New Berlin Replicants (A Blade Runner Site)

A dark connection exists between "replicant technology" and Germany "in this story arc"

What is "Blade Runner"?

• Blade Runner is a 1982 movie by Ridley Scott loosely based upon the 1968 book: Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
• Almost no one uses this phrase when discussing the book on the internet. Instead, they use the acronym DADOES
• I am not aware of any book matching the movie story line, so if you want to read the subsequent novels listed below, then you must first watch the movie. That said, all true Blade Runner fans will want to read Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? just for the context
• I need to mention a marketing scam that played out in 1982. Book publishers sold a product titled "Blade Runner" with a cover containing pictures from the 1982 movie of the same name, but the material within was "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep". And just in case you are wondering, yes, many of Deckard's neighbors own mechanical animals with one being an electric sheep. Read the book to learn more about the Deckard (a human policeman) and his human wife and how they lived in their apartment
• comment: I "think" something has happened to "my brain" in the past 30 years. I first read this book at age of 29 but I got way more out of it at age of 59. For some reason I do not understand, portions of this book seem a lot closer to the movie Blade Runner than I previously thought. It is apparent to me now that this book could not be translated directly into a movie because the emphasis on human defectives (chicken-heads and ant-heads), which Dick included to be a literary foil for andys (replicants), would hurt the feelings of too many human movie goers.
• Link: DADOES vs. Blade Runner (from a recent re-read in 2011 and again in 2020)

What is a "Blade Runner"?

In the 1982 movie of the same name, a Blade Runner is the name of a special cop (bounty hunter) used to locate, then retire, replicants, which are forbidden on Earth.

*** mini-spoiler section ***

The following excerpts are found on page 186 of:
"Blade Runner 2: The Edge of Human" by K. W. Jeter
published by Bantam (c) 1995 by the Philip K. Dick Trust

"But the truth of the matter is that all the blade runners have always been replicants, from day one. Even before there were any replicants being manufactured in the U.S., back when the industry was located in Stuttgart, and the original developers of the technology — people like Paul Derain, and Sudermann and Grozzi, the ones that Eldon Tyrell eventually ripped off — knew they were dealing with dangerous stuff and they put the first safeguards in place"

"From the start," Batty went on, "Those (German) companies had replicants on-line whose sole purpose was to keep other replicants from escaping and trying to pass themselves off as human. That's where the name "blade runner" comes from; those enforcement replicants were originally called Bleibruhigers. Bleib ruhig is German for "stay quiet" (or stay calm). And that's what they did, they kept everything nice and quiet; most people around the turn of the century weren't even aware that the replicant technology had been developed. Then when Tyrell and the U.N. brought everything over to the States, and the catching of escaped replicants became a police function, that's when Bleibruhiger got Anglicized to blade runner. The term doesn't make sense, otherwise."

Please note that some Blade Runner FAQ's have different explanations for the "Blade Runner". Personally, I prefer the explanation given by Jeter since most B.R. fans know that Philip Dick got the idea for Voight-Kampff empathy test after reading the diaries of Nazi guards stored in the special documents library at UCLA.

Policeman: Hey, idi-wa. [Cityspeak-Korean for: "Come here."]
Gaff: Monsieur, ada-na kobishin angum bi-te. [Cityspeak-German for: "Sir. You will be required to accompany me please"]
Sushi Man: He say you under arrest, Mr. Deckard.
Deckard: Got the wrong guy, pal.
Gaff: Lo fa, ne-ko shi-ma de va-ja blade... Blade Runner. [Cityspeak-Hungarian for: "Horse Dick! So you say. You are the Blade Runner"]
Sushi Master: He say you brade runna.
Deckard: Tell him I'm eating.

The red text above was taken from P.116 of the book "Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner" by Paul M. Simon

Roy Batty: Quite an experience to live in fear isn't it? That's what it is to be a slave.

Roy Batty: I've seen things that you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I've watched C-beams glitter in the dark near Tan Hauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain.

Blade Runner Major Chronology:

