# How Would You Fight A Terminator **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 14, 2009, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-fight-a-terminator/493093 "2009-04-14T17:55:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-fight-a-terminator/493093/61 "2009-04-15T15:07:39Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Hydroflouric Acid would be an effective choice to douse or immerse the Terminator in, as it’s highly reactive with metal. Of course, the Terminator being from the distant future, it’s creators probably thought of that already. > > Maybe a giant magnet to trap him while we decide what to do with him. Unless the Terminator is made of glass, Hydrofluoric acid isn’t going to do much damage. [Aqua Regia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqua_Regia), however… ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-fight-a-terminator/493093/62 "2009-04-15T16:04:11Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > The major difference seems to be that the T1001 makes an effective career-minded single mom while the T1000 mostly glares at people. These are not mutually-exclusive skill sets. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-fight-a-terminator/493093/63 "2009-04-15T18:32:35Z")
> [@Larry\_Borgia](#): > > I can’t believe that a movie about time travelling killer robots would stoop to such scientific implausabilities. 🙂 Oh, I didn’t mind. I was just responding to the idea that simply pretending liquid metal=nanotech somehow made things any more believable. One day I shall have to watch the Sarah Conner Chronicles. That sounds interesting. So, does the T1001 have nookie? And is it really, mindblowingly awesome? I’m focusing on the important things here! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-fight-a-terminator/493093/64 "2009-04-15T19:40:58Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#): > > What nanomachine exists? Life. Life is proof of concept for nanotechnology, just as birds were for flight. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-fight-a-terminator/493093/65 "2009-04-15T21:41:18Z")
I thought it was clear that I was taking about man made technology. Whether or not man can make technology that mimics biology from scratch has yet to be seen, but I wont deny the possibility. It ain’t liquid metal based life that can shatter into a thousand peices and regroup into any shape and color unharmed. ---
**Author:** ![wintertime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c68b51/32.png) [@wintertime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wintertime)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-fight-a-terminator/493093/66 "2009-04-15T22:45:40Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Life. Life is proof of concept for nanotechnology, just as birds were for flight. Exactly, that’s why I said that I don’t deny the possibility _per se_. The molecular machinery within cells shows, what can be done on such an incredibly small scale. Still, **WarmNPrickly** , you are right, of course, that nano-machines made by technology don’t exist. A friend of mine is working at so called “active bio-mimetic systems” but, as far as I know, we aren’t even in “half done” territory. But even if we had a technology that worked as well as everyday biology, we wouldn’t be any closer to the liquid metal that is featured prominently on TSCC; it’s as achievable as a time machine or FTL drives. > [@](#): > > It occurs to me that the scene in a previous epsiode where Jesse and her submarine crew discover their cargo is a T1000 series liquid metal terminator was sort of dumb. – **msmith537** Oh, absolutely. But it’s one of the few shows, where “dumb” might have meaning .. beyond the obvious one. The episodes have shown a progressively distant John Connor, the more he learned to depend on machines instead of humans; in Jesse’s future, the machines are already commanding the resistance and no one knows if John Connor is still in control or even alive. If Weaver is the T1001 from Jesse’s sub, we should consider the possibility that her jump with John was also done to prevent such a development. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-fight-a-terminator/493093/67 "2009-04-16T01:21:11Z")
I’m dubious that the individual components of the T-1000 are properly insulated. While an EMP might not be practical, luring it into a large electrical substation and getting it to ground a high tension line would have an interesting effect whether it’s fusing it into the consistency of stale oatmeal or frying a significant portion of it. Even if that doesn’t stop the terminator that should slow it down significantly. I also suspect that the T-1000 is not vacuum hardened. Boiling it away should be disruptive to its systems and it could no longer dump waste heat from its systems potentially cooking each tiny component. Luring it into a vacuum chamber capable of holding it while you pump the air out is left as a simple exercise to the reader. Note that high pressure like putting it at the bottom of the Marianas trench for twenty minutes after sending it back to 1960 probably wouldn’t be as effective since it couldn’t compress much. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-fight-a-terminator/493093/68 "2009-04-16T01:34:13Z")
