Cameron (Terminator) - Character Concept

Character Concept

Cameron was named in homage to Terminator film franchise creator James Cameron, whose original Terminator character concept was referenced by series creator Josh Friedman as he created the character. James Cameron envisioned Terminators as robotic, humanoid infiltration units "that could blend in with humanity". In keeping with this idea, Friedman introduced his character as the most advanced model of Terminator, whose ascendancy over other models was defined by its ability to mimic human behavior. The decision to make the character appear to be a teenaged female with a small physical stature was also influenced by James Cameron's infiltrator idea. According to consulting producer James Middleton, "Terminators — and this is from Cameron's vision of the mythology — are actually infiltrators. If that is the case, then what better infiltrator than a beautiful, petite teenage girl?"

Cameron's background story was introduced in the season two episode "Allison from Palmdale", which was written by co-executive producer Toni Graphia. Graphia's conception of Cameron's past was heavily influenced by a scene Friedman originally wrote only for the actresses auditioning for the role of Cameron; the scene detailed Cameron revealing to John how, in the future, she came to find and attempt to kill him after torturing a resistance fighter for information on his location. Finding that the story within the scene aligned with the show's mythology and also answered fan questions about Cameron's origins, Graphia fitted the scene's content into "Allison from Palmdale", giving the resistance fighter from Friedman's scene a name (Allison Young) and adding the plot detail concerning Cameron's external appearance being based upon that of the resistance fighter.

When Cameron first appeared in the pilot episode, she behaved with more human mannerisms, but these faded in subsequent episodes. It has been confirmed by Friedman that this behavioral change was the result of a conscious decision; however the explanations he has given of the logistics behind this decision have varied. At the Television Critics Association press tour, he stated that within the story, Cameron had been prepared for the events of the pilot. Once the characters "jumped forward in time though, she was as adrift as everyone else". In an interview with IGN, Friedman stated that as he wrote the second episode, he became interested in exploring the "calmer, odder part of" Cameron, reflected in a scene in the pilot in which Cameron asks questions of John "in a very programmed way". He continued to say that Cameron's behavior may appear inconsistent to a viewer, but that this inconsistency may be operative in the completion of her tasks. In any case, the character's robotic interactions with humans were manipulated for humor, but Friedman did express a wish to avoid "cheap jokes" in favor of more seriously exploring Cameron's existence as a cyborg. Summer Glau in an interview said about Cameron's changing behavior: "We were experimenting with Cameron quite a bit, and we wanted her to be able to seem human. We wanted especially John to be fooled by her, so that he would let her into his life. And so in the pilot, I do act very human. And then as I go through the series, it appears that I’ve taken steps back and that I am acting more like a Terminator would. We did that for several different reasons, but I know for me it’s fun because I get to take more time for her development, her human development. I think that it also is funny and I think once her cover was blown with the Connors, she kind of was able to drop that persona and become who she really is around them, if that answers the question."

Friedman also hoped to use Cameron as a device to advance the "coming-of-age" theme, of John Connor's maturation from an adolescent into a man that he intended to incorporate into the narrative. To do this, Friedman planned on portraying Cameron as a second significant female presence in John's life, after his mother, Sarah. He believed Cameron would be instrumental in lessening John's dependence on Sarah, and thereby encouraging John's growth into adulthood. In season two, this idea was expanded to include yet another female presence in John's life: the teenaged human Riley. According to Summer Glau, Riley's introduction allowed her to explore the possibility that a robot could feel jealousy — an idea that, along with a subplot about a functional glitch in Cameron, played heavily into one of the season's main storylines regarding the efforts of a character named Jesse Flores to reduce Cameron's influence over John.