1. This is super obvious, but Sarah Connor saying “I’ll be back” is obviously a nod to the Terminator’s iconic line.
It’s pretty cool to hear her say it after all this time.
2. And, of course, so is Carl saying “I won’t be back”.
What makes it all the more meaningful is that it feels like Arnold Scwarzenegger is actually saying goodbye to the franchise once and for all.
3. Meanwhile, Grace saying “Come with me or you’ll be dead in 30 seconds!” feels like a slightly more subtle nod to another iconic line – “Come with me if you want to live”.
This line has been said in the series almost as much as “I’ll be back” – but it was first uttered by Kyle Reese to Sarah Connor in the first movie.
4. Sarah telling Dani that if they go to the cops for help they’ll end up with “100 dead cops” calls back to the first movie.
The Terminator tracks down Kyle Reese and Sarah at a police station and yep, they end up with a bunch of dead cops.
5. Grace channels Sarah and John Connor’s mantra “there’s no fate but what we make for ourselves”, while Dani puts her own twist on it by saying “what matters are the choices we make now”.
It’s this line that really cements her as leadership material for the future of the human race.
6. The Rev-9 of Dark Fate shares some similarities with the T-1000 of Terminator 2, down to the way it transforms into Dani’s father – echoing how the T-1000 transformed into John’s foster mother.
Creepy.
7. When the Rev-9 crashes the family barbecue, “Guitars, Cadillacs” by Dwight Yoakam is playing. This is the same song playing when the T-800 enters the bar in Terminator 2.
Subtle but iconic.
8. Carl’s business phone number is a nod to the date from the first Terminator movie.
It takes place on May 12, 1984.
9. Carl hesitating over the sunglasses is a reference to the Terminator’s classic look.
The fact he opts not to wear them reinforces the idea Dark Fate is moving towards a different path while honouring the past.
10. Carl’s injuries, though, very much mimic what has happened to Terminators in the past.
Especially his face/eye and his arm.
11. Grace and Carl’s sacrifice echoes Kyle Reese’s in the first movie, the T-800’s in the second movie and the T-850’s in the third movie (even though it’s no longer canon).
The visitors from the future always have to die.
12. Carl’s death in particular pays homage to the Terminator’s end in Terminator 2.
The way Dani and Sarah watch him from above is a direct reference to John and Sarah saying goodbye to their T-800 in the second movie.
13. Dani watching young Grace through the park fence is a visual nod to Sarah’s nightmare vision of Judgement Day in Terminator 2.
It’s only slightly less ominous this time around.
14. Finally, Sarah and Dani driving off in a jeep pays homage to the way a pregnant Sarah does in the first movie.
BRB crying forever.