• 1928
  • Philip Kindred Dick is born in Chicago, Illinois
• 1962
  • Philip K. Dick's novel The Man in the High Castle is published.
    While doing research for this book (reading the personal diaries of NAZI SS soldiers stored in the archives of the U. C. Berkeley Library), Dick comes up with ideas for "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" like "the empathy test"
• 1968
  • Philip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (a.k.a. DADOES) is published.
• 1982
  • Philip K. Dick dies of a heart attack at the age of 53 while the movie Blade Runner is being edited
    (he viewed segments in the company of Ridley Scott and approved of the dystopic view of the year 2019)
  • The Blade Runner movie is released to theaters
    (which is considerably different than the DADOES novel)
  • The DADOES novel is re-released with a Blade Runner cover
    (I am not aware of any book that follows the movie; If you want to read the subsequent novels, you must watch the video first)
• 1987
  • The original theatrical release of Blade Runner is released on video.
    1380 Embassy Home Entertainment
• 1992
  • The director's cut version of Blade Runner is released on VHS after being shown at the Toronto film festival
    12682 Warner Home Video
• 1994
  • The Vangelis "Blade Runner" sound track is released by Warner Music U.K.
    CD 96574
• 1995
  • The novel Blade Runner 2: The Edge of Human by K. W. Jeter is published
• 1996
  • The novel Blade Runner: Replicant Night by K. W. Jeter is published
  • The book Future Noir : The Making of Blade Runner by Paul M. Sammon is published
• 1997
  • The Blade Runner game for Windows 95 + Windows NT is released by Westwood Studios
  • On 1997.08.22 the "director's cut" version of Blade Runner is released on DVD
    12682.1 (North American DVD players only)
• 2007
  • Special 25-year anniversary editions of Blade Runner were released on 2007-12-18
  • The packages were available in DVD, HD-DVD, and Blu-ray formats
  • The various packages included 2, 4, and 5 disk sets
  • Blade Runner: The Final Cut
• 2009-2011
  • BOOM! Studios began publishing a 24-issue comic book series titled: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
  • http://www.boom-studios.com/series/
  • BOOM! Studios began releasing Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? comics in 6 hard cover (graphic novel) editions:
    • Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep Volume 1 (2009-11-09)
    • Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep Volume 2 (2010-05-04)
    • Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep Volume 3 (2010-11-08)
    • Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep Volume 4 (2011-03-07)
    • Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep Volume 5 (2011-08-22)
    • Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep Volume 6 (2011-11-11)
  • BOOM! Studios began publishing an 8-issue comic book series titled: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?: Dust to Dust
  • http://www.boom-studios.com/series/
  • BOOM! Studios began releasing Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?: Dust to Dust comics in 2 soft cover (graphic novel) editions:
    • Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep: Dust To Dust Volume 1 (2010-11-29)
    • Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep: Dust To Dust Volume 2 (2011-03-07)
• 2017
  • The Blade Runner Sequel, colloquially known as Blade Runner 2 but now officially named Blade Runner 2049, is released

Blade Runner (Book #1)

Blade Runner 2: The Edge of Human (Book #2)

Blade Runner: Replicant Night (Book #3)

Blade Runner: Eye and Talon (Book #4)

"Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner"

Publisher's Promo: The 1995 release of the "director's cut" of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner only confirmed what the international cognoscenti has known all along--Blade Runner still rules as the most visually dense, thematically challenging, and influential SF film ever made. Future Noir offers the story of that triumph, providing readers with a fascinating, behind-the-scenes look at the production of this innovative cult classic. Photos.

• 1996 book by Paul M. Sammon
• a documentary about the "Blade Runner" movie from novel to sci-fi cult
• contains lots of inside info like:
  • details of how the movie journeyed a very rock road from "story" to "screen play" to "movie"
  • detailed descriptions of the 6 major versions that were released to the public
  • interviews with all the key people including (but not limited to):
    • Ridley Scott and Philip K. Dick
    • Hampton Fancher and David Peoples
    • Syd Mead, Douglas Trumbull, and Vangelis
    • all the actors
  • lots of info about Philip Dick (a very hard guy to find information about)
    • for example: Page 16 mentions that Dick was shocked at what America was doing in Vietnam and originally used an "android metaphor" to describe people who were physiologically human but were behaving in non-human (read: no empathy) ways. It goes on to state:
      
      Dick first became interested in this [non-human] problem while doing research for [the book] "The Man in the High Castle". Given access to prime Gestapo documents in the closed archives of the University of California at Berkeley, Dick discovered certain diaries scribed by SS men stationed in [NAZI occupied] Poland."
      [ ... snip ... ]
      
      I later realized that, with the Nazis, what we were essentially dealing with was a defective group mind.
       
    • that Dick was offered a large sum of money to rewrite "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" which would be re-released with the movie but turned it down.
  • Scenes that were left out of the movie because they were either too expensive to shoot or the production was running out of money. Like:
    • the bloody android mutiny at the off world colony (a Replicant destruction facility)
    • that Roy Batty killed an Eldon Tyrell replicant
• My Rating: 10/10. This book is a must for "Blade Runner" fans and fanatics alike.
• Locate rare and out-of-print books: www.bookfinder.com
• Comments: I learned that Philip Dick created "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" while Ridley Scott created "Blade Runner". This book will tell you who gets credit for what.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Graphic Novels)

• BOOM! Studios began publishing a 24-issue softcover graphic novels titled: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
  • http://www.boom-studios.com/series/
  • A true "graphic novel" because it contains all the "original text" of Philip K Dick's original book by the same name
• BOOM! Studios began publishing a 6-issue hardcover version of their 24-issue graphic novel titled: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
  • Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep Volume 1 (2009-11-09)
  • Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep Volume 2 (2010-05-04)
  • Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep Volume 3 (2010-11-08)
  • Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep Volume 4 (2011-03-07)
  • Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep Volume 5 (2011-08-22)
  • Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep Volume 6 (2011-11-11)
• BOOM! Studios began publishing an 8-issue comic book series titled: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?: Dust to Dust
  • http://www.boom-studios.com/series/
  • "Dust to Dust" is an all new story not involving Rick Deckard or any of his contemporaries
• BOOM! Studios began publishing a 2-issue softcover version of their 8-issue series titled: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?: Dust to Dust
  • Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep: Dust To Dust Volume 1 (2010-11-29)
  • Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep: Dust To Dust Volume 2 (2011-03-07)

