53
votes
Accepted
How are the off-world colonies reached in Blade Runner?
It seems that film and book might have different interpretations of this.
I really don't remember the book that well, so what do we know about the film interpretation related to off-world travel and ...
- 1,331
36
votes
Accepted
Why doesn't Deckard just identify replicants by their glowing eyes?
Deckard can't see it; it's non-diegetic, intended for the film audience, but not for the film's characters. Given that we only ever see the 'glowing eyes' effect when the in-universe characters have ...
- 45.4k
33
votes
Accepted
Are the off-world colonies really a "golden land of opportunity"?
Evidence in the film? Some, but not much. All bad.
Roy is described as a
Combat model. Optimum self-sufficiency. ("Colonization Defence").
It seems likely that his role was either to put ...
- 677k
33
votes
Why (in universe) are blade runners called blade runners?
Although it's not mentioned in the film itself, there is apparently another source, although the canonicity is dubious (as the book also contradicts aspects of the movie) and subject to change if they ...
- 31.3k
32
votes
Accepted
Is Joi an (unwilling) accomplice of either Wallace or the rebellion?
Both - but only unknowingly
Luv and other mishaps
Joi is a known Wallace Corp. product, Luv even mentions
I hope the product is to your satisfaction
when Joi's ringtone alerts K in the Wallace Corp. ...
- 45.4k
30
votes
Which 2019 technologies were correctly predicted by Blade Runner?
Some of the Blade Runner technologies that have come to fruition by 2019 include:
Giant electronic billboards that show full motion video ads.
Crosswalk Walk/Don’t Walk indicators that include audio ...
28
votes
How are the off-world colonies reached in Blade Runner?
The only manned space vessel that I can find in the novel is in some dialogue (bold added):
‘The issue is not the legality of the bone marrow analysis,’ Eldon
Rosen said huskily. ‘The issue is ...
- 1,488
27
votes
Accepted
What are all the known questions that have been asked as part of a Voigt-Kampff test?
Blade Runner (1982) (1, 2)
It’s your birthday. Someone gives you a calfskin wallet.
You’ve got a little boy. He shows you his butterfly collection plus
the killing jar.
You’re watching television. ...
- 677k
26
votes
Did Philip K. Dick watch "Blade Runner" before his death?
Philip K. Dick only saw twenty minutes of the film before his death.
According to Dick's close friend and confidante Maer Wilson (who spoke to him daily until his death) Philip Dick never saw the ...
- 677k
26
votes
Accepted
Why does Deckard first ask Joe if he has a piece of cheese?
It's a reference to Treasure Island.
I didn't know the answer either, so I googled "Mightn't happen to have a piece of cheese about you, now, would you boy" and got a ton of results.
One of ...
- 5,209
26
votes
Zhora asks Deckard: "Are you for real?" Was this meant to be significant?
That line only seems significant because it is being taken out of context.
In the scene immediately prior while he is waiting for her, we hear an announcer in the background saying:
"Ladies and ...
- 1,274
23
votes
Zhora asks Deckard: "Are you for real?" Was this meant to be significant?
I don't think it is. The whole dialog goes like below; notice how uneasy Deckard appears to be, unlike Zhora:
Deckard: Have you felt yourself to be exploited in any way?
Zhora: How do you mean, ...
- 55.7k
23
votes
How many questions do Blade Runners usually ask during a Voight-Kampff test?
It typically requires 20 to 30 questions.
From the script of Blade Runner:
Deckard: One more question. You're watching a stage play. A banquet is in progress. The guests are enjoying an appetizer of ...
- 10.8k
22
votes
Accepted
Do we know when the Blade Runner's universe splits from our own?
At the latest, the Blade Runner future had split off by 1982.
During Deckerd's video-phone conversation in the bar with Rachel, you can see the Bell Telephone logo on the machine he uses.
In real ...
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21
votes
Accepted
How could Ana Stelline survive childhood?
When Ana tells her backstory, it seems that her genetic disorder did not blossom until she was 8 years old. Her parents made plans to move off-world, but Ana was not able to come with them because of ...
- 16.3k
20
votes
Accepted
Why does that character have to die?
Wallace killed the Replicant because she was a failure.
It's all to do with the context; Niander Wallace was talking about reproductive Replicants and this new one was a failure, so he simply '...
- 45.4k
18
votes
In 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?', why does Deckard need to apply the Voight-Kampff test at all?
The list that was provided to Deckard was based off "suspicions" as we can see when Bryant tells Deckard:
"Dave used the Voigt-Kampff Altered Scale in testing out the individuals
he suspected (...
- 1,006
17
votes
Why aren't replicants created with some distinctive feature in Blade Runner?
The intent of replicants is to be, a human replication, to the point the best replicants don't even know they are one. This would be subverted if replicants could be easily told apart. The 4 year ...
- 1,424
15
votes
What is the real age of Roy Batty in the film?
Roy Batty was an artificial genetically-engineered being (as explained in the opening text), and these artificial beings (replicants) had been engineered to have a four year lifespan in order to ...
- 56.4k
15
votes
Accepted
How did K discover the true identity of the child?
It's pure detective work on his part - he infers it based on several pieces of evidence.
First, Ana easily identified his memory as genuine, originating from a person's real experience - but she did ...
- 8,422
14
votes
Why (in universe) are blade runners called blade runners?
The answer is simple:
it's a literary, elegant, way to exactly describe the extremely difficult situation a bladerunner finds themselves in:
at all moments they are "on a knife's edge," if you will, ...
- 990
14
votes
Accepted
In Blade Runner 2049, what exactly happened with the horse?
This will be a tricky one, since it's still very early in the release of the movie and most of us don't have a hold of the scripts. Additionally, this entire plot point is shrouded in mystery. Luckily,...
- 45.4k
14
votes
Accepted
Why was the book, Pale Fire, used in the Blade Runner 2049 movie?
In the book "The Art and Soul of Blade Runner 2049," actor Ryan Gosling says the script did not specify what the significance of the Nabokov quote in the Baseline Test was. According to the ...
- 156
14
votes
Accepted
What is the role of the Soviet Union in Blade Runner 2049?
It's in part to do with the fact that there are only a few Megalopolis' left and that Phillip K Dick intended Russia to be a major power in the future.
Influences
The only piece of information I can ...
- 45.4k
14
votes
Accepted
Why would Rachael be hunted?
It's explained that Rachael is a shop floor demo model, allowed to be on Earth presumably under the strictest of conditions, one of which appears to be that she stays under Tyrell's direct control.
...
- 677k
13
votes
Why would Niander Wallace or Eldon Tyrell want Replicants to do this?
Wallace: Increased-mass-production or Generation ships
It is not confirmed anywhere why Niander Wallace would want reproductive Replicants to exist, but I have a couple of explanations.
Increased ...
- 45.4k
12
votes
Accepted
Was Deckard a Replicant or not?
I wouldn't say they "chickened out", but they kept the Final Cut's ambiguity on purpose, yes.
In the interview referred to in this Movies & TV Stack Exchange answer, director Denis ...
- 16.3k
12
votes
What's the main purpose of the baseline test in Blade Runner?
To gauge K's reaction time and emotional response
The baseline test is self-explanatory; K has set a baseline response to this particular set of questions, the tester checks them and makes sure that ...
- 45.4k
11
votes
Accepted
Is Priss' death plausible for normal humans?
It's very possible for this to happen to a regular person, even in Hollywood we've seen death scenes like this in war movies and such where they've had to be held down.
That being said, the way that ...
- 442
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