Factual error: In the scene where the missile is inbound to the Skynet Research and Development Facility, it gives the coordinates of N36° E117°. Those coordinates would place the location in China, not in the United States. (00:06:05)
Continuity mistake: In the original terminator film, Sarah is recording tape number 7 when she mentions Kyle, and the line 'a person could go crazy.'. However in Terminator Salvation, it is tape 28, and she now says ' tape 28 of sarah Connor to her son john' (00:19:30)
Continuity mistake: When the Resistance has a Hydrobot on the table testing out the jamming shut down signal, they have recycled footage when editing the film together. When they strap the Hydrobot down to the table, the shot changes to a close frontal shot of the Hydrobot and the straps have gone. The shot then pans out to a more distant perspective and the straps re-appear. The shot goes close up and the straps vanish again. (00:26:15)
Factual error: The four-door Jeep Wrangler used in the movie wasn't made until 2007, three years after the date of Judgment Day as established in Terminator 3 (Saturday 24th July 2004). (00:33:15)
Continuity mistake: Right after Marcus gets the Jeep to start, they begin running from the Aerostat. They start off going down a steep hill and the windshield is practically sparkling clean. Once they get to the road at the bottom, the shot shows the windshield caked with mud. (00:34:00)
Continuity mistake: You can see 5 point belt harnesses on Kyle and Marcus when they are in the Jeep. Yet you never see them put them on, or take them off. Kyle is pushed out of the driver's seat once they stop. (00:34:10)
Other mistake: When Marcus, Kyle and Star are at the petrol station, a flying HK and the giant Harvester robot are able to appear just outside without making any kind of sound. In every other scene of the Harvester and the HKs however, they both make an incredible amount of noise. (00:37:40)
Continuity mistake: When Marcus stops the Jeep at a ruined fuel station, he parks it between the two gas-pump islands. The Harvester blows the Jeep up and its remnants rain down back on the spot where the Jeep stood: between the islands. We can clearly see the Jeep's grille fall to this exact spot. Marcus and the others are thrown against the wall of the building when this occurs. As Reese crawls to Marcus, he does so across the Jeep's grille, which is now 30 feet or more from where it actually landed. (00:37:50)
Continuity mistake: When the Harvester destroys the Saab sedan that is fleeing the fuel station, the car's chassis is shown sailing through the air, stripped of its interior and drivetrain, throwing random sparks, but not on fire in any way because there's really nothing left that would burn. But moments later, it is completely engulfed in flames as it crashes through the awning over the gas pumps. (00:38:20)
Continuity mistake: When the Saab sedan is destroyed as it flees the fuel station, it is launched into the air tumbling end over end. But a moment later, as it's about to fall onto the awning, it's rolling sideways. (00:38:25)
Continuity mistake: When the Saab 900 car is destroyed by the Harvester, it already has momentum and you can see whats left of the car thrown in an arc into the air. When it lands however, it simply drops vertically, which it wouldn't do, it should have fallen in a decreasing arc. (00:38:25)
Visible crew/equipment: During the Harvester attack on the petrol station, the Harvester uses its cannon on a fleeing car, blowing it up into the air. During the shot of the remains of the car spinning through the air, the cylinder of the special effects cannon used to fire the car into the air is visible protruding from the centre of the vehicle. (00:39:20)
Continuity mistake: As the tow truck flees the fuel station after believing the Harvester has been destroyed, a car explodes just ahead of the truck in the right lane. The shot immediately following this has Reese facing the camera looking back at the Harvester, but ahead of the truck we can see the road and the exploding car and all the smoke, fire, and debris have all vanished and the lane is clear, even though they can't have passed this car yet. (00:40:30)
Continuity mistake: When Marcus is driving the big tow truck down the highway, he smashes into the back of a red VW Jetta with custom chrome wheels that is parked on the right side of the road. A few shots later, the same car is shown again, now on the left side of the road, and is hit again. That's fair enough, as the truck seemed to reverse direction when the first bike crashed into the bus. But seconds after the second hit, this car is again on the RIGHT side of the road, and is struck a third time (this is actually the first hit, shown now from a different angle). (00:41:05)
Continuity mistake: When the truck rams a silver wagon that is blocking its path, a dark-color 1970s Firebird is parked nose-to-nose with the wagon, at the roadside, and just beyond the Firebird, a silver 1990s minivan is parked on the same side of the road. When the shot changes to show the moto-terminator analyzing the airborne wagon, the Firebird and minivan are gone, replaced by a silver modern sedan. Then, as the wagon crashes to ground after the bike passes under it, nothing is parked on that side of the road except a 1970s Cadillac sedan which is further back along their path of travel. (00:41:05)
Continuity mistake: When Marcus and Kyle are being chased by Moto-Terminators, Kyle kicks the oil barrel off the truck to hit one of the Moto-Terminators. Later, as Kyle reaches rearward to release the tow hook, the barrel is shown still on the truck, standing as it was before Kyle kicked it off. (00:41:25)
Continuity mistake: During the tow truck chase scene, Marcus basically bangs a U-turn and the one bike hits the bus. As they go under the overpass, it has a shot from directly above the truck showing Kyle on the bed right at the center of the cab's rear window. Then the very next shot has Kyle at the passenger door and he asks "where's the other one?" But then the shot moves to a ground level shot looking up as the bike jumps over the truck and Kyle is now standing back on the bed, not at the passenger door. (00:41:30)
Continuity mistake: When Kyle and Star are fleeing from the gas station, being chased by the motorcycle Terminator, the wrecking ball on the truck is swinging wildly. In the next shot it's firmly hooked to the left side of the truck and then in the next shot Kyle is told to release the ball and it's loose again. (00:42:25 - 00:43:00)
Continuity mistake: As the tow trucks crosses the bridge at the end of the chase, it passes three cars (one is overturned) to the truck's right that will act as a ramp for the bike in a moment. Then, as the truck spins to a stop, a shot from beneath the truck looking rearward shows the three cars it has already passed are not there behind it. Yet the very next distant shot shows the cars are back in place in time to send the bike into the air. (00:43:00)
Continuity mistake: At the end of the tow truck chase, an HK appears overhead, turns and fires at a completely empty portion of the bridge's road surface (tho Honda Element is between the truck and explosion in the left lane). Yet when we see it from within the truck, the explosion is shown to be of a car of some kind.and the Honda has vanished. Then, as the truck spins-out and comes to a stop, the external view shows that Honda is back and undamaged. (00:43:10)
Answer: Perhaps, but once the submarine captain learns that John Connor has just jumped off the helicopter, what is he supposed to do? Let John drown? John must have known the Captain would have little choice but to pick John up.
XIII