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The title pretty much says it all.

At the start of The Terminator we see him fully naked and fully equipped.

He doesn't need them, so why does he have them?

Edlothiad
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Chris
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    Eliah Baley tried this question. It didn't work out well for him. – b_jonas Apr 20 '16 at 15:03
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    Warning - NFSW Link; http://www.the-fanboy-perspective.com/the-terminator-has-lost-his-balls.html - Albeit you'll need to look zoom in and freeze-frame to see anything worth getting upset about. – Valorum Apr 20 '16 at 15:13
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    Because Arnie wasn't quite that into method acting. – TZHX Apr 20 '16 at 15:43
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    It's also possible that it's more work to mess with the human DNA on the terminator by removing the genitalia, and could cause unforeseen side effects. (The question's already answered and this doesn't stand alone, so it's a comment.) – kettlecrab Apr 21 '16 at 01:11
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    You wanna be the one to tell a terminator you built him with no balls because of some regulations? – Misha R Apr 21 '16 at 06:46
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    Because the Terminator may find itself in a situation where some hot lovin' is the only way to go? Like that girl Terminator using her boobs to distract the policeman in T3. – Shantnu Tiwari Apr 21 '16 at 13:35
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    Two words: Hard Drive. – Major Stackings Apr 22 '16 at 06:31
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    They should have done a condom ad with the tagline "My mission is to protect you" – Juha Untinen Apr 22 '16 at 06:55
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    Quite simply, they *are biological outside*. They are a "real" ("cloned") biological body outside. So of course, quite simply, they have every human feature. – Fattie Apr 23 '16 at 12:25
  • And we see in Terminator Dark Fate that Carl has a spouse. Sex life though is not important apparently.

    Also, probably why Skynet went with liquid metal. You do not need to build excess parts of bodies, just a mold that can kill humans efficiently.

     – Wanting Answers Nov 09 '19 at 10:32

7 Answers7

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I do not have a citation, but probably so that he can pass himself off as human. If the robots were lacking genitals, the rebels would probably include a strip search among their tests, and probably have in the past.