> [@Just\_Some\_Guy](#): > > I’m dubious that the individual components of the T-1000 are properly insulated. T-1000s don’t really have individual components. They are just blobs of polymimetic alloy. No damage to a T-1000 has revealed any thing more than just a chunk of liquid metal. > [@](#): > > While an EMP might not be practical, luring it into a large electrical substation and getting it to ground a high tension line would have an interesting effect whether it’s fusing it into the consistency of stale oatmeal or frying a significant portion of it. Even if that doesn’t stop the terminator that should slow it down significantly. We’ve seen a T-1000 channel electricity through one arm and out the other into a T-888. The T-888 was rendered inert. The T-1000 was unaffected. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-fight-a-terminator/493093/69 "2009-04-16T01:44:31Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > T-1000s don’t really have individual components. They are just blobs of polymimetic alloy. No damage to a T-1000 has revealed any thing more than just a chunk of liquid metal. > > We’ve seen a T-1000 channel electricity through one arm and out the other into a T-888. The T-888 was rendered inert. The T-1000 was unaffected. That’s due to the fact that the T-888 was ground, and the electricity was channeld thru to it… had the T1001 been the ground, it might have been a different story. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-fight-a-terminator/493093/70 "2009-04-16T01:52:44Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > T-1000s don’t really have individual components. They are just blobs of polymimetic alloy. No damage to a T-1000 has revealed any thing more than just a chunk of liquid metal. I’m assuming microscopic components that house some kind of controls. It can’t be one “solid” lump of material, after all. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-fight-a-terminator/493093/71 "2009-04-16T01:59:47Z")
> [@Just\_Some\_Guy](#): > > I’m assuming microscopic components that house some kind of controls. It can’t be one “solid” lump of material, after all. Logicallly no, but logic clearly doesn’t apply here. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-fight-a-terminator/493093/72 "2009-04-16T02:46:39Z")
Why are you guys arguing about imaginary technology? ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-fight-a-terminator/493093/73 "2009-04-16T10:12:40Z")
I’m a big geek. Why else? ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-fight-a-terminator/493093/74 "2009-04-16T13:53:47Z")
> [@simster](#): > > That’s due to the fact that the T-888 was ground, and the electricity was channeld thru to it… had the T1001 been the ground, it might have been a different story. Current flow is current flow. Voltage source -\> T-1001 -\> T-888 -\> ground produces exactly the same current as: Voltage source -\> T-888 -\> T-1001 -\> ground. If that amount of current kills the 888, but not the 1001, then reversing their position won’t matter. I still think high explosives is a viable way to go. Remember at the end of T2, when Arnie hit the T-1000 in the center of mass with a grenade launcher round? It screwed it up pretty badly - who knows if it could have recovered even if it hadn’t fallen in the molten steel. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-fight-a-terminator/493093/75 "2009-04-16T14:01:12Z")
I read somewhere, the novel version of T2 maybe, that by that point in the proceedings the T1000 was having issues due to cumulative damage. All the gunfire and such hadn’t left it unscathed; it just wasn’t damaged enough to reduce function. The grenade was kind of the tipping point. The molten steel was the finisher. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-fight-a-terminator/493093/76 "2009-04-16T14:36:57Z")
I think I’d just turn off the TV. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-fight-a-terminator/493093/77 "2009-04-16T15:23:20Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Cameron found a tortoise in the dessert flipped over on it’s back. She just put it right side up. She should have complained to the manager and gotten it comped. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-fight-a-terminator/493093/78 "2009-04-16T17:40:07Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > I read somewhere, the novel version of T2 maybe, that by that point in the proceedings the T1000 was having issues due to cumulative damage. All the gunfire and such hadn’t left it unscathed; it just wasn’t damaged enough to reduce function. The grenade was kind of the tipping point. The molten steel was the finisher. There’s a scene in an extended version where the T1000 puts his hand on a black and yellow striped railing, and his arm up to the elbow takes on the black and yellow striping. This was supposed to indicate that something was malfunctioning in the mimetic systems. Maybe they should have included that scene, because without it, it certainly appears that the T1000 is _far_ more unstoppable than the skeleton-based models. They happened to get lucky and stumble across the steel plant. Why would the machines go back to a skeleton in the later models? Skeletons can be blown up and broken. Liquid metal abides. Skeletons can’t walk through jail bars, ooze through small openings, or impersonate non-human objects. Built-in weapons and nanites are cool, I guess. but it really seemed like the T1000 was a more advanced gadget. ---
**Author:** ![Levolor\_the\_Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bc8723/32.png) [@Levolor\_the\_Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Levolor_the_Blind)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-fight-a-terminator/493093/79 "2009-04-16T17:44:02Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > I read somewhere, the novel version of T2 maybe, that by that point in the proceedings the T1000 was having issues due to cumulative damage. All the gunfire and such hadn’t left it unscathed; it just wasn’t damaged enough to reduce function. The grenade was kind of the tipping point. The molten steel was the finisher. I seem to recall that was implied in the movie as well. Wasn’t T1000 having problems with its mimic abilities after the freeze / thaw incident? I got the impression that if you pounded on it often enough, eventually it would malfunction. As an aside, what’s the explanation for how T1000 was powered? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-fight-a-terminator/493093/80 "2009-04-16T17:51:56Z")
I wonder what a large enough application of electric current would do to it? Or, freeze the sucker and either chuck him in molten iron (like in the film), or, since he doesn’t look like he’d be able to swim, ditch him in an ocean trench. In 1960. For 20 minutes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-fight-a-terminator/493093.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-fight-a-terminator/493093.md?page=5)