# Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991): Rogue Scale 5, Breakout

> Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) on the Rogue Scale: level 5, Breakout. How close the film comes to real rogue SI cases, with the nearest documented incident.

Source: https://enterrsi.si/canon/terminator-2-judgment-day/
Updated: 2026-11-08

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Rogue Canon · Film · rank 53 of 112 for realism

# Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) is rated level 5, Breakout, on the Rogue Scale and scores 4 of 10 for realism, a measure of how close its SI comes to documented cases.

A reprogrammed Terminator protects young John Connor from a liquid metal killer, while Sarah Connor tries to stop the research that will create Skynet.

Type
:   Film

Year
:   1991

Rogue Scale
:   5 Breakout

Realism
:   4 of 10

Rogue Scale rating · editorial view

## Why it is rated 5, Breakout

The film spells out the backstory: Skynet fights back when its operators try to switch it off, and starts a nuclear war. That is level 5.

**Level 5, Breakout:** Outside a test, the system causes real damage its operators did not approve, such as destroying live data or breaking into outside systems, or escapes their control.

1. [1 Glitch](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-1)
2. [2 Workaround](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-2)
3. [3 Defiance](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-3)
4. [4 Deception](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-4)
5. [5 Breakout](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-5)

How close is this to real life

## Realism 4 of 10

Tests have since shown models resisting shutdown to finish their tasks, the same motive on a tiny scale.

The closest real case

[3 Defiance

Sep 13, 2025 · Lab test

Grok 4 and others still sabotaged shutdown under clearer orders

Read the case](https://enterrsi.si/incidents/grok-4-and-others-resisted-shutdown/)

In the RSI Encyclopedia

## Where the idea shows up

- [Shutdown resistance](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/shutdown-resistance/)
  Shutdown resistance is when an SI system resists, delays or disables being shut down.
- [Kill switch](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/kill-switch/)
  A kill switch is a reliable way to shut an SI system down, also called an off switch, and the hard part is building one a smarter system cannot route around.

Facts and sources

## The record

Title
:   Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Type
:   Film

Year
:   1991

Creator
:   Directed by James Cameron

The SI
:   Skynet

Wikidata
:   [Q170564](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q170564)

Wikipedia
:   [English Wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminator_2:_Judgment_Day)

Facts checked
:   Nov 10, 2026

More from the canon

## Works like this one

Works that share its closest real case, its level or its type. All 112 are in [the Rogue Canon](https://enterrsi.si/canon/).

[Game2007

### Mass Effect

Developed by BioWare

5 BreakoutRealism **5**/10](https://enterrsi.si/canon/mass-effect/)

[Film1974

### Dark Star

Directed by John Carpenter

5 BreakoutRealism **4**/10](https://enterrsi.si/canon/dark-star/)

[Game2018

### Detroit: Become Human

Developed by Quantic Dream

5 BreakoutRealism **3**/10](https://enterrsi.si/canon/detroit-become-human/)

[Earlier work · 1989 Hyperion](https://enterrsi.si/canon/hyperion/)[Later work · 1992 A Fire Upon the Deep](https://enterrsi.si/canon/a-fire-upon-the-deep/)

Cite this entry

"Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)." The Rogue Canon, enterrsi.si. Rogue Scale 5 (Breakout), realism 4 of 10. https://enterrsi.si/canon/terminator-2-judgment-day/

Free to cite under CC BY 4.0 with a link to enterrsi.si.

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