BladeZone's Off World Forums

If the unicorn dream had been included in the theatrical release in 1982, I believe this would not have become such a widely debated and controversial issue. I think audiences would have accepted that Deckard is a replicant and moved on. There might be some who wanted to hang on to the idea of him being human, but they would be in the minority.

For about ten years, the unicorn dream remained unseen by audiences. The scene near the end with the origami unicorn must've seemed pretty random and pointless. The theatrical cut raises the question of weather he could be a replicant, but makes no attempt to answer it. That version is truly ambiguous.
The unicorn dream was finally revealed to audiences in 1992, strongly implying that Deckard is a replicant....but the damage was already done. The issue had been debated for too long.

That's my theory anyway. But there are a lot of fans on this website who know a lot more about BR's history than me. I would love to get your feedback.

People still debate it today. I do think if it was in the film 29 years ago, the film might not have had as much longevity...at least as far as discussions about it. Still I am sure people would still have differences of opinion about it, and it isn't totally obvious. I do fear that a simple twist ending though could have cheapened the film, and made rewatching less...fun. Knowing the surprise ending always take away from a film. Just hinting at it gave people a lot to talk about for almost 30 years.

Andy