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In the movie Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991), after the terminators had arrived from the future to 1995, they are both trying to acquire John Connor.

The T-1000 arrives at John Connor's address and interrogates his foster parents:

Janelle: There was a guy here this morning looking for him too.
Todd: Yeah, a big guy on a bike, has that got something to do with this?
T-1000: No. I wouldn't worry about him.

At this point, is there any evidence that the T-1000 knows that this "big guy" is a T-800, or is he just confident he can handle anyone else aiming to acquire John?

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  • 29
    Well, I guess they are sent from the future, so to them this has already happened so of course they know about each other. Except of course that the future changes so Cyberdyne doesn't exist so it doesn't happen. But then, if it doesn't happen there is no-one to stop Cyberdyne from existing so... oh no my brain is leaking out my ears...
    – RyanfaeScotland
    Commented Sep 18, 2018 at 21:35
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    @RyanfaeScotland: I guess the "rationale" is that for this t1000, that past is yet unmodified and indeed the t800-as-a-biker is known to the t1000. In the future of that same t1000 the "past" will be changed, but it hasn't occured yet in this t1000 timeline. or something.
    – Olivier Dulac
    Commented Sep 19, 2018 at 10:34
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    @RyanfaeScotland "I suggest you don't worry about this sort of thing and... just enjoy yourself." youtube.com/watch?v=1SPk3NjYfmQ
    – StuperUser
    Commented Sep 19, 2018 at 10:36
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    From T1000 point of view, there is no coincidence, Someone were asking about him this morning. ..Analysing new element.. Best case senario: No worry, I'm a T1000. Worse case senario: No worry, I'm a T1000. From there to realising it's the T800, it's just about math with weighting based on the dangerousness. As every other possibility are irrevelant.
    – Drag and Drop
    Commented Sep 19, 2018 at 11:26

6 Answers 6

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Yes

The script confirms that, at the very least, the T-1000 (in the script as "Officer X") has a very good idea as to who the previous visitor was...

                            JANELLE
            There was a guy here this morning asking about
            him, too.

                           TODD
            Yeah, big guy.  On a bike.  Has that got
            something to do with it?

   Officer X registers the significance of that.  He realizes who the
    big guy must be.  He smiles.  Reassuringly shakes his head no.

It seems implicit from this that the T-1000 was fully aware of the previous Terminator.

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  • 4
    Nice find! I was going to add more speculation to my answer as per popular request
    – Luciano
    Commented Sep 18, 2018 at 14:06
  • 8
    @Luciano Feel free to still do that. Improving answers is never a bad idea.
    – Napoleon Wilson
    Commented Sep 18, 2018 at 14:07
  • "He's a good-looking boy. Do you mind if I keep this picture?"
    – smcs
    Commented Sep 21, 2018 at 7:57
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    In conversation, someone pointed out that the T-1000 as a police officer, would be privileged to police information, such as reports of a large, naked man having messed up a biker bar single handedly, followed by subsequent other reports. It's an inference, rather than evidence, but goes to explain that the T-1000 could have information to infer that it could be a T-800 looking for John.
    – StuperUser
    Commented Sep 21, 2018 at 14:42
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    @StuperUser or at the very least, someone from the future.
    – user64742
    Commented Sep 22, 2018 at 14:25
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There's nothing that can prove that, it's never shown to us in the movie. Although:

  • He could have figured out: "If I'm here and the resistance sent someone too, this time it might be a captured T-800 adapted to protect John Connor".

  • The script shows that during the interview with Connor's foster parents "He (the T-1000) realizes who the big guy must be." Perhaps he just realized that it was Connor's protector, another human sent from the future, he might still not be aware the resistance had a T-800 on their side.

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The T-1000 didn't know it was a Terminator. He emptied the gun clip at him on first encounter. If he already knew, then he'd knew the T-800 was bulletproof and wouldn't bother firing. And no he was shooting for the Terminator as he shielded John, not directly at John. If the T-1000 knew it was a Terminator, he wouldn't have emptied his bullets in vain at a bodyshielding T-800 in order to score a hit at Connor. That would be inefficient for a programming of a killing machine.

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-1

Simply put: NO.

T-1000: Could I speak with him, please?

Stepdad: You could if he were here. Took off on his bike this morning, so he could be anywhere.

...

Stepmom: There was a guy here this morning looking for him too.

Stepdad: yeah, a big guy on a bike. Does that got something to do with this?

John Connor left on his bike. Someone else was looking for him, a big guy on a bike. Now, to me, that says nothing about a T-800. Coulda been some bully, or co-conspirator, or playmate they weren't even aware of. They were both on "bikes", how could anyone/anything summize who the "big guy on a bike" is?

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    "to me it says nothing about a T-800" but you're also not a T-1000 sent from the future, are you? :)
    – Luciano
    Commented Sep 20, 2018 at 8:13
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    How do you know that? ;)
    – Johnny Bones
    Commented Sep 20, 2018 at 12:18
  • No. I wouldn't worry about Johnny Bones.
    – Beanluc
    Commented Sep 20, 2018 at 22:56
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The T1000 absolutely knows about the T800 and feels it has no cause for concern, the T1000 past includes information about an "inferior" model being sent before it... the T800... so it thinks "meh - the T800 is going to be no problems"

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    "the T1000 past includes information about an "inferior" model being sent before it" - could you elaborate on this?
    – F1Krazy
    Commented Sep 20, 2018 at 5:32
-5

Yes, because Arnold is "model 101" of the T-800 series (as opposed to "unknown-model" entering the tunnel in the original film, or "unknown-model" in the second sequel, but sure enough they'd have some identification number as well, only we don't know it).

So, it's pretty obvious to anyone having had access to the model series, including the T-1000.

In one of the later sequels, toward they pull one of many identical model 101s out of a breeding thing, too. Which, unmistakingly, is a CGI rig of young Arnold.

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    How does the specific sub-model number tie to the T-1000 knowing that some big guy was a T-800?
    – T.J.L.
    Commented Sep 18, 2018 at 17:33
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    Hi Damon, you're right that once he sees the T-800 in the mall, he'd be able to identify him based on the model 101 skinjob, but the question was about whether the T-1000 knew before they met and before he would have seen him.
    – StuperUser
    Commented Sep 19, 2018 at 9:16
  • I like this answer because it picks up on the fact that since the T-1000 is also a machine he very likely has functionality that allows him to easily detect other machines (so even if the T-800 had different skin he could likely still detect he was a machine so as to avoid attacking machines that were working as infiltrates to the human resistance groups). However it does miss out on the crucial point that the T-1000 and T-800 have had no contact at all by this point in the film which is likely why you are attracting downvotes. Shame, as it would have been a plausible answer otherwise!
    – RyanfaeScotland
    Commented Sep 19, 2018 at 11:09
  • @RyanfaeScotland: Well, the whole point is that "model 101" is "Arnold Skin". It is the skin that is shown in the original movie, it is the one you see (and explicitly stated being model 101) in T2, and it is the one they activate (from an alcove with several identical models/skins) at the beginning of "Genysis", and which is also seen towards the end of "Salvation". So certainly if you know what "model 101" is (and the T-1000 likely would) then you can recognize its characteristic form (with otherwise identical robot underneath) at first sight.
    – Damon
    Commented Sep 19, 2018 at 13:53
  • Yeah dude I got that, I was just extrapolating out that by time they got to T-1000 they probably had as many different models with different skins (not to mention ones like the T-1000 that can change 'skin') that they would have likely built in the functionality that allowed identification of fellow machines not based on visual cues alone.
    – RyanfaeScotland
    Commented Sep 19, 2018 at 14:13

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