Blade Runner

advertise on the 'Nest
ADVERTISER LOGIN

	EUROPE'S MOST VISITED SF/F WEB SITE

WAS DEKE DECKARD A REPLICANT?
An appraisal of the flaws in the 'Blade Runner' film
by GF WILLMETTS

Rather than spring directly into a long article about whether Deckard in the 'Blade Runner' film is a Replicant, I thought I'd label the points so there would be no mistaking anything in the list that might be thought different to what has been depicted.

If you feel different to this, then I look forward to seeing your comments if and when you e-mail Hologram Tales. However, you'll still have to address each of the 7 points below first.

1. In the fight between Deckard and Roy Batty, the 'Blade Runner' was ill-matched. Two of his fingers were broken and he couldn't even leap between two buildings. Batty could accomplish both despite the fact he was dying. If Deckard was a Replicant then the battle would be a lot more even-matched.

2. There is no authority for allowing Replicants freedom of movement on Earth. Deckard has his own apartment, transport and carries a gun. Although it is questionable on the security arrangements of the Tyrell Corporation in how easy Rachel could come and go from their building, the fact that she could only go to Deckard's apartment suggests lack of freedom to do anything else.

3. Deckard was capable of performing the Voight Com test for detecting emotional abnormalities in Replicants. Only a human is capable of knowing what to look for would be able to do this. A Replicant would have had its own emotional blank spot for recognising such responses in anybody else.

4. Tyrell told Deckard that Rachel was the first experimental long-life Replicant. Considering the Corporation are the only acknowledged makers of Replicant humans, why confide such knowledge with Deckard unless he was human.

5. Deckard was aware of Rachel's implanted memories. If a comparison can be made between Leon Kolwalski and Rachel is that they used the photographs as their anchor to their reality. It's odd that neither Batty, Zhora or Pris relied on them but they were rather pre-occupied with their own plans.

6. The Director's Cut of the film wasn't done by Ridley Scott. It was a Producer's Cut, attempting to make money after the success of the Jim Cameron's Director's Cuts of 'Aliens' and 'The Abyss'. The only thing that was really changed was based on comments Ridley Scott made in several interviews that the end voice-over was done totally against his wishes.

7. Additional footage, principally based on the placement of Gaff's paper statues is misleading. In the opening sequences where Gaff was flying Deckard to and from police headquarters, the latter stated that the former wasn't likely to interfere as he was after promotion.

This doesn't mean Gaff isn't stupid. He was probably ordered to observe Deckard in action and probably noted Rachel's presence. With Deckard leaving the city, there would be no one else being considered for promotion. Leaving the paper unicorn is more an indication of Gaff telling Deckard that he knows what is going on but isn't going to interfere. He wanted Deckard out of the way for selfish reasons.

8. Lastly, this old chestnut is really fan reaction of reading too much into a situation which was never clearly defined in the first place. There was never any issue in the original film other than the fact that this was a futuristic cops and murderers story using Replicants.

There are some flaws in the 'Blade Runner' reality.

Replicants have a life existence of 4 years from manufacturer. Based on the evidence when Deckard shot them, they appear to be more organic than mechanical. Considering the demonstrations of strength and unaffected by heat and cold, one would almost suspect they are synthetic/organic.

As they are designed to work on the colony planets, one has to wonder at the speed they are taken to such worlds. A trip out as far as Jupiter is close to three years, based on our current space technology. Unless the Replicants are kept in suspended animation, then they really don't have much time anywhere we might well be talking faster-than-light travel here.

Suspended animation can be summarily dismissed or the Replicants would not have escaped to land on Earth in the first place. Without further evidence, one can only believe space technology made a massive jump here in the past 20 years (or 35 based on when the film was made).

The purpose of the 'Blade Runner's is to eliminate or 'retire' any Replicants who arrive on Earth as they are forbidden on the home planet. Quite why isn't really explained. As this appears to connect with the development of their emotional make-up, this really is near the end of their 4 year life cycle. Providing any potential retribution targets are protected, the easiest solution is wait until they die. Unless, as in this case, they commit a crime.

Here, there is a distinctive point. Roy Batty's team did kill the crew and passengers of a spacecraft. Once on Earth, they tried to attack or infiltrate the Tyrell Corporation. Even so, the overall damage they could do is preciously minimal compared to, say, the damage an earthquake could cause.

Even odder is the fact that only one human officer is sent to discover and eliminate them. Even more remarkable is the fact that he didn't even have to rely on the Voight-Com apparatus to tell the difference between a Replicant and a human with them. Considering the reaction when Leon Kolwalski was tested, one has to wonder why no one bothered to check if he was actually armed before walking into the room. Then again, this is a symbolic America where everyone has the freedom to carry a gun providing they don't use it to kill anyone in other than self-defence. Guns don't kill people. People with guns kill people!!!

Considering the work the Tyrell Corporation commit to making these Replicants, you'd have thought more time would be spent in making them easier to detect than make them closer to human. Considering that the prototype Rachel had been given an extended life span, one can only wonder what Tyrell was planning for the future. Roy Batty may well have damaged the future prospects of Replicant life.

There are arguments for making Replicants resemble humans. The fact that Pris is classed as a 'sex' model suggests that her use is for humans. The other members of the group are basically soldiers and raises interesting question marks over just who they are supposed to be fighting. No wonder there are so few human volunteers to go to the colony planets despite the poor living conditions on Earth.

Replicants resembling humans makes it easier to communicate but negates the fact they are really an expendable asset. Earth legislation should surely have asserted that some provision should have been incorporated into them that would inhibit them hurting humans. Alternatively, some device could have been provided to ensure a responsible human leader could turn them off if they misbehave.

I know this is really examining the 'Blade Runner' film right down to the nitty gritty where such things tend to disrupt the whole idea of the cops and robbers style of the film. If anything, it illustrates the lack of forethought made in the scripting before it was ever filmed. All of the above points could have been addressed in the film in some way without necessarily destroying Ridley Scott's overall approach. Despite the graphic finery, 'Blade Runner' remains pretty much a flawed SF classic film.

GF WILLMETTS'99

The latest Blade Runner Books

FREE SF MAGAZINE
Sign up for the Crowsnest SF e-magazine - full of funny reports and gossip. Be the first to find out about hot sci-fi opportunities & news!