A: The storyboard indicates that it is Holden's

Q: Why would the Tyrell building have ceiling fans in it?

A: Ceiling fans are very efficient, even in 2019. When BR was shown as part of the "Los Angeles at the Los Angeles" film series in 1990 at the Los Angeles Theater, Ridley Scott was asked after the screening about the prevalence of fans in his work and their possible meaning. Without missing a beat, Scott replied: "Well, they keep you cool."

Q: How did Leon smuggle his gun into room where Holden VK'd him? And how did he escape from the building, given that the whole incident was on videotape, and occurred high up in the Tyrell building?

A: The 110-story New York World Trade Center that made headlines when it was bombed in February 1993 had about 100,000 people inside at the time. According to various articles, the Tyrell pyramid is 6-7 times taller (700-stories). Since the top of the pyramid is apparently several times larger than the footprint of the WTC, the base must be enormously larger. Plus, it is surrounded by four buttresses, each of which must be greater in volume than the WTC. From this we can speculate Tyrell's pyramid must be larger than the WTC by a factor of 100 or more and house 10 million people. It should be easy to get lost in a crowd that size. Add in the fact there may be other people that look like Leon and you've got an impossible job. We also know that the Tyrell Corp. security is not perfect because, 1) Bryant tells Deckard one got fried trying to break in and the others GOT AWAY, and 2) Batty gets in and kills Tyrell.

Q: What does the voice from the blimp say?

A: "A new life awaits you in the Off-World colonies. The chance to begin again in a golden land of opportunity and adventure. New climate, recreational facilities.....absolutely free. Use your new friend as a personal body servant or a tireless field hand--the custom tailored genetically engineered humanoid replicant designed especially for your needs. So come on America, let's put our team up there...."

A: Added for BRDC: "This announcement is brought to you by the Shimato Dominguez Corporation - helping America into the New World."

Q: Why can't Tyrell afford a real owl?

A: The February 1981 screenplay was written as: Deckard: "It's artificial?" Rachael: "Of course not." Tyrell would probably keep a showpiece animoid replicant to impress visitors. Note also that in DADoES, the "Tyrell corporation" lied to Deckard (that is, told him it was real) in an attempted bribe.

Q: Who is the guy with his head on his arm in the photo from Leon's apartment?

A: Roy. In the Work print, Deckard says: "Hello, Roy."

Q: How did Rachael get away with killing Leon in public, when she was wanted dead by the police? The police arrived pretty soon after Deckard killed Zhora, so why didn't they swoop down when Rachael killed Leon?

A: Deckard kills Zhora in the midst of a crowded street. Leon picked a deserted alley to maul Deckard.

Q: How can Tyrell tell Roy that "We made you to the best of our abilities", when he deliberately gave him a four year lifespan?

A: Tyrell probably means they couldn't risk making him any better because they can only control them for so long. This assumes Bryant is correct in saying the 4-year lifespan is intentionally built-in. Tyrell also says "the light that burns twice as bright..." suggesting improved performance may be a trade-off with lifespan. Since Tyrell's goal is commerce, he may have turned a biological problem into a benefit by taking advantage of the 4-year lifespan -- planned obsolescence. When Sebastian says, "There's some of me in you," he might be referring to the intentional use of the genes responsible for Methuselah Syndrome.

Q: Why are real animals so expensive if there are lots of birds living in Sebastian's building?

A: DADoES offers an explanation: some animals are much rarer than others and supposedly there were no more owls left. (Pigeons, on the other hand, always seem to be plentiful.)

Q: Batty calls Deckard by name during the chase at the end. How did he know Deckard's name?