BR Links

• Blade Runner @ Wikipedia
• Blade Runner (versions) @ Wikipedia
• Final Blade Runner Script 1982 by Ridley Scott HTML format, 37k
• Off-world-2019 and the never published  Chapter 8 Future Noir
• Blade Runner review @ Film Site
• Watch the 52 minute BBC program On the Edge of Blade Runner
• Check out the Philip K. Dick inspired TV show "Total Recall 2070" which is a bit of "Blade Runner" and a bit of "Total Recall".
• Check out the new version of Battlestar Galactica with their next-generation biological Cylons. Like Blade Runner's replicants, these Cylons can pass for human.
• cyberpunk database
• (Posted 2021-04-16) Someone has just discovered a Blade Runner Easter Egg in the 'Cyberpunk 2077' video game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oos3oJ-B2YU
• Interested in replicant manufacturing? Read: Genes as Technology?

Blade Runner Movie Trivia

1. Deckard's badge is B26354
2. Deckard is never seen flying the spinner (except at the end of the 1982 movie release where he is with Rachael). When ever he is behind the wheel, he is always in a ground car.
3. When the spinner is seen leaving the Tyrell building early in the movie, it looks like the ground is covered with trees. Los Angeles isn't the total waste land that we've been lead to believe.
4. When Deckard takes a second glance at the photo of Rachael and her mother, for at least one second it looks like we are watching a movie clip rather than a still. Is this something that Deckard is imagining? Check out some BR FAQ's for more info on this.
5. Theater Release vs. Director's Cut (only major differences are listed; check some of the FAQ's for minor differences and special sneak preview differences)
   • Theater Release
     • Harrison Ford (Deckard) does a narrative throughout the whole thing
     • the VHS version is full screen on the TV (the sides have be cropped)
   • Director's Cut
     • no Harrison Ford (Deckard) narrative
     • more spinners are seen flying (and passing) when Deckard and Gaff fly to the police station
     • a 12 second dream of a unicorn happens while Deckard sits at the piano
     • no happy ending flying off with Rachael
     • the VHS version is wide screen (letter box) on the TV, therefore dark bars appear at the top and bottom
6. The Blade Runner "police spinner" sound can be heard in the first Highlander movie when Nash is arrested leaving Madison Square Gardens.
7. The following CRT displays are seen before liftoff of Gaff's spinner. The lower CRT display is also seen 2 years earlier in Ridley Scott's "Alien".

This screen is shown first in a blue background with the numbers rolling down one line every second

         ENVORON CTR          
.............................
 -   ...................   - 
 -   ...................   - 
 -   ...................   - 
 -   ...................   - 
 -   92886599 | 95654085   - 
 -   ...................   - 
 -   ...................   - 
 -   ...................   - 
.............................
                 24556   DR5 

Then this is shown in red...

         ENVORON CTR          
                               
                               
                               
                               
           PURGE             
                             
                               
                               
                               
        24556   DR5          

Blade Runner Movie Observations and Anomalies

Note: There are many more anomalies than those listed here (check the FAQs in the news groups)

Anomaly Area 1:

Replicant (M) Des: LEON                 V.K.
NEXUS 6       N6MAC41717                96/W/9-3H
Incept Date: 10 APRIL., 2017
Func: Combat/Loader (Nuc. Fiss.)
Phys: LEV.A   Ment: LEV.C
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Replicant (M) Des: BATTY (Roy)
NEXUS 6       N6MAA10816
Incept Date: 8 JAN., 2016
Func: Combat, Colonization Defense Prog.
Phys: LEV.A   Ment: LEV.A
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Replicant (F) Des: ZOHRA
NEXUS 6       N6FAB61216
Incept Date: 12 JUNE., 2016
Func: Retrained (9 Feb,2018) Polit.Homicide
Phys: LEV.A   Ment: LEV.B
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Replicant (F) Des: PRIS
NEXUS 6       N6FAB21416
Incept Date: 14 FEB., 2016
Func: Military / Leisure
Phys: LEV.A   Ment: LEV.B
----------------------------------------------------------------------

1. BATTY is the only replicant designated using his last name (first name was Roy)
2. LEON's model number is:

   N6MAC41717  (as seen in the movie)
   N6MAC41017  (correction from dialog with Deckard)
   ||||||||++- Incept Year : 2017
   ||||||++--- Incept Day  : 10
   |||||+----- Incept Month: 4 (April)
   ||||+------ Mental      : C (low)
   |||+------- Physical    : A (high)
   ||+-------- Sex         : Male
   ++--------- Model Series: Nexus 6

