Summary
Dean Norris had a minor role inTerminator 2: Judgment Day, but I’ve come to realize that his character might have been more important than I imagined. AlthoughDean Norris is best known for his role as Hank Schraderin the Emmy-winning seriesBreaking Bad, a character he also played inBetter Call Saul, he has been in plenty of other shows and movies. This includesTerminator 2: Judgment Day, although it was a very small role many do not associate Norris with. The actor portrayed a SWAT team leader who did not remove his mask.
WhileTerminator 2’s SWAT team leader does not have a name or a backstory, there is a piece ofTerminatorlore that completely changes how I see Norris’ cameo inJudgment Day. It must be noted that the concept ofcanon in theTerminatormoviesis very complicated considering that almost every entry takes place in its own universe. For example,Terminator: Dark Fateis not part of the same continuity asTerminator 3: Rise of the Machines. That said, one of the manyTerminator 2sequelsbrought Norris back to the franchise.
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Dean Norris Played SWAT Team Leader In Terminator 2 (& Then Returned 17 Years Later)
Dean Norris Played Mr. Nelson In The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Dean Norris returned to theTerminatorfranchise 17 years afterJudgment DayinTerminator:The Sarah Connor Chronicles.He played the role of Mr. Nelson, who worked as plant manager at the Serrano Point nuclear power plant. This power plant was the focus of two episodes ofThe Sarah Connor Chroniclesseason 2 – “Automatic for the People" and “Goodbye to All That”. Norris’ character had some of the the information that Sarah and Cameron needed and appeared mainly in “Goodbye to All That.” Sarah and John had been warned form a resistance soldier from the future about this power plant.
Despite being a direct sequel toT2,The Sarah Connor Chroniclestakes place mostly in 2007 instead of the late 1990s.
WhileMr. Nelson only appeared in two episodes of the show, it was a much bigger role than the one of the SWAT team leader inJudgment Day.The Sarah Connor Chroniclesdoes not acknowledge that Dean Norris had already appeared in aTerminatormovie, thus suggesting it was a completely different character. However, considering how muchThe Sarah Connor ChroniclesreferencedTerminator 2, having Norris on the show was quite interesting. Dean Norris was playing a different character by all means, but from an in-universe perspective, there is room for theories connecting the SWAT leader and Mr. Nelson.
Was Dean Norris Playing The Same Character In Terminator 2 & Sarah Connor Chronicles?
The Sarah Connor Chronicles Is A Direct Sequel To Terminator 2
It can be fun to theorize that Norris’ twoTerminatorcharacters were the same person, especially becauseThe Sarah Connor Chroniclestakes place in the same continuity asTerminator 2. ThefirstTerminatorTV showchose to ignore the events ofRise of the Machinesand worked as a direct sequel to the 1991 movie, with recast versions of Sarah and John Connor. While none of the Terminator movies ever acknowledged the show,The Sarah Connor ChroniclesconsidersT2canon by default. Therefore,the SWAT team leader and Mr. Nelson exist in the same timeline.
1984
100
1991
91
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
2003
70
2008-2009
85
2009
33
2015
26
2019
2024
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Despite being a direct sequel toT2,The Sarah Connor Chroniclestakes place in 2007 instead of the late 1990s. That is because, in the first episode, Sarah and John are sent to the future. Mr. Nelson would therefore have to be an older version of the SWAT agent. However, there are no other connections between the characters. Nothing about Mr. Nelson suggests he was a SWAT team agent 10 years ago. Still, the fact that Dean Norris got to return to theTerminatorsaga afterTerminator 2: Judgment Daymakes his original appearance even better in hindsight.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Cast
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a sci-fi action film directed by James Cameron, set ten years after the original. It chronicles a new effort to eliminate future rebellion leader John Connor, despite a reprogrammed terminator dispatched to safeguard him.
