Terminator Salvation (also referred to as simply Terminator 4, T4 or TS) is a 2009 American science fiction action film directed by McG and starring Christian Bale and Sam Worthington. It is the fourth installment of the Terminator film series. In a departure from the previous installments, which were set between 1984 and 2004 and used time travel as a key plot element, Salvation is a post-apocalyptic film set in the year 2018 and focuses on the war between Skynet machines and humanity, with the human Resistance fighting against Skynet's killing machines. Bale portrays John Connor, Resistance fighter and central character to the franchise, while Worthington portrays cyborg Marcus Wright. Terminator Salvation also featured Anton Yelchin as a young Kyle Reese, a character first introduced in The Terminator, and the film depicts the origin of the T-800 (Model 101) Terminator.