3. Only LEON has a V. K. (Voight-Kampff) designation since he was the only one of the off world replicants that received a V. K. test
   1. If "96/W/9-3H" represents the date of the test then we've found another error because the movie starts in November 2019
   2. Perhaps "96" is part of Holden's badge number (Deckard's badge number is B26354 so perhaps his entries would be prefixed with "54". Better double check Deckard's display the next time I watch the movie). On the other hand, "96" could represent a case number in Holden's computer
   3. The "W" could represent "Waste Disposal" which is where Leon worked at Tyrell.
   4. Since the off-world mutiny occurred "two weeks ago" (possibly October?) then the "9" couldn't represent the month in which Leon was hired.
   5. I assume that the "H" in the V. K. designation stands for Holden (the Blade Runner who ran this particular V. K. test). This could be the third interview of the visit.
4. ZOHRA has been marked "retrained". This is more evidence that replicants are biological beings rather than electro-mechanical robots as described in DADOES
5. Fact #1: The movie starts in November 2019.
   Fact #2: NEXUS 6 Replicants only have a 4 year life span.
   Observations:
   1. BATTY is the oldest (Incept: 8-JAN-2016 makes him at least 46 months old) but already seems to be having some arthritis-like problems.
   2. We don't know if Batty dies in November, December or January.
   3. If replicants live exactly 4 years (48 months) then Roy dies in January.
   4. PRIS is only one month younger than BATTY, but seems to be deteriorating in a different way. This may be evidence that the 48-month time limit is not exact.
   5. Since no visible problems can be seen with ZOHRA, we can probably assume "replicant age related problems" only begin after 41 months of life.
   6. On the other hand, all four replicants just mentioned are at Physical Level A.
   7. PRIS's incept date was St. Valentine's Day and is referred to as a basic pleasure model (were Tyrell designers just clowning around that day?). Bryant refers to her as "the fourth skin job" but many movie-watchers heard the phrase "the foreskin job"
6. If any incept dates would have been after September, would the sixth character of the model number be anything from "A" to "C"?
   • Otherwise we would need to assume that no models were ever created between October and December (highly unlikely in a capitalist economy)
   • Obviously the Tyrell corporation didn't care about their dates being Y2K compliant.
7. With 4-year life spans these non-Y2K-compliant incept dates are not much of a problem. However Rachael's longer life could pose a problem. Perhaps she was not Nexus-6
8. Leon is the dumbest (Mental=C), so why was he sent to infiltrate the Tyrell Corporation?

Anomaly Area 2:

When the Asian woman on Animoid Row looks into the electron microscope, she says "9906947XB71" but we can clearly see a segment of the serial number that reads "07XB".

Anomaly Area 3:

Statement #1 in Bryant's office:

Bryant: I've got four skin jobs walking around.

Statement #2 in Bryant's office:

Bryant: There was an escape in the off world colony 2 weeks ago. Six replicants. Three male and three female. They slaughtered twenty three people and jumped a shuttle. An aerial patrol spotted the ship off the coast. No crew. No sight of them. Three nights ago they tried to break into the Tyrell Corporation. One of them got fried running through an electrical field.

Statement #3 in street after Zohra's death:

Bryant: Four more to go. Come on Gaff.
Deckard: Three. There's three to go.
Bryant: There's four. There's that skin job you V.K.'d at the Tyrell Corporation. Rachael. Disappeared! Vanished. Didn't even know that she was a replicant. Something to do with a brain implant says Tyrell.

Notes:

1. Statement #1 is probably right. Especially if you listen to the tone of Bryant's voice change from the previous sentence. This is probably something that got fixed up in editing. Also, only four replicants are listed in the NEXUS specs sheet above.
2. Statement #2 has got to be wrong. If you start out with six and one gets killed, then you are left with five. Since Rachael can't be counted because she was already on Earth, one replicant is missing. Only four are listed in the replicant specs sheet above. However, the book "Blade Runner 2: The Edge of Human" does have possible explanations for this apparent fubar.
3. Statement #3 seems to corroborate Statement #1
4. Some Blade Runner FAQ's put a different spin on this

Game Info + Links

Westwood Studios is the maker of a neat 4-CD Blade Runner game for Windows 95 and Windows NT. As of 99.04.30 it only costs $39.95. Interact on 140 scenes with over 70 characters including Rachael, Eldon Tyrell, Leon, and Sebastian. Buy some sushi at Howie Lee's. Talk to the oriental woman down on Animoid Row. Visit Chew at the Eye-Works on DNA Row. Fly the Spinner from location to location. Run the Voigt-Kampff machine to determine who is, and is not, a replicant. Run the ESPER machine to analyze crime scene photos. But try not to retire any humans by mistake! Click here to visit the original Westwood - Blade Runner Teaser pages set up by their marketing people.