A: This is either a technical error in the film, or an indication that Batty knew Deckard, and Deckard doesn't know Batty. One idea is that Deckard (and possibly Rachael) were replicants, and part of the rebellion. They were caught entering the Tyrell building and, as an experiment, they were retrained as an ex-Blade Runner and a replicant who thinks she's a human. The experiment is to see if a replicant could turn on other replicants that he/she used to know. This explanation is a bit weak and far fetched, as it relies on the Tyrell Corporation retraining Deckard but not changing his name. (Imagine if Roy had called him "Mr Smith"!). This makes the Deckard/Zhora confrontation more interesting: she would have recognized him, and would be wondering if he was having a joke or not. When she realized that he was for real, she clobbered him. This could also give Bryant an excuse for getting the number of escaped replicants wrong. Different versions of the script have Deckard as a well-known Blade Runner, so in that case it would be reasonable for Batty to know about him. A likely explanation is that Leon was within earshot when Deckard showed his ID to a cop and gave his name; in an earlier script, Batty then had Leon go after Deckard for killing Zhora. In Hampton Fancher's script dated 7 January 1980, Bryant tells Deckard that the replicants may have tapped into the ESPER computer and that it will take about a day to secure the system. Later, at Sebastian's apartment, Batty tells Pris and Mary that Leon and Zhora are dead and that the police have discovered he has been tapping into their computer. He informs them that he can't monitor what the police are doing anymore. This is what causes Pris to say, "Then we're stupid and we'll die," and why the replicants are expecting Deckard to come for them.

Q: How did Deckard manage to haul himself onto the ceiling with two fingers, with two other dislocated fingers on the same hand?

A1:He only holds on with his bad hand until he can get his other arm over the edge. Experienced rock climbers can achieve single-finger chin-ups. Whether or not they can do this in the rain while wearing a sodden trench- coat, with two dislocated fingers, a history of alcoholism, and being chased by a homicidal replicant is another matter. Postings from rec.climbing suggest that this kind of stunt is as much a matter of technique as strength.

A2:Easily. He's a replicant [see section 14].

Q: How can Deckard be a replicant, when he's physically outmatched by Roy, Leon, Zhora, and Pris?

A: The videos that Bryant shows Deckard include a mental and physical rating for each of the replicants. In all cases, they are rated "A" physically. If Deckard was a replicant designed to think it was human, it would probably be made a "B" physical, which would correspond to average human strength. The fact that Deckard could slam shut a door that the replicant Rachael was trying to open hints that Rachael was a "C" physical.

Q: Batty's incept date of January 2016 means that he should have lived to January 2020. Why did he die in November 2019?

A1:The margin of error on a replicant's lifespan is probably the same as that of any human with a fatal disease. It was suggested earlier that the short lifespan was a trade-off for increased performance. It is clear that Roy had exceeded even Tyrell's expectations, and so we could expect him to wear out that little bit before his due expiry date.

A2:Earlier versions of the story were set in 2020, but this was changed when it was decided that it sounded too much like an eyesight test. The date was changed to 2019, but this inconsistency remained.

Q: How did Gaff get Deckard's gun? Was he following them?

A: Deckard sits on the roof for a long time. In the Work print, Deckard says he watched him die all night and that it was a slow, painful thing. Gaff may have followed Deckard's ground car, or checked out the radio reports of Sebastian's death, walked around to piece things together and found Deckard's gun. It would also be in character if Gaff was simply lurking in the background hoping for Deckard to get himself killed.

Q: Why does the spike in Batty's hand disappear when he catches Deckard?

A: The bottom of the frame is slightly cropped (even on the Criterion disc), which prevents us from seeing the nail. Nevertheless it is there and can be seen for a single frame on the Criterion disc at C-19 24493.

Q: What companies/products have their logos appearing in BR?

A: ANACO, Atari, Atriton, Bell, Budweiser, Bulova, Citizen, Coca-Cola, Cuisine Art, Dentyne, Hilton, Jovan, JVC, Koss, Lark, Marlboro, Million Dollar Discount, Mon Hart, Pan Am, Polaroid, RCA, Remy, Schiltz, Shakey's, Toshiba, Star Jewelers, TDK, The Million Dollar Movie, TWA, Wakamoto.

Q: What is this "Blade Runner Curse"?