FuzzyBoots
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    +1. Why would Skynet intentionally leave off bodily features, when doing so could compromise the Terminator's mission? For the same reason, the Arnienator has nipples, a navel, and toenails, none of which are visible on a fully clothed human. – Royal Canadian Bandit Apr 20 '16 at 14:55
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    if I were a rebel, I would "lift test" a terminator suspect since they are made of metal. Wouldnt high body weight give away a terminator? – Jesvin Jose Apr 20 '16 at 19:02
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    @aitchnyu Great idea in theory, but would the average rebel have a quantifiably easier time lifting a human Arnie? (n.b. serious question; i don't even lift) – underscore_d Apr 20 '16 at 19:32
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    @underscore_d - I think the idea would be to have the Terminator stand on scales before they can come in to the base. We know that they're quite heavy... – Valorum Apr 20 '16 at 20:21
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    @aitchnyu Just lift him with 4 people, metal is around 3 (aluminium) to 20 (gold) times heavier then a human. – Thijser Apr 20 '16 at 20:21
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    Failing a "lift test", a simple metal detector would be sufficient. This is why you won't see a Terminator at the airport - they'd never make it past the TSA scanners... – Darrel Hoffman Apr 20 '16 at 21:12
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    @ Richard i wondered that, but the phrasing made it sound like it might be referring to a single person lifting manually, so! @DarrelHoffman lmao, i know, right? you'd think rebels with sufficient firepower tech to stay alive against the machines would be able to rig up a metal detector. wait a minute... are you implying this franchise is implausible :O – underscore_d Apr 20 '16 at 21:23
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    @underscore_d A reasonably fit human can carry any other normal-sized human, and any soldier-type (i.e. the rebels) is expected to able to lift and carry any his buddies together with their heavy gear. It's not that hard - e.g. "fireman's carry", small men and women can carry someone twice bigger than they are. So you could try to lift new recruits, and it would be obvious if someone weighs three times as much as someone of their size should. – Peteris Apr 21 '16 at 00:00
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    Maybe I'm recalling things differently but the terminators didn't seem too interested sneaking or infiltrating by means other than just directly attacking. I doubt they would submit to a weight test when they could just annihilate everyone in their path. – Kai Qing Apr 21 '16 at 00:02
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    I think simply looking at his infrared/heat signature from a distance would be much easier (and safer) than lifting up his skirt for a looksie or make him do a weigh-in at the local gym. His heat signature would undoubtedly look quite different than a male human, ironically where the non-functioning nads are, if nowhere else. – iMerchant Apr 21 '16 at 00:23
  • When fighting side by side it's difficult to identify one even when it's dress is torn out. And that one is just a stepping stone as we can see in "Terminator Salvation" a brain computer interface implemented perfectly so that skynet no longer need metal machines it can use captured humans as robots. – lal Apr 21 '16 at 07:23
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    @iMerchant Why would they be a different temperature? They have an artificial heart to pump blood & have a "pulse", and their skin has to be warm to stay living, getting the right skin temp should be relatively easy. I don't remember anyone who touched Arnie saying he was cold, just real heavy – Xen2050 Apr 21 '16 at 08:24
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    They just need more dogs. – Jason Goemaat Apr 21 '16 at 09:47
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    @Peteris - I question your classification of Arnold Schwarzenegger as a "normal-sized human". The dude is huge. I doubt any average person could lift him single-handedly. Even a well-trained soldier would find that a challenge, fireman's carry or otherwise. – Darrel Hoffman Apr 21 '16 at 15:03
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    @DarrelHoffman Arnold's competition weight was 235 lb. A reasonably fit person could lift him off the ground, especially a soldier. – DCShannon Apr 21 '16 at 19:47
  • @Xen2050 - I still think there would be distinct differences. Even if his junk has the right signature, there are bound to be parts of his body that would give out more heat than the human counterpart. The glowing red lights behind the eyeballs, for example. Or different motors/servos, etc. – iMerchant Apr 21 '16 at 20:54
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    @DarrelHoffman He could definitely make it past the TSA scanners. –  Apr 22 '16 at 02:34
  • @nocomprende - Well, if you mean "blast his way through", sure. Just don't think he could do it with any degree of subtlety... – Darrel Hoffman Apr 22 '16 at 13:36
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    @DarrelHoffman ~250lb is normal sized; and a reasonably fit, not specially trained girl weighing half as much can lift such people if done properly People in 500lb range (e.g. Andre the Giant https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2014-03/enhanced/webdr03/18/22/edit-9994-1395194598-5.jpg) would be a challenge, but not Arnold. – Peteris Apr 22 '16 at 13:48
  • @DarrelHoffman I believe nocomprende was being facetious about TSA :) – Ber Apr 23 '16 at 22:24
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Kyle Reese notes that these are the top-of-the-line in infiltration units. Skynet had spared absolutely no expense in making them look as human as possible, down to the smallest physical features.

REESE: But outside, it's living human tissue. Flesh, skin, hair...blood. Grown for the cyborgs.

Pay attention. The 600 series had rubber skin. We spotted them easy. But these are new. They look human. Sweat, bad breath, everything. Very hard to spot. I had to wait 'til he moved on you before I could zero him.

From a purely out-of-universe perspective, obviously the idea that the Terminator might be as smooth as a Ken-Doll would undermine how scary he is.

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Valorum
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    “down to the smallest physical features” — genitalia is not Arnie’s smallest physical feature! (Admittedly I’m speculating.) – Paul D. Waite Apr 20 '16 at 15:55
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    @PaulD.Waite - If you click the link above, you can judge for yourself. – Valorum Apr 20 '16 at 15:56
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    I feared as much, so I didn’t click. – Paul D. Waite Apr 20 '16 at 15:59
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    @PaulD.Waite - It's only a clip from the film, nothing saucy. – Valorum Apr 20 '16 at 16:03
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    @PaulD.Waite Genitalia are among his smallest physical features. There are a couple of old photos floating around from his body-building modelling days where it’s all on display, and given how big the rest of his physical features are, the weiner ain’t too impressive. (Google at your own peril.) – Janus Bahs Jacquet Apr 20 '16 at 17:59
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    @JanusBahsJacquet: that’s a good point, he did expend quite a lot of effort making most of his other muscles much bigger. – Paul D. Waite Apr 20 '16 at 20:40
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    @PaulD.Waite Not to mention steroids cause shrinkage. – FuzzyBoots Apr 20 '16 at 21:15
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    TFD: "infiltrator - someone who takes up a position surreptitiously for the purpose of espionage." - Reese: "... everything." (full stop) Plus one. – Mazura Apr 20 '16 at 22:50
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Sarah Connor Chronicles - (until I can get home and confirm the episode) but I believe there's an ep where robots have replaced humans in marriages and have maintained the relationship for long periods of time. It’s heavily implied sex was a part of that. It’s the episode where a terminator has replaced the husband of a city planner and it’s his mission to ensure she completes a project that lays the foundation for Skynet (unknown to her at the time).
EDIT enter image description here Episode 108: Vick's Chip - http://terminator.wikia.com/wiki/Episode_108:_Vick%27s_Chip