2020 Update

• Blade Runner Game Director Louis Castle: Extended Interview
  
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-v7zZ51g2E

2022 Update

• Blade Runner Enhanced (the original game now runs on: PS4 + PS5, Xbox, Windows and STEAM)
  
  • https://store.steampowered.com/app/1678420/Blade_Runner_Enhanced_Edition/
  • I purchased my copy through Sony's playstation store for $12 (now 25 trophies are waiting to be collected)

"Philip Kindred Dick" Related Movies

• the novel Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? was the basis for Blade Runner (1982)
• the story We Can Remember It For You Wholesale was the basis for Total Recall (1990)
• the novel Confessions of a Crap Artist was the basis for Confessions d'un Barjo (1992, French)
• the story Second Variety was the basis for Screamers (1995)
• the novel A Scanner Darkly is the basis for A Scanner Darkly (1998)
• the novel The Imposter is the basis for The Imposter (2002)
• the 1956 short story The Minority Report is the basis for The Minority Report (2002)
• the 1953 short story Paycheck is the basis for Paycheck (2003)
• the 1977 novel A Scanner Darkly becomes a Rotoscoped movie in 2006.
• the 1954 novel The Golden Man is the basis for Next (2007)
• the 1962 novel The Man in the High Castle is the basis for The Man in the High Castle TV Series (2015-2019)
• click here for a more complete list

A few "Philip K. Dick" Links

• Philip_K._Dick @ Wikipedia
• Philip K Dick official web site (very thorough and good biography)
• Dick, P. K. @ Catch22

Blade Runner 2007-12-18

• 2-disc set
  • Blade Runner "The Final Cut"
• 4-disc set
  • Blade Runner Collector's Edition
• 5-disc sets
  • Blade Runner Complete Collector's Edition (disks only)
  • Blade Runner Ultimate Collector's Edition
    includes:
    • briefcase
    • spinner
    • unicorn,
    • lenticular motion film clip from the original feature (clear plastic block)
    • collector's photographs

Blade Runner Five-Disc Ultimate Collector's Edition

Blade Runner Five-Disc Ultimate Collector's Edition
Available in three different flavors: DVD, HD-DVD (Toshiba), Blu-ray (Sony)
(Is that a unicorn sitting next to the red disc?)

Contents:

• Disk-1 (HD-DVD)
  • Blade Runner: The Final Cut (2007)
    RIDLEY SCOTT'S ALL-NEW "FINAL CUT" VERSION OF THE FILM
    Restored and remastered with added & extended scenes, added lines, new and cleaner special effects and all new 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio. Also includes:
    • Commentary by Ridley Scott
    • Commentary by executive producer/co-screenwriter Hampton Fancher and co-screenwriter David Peoples; producer Michael Deely and production executive Katherine Haber
    • Commentary by visual futurist Syd Mead; production designer Lawrence G. Paull, art director David L. Snyder and special photographic effects supervisors Douglas Trumbull, Richard Yuricich and David Dryer
  • NSR Observations:
    • This disk was digitally encoded in VC1 (which is superior to anything I've ever seen in MPEG2)
    • This is a new version of the movie containing many scenes never shown before.
    • Bryant now says "two were fried running through an electrical field" (this eliminates the question "who was the sixth replicant?")
    • The photograph of Zhora now contains a picture of Joanna Cassidy.
    • New scenes have been added to Zhora's death but she still dies wearing flat-soled boots even though she is seen putting on high-heeled boots.
    • Batty now says "I want more life, father" which ties into Tyrell being "his God" (personally speaking, I preferred the previous profane expression)
    • The hi-def is incredible on my 61" JVC (D-ILA) and this product is worth every cent.
    • Now it's time for Scott to make a sequel based upon the book: Blade Runner 2: The Edge of Human
• Disk-2 (DVD)
  • Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner DOCUMENTARY DANGEROUS DAYS: MAKING BLADE RUNNER
    A feature-length authoritative documentary revealing all the elements that shaped this hugely influential cinema landmark. Cast, crew, critics and colleagues give a behind-the-scenes, in-depth look at the film -- from its literary roots and inception through casting, production, visuals and special effects to its controversial legacy and place in Hollywood history."
  • NSR Observations:
    • This SD-DVD disk was digitally encoded in MPEG2
• Disk-3 (HD-DVD)
  • Blade Runner: U.S. Theatrical Release (1982)
    1982 THEATRICAL VERSION
    This is the version that introduced U.S. movie-going audiences to a revolutionary film with a new and excitingly provocative vision of the near-future. It contains Deckard/Harrison Ford's character narration and has Deckard and Rachel's (Sean Young) "happy ending" escape scene.
  • Blade Runner: International Theatrical Release (1982)
    1982 INTERNATIONAL VERSION
    Also used on U.S. home video, laserdisc and cable releases up to 1992. This version is not rated, and contains some extended action scenes in contrast to the Theatrical Version.
  • Blade Runner: The Directors Cut (1992)
    1992 DIRECTOR'S CUT
    The Director's Cut omits Deckard's voiceover narration and removes the "happy ending" finale. It adds the famously-controversial "unicorn" sequence, a vision that Deckard has which suggests that he, too, may be a replicant.
  • NSR Observations:
    • This HD-DVD disk was digitally encoded in VC1 (but since there are 3 movies on the disc, they are not rendered to the same level of resolution seen on Disc-1)
• Disk-4 (DVD)
  • Enhancement Archive
    BONUS DISC - "Enhancement Archive": 90 minutes of deleted footage and rare or never-before-seen items in featurettes and galleries that cover the film's amazing history, production teams, special effects, impact on society, promotional trailers, TV spots, and much more.
    • Featurette The Electric Dreamer: Remembering Philip K. Dick
    • Featurette Sacrificial Sheep: The Novel vs. The Film
    • Philip K. Dick: The Blade Runner Interviews (Audio)
    • Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep Cover Gallery (Images)
    • The Art of Blade Runner (Image Galleries)
    • Featurette Signs of the Times: Graphic Design
    • Featurette Fashion Forward: Wardrobe & Styling
    • Screen Tests: Rachel & Pris
    • Featurette The Light That Burns: Remembering Jordan Cronenweth
    • Unit Photography Gallery
    • Deleted & Alternate Scenes
    • 1982 Promotional Featurettes
    • Trailers & TV Spots
    • Featurette Promoting Dystopia: Rendering the Poster Art
    • Marketing & Merchandise Gallery (Images)
    • Featurette Deck-A-Rep: The True Nature of Rick Deckard
    • Featurette Nexus Generation: Fans & Filmmakers"
  • NSR Observations:
    • This SD-DVD disk was digitally encoded in MPEG2
• Disk-5 (HD-DVD)
  • Pre-Release Workprint
    WORKPRINT VERSION
    This rare version of the film is considered by some to be the most radically different of all the Blade Runner cuts. It includes an altered opening scene, no Deckard narration until the final scenes, no "unicorn" sequence, no Deckard/Rachel "happy ending," altered lines between Batty (Rutger Hauer) and his creator Tyrell (Joe Turkell), alternate music and much more.
    Also includes:
    • Commentary by Paul M. Sammon, author of Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner
    • Featurette All Our Variant Futures: From Workprint to Final Cut"
  • NSR Observations:
    • This HD-DVD disk was digitally encoded in VC1
• Miscellaneous Stuff
  • The Ultimate Collector's Edition will be presented in a unique 5-disc digi-package with handle which is a stylish version of Rick Deckard's own briefcase, in addition each briefcase will be individually numbered and in limited supply. Included is a lenticular motion film clip from the original feature, miniature origami (style) unicorn figurine (rendered in plastic), miniature replica spinner car, collector's photographs as well as a signed personal letter from Sir Ridley Scott

