Machines can be reprogrammed to follow the commands of someone other than its original creator, usually Skynet. This ability is used by the Resistance to reprogram Terminators, and by Terminators to reprogram other Terminators.

Reprogrammable machines include Terminators, HK-Tanks,^[1][2] and HK-Aerials.^[3][4]

The Resistance used humans skilled in programming to reprogram Terminators, such as Danny Dyson.^[5]

The T-X had the ability to use Nanotechnological Transjector to reprogram and control machines and Terminators alike.^[6]

However, Reprogramming can be unreliable. Sometimes, a reprogrammed Terminator will "go bad"; a reprogrammed Terminator in the Future War inexplicably went rogue and killed many Resistance fighters in a bunker,^[7] and Cameron tried to kill John Connor after her chip was damaged.^[8]

Reprogramming can sometimes be overcome by a reboot, such as with the T-850 Terminator.^[6]

Known Reprogrammed Terminators

Main article: :Category:Reprogrammed Terminators

• C890.L, temporarily reprogrammed by Dudley in The Terminator: Secondary Objectives.
• T-800 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day
• T-800 in T2 3-D: Battle Across Time
• Eve and two T-1000 in Terminator 2: The New John Connor Chronicles
• T-850 in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
• T-950 in Terminator 3: Fragmented
• Eliza and Glitch in Terminator Hunt
• Uncle Bob in Terminator: Infinity
• Cameron in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
• The Rogue in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
• Queeg in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles episode "Today Is The Day, Part 1" and "Today Is The Day, Part 2"
• Moto-Terminator in the film Terminator Salvation
• Pops in Terminator Genisys
• T-850's CPU chip in Terminator: Resistance
• The T-850 CPU planted in a modified FK Reaper from Terminator Redemption
• A Terminator army reprogrammed by Thomas Parnell in Terminator Salvation: The Final Battle
• Renegade or Rogue Terminators in Terminator Genisys: Future War
• A Terminator from Terminator 2: Resist!
• Tex in The Terminator: Metal

Other Reprogrammed Machines

• An HK-Tank reprogrammed and piloted by John Connor in the video game Terminator Salvation
• Alvin Scott's Spider Scout in Terminator: Resistance
• Many turrets in Terminator Resistance
• An HK-Tank for the final assault on Skynet in Terminator: Resistance

Notes

• In the Sarah Connor Chronicles timeline, Skynet later added a self-destruct feature to Terminator chips upon chip removal, so that Terminators couldn't be reprogrammed, such as Rosie. "The Tower Is Tall But the Fall Is Short"
• Some Resistance fighters greatly disliked being surrounded by reprogrammed "metal" all the time. ^{[Episode needed]}
• They also sometimes had problems taking orders from reprogrammed metal, such as some of the crew under Captain Queeg on the USS Jimmy Carter. "Today Is The Day, Part 1"
• Some Resistance fighters didn't like John separating himself from other humans, and only spending time with Cameron. This caused Jesse Flores to go back in time in an attempt to alienate John Connor by framing Cameron for the murder of Riley Dawson. "Today Is The Day, Part 1"
• Reprogrammed Terminators were sometimes referred to by Resistance fighters as "scrubbed". ^{[citation needed]}
• In Terminator Genisys, the Guardian was reprogrammed and sent back in time by an unknown party who purposefully erased all knowledge of their identity from Guardian's mind so that no one else would know who they are and so Skynet couldn't find out who they were and try to stop them.
• By far, Terminator 2: The New John Connor Chronicles is the only Terminator media to depict reprogrammed T-1000s, while the novel Terminator Hunt depicts a reprogrammed T-X.

Quotes

Cameron: (referring to a reprogrammed terminator who went rogue) Sometimes they go bad. No one knows why.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, "Dungeons & Dragons"

References