![terminator salvation harvester terminator salvation harvester](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/dwIAAOSw3iBfmhvZ/s-l300.jpg)
Skynet only sends a T-101 back when its defence grid was smashed and the Resistance had won - the original Terminator being sent back to kill Connor before he was born was a desperation move on its part. Anyway, here's the theory: Skynet figures out Kyle Reese is Connor's father from (perhaps) tapes that remain of Sarah Connor's interviews in the psych wards, or even the old police tape when Reese had been detained in the first film. A self-aware machine, yes, but still not operating with the same level of creativity or perhaps intelligence than its human creators. First possibility is that everyone's forgetting Skynet is a machine.But even in that case, wouldn't it have been sufficient for Skynet's plans for Connor to think that Kyle is alive and well?
![terminator salvation harvester terminator salvation harvester](https://images1.sw-cdn.net/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,gravity=auto,format=auto,fit=scale-down,width=1920/product/picture/710x528_19306657_11229230_1498435095_1_0.jpg)
And for that matter, if Skynet knows Kyle is John Connor's father, why doesn't it just kill Kyle while it has the chance? If Skynet doesn't know that, why is Kyle the first target? The only thing that can explain the plot is if Skynet knows that Kyle is somehow important to Connor, but doesn't know that he's Connor's father.