Like Father, Love Son: A ‘Terminator’ Theory That Changes Everything

The Terminator is one of the most popular and influential sci-fi films of all-time, but something about the plot has always gnawed at me. I can’t be the only one who thinks that if it weren’t for Sergeant Kyle Reese’s homoerotic infatuation with his own son, the machines surely would have conquered mankind, right?

Let me explain.

In James Cameron’s original 1984 film, Reese (Michael Biehn) is presented as an altruistic guardian sent to the past to protect Sarah Connor, the mother of John Connor, future leader of the human resistance against the machines. But Reese’s “love” for Sarah isn’t want prompted him to time travel. Rather, it’s Reese’s pseduo-Oedipus complex with his son John Connor that inspired his wayward journey. Because when it comes to John Connor, Reese is part proud dad and part rockstar groupie.

Reese’s infatuation with John is apparent throughout the movie as Reese constantly describes John using romantic language fit for medieval monks. Here’s how Reese first describes John to Sarah:

“There was one man who taught us to fight, to storm the wire of the camps, to smash those metal motherfuckers into junk. He turned it around. He brought us back from the brink. His name is Connor. John Connor.”

Reese refers to John as if John were a Christ-like savior and he talks about John in the way that I imagine Jonestown residents spoke of Jim Jones. Reese also uses erotic language and gestures when he speaks of John. This is seen when he tells Sarah:

“He [John] has your eyes.”

When he says “your eyes” Reese pauses and stares at Sarah’s eyes hoping to catch a glimpse of John.

The longing there is palapable.

It’s worth recognizing that The Terminator takes place in “One possible future,” according to Reese. Another alternate timeline can be seen in the recent Terminator: Genisys (now available to stream). In that movie’s timeline, Reese is again in love with John Connor. He says that, “People whisper about John and wonder how he can know the things he does. They use words like prophet, but John’s more.” Reese adds, “The first moment I saw John … was the first moment in my life I felt help. After that, of course, I followed him around like a stray dog.”

(Side bar: Since we’re already talking about alternate universes, is it possible that in the original Terminator movie Reese traveled to the past to change the timeline? Maybe Reese originally wasn’t even John’s father, and that John’s father was just some regular Joe that Sarah had a longterm relationship with. But since Reese is so enamored with John he went back in time and had sex with Sarah just so he could father Sarah’s child. And while it would have been easier for Reese to do this without having to fight a terminator, without the terminator he would have no excuses to go back to the 80s and bang Sarah. The terminator provided Reese cover and reduced any suspicions about his real intentions. Reese so loved John that he devised this elaborate setup just so he could father John even though this elaborate setup ultimately cost Reese his life. Maybe that’s the real story of The Terminator. While the truthfulness behind these speculations is uncertain, with time travel we are encouraged to entertain every absurd prospect and ignore reality whenever possible.)

Anyways, let’s get back to discussing how the thought of John Connor’s eyes puts Reese in a Zen-like state.

Reese follows up his “your eyes” flirtation with, “You trust him [John]. He’s got a strength. I’d die for John Connor.” Surely, many teenage girls in the mid-1960s scribbled similar things in their notebooks about Paul McCartney and John Lennon.

The obsession with John Connor also manifests itself in Reese memorizing John’s words and reciting them to Sarah like they’re a religious mantra. Most people do not memorize, word-for-word, a 47-word passage that a co-worker told them ages ago.

After reciting the passage, Reese tells Sarah, “I love you. I always have.” Which is a very off-putting thing to say to someone you just met yesterday. But Reese is damn good looking, so he gets away with what would otherwise be deemed creepy.

Soon after Reese professes “love” for Sarah, the two engage in hot-ass time-travel boning (some would call it a predestination paradox of passion). It appears that Reese’s words put Sarah in the mood, but given the context of the rest of the movie, Reese’s words make most sense if you view them as intended for John and merely projected onto Sarah.

After all, Reese only “loves” Sarah because she’s John’s mother. It’s not like Reese and Sarah have been able to connect with one another over an extended time period, which is usually necessary for anyone wishing to develop and nurture a genuine relationship. Reese “loves” and subsequently fucks Sarah because Sarah is the closest sexual outlet he has to John given that John is not yet born (and Reese has to bone Sarah in order for John to be born), having sex with John is incestuous, and it’s unclear whether Reese or John are even bi-curious let alone gay so there’s a good chance that at least one of the parties involved would deny consent and wish to avoid this hypothetical encounter. Basically, Sarah is what’s leftover and available. She’s like a roadie that cleans up the leftover groupies.

What really drives home the point that Reese wants John is that Reese tells Sarah that he “never” had “a girl.” Other than desiring to get it on with his own son, Reese seems like a well-adjusted, courageous, handsome man. Surely some futuristic female showed interest! (It could also be that Reese never had a girl because he’s gay, but then again he happily makes sweet whoopee with Sarah while presumably maintaining an erection.) But Reese probably rebuffed any suitors because he was holding out for John, sort of like how Waylon Smithers perpetually longed for Mr. Burns.

Although wanting to make love to your son is certainly taboo, let’s not be too hard on Reese. Presumably, Reese initially developed feelings for John while still being unaware that John was his son, so it’s not like Reese intended to commit incest. He just developed a crush on another man, which is pretty harmless and no longer taboo (at least in most American states). Rather than condemn Reese’s psychosexual development, we should celebrate it! After all, it was Reese’s man crush that saved Sarah’s life, giving humanity a chance against the machines in the coming war.

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Ross Benes (@rossbenes) is working on a book about indirect relationships between sex and society. He has written for The Wall Street Journal, Esquire, Deadspin, and Slate.