Observations from 2007-12-18

1. From BLADE RUNNER Screenplay by HAMPTON FANCHER. July 24, 1980
   

   DECKARD Okay, gimme a run-down on the three females. ESPER Nexus designated Mary: incept November 1 2017, domestic conditioning, non competitive, trained for day care position. DECKARD Next

2. Headlines from Deckard's newspaper while waiting for sushi
   (same newspaper is in Leon's top drawer; smaller details visible)
   

   W   The Independent Sentinel  FARMING THE OCEANS, THE MOON AND ANTARCTICA World Wide Computer Linkup Planned tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny   tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny   tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny   tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny Mysteries of the   tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny Universe to be Solved   tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny   Medicines & Machines  tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny   tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny   tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny  Drugs and  tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny Women Lead   Actors tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny Space Conference   tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny

3. What Roy Batty was supposed to say just before death:
   

   BATTY I've know adventures, seen places you people will never see, I've been Offworld and back...frontiers! I've stood on the back deck of a blinker bound for the Plutition Camps with sweat in my eyes watching stars fight on the shoulder of Orion... DECKHARD Ah... BATTY I've felt wind in my hair riding test boats off the black galaxies and seen an attack fleet burn like a match point and disappear. I've seen it, felt it...!

4. What Roy Batty says in one of his unused death scenes:
   

   Reproduction. Sex. Love. The simple things. But no way to satisfy them. To be homesick with no place to go. Lots of little oversights.

5. What Gaff says in one of his unused endings:
   

   You've done a man's job sir... But are you sure you're a man?

These items are from Disc-5: Pre-Release Workprint

My Speculations About "ESPER"

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

• colloquially known as Blade Runner 2 but officially titled Blade Runner 2049
• North American release: 2017-10-06 (Oct 6)
• Running time: 163 minutes (2 hours, 43 minutes)
• comment: some web sites claim that 1 hour had been cut from the movie during editing. Other web sites claim 100 minutes (which reminds me about that old April Fool's joke about "the metric hour"). Whatever the actual amount of time, it was sufficient that the producers felt they needed to explain some things ahead of the release by publishing three promotional videos. 

