T-X

T-X
The T-X, played by Kristanna Loken
First appearance	Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Created by	James Cameron & Jonathan Mostow
Portrayed by	Kristanna Loken, other cast members, special effects
Information
Species	Gynoid
Manufacturer	Skynet

The T-X, also known as the Terminatrix, is a fictional character who appears in the 2003 film Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, which is part of the Terminator franchise. The T-X is a cyborg assassin with a human female appearance; the character was portrayed by Kristanna Loken. The T-X has the ability to assume the appearance of other characters; therefore, several other cast members occasionally portrayed the T-X throughout the film. This ability to change shape is similar to that of the T-1000, the main antagonist of Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

Appearances

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

The T-X is the main antagonist in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, sent back to try to stop John Connor from founding the human resistance. In addition to Connor, the T-X is programmed to seek out and kill 21 other primary targets, including Connor's future wife, Kate Brewster, her father, General Robert Brewster, and several of Connor's future lieutenants. In the case of the lieutenants, the T-X was able to gain access to the public school database, obtain photos and addresses (work and home), and proceeded to kill several one by one. The DVD's special features are Jose Barrera, Elizabeth and William Anderson, and Robert Brewster. The features state that Robert Brewster was only killed, so he couldn't shut down Skynet once it was activated.

Other than a malfunctioning weapon, the T-X sustained no permanent damage throughout the film, until the Model 101 crashed a helicopter into it, causing it to lose its mimetic coating and legs. It was destroyed only when the reprogrammed Terminator jammed its last power cell into the T-X's mouth and detonated it, causing an internal explosion. Despite its destruction, it did somehow succeed in making Skynet come to power, thus Judgement Day has occured.

T3: Terminator Hunt

In the book Terminator Hunt, the second known T-X is trained by captured resistance members for a jump to the 1960s where she will track the Connor family for the next forty years. A captured resistance soldier, Paul Keeley, was tricked into helping make the T-X more human. An implant in his brain caused him to think that the T-X was a girl named Eliza, and his interaction with her helped her learn how to be human. The resistance captures the T-X and rescues Keeley. However, Eliza uses the implant in Paul Keeley's head to make him think that they have been captured by a rogue government, and he frees her. Overburdened with guilt, Paul Keeley convinces John and Katherine Connor to give him another chance to capture Eliza. Through the implant, Paul discovers the training facility she has escaped to, and Eliza is again captured by the resistance. Eliza is then successfully reprogrammed to serve the resistance.

Superman vs. The Terminator: Death to the Future

Another T-X, referred to as the "Terminatrix", features in the crossover comic Superman vs. The Terminator: Death to the Future, where it is sent back by Skynet to ally with Hank Henshaw, the Cyborg Superman, briefly merging with Henshaw to battle Superman before its systems are destroyed by a computer virus developed by Lex Luthor.

Concept and design

"We were trying to come up with something that could hold its ground with the original Terminator. That was such an iconic figure- coming up with something that looked even more fantastic when next to the original Terminator was one of the biggest design challenges on the show."

— John Rosengrant

The T-X was designed in Stan Winston studios, where it was considered particularly challenging to design, as the script required a character capable of holding its own against the original Terminator. Originally, the T-X's endoskeleton was meant to convey an androgynous shape which would permit the cyborg to assume the superficial traits of both men and women, though later designs veered on it being more feminine. The final, approved T-X design was done by Aaron Sims, who designed it entirely on computer through a mixture of Photoshop and 3D software. The T-X endoskeleton was painted chrome black, in order to differentiate it from the silver sheen of the T-800 endoskeleton. The T-X was also fitted with blue running lights, rather than the original's red. John Rosengrant later stated that the individual parts of the T-X endoskeleton were hard coated, sanded and polished through machines, resulting in a mathematically perfect model, unlike the endoskeleton in The Terminator, which was sculpted by hand and lacked symmetry.

The T-X is designed to not only terminate humans but also rogue Terminators reprogrammed by the Resistance, an "anti-terminator terminator" as stated by John Connor. It is a composite of the T-800 and T-1000, a solid endoskeleton covered with liquid metal "mimetic polyalloy", allowing it to take the shape of any humanoid it touches. Because it is only coated in this material, it is possible to remove it from the endoskeleton using immensely strong magnetic force, such as that from a cyclic particle accelerator. Powering all the T-X's systems is an onboard plasma reactor.

See also

• List of female supervillains

External links

• T-X at the Internet Movie Database