From: johnh@prism.CS.ORST.EDU (John Holeman)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.movies
Subject: Re: Deckard WAS a replicant!
Date: 9 Nov 92 21:03:06 GMT
Article-I.D.: flop.1dmjmaINNsgt
Organization: Oregon State University, Computer Science Dept.
NNTP-Posting-Host: prism.cs.orst.edu

In article <1992Nov9.132651.24710@sarah.albany.edu> gm1116@albnyvms.bitnet writes:
>
>One: At the start of the movie, Deckard had quit his job because
>he was having trouble doing it.  He said something along the lines
>that he used to not care about the replicants but now he was starting
>to feel emotions towards them.  This fits in with the idea that replicants
>start life with no emotions(no upbringing to tie them into) and start
>to gain them towards the end, when they die.  The idea is that
>Deckard is a replicant and starting to get a "concience"

I have just seen the Directors Cut in the theatre.  One of the things absent
in this version is Harrison Ford's dialog.  In the DC version, we don't know
why Deckard quit; as far as we know he just retired because he didn't like 
doing the same thing time and again.  Gaining "concience" isn't merely
a replicant thing.  We are constantly growing and learning new things, 
including our sense of morality; it could be Deckard went through a phase
of questioning what he was doing.  Notice that this holds even with the 
narration intact.

>Two: Towards the middle of the film, Deckard acquires some photos
>from one of the rooms of one of the escapred replicants.  He
>goes over these OLD photos with some high tech imaging, looking at
>pictures in the mirror and all sorts of things.  These photo's have
>NO relevance to his mission.  They will not help him to find the replicant.
>The only reason I can think of for his fascination would be if he
>was a replicant and the photo's jogged his own implanted memories(since
>its a good bet that the memories are similiar for each replicant).  
>There was also some shots of photo's of his on his desk(????) that may
>of had similiar pictures(I never got a close look at them, so am not
>sure)

Deckard got the photographs from Leon's apartment.  The one he used in the
imaging machine, he used to help locate Zorha, I believe.  The others belonged
to Rachel.  It could be that it fascinated Deckard that I replicant could
be made to believe that they had lived a full life, and was marveling
at how detailed the her "created" history was.

>Three: At the end of the movie, Deckard refers to Rachel as "special"
>with "no termination date", implying that she won't die in 5 years
>time like most replicants.  He then goes on to say that he doesn't know
>how much time they will have together, implying that HE may be a replicant
>and that he doesn't know how long he has to live.

This scene was cut from the DC, but regardless, how long do any of us have?
Do any of us KNOW when we'll die?  Not unless your name is Billy Pilgrim.
How much time do any of us have? 

>Four: from what I heard, cut from the American version was a dream sequence
>of deckards about a unicorn.  Some people have claimed that this ties in
>with the origami unicorn left in his room by that other cop.  The theory being
>that the other cop wouldn't know to leave a unicorn unless he knew Deckard was
>a replicant with those memories about a unicorn(perhaps it was a warning to
>Deckard that the other guy knew what he was and Deckard better leave
>town???)

The unicorn scene WAS in the DC, and I am convinced it is some kind of 
symbology.  Deckard has the dream while pondering Rachel's photographs.  
The unicorn is often a symbol of purity; perhaps it meant that Rachel was 
to pure a "person" to be hunted down with the rest of the replicants?

The other part of the arguement that has been tossed around here is the 
briefing where the captain tells Deckard about the 6 replicants.  In the DC
when Deckard tries to walk out for the first time, the captain say there are
4 skin jobs.  During the video of Leon, he says that 6 escaped(3 male 3 female)
and that one got fried trying to break into Tyrell.  After Leon, he showed 
Deckard the info on Roy, the Zhora, the Pris, refering to Pris as the 4th
skin job.  I believe that Holden probably got one of the replicants before 
Leon got him(Deckard said he was good).  No support to that, just a personal 
belief.
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