The Unbelievable Secret Behind The Deleted Terminator Arm & Chip Recovery Scene

Summary

Key scene deleted from original Terminator movie sets up future events in the franchise, revealing how the technology for the machines was discovered.

Non-actors were used in the deleted scene at the insistence of the financiers, leading to subpar performances that ultimately detracted from the scene's impact.

However, despite the removal of the scene, the film as a whole remains satisfactory. Nevertheless, the inclusion of the perfect time loop moment would have added an intriguing sci-fi element and elevated the movie to an even higher level.

The Terminator producer, Gale Ann Hurd, has revealed the reason behind cutting a significant deleted scene from the movie. This scene, which featured the recovery of the T-800's arm and chip, was initially removed due to some subpar acting by non-professional actors who were part of the film for financial reasons. Despite this unfortunate setback, the scene played a vital role in setting up the future war between humanity and the machines. Hurd shared her explanation on Twitter, shedding light on the decision-making process that led to the scene's removal. See her statement and the deleted scene below (via Flashback FM).

TheTerminator financier John Daly’s Hemdale Films had an output deal with Orion Pictures but hadn’t yet made a hit (that changed with our film and Platoon). They insisted we use financier friends not actors in this scene, which ruined it for us. … They were paid as actors, via the TaftHartley act. I think he insisted they be in the film because the financiers were promised a return on their investment and had yet to receive one. Daly never believed the film would be a success. … The film cost $6.4 million…which seemed like an awful lot to us at the time!

How This Deleted Scene Sets Up The Terminator Franchise

TheTerminator financier, John Daly, had an output deal with Hemdale Films and Orion Pictures, but they hadn't yet produced a hit. However, our film, Platoon, changed that. In this particular scene, Hemdale Films insisted that we cast financier friends instead of actors, ultimately ruining it for us. These individuals were paid as actors through the TaftHartley act. It appeared that Daly pushed for their inclusion in the film because the financiers were promised a return on their investment, which they hadn't received yet. Daly never had confidence that the film would be successful. Interestingly, the production cost for the film amounted to $6.4 million, which seemed like a substantial amount to us at that time.

In the original Terminator, the T-800, portrayed by Schwarzenegger, is sent back in time with the mission to eliminate Sarah Connor (played by Linda Hamilton), the mother of the future savior of humanity in the war against the machines. However, Connor manages to defeat the Terminator, with the help of Kyle Reese (played by Michael Biehn), a soldier from the future who surprisingly happens to be her son's father.

However, the deleted scene depicted above demonstrates that the T-800's time travel plan is indeed successful. This success leads to Cyberdyne's discovery of the necessary technology for inventing the machines in the first place. The removal of this pivotal moment in the perfect time loop does not ultimately diminish the satisfaction of the film's conclusion. Nonetheless, it is disappointing that the film did not incorporate this flawless sci-fi twist, which alludes to future events. If Hurt and Cameron had been given the opportunity to enlist real actors for this scene, their near-flawless movie may have achieved true perfection.