I Just Realized Dean Norris’ Terminator Character Is Way More Important Than I Ever Imagined

Summary Norris played a SWAT team leader in Terminator 2 and returned to the franchise in The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

The Sarah Connor Chronicles is a direct sequel to T2, suggesting Norris' characters exist in the same timeline.

Despite no concrete connection, it can be fun to theorize whether Mr. Nelson could be an older version of the SWAT leader, making Norris' original role more significant.

Dean Norris had a minor role in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, but I’ve come to realize that his character might have been more important than I imagined. Although Dean Norris is best known for his role as Hank Schrader in the Emmy-winning series Breaking Bad, a character he also played in Better Call Saul, he has been in plenty of other shows and movies. This includes Terminator 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.

While Terminator 2’s SWAT team leader does not have a name or a backstory, there is a piece of Terminator lore that completely changes how I see Norris’ cameo in Judgment Day. It must be noted that the concept of canon in the Terminator movies is very complicated considering that almost every entry takes place in its own universe. For example, Terminator: Dark Fate is not part of the same continuity as Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. That said, one of the many Terminator 2 sequels brought 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 the Terminator franchise 17 years after Judgment Day in Terminator: 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 of The Sarah Connor Chronicles season 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 to T2, The Sarah Connor Chronicles takes place mostly in 2007 instead of the late 1990s.

While Mr. Nelson only appeared in two episodes of the show, it was a much bigger role than the one of the SWAT team leader in Judgment Day. The Sarah Connor Chronicles does not acknowledge that Dean Norris had already appeared in a Terminator movie, thus suggesting it was a completely different character. However, considering how much The Sarah Connor Chronicles referenced Terminator 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.

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Was Dean Norris Playing The Same Character In Terminator 2 & Sarah Connor Chronicles?

The Sarah Connor Chronicles Is A Direct Sequel To Terminator 2

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It can be fun to theorize that Norris’ two Terminator characters were the same person, especially because The Sarah Connor Chronicles takes place in the same continuity as Terminator 2. The first Terminator TV show chose to ignore the events of Rise of the Machines and 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 Chronicles considers T2 canon by default. Therefore, the SWAT team leader and Mr. Nelson exist in the same timeline.

Terminator's Movies & TV Shows Release Year Rotten Tomatoes Score(%) The Terminator 1984 100 Terminator 2: Judgment Day 1991 91 Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines 2003 70 Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles 2008-2009 85 Terminator: Salvation 2009 33 Terminator: Genisys 2015 26 Terminator: Dark Fate 2019 70 Terminator Zero 2024 -

Despite being a direct sequel to T2, The Sarah Connor Chronicles takes 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 the Terminator saga after Terminator 2: Judgment Day makes his original appearance even better in hindsight.