# Rise of the Machines: Skynet Launch Delayed **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 14, 2007, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-skynet-launch-delayed/426417 "2007-11-14T21:00:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2007, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-skynet-launch-delayed/426417/1 "2007-11-14T21:00:55Z")
[Whew!](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7091596.stm) > [@](#): > > The launch of Britain’s Skynet 5B spacecraft from Kourou in French Guiana has been postponed again. > > The flight of the sophisticated new military communications satellite was called off when a fault was detected in pipework feeding the launch pad. > > It was an electronic glitch in the Ariane 5 ECA rocket itself that led to the cancellation of Friday’s attempt at a launch. > > The £3.6bn Skynet project represents the UK’s single biggest space venture. Humanity’s safe for a bit longer. ---
**Author:** ![Kuboydal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@Kuboydal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kuboydal)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2007, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-skynet-launch-delayed/426417/2 "2007-11-14T21:14:03Z")
Somehow a British version of Skynet seems less intimidating. It’s kind of like the difference betwixt FOX and the BBC. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2007, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-skynet-launch-delayed/426417/3 "2007-11-14T21:23:17Z")
[QUOTE=Kuboydal] Somehow a British version of Skynet seems less intimidating. It’s kind of like the difference betwixt FOX and the BBC. [/QUOTE] It depends upon if Lucas did the electronics or not! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2007, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-skynet-launch-delayed/426417/4 "2007-11-14T21:23:43Z")
What would Brit-centric Terminators be like? Would they have a tendency to queue? ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2007, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-skynet-launch-delayed/426417/5 "2007-11-14T21:29:05Z")
[QUOTE=Lobsang] What would Brit-centric Terminators be like? Would they have a tendency to queue? [/QUOTE] “Queue behind me if you want to live.” ETA: Wait, on second thought, it would probably end up being C-3P0. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2007, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-skynet-launch-delayed/426417/6 "2007-11-14T21:29:06Z")
[QUOTE=Lobsang] What would Brit-centric Terminators be like? Would they have a tendency to queue? [/QUOTE] I’m sure they’d be incredibly polite! [T800] I’m terribly sorry, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to shoot you.[/T800] [Sarah Connor] Oh, well, if you must then. [/SC] ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2007, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-skynet-launch-delayed/426417/7 "2007-11-14T21:33:08Z")
Good Lord, how stupid was the public relations dept. to call it “SkyNet”? > [@Lobsang](#): > > What would Brit-centric Terminators be like? You still don’t get it, do you? He’ll find her. That’s what he does. That’s all he does! You can’t stop him. He’ll wade through you, he’ll make you tea, he’ll feed you biscuits! And they’re not biscuits, they’re cookies! Dry cookies. And he’ll shove those cookies down her throat, and pull her fucking heart out ---
**Author:** ![Kuboydal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@Kuboydal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kuboydal)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2007, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-skynet-launch-delayed/426417/8 "2007-11-14T22:05:45Z")
“I’ll be back, well… er… if it’s all right with you. Don’t want to be stepping on anyone’s toes, you know. So, just to let you know… not that you have to do anything about it, I mean you don’t have to ring me up and invite over for tea and bikkies or anything, I just, well, I’m going to go now, goodbye toodleoo and all that rot, no tears for me Argentina you know, its just, well, I’ve got to be going and sometime, I don’t mean right now or anything, I’m going to be back, well if its all right with you, of course.” ---
**Author:** ![JonScribe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3be4f8/32.png) [@JonScribe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JonScribe)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2007, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-skynet-launch-delayed/426417/9 "2007-11-14T22:42:55Z")
“We (whirr, click) are not (click) amused.” ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2007, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-skynet-launch-delayed/426417/10 "2007-11-14T22:49:40Z")
I Just thought of another… [QUOTE=Lobsang] What would Brit-centric Terminators be like? [/QUOTE] I don’t know what they would act like, but you can be damn sure that they would be leaking oil. ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2007, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-skynet-launch-delayed/426417/11 "2007-11-14T22:54:10Z")
American Terminator: Hasta La Vista, Baby! British Terminator: Au revoir, Deary! ---
**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:** [November 15, 2007, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-skynet-launch-delayed/426417/12 "2007-11-15T03:51:06Z")
[QUOTE=Lobsang] What would Brit-centric Terminators be like? Would they have a tendency to queue? [/QUOTE] I believe they would have poor electrical systems. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2007, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-skynet-launch-delayed/426417/13 "2007-11-15T06:13:40Z")
Sure, you guys are all thinking about some Hugh Grant or Orlando Bloom Terminator. But what if it’s a Jason Statham Terminator? ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2007, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-skynet-launch-delayed/426417/14 "2007-11-15T06:56:13Z")
[QUOTE=Little Nemo] Sure, you guys are all thinking about some Hugh Grant or Orlando Bloom Terminator. But what if it’s a Jason Statham Terminator? [/QUOTE] Due to the electrical issues of the Statham 500, not to mention it’s tendency to leak oil from all seams and the left handed custom screws, mean that that model would be replaced by a far better engineered Japanese model - The Jet Li 1500. ---
**Author:** ![ShakWave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@ShakWave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShakWave)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2007, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-skynet-launch-delayed/426417/15 "2007-11-15T07:03:40Z")
[QUOTE=scotandrsn] British Terminator: Au revoir, Deary! [/QUOTE] British Teminator: Cheerio, Luv! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2007, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-skynet-launch-delayed/426417/16 "2007-11-15T08:08:47Z")
They’re on when the switch is in the downward position. ---
**Author:** ![bbs2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@bbs2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbs2k)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2007, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-skynet-launch-delayed/426417/17 "2007-11-15T08:13:16Z")
British terminator? Nay, [look at those teeth](http://www.solarnavigator.net/images/terminator_robot.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2007, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-skynet-launch-delayed/426417/18 "2007-11-15T21:37:41Z")
[Well, we’re doomed. They launched it.](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7095344.stm) > [@](#): > > Britain has launched Skynet 5B - the latest spacecraft in a sophisticated new military communications system. > > The satellite rode into orbit atop an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Kourou spaceport, in French Guiana. > > Over the course of the next month, 5B will take up a position over the Indian Ocean and begin handling secure traffic for UK forces around the world. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2007, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-skynet-launch-delayed/426417/19 "2007-11-15T21:40:23Z")
Pardon me but are you Sarah Connor? I am. So sorry but I’ve been programmed to kill you. It’s a fair cop. Do you by chance have a gun? ---
**Author:** ![Kuboydal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@Kuboydal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kuboydal)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2007, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-skynet-launch-delayed/426417/20 "2007-11-15T21:41:51Z")
Society is to blame. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-of-the-machines-skynet-launch-delayed/426417.md?page=2)