In this sequel to his 1984 sci-fi smash The Terminator, director James Cameron (with co-writer William Wisher) reprised the main characters but gave the story an audacious twist. T2 established the iconography of Arnold Schwarzenegger, recast as the good guy, and it had to work from the very first scene.

“There was concern on Jim’s part whether we could pull this off,” says Mark Goldblatt, ACE, who had edited the first film. “It’s not what audiences expected to happen and it was an expensive risk to take.”

“When we first see Terminator he’s been transported over time and space and arrives in a ball of energy, crouched naked. The whole construct of this introduction is a twisted version of the arrival of Michael Biehn’s character (Kyle Reese) in the original Terminator.”

Terminator is given the subjective point of view of a cyborg, able to analyze everything he sees. As he approaches the entrance to the bar, the camera tilts up to reveal the sign.

“We cut inside to see billiards and there’s a tight pan up to see the billiard player; then we cut to the door and Arnold walks in,” Goldblatt explains. “The point is that Terminator is assuming the role of Kyle from the original film. He has come to save Sarah Connor but the audience doesn’t know that yet. He appears to be a killing machine with a blank expression sizing everyone up. He’s looking for a clothing match because that’s going to be his costume to navigate the human world undercover.

“It’s also slightly [comical],” Goldblatt continues. “The bikers are stereotypes and Arnold faces off with them in a humorous way. There’s a lot of subtext here. We’re setting up the character of the new Terminator by making him ever so slightly human.”

“He is violent – but he doesn’t kill anybody. He is programmed to achieve his objective of saving Sarah Connor, but he’s our savior too.”

The final pieces of Terminator’s iconic costume are collected outside. Goldblatt made a few subtle jump cuts to speed up Terminator’s grab of the shotgun and sunglasses from the bartender as if to prove Terminator is quicker than a human.

The soundtrack is important too. “When we initially see the Terminator’s POV through ‘Termovision,’ the motif is suspense. We don’t know what he’s going to do but we fear the worst. On first entering the bar, we hear country and western played on the jukebox to emphasize the culture shock experienced by those inside. It’s also intended to be [comical] … ‘Did you hear the one about a naked Terminator who walks into a bar?’”

Terminator’s first step outside the bar is timed with the guitar-led rock riff of “Bad to the Bone” by George Thorogood & The Destroyers. “The final shot is the iconic Terminator dressed up, ready for action with the signature tune suggesting he is the meanest, biggest biker of them of all.”