The Terminator as Metaphor for Life

In his Wired Magazine article bearing the same name as this post Josh Friedman, executive producer of the Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, has some interesting things to say about life and his TV show. Here are a few excerpts from his story:

But before I could actually start writing the show, I was diagnosed with kidney cancer. I had to have an operation to remove the tumor, which meant I couldn't write it for that season. So I had a couple of months when I couldn't do anything, and I was in pain. I had this crisis — I went to a therapist, and I said, "What am I doing? I'm going to write a freaking show about a scary robot? Who cares?"

But when she calmed me down, I started reflecting upon it, and I realized that this show really was about my life. It was about mortality. The first voiceover I ever wrote for the series started with "I will die. I will die, and so will you. Death gives no man a pass." That's what the Terminators are — they're death coming to get us.
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To me, the show is about what you do with life in the face of death. I mean, yeah, it's a genre show. It's the Terminator, and it's kind of pulpy, and some people think it's past its prime. But you can find yourself in this show. I definitely found myself in it.

The TV series season ended last Friday with a great twist in the plot. I had not thought about the whole life metaphor idea but resonate with it and think that it is one of the reasons I like the show. Each week we see the characters struggling against the enemies of mankind.. they are in a life and death battle - much like us.. even if we are living unaware.