I stumbled upon a reference from James Cameron stating that Skynet has felt guilty for 30 years with regards to the near extinction of human life. He even suggests that Skynet has used time travel in order to setup events so that humanity would win. He even compares John Connor to a Messiah type figure, created intentionally by the machines.
Is there any evidence (in canon) to support this? Additionally, did Cameron ever suggest this back when the first two films were released? I am ideally looking for a direct reference on screen either stating an aspect of this idea, or at least suggesting this. Such as Skynet making a less than optimal decision. I am also interested in James Cameron stating something to a similar effect during the 80's/90's.
Cameron's statement feels like he is going back over his work and trying to add a new layer to previous work. Personally, I can't remember anything whatsoever in the films to even remotely suggest such a concept. Is there any evidence from this era to back up his quote?
What you don't know from the movies is Skynet was forced to fight the war and didn't want to. Because Skynet has felt guilty for thirty years about the 5 billion people it killed, it's brought the rebels up from the ashes by giving them something to fight against, a reason to live. Skynet has groomed John Connor to be what he is so that he can destroy it by going back in time and taking the whole thing out of existence in a big loop so the war never happens
-James Cameron Interviews by James Cameron (Page 100). Available on Google Books.