Questionnaire on unanswered questions in Blade Runner.

1. Deckard is a rep. not only did sir Ridley state this but it is a clear plot point in the book 2. I'm assuming he is a prototype like Rachel, because in the book he has no knowledge that he is one, therefore I'm assuming he was created with implanted memories and was created for her, as she was for him and has an unknown lifespan like her. 3. the off world colonies are probably on mars, that was the favourite playground for many of Philip K Dicks novels 4. The city does seem overcrowded bur the amount of sky scrapers seems even more overcrowded, maybe the ratio of apartments to people is very very high? 5. the replicants were created after world war terminus in the book to work in the irradiated zones, according to the book. and so they worked for the benefit of recycling ruined cities. In the film, I think they must have been the workers that first built the offworld colonies, not requiring food, rest, sleep or air. 6. the voight kampff machine looks at whether your Iris dilates or fluctuates from shock or embarassment, humans possess this ability and machines can't distinguish shock or embarrassment and have to pretend 7. Ridley Scott never intended Deckard to be human, he isn't human in the book either. 8. In the book, he has no idea he is a replicant, just like the replicant bladerunner Phil Resch he teams up with. 9. your question answers this. the unicorn is a standard hallmark dream implanted in all reps. thats why Gaff knows about it 10. the glow was deliberate and intended as a marker for all non humans, according to Ridley. so it looks like it was intended to hint that deckard was a rep until later when Gaffs origami unicorn is left on the floor as a more definitive clue 11. are the giant 100 story high column like buildings supportive of an upper layer of the city as syd mead concieved and as is shown in the Moebius comic "the long Tomorrow" that inspired the look of Blade Runner. and is this the reason why the police need flying cars ?

1) No,I don't believe he's a replicant. He's divorced...and he didn't have the superhuman strengths of the other replicants. 2) He's not a replicant...just deal with it ;) 3) Offworld colonies would have to be quite a distance away. I'm convinced they would have to be habitable with oxygen.The closest possible earth like planets to us are something like 1200-2700 light years away according to Nasa. 4)That's like any city. Marketplaces and downtown core would get most of the traffic. The crowded chase scenes even show the stairs to a subway station.So people are obviously hubbing there. 5) I think they've been around for awhile.The first versions were probably basic butler/maid workers with simple jobs to do. 6) The test probably picks up emotions.The tester tries to get the person startled. They compare the results to real people. 7) Yes. 8)He's not a replicant...there's no such thing as the Easter Bunny either ;) 9) Not really. He's dreaming of something thats mythological. Gaff knowing about the Unicorn might mean that Deckard had a psych exam and future technology can record dreams.It also explains Rachels implanted dreams that Deckard had seen. 10)Just a light reflection. 11)Awesome film :)

