Terminator Zero Ending Explained: The Real Mission of the T-1000 and Malcolm’s Past/Present?
Netflix has finally had its say on Terminator, and it did it in style: Terminator Zero has received great acclaim from audiences and critics since its debut on the platform a few days ago. But how did the first season of the highly acclaimed animated series end? The first cycle of episodes of Terminator Zero ends with the death of Malcolm Lee: before leaving us, however, he reveals to Eiko that he is her son and that he was raised by her, in the future, following the ideals that led him to become the man who, in 1997, attempted to block the rise of Skynet by designing Kokoro. The T-1000, meanwhile, reveals his future to Kenta: the boy, according to what the Terminator told him, is destined to become an important leader of the resistance, but he is involved in an attempted alliance with Skynet to destroy Kokoro, which has revealed itself to be a potentially even worse threat to humanity. At this point, the decision is up to Kenta: to turn off or not to turn off Kokoro?
The boy decides to trust his father’s creation, and for now, his choice seems to pay off. The Artificial Intelligence while understanding Skynet’s motivations, manages to see the good in humanity, protecting it as much as possible from the launch of nuclear warheads. Available on Netflix from August 29, 2024, Terminator Zero develops from a story with recognizable colors and develops its main events along a path made of fascinating reflections and paradoxes. In this story suspended between past, present, and future, it is easy to see some obvious references and inspirations, even if the beating heart of the action practically explodes in the final part of the animated series. So how does Terminator Zero end? Let’s find out together. Reading further means coming into contact with major spoilers; we advise you not to continue unless you have watched Terminator Zero in its entirety on Netflix.
Terminator Zero Ending Explained: The Real Mission of the T-1000 and Malcolm’s Past/Present?
During the events of Terminator Zero, we see a T-1000 go back in time, from 2022 to 1997, with the sole purpose of stopping Malcolm Lee’s research to build Kokoro, an AI to stop Skynet and its war against humanity on Judgment Day. Thus, we see this Terminator arrive in Japan and kidnap Kenta, Malcolm’s eldest son. If at first, it seems that the hostage will serve as leverage against his father, this will not be the case simply and simply as events progress. Once he reaches the location where Kokoro was created and later put online, the T-1000 will choose to activate an EMP on site, to deactivate all the machines present, including the AI. In the ending of Terminator Zero, however, we discover that he cannot activate it due to the way he was programmed, pushing Kenta himself to do so, and then reveal to him that it was his future self who sent him back in time to destroy Kokoro and allow him to mediate for future collaboration between machines and humans, preserving the existence of Skynet for now.
Everything, therefore, falls into the hands of Kenta himself, who has the most important choice of all Terminator Zero: to deactivate Kokoro or to believe in her and in the fact that she will help humanity. The boy will choose the second option and, in this way, will change the future as was previously written. In the final moments of Terminator Zero, we also learn Malcolm’s big secret: the fact that he comes from the future. Unlike the others, he went back to 1984 with an AI he created, Misaki, who caused him some problems in his time, pushing him to the trip in question. Their goal is to build an alternative AI that can defend humanity and counter Skynet. It is Kokoro, born from the CPU of Misaki herself who, rebooted following this passage, will forget her origins, becoming a sort of nanny for Malcolm’s children. Throughout the events of Terminator Zero, we see Malcolm engaged in a conceptual confrontation with Kokoro. Their exchange of opinions focuses entirely on one fundamental question: does humanity deserve to live? Only in the final part of the story, however, will the scientist be able to give a convincing and definitive answer to the AI he created, and he will do so by sacrificing himself for his family during an attack by the T-1000, demonstrating that there is a side of human beings that deserves to be saved.
Eiko’s Real Identity and Kokoro’s Future?
Another important revelation that we learn in the final part of Terminator Zero is directly connected to the character of Eiko. When Malcolm is dying, he reveals to Eiko a truth about himself that even the girl was unaware of, that in the future she is his mother and that she raised him carrying forward some ideals that he himself has continued to follow over time, becoming skilled in resistance and curious about machines and how they work. His speech is also connected to a memory of his mother with the robotic hand, an eventuality that occurred in the timeline we are witnessing, and consequently confirms a possible ongoing time loop. All of this seems to tie in with the talk Eiko heard earlier from the Prophet in the future when she asked her about time travel and her mission. Yet, many open questions remain, as do questions about the character’s next steps.
Still about the future, Kokoro’s imminent choices, following the closing finale of Terminator Zero, remain quite clear, given the current situation. Analyzing Malcolm’s sacrifice, we see the AI recognize the good in people, opting for their defense against Skynet’s vision. Furthermore, as a demonstration of her human side, we see her guarding the scientist’s body, almost as a demonstration of a certain affection towards him, perhaps suggesting a “machine” future for him. Such an experience had a significant impact on a Kokoro perhaps unprepared for the fleeting and complex nuances of the human race. Everything returns to a particular and fragile balance, through events that push the AI to reflect on itself and its purpose now that it is totally free and further “evolved”. What will be its next move?
