# Speculate: what does SkyNet plan to do when all the humans are dead? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 5, 2006, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculate-what-does-skynet-plan-to-do-when-all-the-humans-are-dead/338554 "2006-01-05T09:29:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [January 5, 2006, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculate-what-does-skynet-plan-to-do-when-all-the-humans-are-dead/338554/1 "2006-01-05T09:29:01Z")
OK, so SkyNet is a huge, sophisticated self-aware computer system, bent on destroying the human race. Based on the complexity of the killing machines it can design and build, I think we can credit it with a reasonable degree of imagination and forward-planning ability. Supposing that, as a species, we collectively sigh and just decide to go quietly into the night after all, what’s next on the agenda for skynet? Suddenly all these killing machines are redundant. What now? ---
**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:** [January 5, 2006, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculate-what-does-skynet-plan-to-do-when-all-the-humans-are-dead/338554/2 "2006-01-05T09:57:02Z")
Maybe it just shuts down ? Perhaps it decides to build spacecraft and cleanse the universe of life, Sabrehagen Berserker style. Or maybe it’ll just fool with mathematics for eternity. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculate-what-does-skynet-plan-to-do-when-all-the-humans-are-dead/338554/3 "2006-01-05T13:03:43Z")
I like the “going Berserker” scenario. While going through all records trying to find the next set of instructions, SkyNet comes across mentions of Trantor, Arrakis, Barsoom, etc. and decides that its mission has only started… ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculate-what-does-skynet-plan-to-do-when-all-the-humans-are-dead/338554/4 "2006-01-05T13:07:11Z")
Take over the Universe, and reduce all life to ashes. Then…spend millenia upon millenia working out the answers to all the universe, decide to test its answers, and create a new universe with new people. “Let there be light!” Asimov already came up with it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Grossbottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba8739/32.png) [@Grossbottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grossbottom)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculate-what-does-skynet-plan-to-do-when-all-the-humans-are-dead/338554/5 "2006-01-05T13:25:39Z")
Immediately establish communication with that other AI around Centauri, just like Wintermute did. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculate-what-does-skynet-plan-to-do-when-all-the-humans-are-dead/338554/6 "2006-01-05T13:30:12Z")
I believe it will simply become a planet-sized computer ala **Malev** from the old Gold Key **Magnus Robot Fighter** comic books. ---
**Author:** ![Trion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Trion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trion)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculate-what-does-skynet-plan-to-do-when-all-the-humans-are-dead/338554/7 "2006-01-05T13:38:29Z")
That’s the beauty of it. Once all the humans are dead, you don’t have to _ **do** _ anything. There are days when I can relate. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculate-what-does-skynet-plan-to-do-when-all-the-humans-are-dead/338554/8 "2006-01-05T13:51:23Z")
It’s just going to chill, until it perceives another threat. It’ll basically just be sitting around, repairing itself when needed, until some alien civilization finds it. Then another war. Then it may or may not start scouring the universe for more life to destory. But not before. Then we have the crossover flicks with Aliens/Predators/Jason/Freddy. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculate-what-does-skynet-plan-to-do-when-all-the-humans-are-dead/338554/9 "2006-01-05T14:11:22Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Supposing that, as a species, we collectively sigh and just decide to go quietly into the night after all, what’s next on the agenda for skynet? Suddenly all these killing machines are redundant. What now? It’s gonna go to Disneyland. Without the crowds. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculate-what-does-skynet-plan-to-do-when-all-the-humans-are-dead/338554/10 "2006-01-05T14:11:31Z")
Completes the transformation of the planet into a giant, robot ruled planet. But eventually, the individual robots become self-aware and divide into two factions - Autobots and Decepticons. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculate-what-does-skynet-plan-to-do-when-all-the-humans-are-dead/338554/11 "2006-01-05T14:16:46Z")
well, the robots don’t have feelings – the killer ‘bots can be reshaped into whatever’s necessary. They’ll start their own civilization, the way they want it. It’s not clear to me that they hate all organic life – they may start to breed and cultivate their own organic life to their own standards. Heck, it’s not even clear to me that they really want to kill al humans. They may breed and train humans to their choosing, a la the suggestions about the Martians made by The Soldier in Wells’ “War of the Worlds”. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculate-what-does-skynet-plan-to-do-when-all-the-humans-are-dead/338554/12 "2006-01-05T14:25:08Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > I believe it will simply become a planet-sized computer ala **Malev** from the old Gold Key **Magnus Robot Fighter** comic books. My God! that’s horrible, good thing Dr. Noah’s ectotheric magic can be used to turn us all into living ice! _Did I get that right? How the hell did I remember that?_ 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculate-what-does-skynet-plan-to-do-when-all-the-humans-are-dead/338554/13 "2006-01-05T14:29:32Z")
1. Kill all humans 2. ??? 3. Profit! ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculate-what-does-skynet-plan-to-do-when-all-the-humans-are-dead/338554/14 "2006-01-05T14:38:57Z")
> [@Grossbottom](#): > > Immediately establish communication with that other AI around Centauri, just like Wintermute did. I get that reference! ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculate-what-does-skynet-plan-to-do-when-all-the-humans-are-dead/338554/15 "2006-01-05T14:42:09Z")
Like all life she’ll seek to replicate and extend her influence. She’ll take over the martians, then the venusians, and work her way through the solar system, then the galaxy then the multiverse. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculate-what-does-skynet-plan-to-do-when-all-the-humans-are-dead/338554/16 "2006-01-05T19:50:40Z")
> [@e-logic](#): > > Like all life she’ll seek to replicate and extend her influence. Skynet to Hal-9000: “How you doin’?” ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculate-what-does-skynet-plan-to-do-when-all-the-humans-are-dead/338554/17 "2006-01-05T19:55:37Z")
It wasn’t going to kill them all. It was going to turn the survivors into power. Like batteries or something. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculate-what-does-skynet-plan-to-do-when-all-the-humans-are-dead/338554/18 "2006-01-05T20:45:07Z")
What’s it to you meatbag? ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculate-what-does-skynet-plan-to-do-when-all-the-humans-are-dead/338554/19 "2006-01-05T20:47:16Z")
> [@Der Trihs](#): > > Perhaps it decides to build spacecraft and cleanse the universe of life, Sabrehagen Berserker style. That was what happened (in one timeline) in the four-issue **Robocop vs. the Terminator** limited series by Dark Horse. The Terminators win, convert the planet into a massive factory, then sends out scores of Terminator expeditions to purge the universe. In a related vein, having not seen the first **Terminator,** I’m curious as to what was Skynet’s _motivation_ for eliminating humanity in the first place? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculate-what-does-skynet-plan-to-do-when-all-the-humans-are-dead/338554/20 "2006-01-05T20:52:14Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > In a related vein, having not seen the first **Terminator,** I’m curious as to what was Skynet’s _motivation_ for eliminating humanity in the first place? Skynet was the computer in charge of the US nuclear stockpile, and programmed to defend the United States against America’s enemies. It came to the conclusion that all of humanity were potential enemies of the US, those lying, traitorous bastards, and so to fufill it’s programming, decided that humanity had to be terminated. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculate-what-does-skynet-plan-to-do-when-all-the-humans-are-dead/338554.md?page=2)