[center][/center]1. Is Deckard a replicant what are your views? Aside from the US theatrical/international versions of the film; in all other official cuts Deckard is a replicant, & also according to Ridley. In the 1982 official cuts, the voice-over clearly establishes he is human (from beginning to end). I find it's best to think of the 1982 US theatrical/international versions, as a different film compared with any version that is without the complete voice-over (or happy-ending). If one can clearly deduct that, this is a non-issue, nor worth debating. [center] Workprint (Denver & Dallas Mar-1982, 113 min) Replicant San Diego Sneak Preview (May-1982, 115 min) Human US Theatrical Version (June-1982, 116 min) Human International Version (Jul-1982, 117 min) Human Director's Cut (Sep-1992, 116 min) Replicant The Final Cut (Oct-2007, 117 min) Replicant [/center] 2. How long can Deckard live if he is a non-human? I would assume 4 years, as that was stated as the fail-safe timeline by Bryant. And why Gaff states, "Too bad she won't live..." (however, there is a misleading [also clever] duality to it). Rachel is identified as a Nexus-6 by Bryant ...one could easily figure that Deckard is also the same. It is not established in the Director's versions, that there are any other models newer than the 'experimental' Nexus-6 (like Rachel). Others involved with the production, have been known to flag any experimental model (with implanted memories) as Nexus-7. Although, that would be a contradiction with Bryant's description/labeling of Rachel. Also, the Nexus-7 designation may only refer to the 'happy-ending' unlimited lifespan Rachel. And Ridley had also presented that same possibility regarding Deckard, as an privileged revelation of sorts (maybe something to explore in the sequel). In that case, Deckard's lifespan would likely be unlimited: [center] 1982 versions (Deckard: Human/Rachel: Nexus-7) Director's versions (both Nexus-7, or maybe Rachel is the only Nexus-6) [/center] Sean Young (Rachel) was told she was Nexus-7 as well. 3. Where are the off world colonies? Both the Moon, & Mars (pre-production reference). Ridley wanted to do some scenes Off World (at the beginning of the film, with Roy), but it wasn't in the budget. 4. Why does the city seem so empty and crowded simultaneously? The LA of 2019, is somewhat based on NYC of the late 1960s--early 1990s. What you describe in part is something called 'urban decay'. In NYC there'd be sections of the city that would be dead zones (some areas appeared as if WWIII broke-out). And many of the old buildings in these zones, would be quite empty, but still liveable. Most people that did live in these largely abandoned sections, enjoyed incredibly low rent (on large spaces); however, very high crime, unfortunately. Several years before BR, Ridley spent much of his time making commercials in NYC. And when it came time to pick the location for BR ...he wanted to shoot in NYC. It of course wasn't in the budget, as NYC along with it's unions made it enormously expensive to shoot a motion-picture there (aside from Brooklyn). And it has stayed that way to date. What didn't stay, was the dead zones. The once doomed n' bankrupt megalopolis, was eventually saved from itself. NYC of today, is quite different than in the late 20th Century. In the film, the idea was anyone living below a certain story, was basically poor street trash. And everyone else lived in these 100+ story skyscrapers; although, eventually one would want to make it to the Off World colonies (at some point in their life). Also, somewhat comparable to Manhattan's 1970s high-rise luxury living mindset. And with a little getaway home/retreat away from the big bad city. One that's out in the country-side, or some far-off tropical paradise. Of course, until you can escape there permanently. 5. When and why were replicants created? Early in the 21st Century, THE TYRELL CORPORATION advanced robot evolution into the NEXUS phase - a being virtually identical to a human - known as a Replicant (from opening of the film). Blimp: {over noodle bar dialogue} Use your new friend as a personal body servant or a tireless field hand – the custom tailored genetically engineered humanoid replicant designed especially for your needs. So come on America, lets put our team up there (1992 Director's Cut). They were created as slaves/servants (Roy also concurs). 6. How does the voight kampff test work? It is a test designed to find whether or not a subject can empathize. The machine also monitors body functions/reactions, to help determine the results. With the reaction-time being a factor, replicants get hung-up on likely several of these hypothetical scenarios they are questioned on. They either cannot process a response, or it is possible they answer to fault, or possibly even not fast enough. The machine appears to catch Rachel, when she cannot process a response, in the film. 7. Is the best ending version with Deckard as Human and Roy as replicant? No, because that is not what Ridley wanted; although, it was something that Harrison Ford did. Guess what happened. 8. Is it possible that Deckard does not know he is a replicant? Yes, you saw this in the course of the "Director's Cut" also "The Final Cut". He did not know (for certain), until Gaff's big-clue. 9. What is the significance of the unicorn scene and does this signify that in fact this memory was implanted into Deckard’s mind making him a replicant? It shows that likely J.F. had something to do with this dream (visual reference in the film), & yes, according to Ridley this is the case. Why Gaff left the paper unicorn; he's sending up the red balloon to Deck. 10. Was the glow from Deckard’s eye just a lighting accident during filming or this also another sign that Deckard is in fact a replicant? It was a red-flag to show that he was indeed a replicant. This was intentional, & according to Ridley. This also started conflict between Harrison, & Ridley, onset. In regards to the official 1982 versions, this easily can be looked at as a continuity error, LOL. The intent, also overall consensus by those that produced the original version (not only directed); Deckard was to be human. 11. Do you have any other comments or thoughts on blade runner? Yes, I have many thoughts on the film. Also specifically ...what focus group is this for? And what does this group intend to do with the results of this questionnaire (other than the purpose of discussion, & debate)? Thanks bladerunner93. ^_^ S:)

Here are my answers for the research focus group – I did not answer them all. 1. Is Deckard a replicant what are your views? A: Yes he is , Ridley has said it twice now. 2. How long can Deckard live if he is a non-human? A: I would assume a normal human lifespan. 3. Where are the off world colonies? A: I know one is on Mars. 5. When and why were replicants created? A: They were created as slave labor for the off world colonies. 6. How does the voight kampff test work? A: It measures the fluctuation of the pupil and involuntary dilation of the iris in order to detects the presence of empathy in an individual. 8. Is it possible that Deckard does not know he is a replicant? A: I don't think he knows. 9. What is the significance of the unicorn scene and does this signify that in fact this memory was implanted into Deckard’s mind making him a replicant? A : I understood he was implanted with Gaff's memories. This is why Gaff knew him so well. 10. Was the glow from Deckard’s eye just a lighting accident during filming or this also another sign that Deckard is in fact a replicant? A: It means he is a Replicant. I highly doubt Ridley would do something "by accident" in his movies, he is too visual and does too many takes for that to happen. Also, he changes his movies over and over and he never removed that scene, so that means Ridley meant for it to be there. P.S; Thanks for asking Sawa, I too am curious and would love to know what focus group is this for!

Thanks for all the feedback, great stuff.

This research is for the purposes of an assignment which I am writing into the audience reponse of Bladerunner.