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Episode 1 | Pilot

"PILOT"


Episode Number: 1

Season: 1

Original Air Date: 1/13/2008

Writer: Josh Friedman

Director: David Nutter

Special Guests: Owain Yeoman		 Sarah Connor Chronicles: Episode 1 | Pilot

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Read Episode 1 Pilot Transcript
Filming
The pilot episode was primarily filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and at Highland High School. The principal photography started on January 24, 2007 and took approximately one month to complete.[21][19] Subsequent episodes in the series are filmed in the backlot of the Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California, where the set was previously used by Gilmore Girls to depict their fictional town,

Synopsis

Sarah Connor runs into a school and finds her son, John in the library. Police wait outside. A man walking to the scene reveals machine guns and begins to fire. John escapes and runs.


Sarah grabs a pistol and fires at the man, but the bullets bounce off the man’s head. The man aims and shoots John in the back. Sarah huddles over John’s dead body. A massive explosion erupts behind them. The man’s skin peels away to reveal a robot endoskeleton. He’s a terminator.

Sarah snaps awake.

It was a dream. It wakes up her fiancé, Charlie. Charlie heads off to work. Sarah wakes John up, tells him it’s not safe and he needs to pack. They’re leaving town.

Charlie reports Sarah gone at a local police station. Charlie meets Agent James Ellison, who reveals Sarah’s true identity and her past.

As Sarah and John flee, Ellison updates a database. At an abandoned warehouse, Sarah’s profile appears. A man in the back stands and reads the screen.

John starts his first day at a new school. Cameron, a pretty girl, introduces herself to John.

A substitute teacher takes roll. The teacher, Cromartie, is a Terminator. John answers. Cromartie pulls a gun from his leg. He fires, and Cameron takes the bullets in the chest. John escapes out the window. Cromarite chases John into the parking lot. Cromartie tracks John, and is about to make his kill. A pick-up truck plows him down. Cameron, behind the wheel, kicks open the door. John jumps in. John realizes Cameron is a Terminator also.

Sarah hears the news and races to the school. Sarah watches the school from a distance. Cromartie grabs her and calls John, mimicking Sarah’s voice. John says he’s returning to the house.

At the house, John walks in. Cromartie fires his gun. When he goes to see the body, it’s actually Cameron. She springs up and battles Cromartie. The two demolish the house. Cameron uses an electrical line to short circuit Cromarite and the three escape.
While John sleeps, Sarah asks Cameron about the future. Someone else builds Skynet. Cameron is there to protect John.
Sarah, John and Cameron start with the widow of Miles Dyson, Theresa. Outside, Cromartie closes in. Sarah races out of the garage, backing over Cromartie. Cromartie returns machine gun fire. They escape, but Sarah was hit by gunfire.

The next morning Cameron leads them into a bank. Cameron draws a gun, a teller sounds the alarm. Another teller takes them to the safety deposit vault, and locks them in. Cameron has John and Sarah open several boxes, all with odd pieces in them. Cameron assembles the pieces into a large gun.
Cromartie arrives and begins to tear the vault door down. Cameron scrambles and reveals a secret time machine. Cameron activates the machine, Sarah holds the gun towards the door. Cameron activates the time machine, and Sarah fires as Cromarite enters.

The three arrive naked on a busy freeway eight years in the future. After retrieving some clothes, the three set out to stop Skynet.

Best Moments

  • Roll call. The Terminator works his way methodically down the list while the snot-nosed kids pipe off, while digging a gun out of its leg with a knife.
  • John holding out on his mom about whether he'd met any cute girls.
  • Uncovering all the secrets that the resistance planted in the safety deposit boxes built inside the bank.
  • Cameron smashing the T-888 with the pick up truck seconds before its about to Terminate John and saying, "Come with me if you want to live."
  • Theresa asking Sarah why she's back. Cameron answers that question with glowing eyes.
  • Cameron asking the clerk to lock them in the vault.
  • Cromartie assessing the SWAT team. Threat: none.

Best Quotes

  • Cameron: Thank you for explaining.
  • Sarah: Half an hour. One bag, plus the guns. I'll make pancakes.
  • Cameron: Come with me if you want to live.
  • John: I'm not who they think I am; some messiah.
  • Theresa: There's nobody. It's all gone. You destroyed it all. You and Miles, you destroyed...you destroyed everything.
  • Cameron: We're back.
  • John and Sarah: No one is ever safe.
  • Cameron: Everybody on the floor. Please.

Trivia

  • The Terminator in the dream sequence at the beginning is shown to be an orderly at Pescadero hospital in the seventh episode.
  • Just after Cromartie wakes up, we see brief footage of an 'Optimus Prime' style truck, which seems to serve no story related purpose. A Transformers catchphrase is 'more than meets the eye' which applies to this series as well.

Unanswered Questions

  • What is Cameron really capable of?

  • How did Cromartie know where the Connors lived?

  • Did the engineer have any other projects or instructions we'll learn about later?
  • How did Cameron find John?
  • Do Terminators ever have to reload?
  • How did Sarah obtain a house without any money or identification?
  • Just how fast can a Terminator run?

Episode Fan Poll


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 Episode 1 | Pilot - Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles

I'm never going to be popular
Episode 1 | Pilot - Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles

I have something on my cheek? Where? No.		 John and Sarah

Please, mom, you've got to save the world!

found sarah_connor

T-888 has found its target		 apology
Apology
chip

A robot that eats?
blown_away


Time to take out the trash

Next Episode 2 | Gnothi Seauton >




Threads

Anonymous  (Get credit for your thread)
Started By Thread Subject Replies Last Post
Sammysf415 Time Machine In The Bank 5 Apr 9 2008, 9:35 AM EDT by kubby
Sammysf415
Thread started: Jan 28 2008, 2:27 AM EST  Watch
does any one know how to explain how thats time machine work.......was thats safe room desighn for time travel .........
Show Last Reply
alexberg Alright, I liked it enough for Tivo Season Pass 7 Mar 3 2008, 2:21 PM EST by uncle_BOB
alexberg
Thread started: Jan 14 2008, 12:32 AM EST  Watch
That's about as much commitment as I give anything these days. Looking forward to episode II tomorrow night.
Show Last Reply
Phantomkn1ght-850 episode info...?! 2 Mar 1 2008, 10:36 PM EST by Kevirwin
Phantomkn1ght-850
Thread started: Jan 11 2008, 6:57 PM EST  Watch
Just wondering if it would be illegal to upload that leaked pilot episode on this wiki
Show Last Reply

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