Watch This Before You See Terminator: Dark Fate

Going into Terminator: Dark Fate, you might have some questions…

Not to worry: We've prepared a crash course in all things Terminator, giving you a rundown on past films and letting you know just what to expect from the latest installment.

First, let's talk about what's gone down so far, starting with The Terminator, the film that got the ball rolling. In 1984, a young waitress named Sarah Connor is targeted by a hulking cyborg and rescued by a young buck named Kyle, who explains that both he and her would-be assassin are from the year 2029. He goes on to demonstrate that he can drive and rattle off pages of exposition at the same time:

Kyle goes on to reveal that in this far-flung future, Sarah's unborn son John is a warlord in the fight against an army of killer robots, known somewhat artlessly as the Machines. He further explains that he has been sent to protect Sarah, while the robotic beefcake has been sent to kill her.

Over the course of the film, Sarah learns that humanity is heading towards nuclear annihilation in the near future. In fact, her son John will be the last great hope of the human race.

By the end of The Terminator, Kyle has impregnated Sarah after a steamy motel interlude… and he eventually sacrifices himself in the hopes of destroying the Terminator. It's ultimately Sarah who kills the offending machine with the help of a pneumatic press. And with that, Sarah drives off into the horizon.

Then we arrive at Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Released in 1991 but set in 1995, T2 sees Sarah locked up in a psych ward… because she can't stop talking about robots coming from the future to tear our lives asunder. She's also prone to acting out. Make sure you watch this before you see Terminator: Dark Fate.

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The Terminator | 0:19
Terminator 2: Judgment Day | 1:43
Forget those other sequels | 2:43
What's the story? | 3:58
Rated R | 4:50
The T-800 is back | 5:49
James Cameron's return | 6:39