Original artwork, not a still
Hasta la vista, baby.
— Terminator 2: Judgment Day · 1991
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
A killing machine borrows a teenage boy's slang and delivers it with no change of face, and the mismatch is why it works. 'Hasta la vista, baby' is a stock goodbye that the film made into the Terminator's catchphrase, and Schwarzenegger kept using it long after the film, including in his political career. Fans quote it as a cheerful, deadpan sign-off, or as a joke before wrecking something.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Terminator 2: Judgment DayShow the scene
John Connor, in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), is teaching the reprogrammed T-800 to talk more like a person while Sarah drives. When the T-800 says 'affirmative', John tells him that nobody speaks that way, and gives him some phrases: no problemo, eat me, and, for brushing someone off, hasta la vista, baby. The Terminator repeats it and files it away. It returns later, at the steel mill, as his farewell to the T-1000. Writer William Wisher has said he and James Cameron used to say it to each other after phone calls.
Sources (2)
- Wikiquote: Terminator 2: Judgment Dayarticle textReference checked
- Wikipedia: Terminator 2: Judgment Dayarticle textReference checked
Context reviewed