A: Someone once noticed that a number of the companies whose logos appeared in BR had financial difficulties after the film was released. Atari had 70% of the home console market in 1982, but faced losses of over $2 million in the first quarter of 1991. Bell lost it's monopoly in 1982. Pan-Am filed for bankruptcy protection in 1991. Soon after Blade Runner was released, Coca-Cola released their "new formula", resulting in losses of millions of dollars. It is interesting to note that since then, the Coca-Cola company has seen the biggest growth of any American company in history. Cusinart filed for bankruptcy protection in July 1989.

Q: Is there going to be a sequel to Blade Runner?

A: In "Newsday", October 6, 1992, Scott is quoted as saying: "I'd really like to do that, I think 'Blade Runner' made some very interesting suggestions to the origins of Harrison Ford's character, addressing the idea of immortality. I think it would be a very intelligent sequel." In ``Screen International'' May 5-11: "A slew of big-budget productions - likely to include Ridley Scott's sequel to Blade Runner - are heading for Shepperton Studios (UK), which is shaping up to become the leading special effects studio outside the US." "Speaking from Grenada, Scott confirmed that the sequel to Blade Runner will probably be shot at the studio, but he gave no starting date." "The prospect of a Blade Runner sequel has been bruited around for years - although without Scott's active involvement. Scott, who shot Alien at Shepperton, confirmed that he is planning to make a sci-fi film 'in the near future that I would shoot almost entirely' at the London studios." See section 7 for a description of the Blade Runner novel sequel.

Q: Is there a Blade Runner computer game?

A1: Yes. The official BR computer game was released for the Commodore 64 around 1982-1983. It featured the player as Deckard, tracking down the replicants on an electronic map. Upon locating one, you had to chase them down a crowded street and shoot them. The music in the game is a Commodore 64 rendition of the End Title track by Vangelis. Copyright problems with the name ``Blade Runner'' resulted in CRL (the game's producers) obtaining the rights to the music, thus allowing them to refer to ``A game based on the music of Vangelis' "Blade Runner"''.

A2:  In 1997 Westwood Studios made a game for the PC-CDROM in cooperation with the Blade Runner Partnership.  In it, they recreated the scenes from the film including the Tyrell Building, the Bradbury Hotel, the Police HQ and the spinners and streets.

Q: Where can I get a gun like Deckards?

A: The gun that Deckard uses is an Austrian Steyr/Mannlicher bolt-action rifle with the stock and barrel removed, leaving just the receiver. A pistol-grip was added for effect. The Steyr rifle action has a very distinctive bolt-handle and trigger-guard; in fact, the particular receiver used possessed the target-style set trigger system (two triggers).

Q: Video Watchdog (November-December 1993) contains a lot of information on different versions of the film that contradicts things in the FAQ and in other accounts. Who is right?

A: The Video Watchdog article, while extremely detailed and authoritative, contains a lot of misinformation and errors. For example: - There are only five versions seen by the public, not seven as claimed in the article. These are

(1) the Dallas/Denver sneak preview,

(2) the San Diego sneak preview,

(3) the 1982 US theatrical release,

(4) the 1982 Euro-release, and

(5) the 1992 Director's Cut [see section 7].

- The "Workprint" is the same as the Denver/Dallas Sneak Preview, the Fairfax Theater Cut, the UCLA showing, the Nuart Theater showing and the Castro Theater showing. The first three were in 70mm while the Nuart and Castro showings used a 35mm reduction print. The London sneak preview was probably the same as well. - Michael Arick, rather than Haver and Harris, should be credited for uncovering the work print. Arick was certainly the most involved in bringing that print to light and making the Director's Cut. - All versions of the script had narration to some extent but Scott was not in favor of it [see section 6]. Scott's shooting script had about 100 words of narration, his workprint had about 50, and his Director's Cut had none. - Scott actually scripted and filmed the unicorn scene for a pre-release version of BR that was never shown outside the studio [see his comment on this in Section 9]. The original unicorn footage was recovered in 1992 and restored in the DC. The persistent rumour that this footage came from "Legend" is hard to understand since any side-by-side comparison between the animals and settings in "Legend" and BRDC clearly reveals they are not the same.

