T2-3D: Battle Across Time

The queue features dozens of television monitors that show a series of video segments (which are being presented on the "Cyberdyne Interactive Network," or C.I.N.). The queue media sets the scene in the lobby of Cyberdyne and the company propaganda is playing all around the audience. The segments are about the latest innovations and products of Cyberdyne Systems. The video also includes several special musical segments, including two songs from the film; "Bad to the Bone" and "Guitars, Cadillacs", as well as a "live" video feed from Costa Rica of a performance of the song La Bamba. Mixed into the video cycle are live images of the waiting audience (in the manner of a closed-circuit security system) and two brief comical sketches of "guests" running afoul of Cyberdyne security – either being electrocuted by a security device or being arrested by security staff. Queue video also contains a brief appearance of Dr. Peter Silberman played by Earl Boen. Just before entering the pre-show auditorium, guests pass an unmanned kiosk where they pick up a pair of "safety visors" (3D glasses)[11] for use during the main show.

The pre-show room

The pre-show is hosted in the "Miles Bennett Dyson Memorial Auditorium" by Kimberley Duncan (Named Reika Ayanokōji for the Japanese version), Cyberdyne's Director of Community Relations and Media Control. Here, the audience stands and views a promotional video about Cyberdyne's numerous technological contributions before the video feed is temporarily hijacked by John (Edward Furlong) and Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), warning the audience about Skynet and the future war against the machines and telling them to get out of the building before they are cut off. As the video continues, Duncan can be seen talking on a phone, telling someone on the other line to find the Connors. Once the video ends, Duncan tells the audience to ignore the Connors' warnings and proceed forward. The video was produced and directed by Landmark Entertainment's Gary Goddard and Adam Bezark. A segment on future technology in sports featured a young Shaquille O'Neal.

The promotional video in the pre-show was updated in 2015 as some of the original pre-show featured "future" technologies that were now in existence; new CGI and narration now accompanied the remastered original footage alongside some newly-shot scenes.[4][22]

Guests are ushered from the pre-show auditorium into a large theater that seats 700 where they are to see a demonstration of Cyberdyne's newest creation, the "Cyberdyne Series 70 Autonomous Infantry Unit" (T-70 Terminators). Once guests are seated, they are told to put on their "safety visors" to watch a demonstration of the T-70 Terminators in action, presented by Duncan. After this brief demonstration, John and Sarah arrive and disrupt the proceedings. After disabling the security alarms, they force Duncan to shut down the T-70s. However, they are confronted by a T-1000 Terminator (Robert Patrick) from the future whom they engage with automatic-weapons. Duncan is killed by the T-1000 while attempting to stop him, mistaking him for a police officer. In some shows, Duncan flees the auditorium instead of being killed. A T-800 Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) bursts through the movie screen through a "time portal" on his signature Harley-Davidson motorcycle – via actual actor/stunt double riding into auditorium – to rescue John. He takes John back through the portal and into the future war between humans and machines while Sarah stays behind in the present, with the T-1000 in pursuit. After defeating him, John and the T-800 make their way across the war-ravaged landscape as they head towards Skynet. Along the way, they are chased by a flying Hunter-Killer, four Mini-Hunters, and a Terminator endoskeleton.[23][24]

The duo successfully penetrate the Skynet facility and descend with the audience into Skynet's Central Core, where they battle the "T-1000000", a giant liquid-metal spider-like construct similar to a very large T-1000. The T-800 sends John to a nearby time machine that will take him back to the present while he stays behind to blow up Skynet and the T-1000000. The show ends with the ground-shaking destruction of Skynet, leaving Sarah and John alone in the present time once again. During the destruction of the T-1000000, water is sprayed from the ceiling onto the riders and then during the explosion, smoke is blown into the audience; the seats of the auditorium also lurch with a sudden drop, giving guests a final scare and ending the attraction with Sarah narrating that she feels that she owes her life to the Terminator for saving John's life. During this narration, the face of a Terminator endoskeleton fills the screen, morphing into Schwarzenegger's face before the film fades to black, during which John and Sarah mysteriously disappear.[23][24]

The ground breaking sound design for the theater set new standards and created new technologies in the design and delivery of fully immersive 3D sound. The main show sound system is a 24 channel matrix surround system driven by a Peavey Media Matrix, an Akai DD1000 digital 24 Track, 156 speakers, 24 custom engineered subwoofers that shook the building. James Cameron was quoted as saying, "Sound is 50% of the experience. T23D is the greatest sounding show in the world".