Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
When it comes to mothers, few can hold a candle to Sarah Connor. There she was, back in 1984’s The Terminator, minding her own business as a young waitress, when suddenly, a seemingly indestructible cyborg from the future turns up to kill her. She is targeted because she is destined to give birth to a son who is, in turn, destined to lead humanity in its future war against ironically man-made sentient machinery. Though a human soldier from the future also turns up to protect her and ensure the safe delivery of the important child (and, as it turns out, its conception), make no mistake – Sarah Connor is more than capable.
By the time Terminator 2: Judgement Day rolls around, she has been ridiculed and committed to a secure psychiatric facility – having spent years trying to warn people about the coming conflict. Her son, John, has become a disaffected teen – resentful of his mother’s rantings, and emotionally damaged by his years with various foster families. This is the strength of Sarah Connor, however. While she could have lived a life of secrecy – quietly raising and protecting her son in preparation for his vital role in the approaching war – she got loud, repeatedly angry, and she stuck to her guns.
She also ensured that she remained a part of her son’s life, despite her incarceration. This meant that she taught him survival skills and combat techniques that would eventually be invaluable when a second terminator showed up to assassinate him. Faced with that situation, Connor was ready, and sprang into action to protect her child, while making clear her expectation that he also be responsible for protecting himself.
