It's one of my favourite movies, but upon rewatching it recently I noticed something of a plot hole, or at least an easy way for Reese and Sarah to "win", after a particular point in the movie.


That point is the Terminator's police station raid, the "I'll be back" scene. Where he kills 17 cops (we find that out in the second movie) and fails to get Sarah or Reese, and they escape.

Now the keenly attentive viewer might have noticed in the next scene where Reese and Sarah are resting somewhere off a highway in their car, the radio is describing how the biggest manhunt in Californian history is underway then trails off. Obviously in reference to the Terminator and his police station massacre.


Now I wondered, why didn't Reese and Sarah just completely disappear and lay low for a little while? No need to fend off the Terminator anymore. He's now the target of a nationwide manhunt with not only the police, but likely National Guard and Special Forces searching for him in the hundreds if not thousands. He's a Terminator too; he can't really blend in well with other people socially. He doesn't have the programming or resources to leave the country via air at least to my knowledge, and he's very recognisable. Hard to destroy, but eventually the authorities would learn to use explosives or non-fire arm weapons against him at some point.


So yeah, after that point in the movie, why not just disappear and lay low? No way the Terminator could really function effectively after that being the target of the countries biggest manhunt in its entire history.

I guess there is an argument that that's what they were planning until the Terminator impersonated Sarah's mother to find them at the motel, but still.....I see an easy way out of the situation for them with this point.

Unaware of your point

Why not just keep escaping? U think a fukin terminator is going to stop morphing and changing appearance just because some policemen are hunting hom?

I'm talking about the original Arnie Terminator, remember he can't change his appearance like the T-1000. He can change his clothes, but so what? He's huge and recognizable and he can't shapeshift.


the T-1000 would be a different story, but not Arnie. My point is, how could he possibly track Reese and Sarah after that police station raid? He would have the authorities of the entire country after him. And he fights back if attacked. Sure, for awhile they would make pitiful and futile attempts to shoot him at first, and he would likely kill off the first wave, but eventually the military or something would figure out to use explosives which will destroy a Terminator.

So cliffs of this whole thread, a Terminator isn't going to get very far when its the target of the nations biggest manhunt even if its a Terminator.

Blue lives matter

If dispatch was onto him letting cops know where he was last seen, he could’ve just faked the woman’s voice & lead all the cops to Texas or something & continue his hunt for Conner though. Remember he could still change his voice

Thank fukk they didn’t send you back in time to save humanity OP

Maybe the Terminator’s real mission was to impregnate Sarah Conner with his sky net seed


Not srs. Their car broke down and they were trying to get away best they could, didn’t expect him to find them at the hotel. But they were also suspects so had to lay low.

It's not really a plot hole just because a character doesn't do what you would do in that situation. They are human beings, they aren't perfect, they don't always do what would give them the best outcome.

That would've happened IF SARAH didn't call her mom, but she did....thus we have a movie

Terminator could simply bury himself in the ground or something for years then go back to hunting.

Terminator lives matter . And there good spotters to

That's a good point. He can last up to 120 years.

What doesn't make sense to me is how could John Connor exist in the future when Kyle hadn't gone back in time to impregnate his mom yet.

Was literally just a way to mind fuk the audience. At the time James Cameron had no idea this would become a classic or have sequels

Terminator's can't produce semen.

*awkward silence whilst people smile and think about a follow-up*

It is 2021 OP. Just contact James Cameron on social media and forward your query to the guy who actually made the movie.

I do believe in the extended universe one fathered a child.

I have a morning ritual that I need to share. I call it "the terminator".

First I crouch down in the shower in the classic "naked terminator traveling through time" pose. With my eyes closed I crouch there for a minute, visualizing either Arnold or the guy from the second movie (not the chick in the third one because that one sucked) and I start to hum the terminator theme.

Then I slowly rise to a standing position and open my eyes. It helps me to proceed through my day as an emotionless, cyborg badass.

The only problem is if the shower curtain sticks to my terminator leg. It ruins the fantasy.