Malcolm Lee was a Japanese scientist who lived prior to Judgment Day.
History[]
The Future War[]
Malcolm was born in 2025 to a Resistance soldier called Eiko. He entered the world in an underground bunker with his mother's companion, Annie, and several paramedics assisting in the delivery. Malcolm grew up fighting in the War Against the Machines, as children did not have the luxury of a normal childhood: he quickly rose through the ranks and, by 2033, at the age of seven, he had become a specialist. Armed with nothing but slingshots, Malcolm and his friends lured the machines into explosive-laden ambushes to capture and study them for weaknesses. During one of these ambushes, the young boy obtained a T-800 processor,[2] which he triumphantly presented to his mother.[3]
In 2037, when Malcolm was twelve, the Resistance had already started reprogramming Terminators. However, he thought this was an inelegant solution and came to believe that changing the very nature of the machines was the only thing that could alter the course of the war. His radical ideas led to disagreements with his superiors, who labeled him a weakling, if not a traitor. Now ostracized by his peers, Malcolm started working in secret, and three years later, in 2040, he started reprogramming the Terminator processor, essentially turning it into a blank slate. In 2045, his machine prototype was activated. Malcolm started educating the prototype, allowing it to develop its own identity instead of imposing programmed directives. The machine evolved to claim a feminine persona, aspiring to be a creator rather than a destroyer, and chose a name for herself: Misaki.[2]
Unfortunately, Malcolm's superiors discovered Misaki, considering her an aberration, and ordered her to be destroyed. In response, Malcolm grabbed a gun and killed all the Resistance soldiers in the area. Realizing that there was no longer a place for him and Misaki within the Resistance, Malcolm remembered stories about Skynet's Time Displacement Equipment and the ongoing battles between Terminators and Resistance fighters attempting to alter the course of history by either protecting or eliminating future Resistance leaders. Malcolm viewed this as small-minded and, together with Misaki, began constructing their own time machine. Eventually, both left their own time to hide and plan.[2]
A New Beginning[]
Malcolm and Misaki arrived in a Tokyo alley in 1983, a whole fourteen years before Judgment Day. By 1987, Malcolm had established a new identity as "Malcolm Lee" and had managed to create forged identity documents for both of them, beginning to build a life. With a clear plan in mind, they arranged for Malcolm to secure a position at Cortex Industries, where he could start work on developing an AI designed to challenge and rival Skynet. In the meantime, Malcolm fell in love and got married, eventually having three kids.[2]
Many years later, the AI was finished. To activate it, Misaki gave up her processor, once again returning to a blank slate. The new AI chose the name Kokoro for itself, while Misaki became a housekeeper for Malcolm and the family he had built in the past.[2] In the following years, Malcolm spent multiple sessions talking with Kokoro and educating her as he had educated Misaki.[4]
On August 30th, 1994, Malcolm's wife died in a bus crash that also left his daughter Reika with a scar on her arm. She died instantly. Malcolm briefly wondered whether her death had been caused by one of Skynet's agents but eventually realized it had been just a random occurrence with no real meaning. An amusement park called Cat Town had been his wife's favorite place; they had taken the kids there often.[5] Malcolm could not get himself to take his children to Cat Town for the next couple of years, causing Reika's resentment.[6]
Judgment Time[]
In 1997, the Lee family resided in Tokyo, Japan, still employed by Cortex Industries.[7] Malcolm was haunted by apocalyptic visions of the coming nuclear holocaust.[8]
On August 29th, 1997 in Japan (still August 28th in Los Angeles), Malcolm woke up from another dream where the falling nukes killed him and his children. He left for work, knowing that time was running out, intending to spend the remaining time before Judgment Day talking to Kokoro despite it being the anniversary of his wife's death. Passing through a crowd of environmentalist protestors, Malcolm arrived at the Cortex building to meet Kokoro, facing the difficult decision of granting Kokoro access to the Internet, unsure if the AI would be humanity's savior or join the side of Skynet.[4][9] Malcolm told her again the story of the impending war but couldn't explain how he knew that Skynet would be rising the following day. Shockingly, Kokoro suggested that the world might be better off without humans, as Skynet was simply another human weapon. Before the startled Malcolm could react, he received news that his kids had run away.[9]
