Deckard - Human or Replicant?

[More Fun To Compute]

Hiding a replicant among bladerunners is something else. That's the equivalent of an illegal immigrant becoming a police officer.

Well, maybe the police bent the rules because they don't like being killed.

 

[veloper]

Hiding a replicant among bladerunners is something else. That's the equivalent of an illegal immigrant becoming a police officer.

Well, maybe the police bent the rules because they don't like being killed.

I'd think they'd prefer risk losing men, than risk discovery. The backlash would mean the end.
Then there's the reason why replicants are illegal: they cannot be trusted.
Then there's also the issue that replicants are short-lived. Makes sense for cannon fodder, but not for a bladerunner, as this job is basicly like being a detective: years and experience count for everything.

 

[Anachronism]

Then there's the reason why replicants are illegal: they cannot be trusted.

This is pretty much the core part of my argument that Deckard is human. It's been established by Roy and Pris that Replicants can fall in love with each other; if Deckard is a Replicant, the fact that he falls in love with Rachel has very little thematic significance. However, if he's human, the fact that he can grow to love and trust a Replicant is very important. I realise that there are plenty of other ways to argue "Replicants are humans too", but to me, that's the most important one.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

I'd think they'd prefer risk losing men, than risk discovery. The backlash would mean the end.
Then there's the reason why replicants are illegal: they cannot be trusted.
Then there's also the issue that replicants are short-lived. Makes sense for cannon fodder, but not for a bladerunner, as this job is basicly like being a detective: years and experience count for everything.

You are telling me that you would have made a different film because Blade runner is not believable enough for you. In the film Deckard was a replicant and if you think the movie sucks then that's up to you.

I thought that Donnie Darko was good until I thought about it and heard what the directors meant it to be about. Then I realised that I mostly hated it.

 

[veloper]

I'd think they'd prefer risk losing men, than risk discovery. The backlash would mean the end.
Then there's the reason why replicants are illegal: they cannot be trusted.
Then there's also the issue that replicants are short-lived. Makes sense for cannon fodder, but not for a bladerunner, as this job is basicly like being a detective: years and experience count for everything.

You are telling me that you would have made a different film because Blade runner is not believable enough for you. In the film Deckard was a replicant and if you think the movie sucks then that's up to you.

No, how would you figure that?
The film doesn't give any indication at ALL that Deckard would be a replicant.
Did Ridley Scott perhaps did a really poor job here, but ended up with a good film anyway?

The directors cut might, but seeing as how much the directors cut differs from the normal, maybe we should not treat it as the same film at all.

So we have a book, a film and a directors cut.

Let's keep it simple and go with the most plausible explanation: Deckard is human (for reasons cited above).

 

[Shaenightbird]

I don't think Deckard was a Replicant. I do think he was becoming doubtful of his own humanity, though.

I think he may have begun to believe he may have been a replicant, based on what he was discovering about them, and because of this knowledge he began to question himself and his own origins. He was losing faith in his own memories, especially after meeting Rachel.

Maybe the job was getting to him, maybe falling in love with Rachel was the turning point for him. It caused him to wonder what made humans "human", and upon examination of the difference between the human "soul" if you will, and that of replicants, he discovered very little difference, (if any at all) between them. This realisation brought on overwhelming feelings of guilt, and he simply couldn't go on the way he was going anymore.

Phillip K was known for his paranoia, and wrote it in to a lot of his characters.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

You are telling me that you would have made a different film because Blade runner is not believable enough for you. In the film Deckard was a replicant and if you think the movie sucks then that's up to you.

No, how would you figure that?

The director planned it that way and many people saw his logic when watching the original version. The director's cut just made it more explicit. In a way the film does such a terrible job of raising the possibility that Deckard could easily be a replicant, which is a cornerstone of the story, that Scott did a good job of sneaking in Deckard actually being a replicant through the back door. Like it or not, movies can have things that don't seem logical when looked at too closely.

 

[Pirce]

In the book Deckard was indeed not a replicant, but the question is still raised as to whether or not he is human.

 

[cleverlymadeup]

in the movie he's a replicant but in the book he's a human

they kinda put too much into the movie for him not to be one, the director's cut was just to make it a bit more clear that he is one.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

In the book Deckard was indeed not a replicant, but the question is still raised as to whether or not he is human.

Dick was working on a sequel before he died. It turns out that Deckard was just the dream of an electric sheep.

 

[Albino Ninja]

replicant, that guy who does the oragami created the dreams the replicants had. so that was a clue that he was at least part replicant.

 

[Shaenightbird]

replicant, that guy who does the oragami created the dreams the replicants had. so that was a clue that he was at least part replicant.

I don't think you could be "part" replicant. Either you are or you aren't.

 

[cleverlymadeup]

replicant, that guy who does the oragami created the dreams the replicants had. so that was a clue that he was at least part replicant.

I don't think you could be "part" replicant. Either you are or you aren't.

no you can't be part, it's either full or human

 

[Rabalicious]

Even though there were moments that made me think he was a replicant I would go with human.
I miss the Bladerunner game you didn't play as Deckard but there were alot of diffrent endings to it with the whole are you human or replicant thing going on.

 

[psijac]

This is probably the least stupid poll out there. Sadly that is a compliment on these forums.

I Deckard is human in my eyes. Although if he were a replicant it might explain how he can survive a nuclear explosion using only a lead lined refrigerator.


edit: sorry i had to go there

 

[bue519]

Book human, film replicant. They made him a replicant in the film as a twist for the fans. The point of both is really that there isn't that much difference between human and replicant as the film is an extrapolation of the life of a Nazi guard in an extermination camp where Jews were dehumanised.

Well, in the original cut it really makes no mention of him being a replicant. Also the limit of his physical abilities seem to make him even more human, as it is nearly impossible to keep up with Roy in the final scenes of the film. But, this is really all up to open debate.

 

[veloper]

Even those replicant women were superhumanly tough.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

Book human, film replicant. They made him a replicant in the film as a twist for the fans. The point of both is really that there isn't that much difference between human and replicant as the film is an extrapolation of the life of a Nazi guard in an extermination camp where Jews were dehumanised.

Well, in the original cut it really makes no mention of him being a replicant. Also the limit of his physical abilities seem to make him even more human, as it is nearly impossible to keep up with Roy in the final scenes of the film. But, this is really all up to open debate.

Roy Batty was built for combat. Tanks are tougher than police cars.

 

[Anachronism]

Roy Batty was built for combat. Tanks are tougher than police cars.

Well, if Deckard were a Replicant built for police work, then why did they program him the way they did? Surely they'd want him to be as efficient as possible; and if that's the case, why did they give him a drinking problem, (arguably) depression, and a dislike for his job? If he was built to kill Replicants, why does he hate it so much?