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Deckard a human?!

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Post Tue Dec 04, 2001 6:02 am

First time posting here. I'm 17, and from Baltimore, MD. My two favorite movies are BR & 2001: A Space Odyssey. Anyhow, I felt the need to post when I noticed the vote for Deckard as a human or rep went 9 Human to 4 Replicant. I find this strange. I'm sure this topic's been debated on the board ad nauseum, but I feel the need to put in my two cents and find out what people's response to this is. Is there actual evidence backing up Deckard being a human? I'm of the opinion he's a replicant, for 3 major reasons: <BR>1. All the reps in the movie have a golden glint in their eyes, and Deckard has it too. <BR>2. The DC unicorn dream sequence linked with the unicorn origami, demonstrating that the dream was probably programmed in. <BR>3. Ridley Scott said Deckard's a replicant. <BR> <BR>The only argument about Deckard being human I can think of is an interview I heard about with Harrison Ford who said he and Scott had agreed that Deckard was human. It occurred to me, however, that Scott may have told Ford that Deckard was human before filming so that Ford could play the role better. After all, Deckard thought he was human too. <BR>Also, someone in the voting (someone who voted for Deckard as a Rep) mentioned that in the book, Deckard seemed to be a rep. This I disagree with. First of all, in the book Deckard was VK'd, and it showed he was a human. Also, I think that Philip K. Dick himself said that Deckard wasn't a replicant. <BR>Anyhow, that's my two cents, I'm sure people have heard these arguments before, but I'm interested to hear the counterarguments of the majority posters on the board who think (movie) Deckard isn't a replicant.
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endzem

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Post Tue Dec 04, 2001 6:35 am

Welcome to the BladeZone forum! I think the voting topic is more about personal prefference, of how one "likes" to see Deckard. <BR> <BR>I personally think there is also as much evidence supporting that he is human. Just to counter your points: <BR> <BR>1. The eyes: I think I remember the book Future Noir saying something about the lighting on the set also having something to do with the eye glowing. And there's a brief instant when even Holden has "replicant eyes". <BR> <BR>2. The unicorn dream: Deckard knew all about Rechael's implants--memory that is. He could just as easily been recalling one of Rechael's memories. <BR> <BR>3. Ridely said he's a rep: Okay...so he did. But what came first? The book! And like you said, in the book he's human. That's what counts for me. To make him a rep is too big of a change in the transition from book to movie. It's like me making a movie about Moby Dick, but then I decide to use a dolphin instead of a whale. <BR> <BR>This is my argument in a nut shell. All in all, that's what this forum is all about. We share our opinions and always keep an open mind. So once again, welcome! <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>_________________ <BR>"Pain heals, chick's dig scars, glory lasts forever!"<BR><BR><font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: endzem on 2001-12-04 12:42 ]</font>
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endzem

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Post Tue Dec 04, 2001 7:03 am

P.S. <BR>-Don't forget to cast your vote in the Deckard Rep/Human voting post. <IMG SRC="/forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif">
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Post Tue Dec 04, 2001 8:47 am

That's an interesting point about the eye glowing, I'll have to check if Holden's eyes glow next time I watch the movie. I seem to recall reading somewhere an interview with Scott, something stuck in my mind where he's talking in the context of the eyes being indicative of Rep-ness, and he says something like "It's just a cinematic device, the characters in the movie obviously can't see it or else there's no point in the VK test". I'll have to go looking and see if I can track down that quote. As for Deckard's recalling Rachael's memories, and dreaming about that, I've heard that explanation before, but there's something about the timing of Gaff's origami that makes it seem to me an indication of Deckard's Rep-ness. And the book being proof? I have personally chosen to divorce the book from the movie. In fact, I didn't really appreciate the movie so much until I watched it under those terms. I guess to me the strongest argument for him being a human (although I still don't think he is) is that by the end of the book, he was sufficiently one with Mercer to the point where he was able to empathize with both natural and artificial life, and one interpretation of the ending of Blade Runner is that he had reached that point, possibly through his experience with Roy Batty. My personal take on this is that he was a replicant, and as in the book only replicants could empathize with artificial life (and that was all they could empathize with). Deckard never really seems to empathize with humans, but as early as the scene where Rachael finds out she's a rep, right after Deckard reveals her memories are false, he seems to feel sorry for her, demonstrating that basically from the beginning he could empathize with a rep, which indicates that he is indeed a rep.
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Deckard BR26354

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Post Tue Dec 04, 2001 1:03 pm

Wow, we seem to get a new member every day on this forum - welcome to you.

After reading all the arguments, discussions and 'proof' and 'evidence' that support each case, I have concluded that Deckard can either be Human or Replicant depending on personal preference.

Basically, PK Dick makes it clear in his book that Deckard is human and Ridley put the unicorn scene in his 'Directors' cut to imply that Deckard is a replicant. And, of course, Ridley has said that this is his intention.

I think we have to remember that the movie is based on the book and is not a direct translation from paper to screen.

I prefer Deckard to be a replicant simply because I like the idea of the wool being pulled over the eyes of the first-time viewer - through the whole movie we have a guy who's fighting his own feelings about 'retiring', what in essence, are biological machines that mimic human beings, he feels uneasy about the feelings he has for Rachael (a machine) and then at the very end of the movie he (and we) find out that he's a replicant himself - oh, irony of it all!! We've been watching machines destroying machines - we didn't spot the non-human - we were told in the movie that Roy, Leon, Pris, Zhora and Rachael are replicants but we assumed Deckard was human (and so did he, as did Rachael). Well, isn't that the point of the whole movie - what is it to be human? Why did we assume Deckard was human?

By the way, I prefer the movie to the book and I think Ridley 'improved' the story by showing Deckard to be a replicant.

I guess what I'm trying to say is - IT DOESN'T MATTER whether you think Deckard is human or replicant - whatever works for you is fine by me! Just don't tell me there's anything wrong in preferring Deckard to be replicant!

Here are some of my favourite lines from the movie that have been used to support the theory that Deckard is not human:

Deckard to Tyrell: 'How can it not know what it is?'

Zhora to Deckard: 'Are you for real?'

Rachael to Deckard: 'Have you ever taken that test yourself?'

Roy to Deckard: 'Aren't you the good man?'

Gaff to Deckard: 'You've done a man's job, sir'
Last edited by Deckard BR26354 on Sat Apr 02, 2005 10:34 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Wilkins Rep-Detect BR2349

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Post Tue Dec 04, 2001 5:42 pm

While i like to think he is human, i do agree with you that it is based on an individual interpretation.
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Gaff: "You've done a man's job, sir! I guess you are through?"

Deckard: "Finished".

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