SCC question

[sabaceanbabe]

I rewatched all 9 eps over the past few days and now I want more. *sigh* Alas, the television industry does not cater to my needs. The bastards

Comments

[rhienelleth]

IMO, the only reasons a Terminator would let someone live:

~ killing them is not part of their mission parameter, and has no bearing on or the other on their mission, which is obviously not the case here (IMO). Ellison should be seen as an obstacle easily removed by Cromartie.

~ OR, somewhere in their programming, I believe Terminators have instructions on who must not be killed for the future of SkyNet, should they run across them. I'm not sure how Ellison would rate being one of these people, as he's not responsible for SkyNet, but I'm guessing he's on the list of "do not kill" for some reason...

Perhaps there are other reasons, but these are the obvious two that occurred to me.

[sabaceanbabe]

killing them is not part of their mission parameter, and has no bearing on or the other on their mission, which is obviously not the case here (IMO). Ellison should be seen as an obstacle easily removed by Cromartie.

I thought about that. The other FBI agents were all killed while actively trying to destroy Cromartie (so in a weird way, it was all just self-defense :P), but when Cromartie walked up to Ellison with his gun on him and Ellison just stopped, so in shock that all he could do was accept the inevitable and pray for his own soul (and maybe those of everyone else), just closed his eyes... Boom. He was no longer a direct threat and so Cromartie lowered his weapon and walked away.

But I think that's too simple, too easy an answer. And the look on Cromartie's face as he walked away (not that it was all that different from the look on his face when he kills people) just left me with the feeling that there was something more complicated happening, which leads us to:

somewhere in their programming, I believe Terminators have

[proggrrl]

somewhere in their programming, I believe Terminators have instructions on who must not be killed for the future of SkyNet, should they run across them. I'm not sure how Ellison would rate being one of these people, as he's not responsible for SkyNet, but I'm guessing he's on the list of "do not kill" for some reason...

*nods*

I definitely got that impression at the time: that Cromartie has it in his programming not to harm Ellison.

THE PLOT THICKENS. *rubs hands together*

[indiefic]

why didn't Kester/Cromartie kill Ellison?

I was very wtf? about that too. Initially, I thought the writers just screwed up, erring on leaving Ellison around. But granthamad used Kester's sparing of Ellison as an integral plot point in his fic, Paradigm Shift and it worked really well. Basically, Kester knows Ellison has more info/insight (and resources) into the Connors and their whereabouts than he/it does, so he spares Ellison and then uses him to track down the Connors.

I have no idea if the SCC writers will go that way, but it did a damn good job of explaining why Kester did something that appears out of character.

[sabaceanbabe]

Ah. I haven't read that fic yet, but I like that. It's plausible. And I like that idea much more than the idea that Ellison was allowed to live because SkyNet wants him to live, because that would mean that the awesome Ellison will become one of the bad guys, not just bad for the Connors, but for the human race.

[indiefic]

I agree. I don't like the idea at all of Ellison actively, knowingly assisting Skynet somehow. But that doesn't mean he can't be used by Skynet.

[sabaceanbabe]

*nods* SkyNet uses everyone. That's what it does.

[deathisyourart]

Ellison had already put dow his weapon, he is therefore not considered to be a threat, just like how the cops outside the bank were not considered to be a threat, and thus were allowed to live.

[sabaceanbabe]

That's the simple explanation, yes. And that's probably all there is to it, no longer a threat so no longer a target.

[sabaceanbabe]

Oh, man, that scene, where Ellison is in shock, kneeling by the body of his unbeliever partner, and Charley walks up and sees the carnage and just drops his radio...

Charley and Ellison MUST NOT BECOME VILLAINS! No, no, no. SkyNet is not allowed to have them as playthings.

[sabaceanbabe]

Yay! Another new possiblity. The third movie isn't really on my radar, so it never occurred to me that there might be some government project that might need Ellison. That would definitely be a reason for him to be on the do-not-kill list.

[lizardbeth_j]

I tend to think "not a threat" is really all the answer there is. Ellison wasn't, at that moment, a threat to Cromartie. All the other agents were down and Chromartie was able to leave, so he did. His self-defense parameter was now closed and he was back to primary mission, and he doesn't know that Ellison knows about the Connors, so Ellison's not important anymore

[sabaceanbabe]

dingdingdingdingding

You, Agent James Ellison, are the Final Cylon.

*snerk*