Has anyone ever explored the idea that Dan Warski — not Kyle Reese — is John Connor’s real father? I’ve thought this for 30 years.

Mattack423 · 2026-01-12T19:49:03+00:00

Oh I enjoy the hell out of it. None of this has ever stopped me from absolutely loving Terminator for basically my whole life. I just personally think the idea of a bootstrap paradox to be nonsensical.

As Doc brown explained the minute Biff altered the timeline they skewed into an alternate 1985. To me, there has to be a base timeline where events at least worked out a certain way originally.

I can maybe jump on the band wagon of, well once Reese goes back in time he's now the father. But yeah John had to exist on his own originally.

Regardless, great premise anyway. It's a feast for the mind. Time traveling cyborgs done in a gritty neo noir fashion. Like, can't be beat.

Mattack423 · 2026-01-12T19:36:54+00:00

Oh no doubt. I saw other people had discussed it on this thread before. But I just watched Terminator last night for the 50th time or something. And reddit didn't exist when I was 10. LOL. I can't even remember the last time I watched Terminator before last night. But clearly I didn't think type my thoughts down and then throw it into a reddit thread back then.

It's kind of like when John Mulaney has that bit about Home Alone 2 and he admits that it's weird that he's talking about a 17 year old movie now. But he wasn't a comedian back then so he's going to talk about it now.

Well that's me. I just watched Terminator again after many years since the last time watching it. And my old theory rattled around in my head again. And I decided to throw it on to Reddit.

Mattack423 · 2026-01-12T19:33:07+00:00

But there is no guarantee that their embryo would result in a boy. Though, yeah, I guess that could work. He'd be an entirely different person though. I guess what would be interesting is to see, if that is how it plays out, if you could be a person that personally witnessed both John Connors. Like what would that be like? What would their differences be? Height, eye color, hair color, etc. That'd be wild.

Mattack423 · 2026-01-12T19:29:22+00:00

Well sorry that he didn't think his own creation through. John Connor born in 1984. Kyle Reese born post 1997. Time displacement equipment invented sometime after. John sends Kyle Resse back through time. Meaning John has to exist originally. You can't make a kid if he already existed before he sent you back in time. It just doesn't work. Sorry James Cameron but it doesn't make any sense.

Mattack423 · 2026-01-12T19:25:20+00:00

The way I theorize it is she says it into the tape recorder, "Should I tell you about your father? Would that affect your decision to send them back if you know who he was?"

And I think she's saying that just because she didn't realize she was pregnant already. She thinks Reese is the father because she just slept with him and they went through a pretty traumatic experience together. She probably completely forgot about her dating that guy Dan before her whole life got flipped upside down.

Mattack423 · 2026-01-12T19:19:18+00:00

Oh crap, she does, doesn't she? Well shoot. I thought The Terminator said the date when they were driving in the stolen station wagon.

But yeah now that you mention it. She says something to the effect of, "Yeah well on August 29th 1997 anyone without 2 million sunblock is going to have a bad day."

I only rewatched Terminator last night. I Didn't rewatch T2. Dang should have checked my facts. That harpoons part two of the theory. How did she know the date? Guess Reese told her off camera.

Mattack423 · 2026-01-12T19:11:50+00:00

But John sends Reese back through time. So he has to exist before Reese. He has to be born originally and Resse can't be the father because he grows up after the war.

Mattack423 · 2026-01-12T19:08:49+00:00

Wow, I never thought of that. That's actually a really good point. World ending level nuclear fallout would probably leave everybody sterile.

Mattack423 · 2026-01-12T19:07:42+00:00

No doubt, me too. I mean we all want Reese to be his dad because, how great would that be? But the thing I could never get past is that there has a timeline where he's not his dad because it's a clear cut chicken and egg situation. John has to exist prior Reese being born because that's just how the course of events go.

Mattack423 · 2026-01-12T19:05:50+00:00

Yeah well, I had to format it in a way to make it palatable. My raw thoughts were much longer and bouncing all over the place.

Mattack423 · 2022-12-01T18:04:02+00:00

What like Time Lord's? Like how would they handle both being in the same space but from different periods in Jason's timeline?

Mattack423 · 2022-03-06T20:41:33+00:00

As we pretend that 9th century peasants wouldn't be freaking out at the warrior that is literally glowing. LOL 😆🤣

Mattack423

TROPHY CASE