Significance of the origami Deckard found in Blade Runner

Question

What was the significance of the origami figure Deckard found at the end of Blade Runner? What could it have symbolized?

Answer 1

The origami unicorn was left for Deckard to find by Gaff.

The symbolism of this varies, depending on which version of the film you're watching. If you're watching the 1992 Director's Cut, it implies that Gaff knew about Deckard's unicorn dream earlier in the film; further implying that Deckard is a replicant, and that Gaff knew about Deckard's dream because it was an implanted memory. This theory is futher supported by Gaff's parting line of "It's too bad she won't live. But then again who does?"
In addition to this, the unicorn, together with Gaff's parting line, shows that Gaff found Rachael at Deckard's apartment, but decided to spare her, and allow Deckard to run away with her.

Answer 2

There's a sequence to them.

In Bryant's office, Gaff made a chicken, which means that he thinks Deckard's refusing to come back to blade running because of cowardace.

Later, after the interview with Rachel, Gaff makes a matchstick man. A quick Google showed that Gaff gave the matchstick man an erection, saying he knows Deckard is attracted to her. This hadn't occurred to me: I've seen this movie several times and own the director's cut and four-disc re-release with the final cut, and never noticed that aspect of the matchstick man before. I had interpreted it as meaning that Deckard had begun to "man up", but I'm beginning to accept that interpretation.

The third is the unicorn, and what it means depends on which version of the movie you're watching. Blade Runner was the first of the movies with a "director's cut", and while it has begun to mean the two minutes of nudity that they couldn't get past the MPAA, with Blade Runner, the differences between the two cuts lead to substantially different narratives.

For the replicant characters, such as Pris, Leon, Rachel and Zhora, you have characters who are primarily known by their first names. For the human characters, like Bryant, Gaff, Tyrell, the characters are mostly known by their last name. Then you have Rick Deckard and Roy Batty. Roy Batty is a replicant, but filled with human emotion and a lust for life. Rick Deckard is human, but detached, unemotional and cold.

There are many things symbolized by the unicorn. One is them relates to emotion, and this could be seen as the end of Deckard's journey. It's a fantastic thing, and it could mean that Gaff thinks that Deckard running off with Rachael means he's living in a fantasy with that, not reality.

Or, with the director's cut, you see that Gaff has the files for Deckard's memories, as Deckard has the files for Rachael's, and that means he's a replicant. But only in the director's cut.

Answer 3

I never bought into the Deckard-is-a-replicant idea, but instead always thought it was that both men saw Rachel as beautiful, impossible, unique and magical, which is well represented well by the symbol of a Unicorn.

In my opinion, Gaff leaving the unicorn for Deckard to find tells Deckard two things.

1. I have decided to spare her, take her and go.
2. I understand your fascination with her.

My two cents.

Answer 4

It to some extent answers the question in the title of Dick's novel, 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?', and leads us to wonder, what is it exactly that MAKES us human. One could say, 'I Dream therefore I am', or one could simply think that since real humans need to dream to stay sane (Griffin, Dreaming Reality 2004) , Deckard's dream is simply a necessary by-product of his replicated mind.

Deckard dreams of unicorns yet this is an implanted memory. You might wonder why Tyrrel Corp would take the trouble to implant dreams at all. They will need at least six a night and this is going to add up to thousands altogether. So, why is THIS dream the one that stands out? "To see a unicorn in your dream symbolizes high ideals, hope and insight in a current situation. It also symbolizes power, gentleness, and purity" - Dream Moods. Is this, I wonder, what Deckard's subconscious is fascinated with?

Answer 5

I have an input about the unicorn dream. I am an Art Historian, and I have recently made a research on the Unicorn symbology in the Middle Ages Art. The unicorn is an christological symbol. In the book physiologus (popular book in the middle ages about magical creatures and so on) the unicorn is described as hard to capture. Only a virgin could do this. This unicorn myth has been used as a symbol (incarnation) of Christ, who has been born by the virgin Mary.

Furthermore it was believed that the unicorn had magical powers. The Unicorn could bring dead back to life, and the person who drinks his blood becomes immortal.

So my two cents about the Unicorn in the Movie: Mybe Deckard and Rachael don't have a short lifespan as the other replicants do. Perhaps it could also mean, that Decker and Rachael get the opportunity to run away and start a family. They could get a child together and be the founders of a Replicant Civilization (reference to Mary who gave birth to jesus).

Answer 6

I think the unicorn can only mean that Gaff knew what was in Decker's dream, therefore meaning that he was a replicant. The fact that it has the voice-over of Gaff saying 'she won't live, but then who does' accompanying it reinforces that.

In addition you had Rachael asking Decker earlier in the movie if he had ever done the eye test on himself, and enquiring about his memories which would suggest she suspected also.

Bryant didn't know about Rachael, and I don't think he knew about Decker either. I don't believe there was anything telling in that respect in his 'little people' remark, merely that he would make life hard for him if he didn't help out.

I think there was a lot more to Gaff than met the eye, and knew more of what was going on than anyone. He knew both Decker and Rachael were replicants from the start, and had deduced that they were in love. He knew where Rachael was but let her live, to be with Decker. The unicorn was both telling Decker he was a replicant and signalling that he had his blessing to escape with Rachael.

The only thing which doesn't make sense is if Decker was a replicant, why didn't he have their physical attributes? He couldn't make the jump from one building to another and spent half the time getting his arse kicked. Also, if the Nexus are meant to be so pefect, why was Leon so damned ugly??

Answer 7

Since the unicorn wasn't in the original film, I saw it as an aspect of Gaff's heritage, small art pieces he left about. Whether he had intended Decker to find it or not I didn't consider, only that Gaff had decided not to destroy Rachel.

Ridley Scott has been interviewed saying the unicorn in the dream is something that Gaff knew about-apparently implanted, and that the origami unicorn was a message to Deckard revealing his origin as a replicant.