Nelson Galaxy

Is Deckard a replicant?
Yes, he is.
It’s obvious.
This is why:

Whilst tapping away at an old piano Deckard has a slightly drunken vision of a unicorn. Later, Gaff presents him with an origami unicorn. Thus suggesting he knows that Deckard is a replicant because he has insider knowledge of his programmed memories. He lets Deckard escape with Rachael because he knows that they only have a limited inbuilt life span. This is where Deckard realises that he is not human – making him an ideal blade runner due to his lack of empathy.

This is mainly Ridley Scott’s input. There is no such certainty about Deckard’s non-human status in Philip K. Dick’s ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’. Deckard is not an android although he is put into situations where he questions his humanity. There is a lot of the novel that did not make it into the film (such as the value of animals and Mercerism) and a lot of extra themes were added.

I recommend you read K. W. Jeter’s Blade Runner sequels – ‘The Edge of Human’, ‘Replicant Night’ and ‘Eye and Talon’. They have more in common with the film than the original novel but they are well written and contain some brilliant ideas and imagery. Jeter was one of Dick’s close friends prior to his death and his books have the blessing of the Philip K. Dick Trust.

I’m also very much looking forward to the release of ‘Blade Runner The Final Cut (5-Disc Ultimate Collectors’ Edition)’ next month. It contains five versions of the film and hours of documentaries. I’ve decided this is what I’m getting for my Christmas box.

On the Nelson hi-fi today:
Tortoise – “Standards”