No movie continues to inspire fan analyses and theories like Blade Runner does. Even with the release of its belated sequel Blade Runner 2049 that finally provided some answers, the debates and questions continue to this very day. It’s probably not surprising to find out that many college students used the two movies as a topic for their Philosophy papers.
Was Deckard really human? Was the whole movie a dream? Which director’s cut is the best? And, seriously, what was up with that unicorn? With those long-standing questions in mind and many more, here are five Blade Runner theories that were proven to be true plus five more that were debunked.
PROVEN TRUE: Replicants Can Reproduce
While the actual plot of 2049 was shrouded in mystery, its trailers kept hinting that a war between humans and Replicants was inevitable. The spark wasn’t too clear, but clues pointed to humanity’s fear that the Replicants would rise up and replace them.
Not only does this turn out to be true, but this is revealed to be Tyrell’s overall plan. Tyrell believed that humanity didn’t have much time left, so he wanted to make his Replicants as human as possible so that they could eventually replace them and keep human history going – albeit evolved. This included giving them the crucial ability to procreate, which he succeeded in doing through Rachael.
DEBUNKED: Weyland-Yutani Will Figure Into The Plot
Believe it or not, Alien and Blade Runner take place in the same universe. While the chronology and specifics may not line up perfectly, the mega-corporations at the center of these movies (Weyland-Yutani Corporation and Tyrell Corporation, respectively) are mentioned off-handedly in their supplementary materials.
Cases in point: the Prometheus DVD has a memo from Peter Weyland that all but confirms that his mentor was Eldon Tyrell while the Alien DVD has a dossier that reveals that Dallas worked freelance for the Tyrell Corporation . It’s also commonly believed that the androids in the Alien films were either inspired by Tyrell’s Replicants or made as direct competition.
With cinematic universes being the in-thing and new Alien movies being released around the time of 2049, fans thought that Weyland-Yutani would get a direct mention in the next Blade Runner. This never happened, and the franchises’ connections remain implied at best.
PROVEN TRUE: Deckard Had A Child With Rachael
Blade Runner ends with Deckard and Rachael running off into an uncertain future, and many fans were content in the belief that they started a family somewhere beyond the dark Los Angeles of the then-future 2019.
This not only turned out to be true, but it’s also the core of the sequel. While the birth of their daughter may not have ended in the way fans were hoping (more on that later), it’s somewhat comforting to know that for a short time, Deckard and Rachael were a happy family living somewhere far away from the cyberpunk urban jungle.
DEBUNKED: Gaff Will Play A Key Role
Everyone who watched Blade Runner knew that Gaff was up to something. Throughout the movie, he continually teases Deckard that he knows… something about him but he wouldn’t say what. The best clues he’d give were origami animals, the most famous one being a unicorn.
A now elderly Gaff does appear in 2049 to give K some hints about Deckard’s whereabouts while folding another origami animal, but that’s all he does. Whatever Gaff knew about Deckard in the original movie proves to be unnecessary to what unfolds in 2049, and this is the first and last he’s seen in the sequel.
PROVEN TRUE: Rachael Comes Back
With Harrison Ford reprising his role as Deckard, many were hoping that Sean Young would return as Rachael. After all, in the age of nostalgic reboots and belated sequels, a short cameo featuring her would just make too much sense.
Both Young and Rachael come back, but not exactly in the way fans were expecting. Instead of showing an aged version of the character, 2049 has Rachael return just as audiences first saw her in 1982. Thing is, this isn’t the Rachael that Deckard (and viewers) knew and loved; this was a clone made by Niander Wallace as a bribe.
Young did participate in the sequel’s filming, as she coached her look-alike and consulted the CGI de-aging process. Archival footage of her from the original film was used as well. She was credited for her contributions.
DEBUNKED: Deckard Dies
Following the death of Han Solo in Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, many fans feared that Deckard would also die in the new Blade Runner. It seemed to some that Harrison Ford was having a heyday killing off his iconic roles, and many thought Deckard would be next on the chopping block.
Thankfully, this never happens although the Deckard we do see in 2049 looks like he’s dead inside. He has plenty of understandable reasons for becoming even more world-weary than usual, and he does get better by the movie’s end.
PROVEN TRUE: Rachael Dies
Since Rachael wasn’t mentioned or seen in 2049’s promotional material, many fans guessed that she died before the sequel’s events took place. Sadly, this turned out to be true, as it’s revealed that she died during childbirth.
Her death, however, plays an important part in the sequel as it serves as the catalyst for everything that transpires. Rachael giving birth is a big deal because she’s the first Replicant to do so, and her missing child’s whereabouts and identity form the crux of the sequel.
DEBUNKED: Deckard Is A Replicant/Human
Blade Runner is the source of one of the most enduring debates in all of pop culture. Even to this day, people aren’t sure if Deckard is really human or if he’s a Replicant. Both interpretations add layers to his characters, but 2049 asks an even better question: Who cares?
When Niander Wallace meets Deckard, he muses if the retired Blade Runner is a Replicant or not… right before brushing the thought aside to get back on topic. This unsolved mystery isn’t a bad thing, since 2049 posits that Deckard being a real human or not isn’t important; what really matters are his choices and what he’s willing to do for those he loves.
PROVEN TRUE: K Is A Replicant
When it was announced that the new Blade Runner would star a new character named “K,” fans were quick to guess that he would be a Replicant. This wasn’t just because of his single-letter name, but because some fans jokingly thought that the filmmakers wanted to avoid the unintentional vagueness of the original that sparked a decades-long debate.
This guess was actually true, as Ryan Gosling’s character was confirmed to be a Replicant from the very beginning. What 2049 does, however, is play with K’s sense of identity, fooling him and the audience more than once into thinking that he’s actually a human… or a Replicant… or both.
DEBUNKED: K Is Deckard Jr.
For all intents and purposes, 2049 is a soft reboot and it was widely assumed that it would focus on Deckard’s child. After all, belated sequels usually have their protagonist be directly connected to the original’s focal character to achieve an easy sense of familiarity and continuity.
This was somewhat true in 2049, but only because the sequel toyed with K and audiences’ expectations. At one point, K believes that he is, in fact, the son of a human (Deckard) and a Replicant (Rachael)… only for him to realize that this was a lie told to many Replicants. Deckard does have a child, but it’s not K. This revelation, obviously, broke his sense of identity and world view. Talk about the truth hurting.