Three promotional videos (laying the foundations for 2049)

1. Blade Runner Black Out 2020
   • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_Runner_Black_Out_2022
   • https://youtu.be/rrZk9sSgRyQ (Anime - 15:44)
   • notes:
     • look for the two Replicant spec sheets (one male, one female, both purposely blurred on the right-hand side (location 1:31)
       • 8-character designations begin with "MK" for the male and "JR" for the female
         • this is a different format from the Nexus 6 model format seen above (e.g. N6AAA99999)
         • In BR:2049 we observe that Rachel's model number is N7FAA52318 (Nexus-7, Sex: Female, Physical: A, Mental: A, Incept Date: 2018-05-23) and that this format is similar to the Nexus-6 format. This means that replicants created by the Wallace corporation are using a different format that the Tyrell corporation.
         • comment: I think this is one spot where all screen writers of all movies and shorts really messed up: they confuse model numbers with serial numbers. Assuming that more than one replicant was made per day, then you cannot use a model number in your replicant retirement report. There must also be a serial number.
       • look for a second view from the bottom; here we see more of the female designation which is "JR00..." (location 1:41)
     • look for an ESPER replicant spec display for "Trixie" (location 2:27)
       • designation "WDV71673" (nothing to do with the incept date)
       • comment: troublesome because she appears to be "an under-the-age-of-consent human"
     • look for a Replicant spec sheet for one male named Iggy (location 3:51)
       • this Nexus-8 was made 30-Sep-2019
       • I wonder want "Mental Level S" means; smart or stupid?
     • look for a Replicant spec sheet for one male named Morton (location: 4:09)
       • this Nexus-8 was made 22-Mar-2019
     • serial number NX-82176 (or 7.6) can be seen on the white of a Replicant eyeball (location: 8:14 )
     • rolling text:
        
       LOS ANGELES
       MAY, 2020
       
            While the Replicant NEXUS 6 expired in inventory,
       TYREL CORP. pushed the series 8 into the local and Off-world market.
       
       The NEXUS series 8 were purpose-built with a natural lifespan.
       
       Soon the human supremacy movements began.
       
       These angry masses used the Replicant Registration
       database to identify and kill Replicants.
       
       The blackout, which led to the prohibition of Replicant
       production sealed the fate of the TYRELL CORPORATION.
       
       It took over a decade for THE WALLACE CORP.
       to win approval to manufacture a new breed of Replicants.
        
2. 2036: Nexus Dawn
   • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2036:_Nexus_Dawn
   • https://youtu.be/UgsS3nhRRzQ (Video - 6:30)
3. 2048: Nowhere to Run
   • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2048:_Nowhere_to_Run
   • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZ9Os8cP_gg (Video - 5:47 )

Additional Promotional Resources

• http://bladerunnermovie.com/ Official BR:2049 Movie Site
• http://bladerunnermovie.warnerbroscanada.com/trailer/ Official Trailers
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_Runner_2049
• http://www.scified.com/blog/bladerunner2
• https://www.facebook.com/BladeRunnerMovie/
• The Cast and Crew of 'Blade Runner 2049' on the Original Film | Created with Blade Runner 2049
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va4dJI0Cyyw
• Inside the Making of 'Blade Runner 2049' | Created with Blade Runner 2049
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0kobbjpdUg
• Actor Harrison Ford talks about his new movie, "Blade Runner 2049"
  • https://charlierose.com/videos/31027
  • paraphrased quote:

    "it doesn't matter if Deckard is a replicant who thinks he's human or just human. He thinks he's human and behaves accordingly"

• http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1856101/
• https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blade_runner_2049
• https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/10/06/review_blade_runner_2049/
• https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/02/movies/blade-runner-2049-review-ryan-gosling-harrison-ford.html

Pre-release Speculation

• from the YouTube previews we learn that next-gen replicants live longer than four years
  (comment: if they only lived four years then the replicant problem would take care of itself)
• In BR:2049 we see an aged Rick Deckard (played by Harrison Ford) saying "we were being hunted"
  • by "we" does he mean "replicants" or "blade runners in general" or "blade runners who happen to be replicants"?
  • going with Ridley Scott's theory that Deckard is replicant (which agrees with the Bleibruhiger idea postulated in the book Blade Runner 2: The Edge of Human reviewed above), does this mean that next-gen replicants age?
  • I wonder if we will hear the phrase Nexus-7
  • was Rachael also a Nexus-7 replicant?
• BR2049 appears to be a aged future which is recovering from some sort of nuclear incident.
  ("I think" this is the explanation given for why we see a mixture of analog and digital devices)
• Did the Tyrell Corporation survive the nuclear incident?
• What became of Eldon Tyrell ?
• What became of Rachael ?

