Terminator Salvation (2009) rewinds the timeline to a war-torn Earth, years before time travel but deep into Judgment Day. With Christian Bale as John Connor and Sam Worthington as the conflicted Marcus Wright, this entry dives into the gritty trenches of humanity’s resistance against Skynet — with metal, fire, and sacrifice at every turn.
Think you can survive Skynet’s tactics and the Resistance’s secrets? Take this 10-question trivia quiz and prove your CPU’s running at full power!
Terminator Salvation (2009) Trivia Questions & Answers
1) Who plays John Connor in Terminator Salvation (2009)?
Correct Answer: Christian Bale
Christian Bale steps into the role of John Connor, the destined leader of the human resistance. His intense, gritty performance anchors this darker, action-heavy chapter, showing Connor before he fully rises into the legendary figure from the earlier films.
2) What year is the film set in?
Correct Answer: 2018
Unlike previous Terminator films set in the present or future via time travel, Salvation takes place entirely in the post-apocalyptic world of 2018 — a scorched Earth where Skynet has nearly wiped out humanity, and resistance fighters scavenge for survival.
3) Which actor plays Marcus Wright, a mysterious new character?
Correct Answer: Sam Worthington
Sam Worthington plays Marcus Wright, a death-row inmate who donates his body to science before execution — only to wake up years later in the future with no memory and a mechanical heart. His duality is central to the film’s moral core.
4) What is Marcus revealed to be?
Correct Answer: A human-Terminator hybrid
Marcus is a prototype created by Skynet — a human brain and heart inside a Terminator body. He believes he’s human until his mechanical nature is revealed, forcing him to question his identity and loyalties in a world defined by machines versus mankind.
5) What is the name of the AI enemy in the film?
Correct Answer: Skynet
Skynet remains the primary antagonist — a self-aware AI that declared war on humanity. In Salvation, it has grown more powerful, developing factories, harvesting humans, and experimenting with new kinds of Terminators, including Marcus himself.
6) What does Marcus believe himself to be at the start of the film?
Correct Answer: Fully human
Marcus wakes up believing he’s just a survivor of the apocalypse. His journey from confused fugitive to self-aware hybrid is a key part of the film, offering a rare Terminator perspective from inside the machine.
7) Who is Kyle Reese in the film?
Correct Answer: A teenage resistance fighter
Kyle Reese, played by Anton Yelchin, is a young scavenger and fighter — unaware that he will one day be sent back in time to father John Connor. His survival becomes critical to the future, making him a target for Skynet.
8) What is Skynet trying to do with Kyle Reese?
Correct Answer: Use him as bait to kill John Connor
Skynet knows that killing Kyle Reese now would erase John Connor from the future. It captures Kyle and uses him as bait to lure John into a trap, showing its deep strategic understanding of the timeline.
9) What classic Terminator model appears in the film?
Correct Answer: T-800
The T-800 makes a dramatic return — with a CGI recreation of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s iconic 1984 appearance. It marks the moment Skynet begins developing the deadly line of infiltrator units central to the earlier Terminator films.
10) How does Marcus redeem himself at the end of the film?
Correct Answer: He donates his heart to save John
After John is critically wounded, Marcus sacrifices himself by giving his still-functioning human heart to save him. It’s a powerful act of redemption that proves his humanity and closes his arc with meaning and emotion.