Q: Is the Video Watchdog description of the workprint (WP) accurate?

A: In many cases, but not all. Some things were missed, some things were wrong, and some things were misleading. Referring to the side and chapter marks on the Director's Cut laserdisc that were used in the article, some worth noting are:

1:2 The DC contains 2 additional aerial shots of the approach to the Tyrell Corp., 2 full-frame shots of Holden's eye, and 2 shots of Holden from behind that are not seen in the WP.

1:4 The spinner flight to the police station is identical in both prints except that Gaff can be heard saying something to Deckard in cityspeak.

1:5 The origami chicken close-up is the same in both films but Bryant's line, "I need the old blade runner. I need your magic" is missing. The WP is also missing the shot of Bryant pouring Deckard a drink, which creates a discontinuity when you see Deckard put the glass down.

1:6 Bryant's off-screen line is: "That's Leon, ammunition loader on intergalactic runs. He can lift 400 pound atomic loads all day and night [not 4000!]. The only way you can hurt him is to kill him." The three brief shots of other spinners in route to the Tyrell Corp. are in all versions of the film.

1:7 When Rachael says, "May I ask you a question," Deckard has an extra off-screen line: "What is it?"

2:1 There is a change. Batty's line, "Now where would we find this J.F. Sebastian," is missing in the WP.

2:2 The scene is exactly the same duration in both, however, in the elevator scene we clearly hear Rachael say "Deckard," causing him to draw his gun and spin around.

2:3 You hear more of Deckard's one-finger piano solo in the WP.

2:6 This scene lasts about 20 seconds longer in the WP as the camera follows Deckard leaving the Cambodian lady. The dialog with the snake maker closely matches their lip movements:

D: Abdul Hassan? I'm a police officer, Abdul. I've got a couple of questions I wanted to ask you.

H: (Chattering in another language.)

D: You made a snake, XB71. I want to know who you sold it to.

H: My work? Not too many could afford such quality.

D: How many?

H: Very few.

D: How few?

H: Perhaps less than I thought but still more than I can remember.

D: Abdul, my friend...(street noise)...about 2 seconds...(more street noise).

2:7 The introduction of Miss Solome is longer: "Ladies and gentlemen. We have for your delight and pleasure this evening a spectacular act. Before you, a woman. And with her, a snake. Watch her take the pleasures from the serpent that once corrupted man." When Deckard plucks a sequin off Zhora's dress, the camera shows a closeup for 3-4 seconds [this is very similar to a shot in Scott's film, "Black Rain"]. After Zhora runs out of the dressing room, there is a shot of Deckard loosening his tie.

2:8 The song "If I Didn't Care" was replaced by "One More Kiss, Dear" in the DC. 3:4 The love scene in the WP has the following changes:

(1) Deckard mutters "hah" under his breath when Rachael asks, "What if I go North?";

(2) a 30-second profile shot of Rachael letting her hair down is missing; and

(3) the music cues by Vangelis are completely different once Rachael steps over to the piano. Since the scenes are identical in all other regards, the different affect the WP had on some could only have been from the music. 3:6 The "wide shot" of Sebastian's flat is the same in both.

3:7 The whispers from the toys are about the same clarity and volume with the exception of the last shot, where they are not only very loud, they were completely missing in the DC.

4:4 The editing and pacing of the chase scene is slightly different -- running about 20-seconds longer overall in the WP. Right after Batty pulls his head out of the bathroom wall he says, "You're not in pain are you? Are you in pain?" 4:9 The scene at Deckard's apartment is shorter by almost a full minute. Deckard goes directly to the bed and pulls the cover back. After Rachael says she trusts him, the WP cuts to Deckard opening the elevator doors. The elevator doors close noiselessly while the soundtrack plays the same music heard during the spinner flight to police headquarters.