Cameron

Character concept

The character was named after Terminator film franchise creator James Cameron, whose original concept of Terminators as robotic infiltration units that could blend in with humanity was referenced by series creator Josh Friedman. Friedman introduced Cameron as the most advanced Terminator model, defined by its ability to mimic human behavior. The decision to make the character appear as a teenaged female with a small physical stature was influenced by James Cameron's infiltrator idea; consulting producer James Middleton noted that a beautiful, petite teenage girl would be an ideal infiltrator.

Cameron's background story was introduced in the season two episode "Allison from Palmdale", written by co-executive producer Toni Graphia. Graphia's conception of Cameron's past was influenced by a scene Friedman originally wrote for actresses auditioning for the role, which detailed Cameron revealing to John how she came to find and kill him in the future after torturing a resistance fighter for information. Graphia fitted that scene's content into the episode, naming the resistance fighter Allison Young and adding the plot detail that Cameron's external appearance was based on that fighter.

Characteristics

The factory that builds Cameron appears in the episode "Heavy Metal," where the cyborg and the Connors follow a shipment of coltan, the metal used for Terminator endoskeletons. Cameron's organic exterior is based on a captured human resistance fighter named Allison Young. In "Allison from Palmdale," the cyborg questions Allison in a future Skynet prison about her personal history, John Connor's whereabouts, and her seemingly harmless bracelet pass.

After the interrogation, the Terminator kills Allison and assumes her identity to infiltrate the resistance and kill John. At some later point, the cyborg is captured and reprogrammed by John to fight alongside him, similar to the T-800 and T-850 in the films and another Terminator in the episode "Dungeons & Dragons." Flashbacks in that episode show John's uncle, Derek Reese, acting suspiciously toward Cameron. When a different reprogrammed Terminator goes berserk and Cameron destroys it, she tells Derek that sometimes they malfunction for unknown reasons.

In "Mr. Ferguson Is Ill Today," Cameron says she was a confidant to a lonely John Connor in the future, just as Allison had been before her death. Jesse, a rogue resistance fighter from the future, confirms this close relationship in "Strange Things Happen at the One Two Point" and suggests the present-day Cameron might still be John's confidant twenty years later. In the pilot, Cameron says she was sent from 2027 to 1999 by the future John Connor to protect him.

A temporal engineer was sent back to 1963 to build and hide a time machine. In Cameron's original timeline, John had been an orphan since 2005 after Sarah died of cancer.

Reception

In 2008, Glau won the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television for her portrayal of Cameron. That year, she was also nominated for two Teen Choice Awards in the categories of favorite action adventure television actress and favorite female breakout television star, and was nominated for the same Saturn Award in 2009. In a poll by E! Online columnist Kristin Dos Santos after the series premiere, 60% of participants voted Glau their favorite series regular.

Her performance was praised as one of the show's best elements; The Star-Ledger commented that if there is a reason to stick with the show, it is Glau, and Zap2it.com called her the standout in early episodes. IGN praised her performance of Allison Young, writing that the episode would never have worked if Glau were not as good as she is. However, Mark Wilson of About.com called Glau "infinitely flat" and wrote that her character came across as lobotomized.

Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote that Glau looks like a teenage Ally McBeal who might get her teeth punched in by Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The character Cameron received mixed response; a Los Angeles Times reviewer said she conveys an intriguing, if limited, humanity. In another E! Online poll, Cameron was voted the favorite Terminator model with 53% of the vote.

Criticisms focused on uneven human behavior; Marc Bernardin of Entertainment Weekly called Cameron an inconsistent machine, noting she could navigate high school like a pro in the first episode but later displayed alarming lack of savvy. Travis Fickett of IGN noted the change as an unintended continuity problem and a point of contention with fans.