The T-888's infiltration protocols are advanced enough to allow it to sustain married life with a key Skynet progenitor to remain close to her. Time of his insertion into the SCC timeline is as yet uncertain, but is certainly long term in nature. It is very likely that the Terminator Vick was based upon a real person. This is touched upon in reference to an automobile accident that happened prior to the episode, and similar occurrences are seen in Season 2.

Chris Lannister
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    Assuming you're referring to Vick Chamberlain it's worth mentioning that his marital relations were very strained after his accident. Presumably the implication was that he couldn't function sexually and was using the trauma as an excuse. – Valorum Apr 21 '16 at 13:19
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Disguise, attraction and entrapment.

May I direct you to Arnold Schwarzenegger's commentary on the 2003 "Terminator 3" movie. (5:13)

"The scene with the enlargement of the breasts was fantastic. Because there's some guys that like little breasts, and there's some guys that like big breasts, so it's just- wouldn't it be nice if you could play both sides? You know it's... sometimes even simultaneously.

This allows terminators to

  1. Blend in.

  2. Disguise, if necessary.

  3. Trick/trap or sex their way in to or out of situations.

Shadow Wizard Love Zelda
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    Did "sex their way into or out of situations" happen in any of the movies, beyond visual distraction like in the video clip? Even comics or books? From the first 3 movies it seems like extreme violence is their universal "Plan B" – Xen2050 Apr 21 '16 at 11:14
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    This is tangential, but that commentary mashup is amazing on so many levels. – Jeff Meden Apr 21 '16 at 18:09
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    @Xen2050 In the Sarah Connor Chronicles series, there's a terminator that lives as a human for years in order to encourage a human engineer (his wife) to build certain systems for the government. She might have noticed if something was missing. – DCShannon Apr 21 '16 at 19:51
  • @DCShannon Thanks, can't believe I forgot about Shirley Manson, she kills in everything. I forgot about that whole series, it was never on a channel or time I could find – Xen2050 Apr 22 '16 at 01:37
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The same reason it has ears, lips, skin, nipples or any other thing that humans have:

It is supposed to look like a human!

I've seen this question asked or implied about Data, Andromeda and now terminators. Why would you ever expect an android built to look like a human not to have genitals?

Consider Skynet: it collects thousands of humans, vivisects them and makes a truly perfect replica. Then it takes this replica, puts a robotic skeleton inside and has created a perfect human-look-a-like killer.

Then, for no reason what so ever, Skynet makes the skin green. Why?

Or more to the point, since Skynet didn't; why would you ask: "Why isn't the terminators skin green?"

Odalrick
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    The question is one of immediate visibility. OP is wondering why, if Terminators are mostly "kill first, ask no questions later", why they need bodily features that aren't readily apparent. – Valorum Apr 22 '16 at 11:33
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    @Richard Terminators that are "kill first..." exist in the movies. They notably don't have genitals; or ears, lips, skin et cetera. The question was asked about a second generation killbot that was explicitly make to look as much as a human as possible. – Odalrick Apr 22 '16 at 11:57
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They are made with a human skin for a purpose. To infiltrate human encampments for intelligence gathering and dissemination of useful information. If it was discovered and it easily could happen that an easy way to tell apart terminators from the real thing is to pull down their pants, people in such an apocalyptic situation would quickly resort to such a method.

user127202
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Because the Terminators are supposed to mimic humans? We know that the T-600 series had rubber skin, so maybe one of the previous series didn't have genitals and then were spotted more easily. Just because your robot has genitals doesn't mean it's going to have sex with anybody. I really think that they have genitals just for the normal, simple, and innocent reason to completely and accurately replicate a normal human.

SpyBoxOnline
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