New Movie Details

*** hover-spoiler section #2 ***
(hover your cursor over the word 'answer:' to reveal hidden text)

• what happened to the Tyrell corporation?
  answer: Went bankrupt. All assets were acquired by the Wallace Corporation
• Any more information about nexus model numbers?
  answer: Sapper was the tail-end of the Nexus-8 line; That makes Luv and Officer K "Nexus-9"
• Why was there a bounty on Nexus-8 replicants?
  answer: They have free will -AND- they die of old age meaning they will live a really long time
• what happened to Gaff?
  answer: Living in an old-age home
• What happened to Rachael?
  answer: She died during child-birth. Apparently Nexus-7 replicants were able to reproduce
• What was Rachael's official Nexus serial number?
  answer: N7FAA52318 (Nexus-7, Sex: Female, Physical: A, Mental: A, Incept Date: 2018-05-23). This Nexus-7 number can be seen in two differnet DNA displays
• Is Deckard a replicant?
  answer: We still don't know; He's either Nexus-7 (able to reproduce) or human. Since he has aged then this means that all Nexus-7 replicants age -or- he is Nexus-8 but with free will. But this means that male Nexus-8 replicants are also able to reproduce (the plot thickens)
• Is Officer K related to Deckard?
  answer: No. He was implanted with memories from Deckard's daughter making him the perfect decoy
• Where was Deckard hiding all these years?
  answer: In a Las Vegas casino
• Why were Luv and Wallace searching for the child?
  answer: Tyrell Corp engineered Nexus-7's to be able to sexually reproduce (probably to increase production numbers). This information was lost during the great blackout so Walace Corp needed the child so they could reverse-engineer the lost knowledge

Other Related Stuff

• Amazon Prime production:  The Man in the High Castle
  • produced by Ridley Scott (of Blade Runner fame)
  • developed by Frank Spotnitz (of X-Files fame)
  • original story by Philip K. Dick (of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? fame)

Notes (from my humble childhood)

p.s. names have been omitted for privacy reasons

I was born in the year 1952 at Kitchener, Ontario, Canada and my parents were always banging on about us being German (they never used the phrase German-Canadian). In hindsight, I can see that this was ridiculous because my father's family came to Canada in 1873 (to escape the economic hardship after the Franco-German war ended in 1871) while the roots of my mother's family are Pennsylvania Dutch. Although I might have heard some German spoken at Kitchener's Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings, adults only spoke German when they wanted to communicate privately in front of the kids. Unlike some other families, my parents did not send us to German language school on Saturday mornings, and yet, they maintained that we were German. (???)

The following event happened sometime in the middle 1950s: Mister H was an insurance salesman who lived across the street from my parents. Every summer, his family would host a neighborhood backyard BBQ and that's where I first noticed that one of the men from the neighborhood, Mr. K, had numbers on his forearm. I asked my father about this and he replied "I tell you when we get home". Later that evening I asked again about Mr. K's numbers and my father replied "the Germans did that". Thinking we were German, I responded "we did that?". Then he corrected himself by saying "Mr. K was Jewish and the NAZIs did that to people they put into the concentration camps. And most did not survive". What a horrifying thought.

Later on, T, the son of Mr. K was in my grade 1 and 2 classes a Courtland Public School and I soon learned that he, and his older brother, were much nicer people than most of my other friends. On top of that, Mr. K and his wife seemed nicer parents than my own in that "they had conversations with their kids" while this seemed impossible with my own parents who were more fond of yelling at us. Mr. K also owned a huge collection of books (seemed to rival the public library) while nothing more than Life magazine could be found at out house. Since that time, I have become fiercely opposed to anti-Semitism. In fact, I am also against war and the death penalty. I now call myself a deist/humanist. "Live and let live" is my motto.

Now let me comment about what I have posted on this web page: although I love sci-fi and liked the book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? as well as the Blade Runner books and movies, I find the German stuff "very creepy". If you didn't know about the NAZI subtext, Blade Runner would still be just a variation of the Frankenstein Story: man creates monster - man abuses monster - monster kills man.

But with the NAZI stuff in there, clearly we can see the true meaning of the preamble to the book "Blade Runner 2": the Germans did not learn any lessons from their actions up to the end of WW2 so went on to create Replicants: "a race of slaves to use and abuse". But there is a deeper lesson here which is this: Like the NAZI's, it is the police (Blade Runners) that have little-to-no empathy. It is the corporate billionaire, Eldon Tyrell, who seems to have none.

And before the rest of us congratulate ourselves for not being NAZIs, we must all remember that white Americans were enslaving Africans at a time when most European countries were getting out of that horrific activity. What is worse is this: during and after the American civil war, many so-called "slave states" claimed they needed to retain slavery in order to prevent an economic collapse. They were putting money ahead of the rights of people (and how is this different from what the Tyrell Corporation was doing when they created, then sold, Replicants?)

So let all of this be a warning for all of humanity to live by the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you wish to be treated.

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Neil Rieck
Kitchener (New Berlin), Ontario, Canada.
Note: our city was renamed from Berlin to Kitchener in 1916 (during World War I). Now that we all know that Lord Kitchener wasn't a very nice fellow, some citizens think Kitchener should be renamed New Berlin which falls in line with neighboring communities like New Hamburg and New Dundee. Others think we should merge with Waterloo then keep their name. I have no preference.