their goal was destruction. they saw humans as a threat, not as a necessity for life. but yeah, there are a ton of parallels if you watch all the terminator movies. from big stuff like how john connor and neo are both unknowing saviors of humanity against the machines, to little stuff like how the good guys have to fight cops all the time.
and now that i think about it more, t-1000 and agent smith both deliver very chilling performances.