From: pete@extro.ucc.su.OZ.AU (Peter Alexander Merel)
Subject: BR FAQ (Was Re: Blade Runner - How many replicants?)
Organization: Sydney University Computing Service, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 01:19:41 GMT

boisvert@fledgling.WPI.EDU (Brian Richard Boisvert) writes:
>	The reason that he only gets 4 is because the 5th one (Mary) was 
>written out of the script, but the comment about 5 replicants was accidentally
>left in the film.  It was an editing mistake, nothing more.  If you watch the
>directors cut or the new 10th anniversary video, the line is dubbed over and
>Bryant says "We got FOUR skinjobs."

Bryant always said "we've got four skinjobs walking the streets" - in
every available edition, excepting possibly the proto director's cut
given strictly limited release at the end of last year.  The place the
fifth replicant speculation comes in is where he says that six replicants
jumped the shuttle; and as bitterly observed by the amalgamation-of-forces-
arraigned-to-keep-Deckard-human, this statement remains in the DC.

Last time this went around in this group the most convincing view, imho,
was that the issue was intentionally ambiguous, and that Ridley Scott had
taken great pain to make it so. It really is time for a BR faq here, no?
I'm sure I've seen one lying around somewhere sometime, but perhaps I'll
mention some questions that should be in it. Of course there are a number of
books with extensive treatments of the topic, so the faq should be concise
so as to provide simple pointers and easy to grasp answers.

Lessee ...

1. Was Deckard a replicant?
2. If so, what's the best rationale?
3. If not, explain the unicorn?
3.5 Why did Gaff leave the paper unicorn behind?
4. Who was the fifth replicant?
5. If it was Deckard what's the best rationale?
6. What's with all the eyes?
7. Whose eye is it at the start?
8. What do the glowing eyes mean? 
9. Do Holden's eyes glow?
10. Do Deckard's eyes glow?
11. What biblical parallels are there?
12. Why couldn't Tyrell afford a real owl?
13. Why couldn't Tyrell afford a decent security system?
14. Or alternatively, if Tyrell's lift couldn't detect Roy because Roy
    wasn't human, then why didn't they use Tyrell's lift to test humanity
    rather than the Voigt Kampf test?
17. Where does the poem come from?
18. Where did Deckard's bottle go?
19. Did Rachel's picture move?
20. Was Leon's picture holographic?
21. What are the differences between the various editions?
22. What's the meaning of the chase scene?
23. What's the meaning of the chess game?
24. What books are available?
25. What does Winnie the Pooh have to do with it?

Now remember, the answers must be concise. I'll have a go at the first 3.

1. Was Deckard a replicant?

Ridley Scott refuses to say, but he has left the ambiguities in the DC and
strengthened them with the unicorn scene. Scott is much too brilliant for
the 'oh he just keeps failing to notice them' argument to hold any water,
therefore the ambiguities are intentional. Harrison Ford has said that Scott
did intend for Deckard to be a replicant, but no one said that Harrison Ford
is terribly bright.

2. If so, what's the best rationale?

Tyrell is trying to test his memory implants by seeing if he can get Deckard
to kill someone he loves, ie. Rachel.

3. If not, explain the unicorn?

The unicorn was Rachel's dream; Deckard picked it up when he viewed her 
memories; Gaff viewed her memories too and so knew about the unicorn too.

-- 
Internet: pete@extro.su.oz.au             UUCP: {uunet,mcvax}!munnari!extro!pete
                       I am a big pond in a small fish.