Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) - 11 questions

Question: I don't understand the explanation John gives when he says that if the other terminator in T2 hadn't intervened, he would've met Catherine.

Answer: It's another reference to the fact that Judgment Day is inevitable. When they changed/prevented one possible future scenario (T2) they created another (as explained in T3 where they simply delayed Judgment Day). In other words, Catherine's father was always going to be responsible for creating Skynet and the killing of Miles Dyson only "delayed" that scenario. If the events of T2 had not happened, John would have met Catherine sooner and would have met the "real" person behind "Skynet".

Question: Why would shoppers need to carry a scanner round a store with them like Kate does early on in the film?

Answer: She is picking he items she wants on her wedding registry. You scan the items you want, so people will know what to buy you.

Question: In the vet clinic, how did Kate know that John's pistol was fake? I'd like both the tell-tale signs she would have spotted, but also how she'd know to look for them.

Answer: She didn't know until she fired it and John got paint on him.

Question: What make/model of car does the female Terminator steal from the nice lady? It's the scene where she's naked and the woman says "Oh my god, do you need help?"

Answer: The car she takes from the woman is a 2003 Lexus SC 430 Hardtop Convertible($42,000 new).

Question: In the second film, the T-800 stated that Skynet launched the nuclear missiles in response to the government trying to shut it down. This is not the case here (as John states that Skynet has little-to-no-chance of being destroyed by conventional means). It just preps launching them as soon as it becomes active. It is not longer motivated by any clear threat to its existence. What, then, causes Skynet to identify humans as the enemy and initiate Judgement Day?

Answer: In this reality (which is subtly altered from the "original" Terminator timeline due to the changes made in T1 and T2) SkyNet became conscious quite a bit before T3 and eventually determined that it should be in control of the world. To pursue that goal, it launched the virus discussed throughout the film which was intended to trick the government into launching SkyNet world-wide. In other words, its new motivation was paternalism/global domination, and humanity (in its current form, anyway) gets in the way.

Question: Why did John Connor program the Terminator to only obey Catherine's orders? Since he is the boss wouldn't he make it so the Terminator would obey his orders?

Answer: He didn't program the Terminator, she did - remember, John is dead, successfully eliminated by that very Terminator. As to why she didn't program the Terminator to obey both of them, that's an open question - possibly she needed to supply a voiceprint which obviously couldn't be obtained from the deceased John (which would also explain why the Terminator in T2 appeared to only be programmed to obey John, not both John and his mother). Alternatively, it's plausible that the Terminators can only be programmed to obey one individual, in order to prevent problems in the case of conflicting orders.

Question: Whats with the face of the TX when it tasted John Connor's blood in the pet clinic? Excitement? Happiness to find it's target or didn't Kristina like the taste of coagulated blood?

Answer: Since he was the primary target the TX computer was jolted a bit.

Question: What is the name of the music that starts playing in the final trailer just after the narrator says "our last hope will be one of them"? Where can i get the music?

Answer: This is an excellent track called "Gothic Power" by Christopher Field - most famously used in trailers for the Fellowship of the Ring. It can be found here - http://www.slavelakewolves.com/multimedia/gothic_power.mp3.

Question: Are there any hidden extra's on the DVD and if so, how do you get to them?

Answer: No one has found any at the moment but keep checking on the Easter Eggs page to keep up to date with any extras found.

Question: Did James Cameron ever express how he felt about judgement day occurring at the end of this movie, considering he chose to have nothing to do with this production.

Answer: James Cameron has stated in interviews that this film has nothing to do with him. So basically as far as he is concerned, judgement day never happened and life went on as usual. If the makers of T3 felt judgement day should happen, then that is their decision, as it is their film now. James has told his story, others can tell theirs.

Question: Can anyone tell me if Edward Furlong was asked to reprise his role as John Connor and why he didn't?

Answer: He was originally in talks - and by some reports, did appear on set for some period of time. While factual answers are in short supply (for obvious reasons), there appears to be a connection to his drug-use habits. For instance, he was checked into a hospital (LA Cedars Sinai) for what friends feared was a drug overdose in April 2001, and has been in and out of rehab over the years. Chances are the production company was unable or unwilling to get completion insurance.