had programmed. In fact it flew in the face of that programming.

Then again, it's more likely that the humans who reprogrammed the T-800 added a little something about screwing over Skynet any chance it got in addition to just protecting John Conner.

Cameron was able to lie and disregard programming based on her own volition. She hid parts of other Ts for example, lied to John about a variety of things, and even after he "fixed" her at the beginning of S2, she still had the terminate order but disregarded it.

What model was she in that? More advanced than the T-800, no? (And hotter)

FWIW, debating this makes me feel like a virgin.

TOK715

But its CPU operates under the same premise.