18 More Things You Didn't Know About The Terminator

By James Egan / July 16, 2020

It may be hard to believe for younger viewers but there was actually a time where The Terminator franchise... was good. Not just good. The first two entries are among the greatest motion pictures ever.

Just before its release, The Terminator was expected to be another trashy sci-fi flick that would be forgotten within the year. Instead, it reinvigorated the genre, made the director, James Cameron, a legend, transformed Arnold Schwarzenegger into a movie star, and created one of the most iconic theme songs ever.

If you are a die-hard fan of the first film, you probably know a bit of trivia like how Cameron was living in his car when he wrote the script or how Mel Gibson nearly played the murderous cyborg.

Even if you've seen this classic movie more times than you can count, there are some things you may missed. Did you notice how one of the first scenes foreshadows the truck chase at the end? Did you ever wonder why Skynet would program a robot to swear? Did you know the film has an alternative ending?

Here are 20 MORE things you didn't know about The Terminator.

18. How The Terminator Learned To Swear

While the Terminator is building intel on Sarah Connor at a motel, he is interrupted by a janitor. We see through the cyborg's vision that he has a series of applicable responses for the man. Of all the responses he could have chosen, The Terminator picks the one with the most... um... colourful language. This scene is hilarious despite the fact it doesn't seem to make much sense. I mean... why would a robot that is designed for hunting and killing be programmed to swear?

But there is an actual answer! His response to the janitor is exactly what the punks said to him in the opening scene. The Terminator isn't using expletives for the sake of it. He knows this phrase is used to come across as intimidating. He's trying to speak like a regular human based on his own experience. This scene may be played for laughs but it also proves the titular character adapts to human behaviour.

Or maybe the director, James Cameron, made The Terminator curse because it's really, really funny.