Kate Connor

Kate Connor
File:Bryce Dallas Howard as Katherine Brewster.jpg Bryce Dallas Howard as Kate Connor in Terminator Salvation
First appearance	Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Portrayed by	Claire Danes (T3) Bryce Dallas Howard (TS)
In-universe information
Gender	Female
Occupation	Physician Veterinarian Resistance Officer
Spouse	John Connor 1 child Scott Mason (fiancee, deceased)
Relatives	Robert Brewster (father, deceased)

Katherine "Kate" Connor (née Brewster) is a fictional character from the Terminator films. She is the wife of John Connor and his future second-in-command. She is portrayed by Claire Danes in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, and Bryce Dallas Howard in Terminator Salvation.

Fictional biography

Early life

Kate grew up before the war, living in ignorance until she met John Connor. The only daughter of Lieutenant General Robert Brewster, the military director of CRS Autonomous Weapons Division, Kate's mother divorced her husband and left them when she was still at veterinary school. After finishing school, Kate went on to become a veterinarian, working at the Emery Animal Hospital, and became engaged to Scott Mason.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

File:Kate Brewster (T3).jpg

Claire Danes as Kate Brewster in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.

In 2004, her normal life was to change. Upon reacting to an animal emergency at the Emery Animal Hospital, Kate met John Connor whom she had previously been to school with, and with whom she had experienced her very first kiss. With John Connor and a reprogrammed 850 Series Terminator, Kate managed to escape a T-X which had been sent back in time to eliminate her, learning that her fianceé was killed. Practically kidnapped by these two, Kate learned the truth of things to come, of Skynet, and of Judgment Day. Setting off with the others to CRS to try to stop her father from activating Skynet, Kate was unsuccessful, and her father was killed by the T-X.

Getting to the Crystal Peak Control and Command Center, a hardened fallout shelter facility in the Sierra Nevada Mountains for VIPs, Kate and John were able to survive Judgment Day as the nuclear missiles fell. Using the communications equipment within the facility, Kate helped John to get in touch with survivors and start to co-ordinate a Resistance force.

Terminator Salvation

In Terminator Salvation, set in 2018, Kate is John Connor's wife, and is played by Bryce Dallas Howard. She is now trained as a physician as well as a veterinarian. Howard took over the role exited by Claire Danes, who declined to reprise the role. When asked why, she was quoted saying,

I don't think so, I felt sort of kidnapped by the production.

Charlotte Gainsbourg was originally intended to take on the role of Kate after Danes left, but due to scheduling conflicts, she was unable. However, this allows the production to continue their part in replacing lead actors for each movie - although Christian Bale has signed on for more movies in the Terminator franchise. It is yet unknown if Howard has signed on for more than one.

Kate is protrayed as John's anchor of hope over seemingly hopeless situations and voice of reason. She is also seven months pregnant with John's child.

Production background

In the early dialog of T3, Kate reveals that she has a past history with John in the events prior to Terminator 2, a teenage makeout session that might have led to a relationship, had the events of T2 not occurred. In later dialog, the Terminator states that in the future, she is John Connor's wife.

The revelation of John's past and future relationships with Kate leads him to state that their meetings are not coincidence, but fate, and that his life was pre-destined to intersect with Kate's father prior to the original date of Judgement Day. He thus arrives at the conclusion that future events can be altered, if not avoided completely. In one possible future, John gives Kyle Reese a message to pass on to John's mother in 1984. This message includes what will become her motto and epitaph, "No fate but what we make", describing a future that is shaped by our actions.