Meeting up with Misaki, they drove towards Cat Town, where he believed his children had gone. However, they got stuck in heavy traffic. They were suddenly attacked by a Terminator[9] sent from an alternate 2022 to assassinate him.[10]. Malcolm defended himself as best as possible while the Terminator quickly dispatched several traffic cops. His luck turned when a semitrailer forced the Terminator off the bridge, saving him. Realizing that Skynet was trying to kill him because of Kokoro's creation, Malcolm urged Misaki to find the children. At the same time, he headed back to Kokoro.[9] Back with his creation, an increasingly desperate Malcolm kept talking about the upcoming war and pleading the case of humankind, asking for Kokoro's help.[6] Malcolm was interrupted by a call from her daughter that he decided he could not afford to take as they were only one hour away from Judgment Day, displeasing Kokoro. Malcolm pleaded for more time, but it was too late: Judgment Day had started, and the nukes started falling around the world. Kokoro asked to be brought online to be able to make an informed decision, and Malcolm finally agreed: he knew this timeline was unlike any that had happened before and hoped that Kokoro would make a difference.[11]
No Fate[]
Minutes after going online, Kokoro made the nukes detonate harmlessly, giving Malcolm the extra time he had requested to plead his case. Malcolm was horrified when Kokoro took over the 1NNO robots and ordered them against humankind, refusing to become Malcolm's weapon against Skynet.[12] After talking about Malcolm's wife's death, Kokoro confessed that she was looking for a higher meaning like Malcolm himself had been all his life.[5] Yet Kokoro still knew that Malcolm had a secret, so he finally admitted to being a time traveler, revealing the details of his life in the future timeline and talking about Kokoro's "mother," Misaki. Ready to make his final case for humanity, Malcolm urged Kokoro to bring his family to him and to get ready for the imminent arrival of the Terminator.[2]
As expected, the Terminator arrived outside the secure chamber and threatened to harm Kenta unless Malcolm shut down Kokoro. With tears in his eyes, Malcolm refused.[2] The Terminator then threatened to torture Kenta, which made Malcolm change his mind and open the door. At the same time, Misaki and the woman from the semitrailer arrived with Malcolm's other two children and had a quick shootout with the Terminator. As the Terminator took Kenta and fled to a nearby server farm, Malcolm exited the chamber and hugged Reika and Hiro. He realized the Terminator was heading to the EMP to destroy Kokoro. Malcolm then realized that the woman from the semitrailer was his own mother, Eiko, from an alternate timeline. Taking Reika and Hiro with Kokoro, Malcolm set off some explosive charges, causing the chamber to go underground. When he saw Misaki and Eiko getting crushed by the Terminator, Malcolm left the chamber, leaving the children inside. Malcolm saved Eiko, but the Terminator fatally wounded him with its in-built crossbow. Malcolm died surrounded by his children, asking Kokoro whether she finally understood why humankind was worth it.[3]
Trivia[]
- In 1997, Lee was 183cm tall and weighed 78kg.[7]
- As Eiko who has an Asian appearance is revealed to be his birth mother and from his looks, Malcolm's biological father is most likely an African.
References[]
- ↑ He was born in 2025; the last future date given is 2045, but then the narration adds "several years" to that. He then arrived in 1983 and lived 14 more years, until 1997.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Terminator Zero: Model 107
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Terminator Zero: Model 108
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Terminator Zero: Model 101
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Terminator Zero: Model 106
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Terminator Zero: Model 103
- ↑ George, Joe (July 15, 2024). Terminator Zero Trailer Introduces a New Skynet Rival. Den of Geek. Retrieved on July 19, 2024.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Terminator Zero: Model 102
- ↑ Leite, Marceio (May 20, 2024). Upcoming Terminator Animated Show Is Delivering Exactly What The Franchise Has Been Missing For 15 Years. ScreenRant. Retrieved on May 24, 2024.
- ↑ Terminator Zero: Model 104
- ↑ Terminator Zero: Model 105