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Science-fiction was arguably the one defining film genre of the 1980s. Combined with elements of cinematic history, notably horror and action, the period would create some of the decade’s greatest and most beloved sci-fi movies. Director Ridley Scott set the bar for such stories just before the decade began with his 1979 box office smash Alien, a project which exemplified the filmmaker’s ability to create movie magic within the genre, and only three years later, he added yet another classic.

Blade Runner, released in 1982, is a film adaptation of the 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, written by Phillip K. Dick. Set in a dystopian vision of Los Angeles in 2019, the tale follows synthetic humans (replicants) who are engineered by the powerful Tyrell Corporation to provide labour on space colonies. Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth, seeking their creator for a way to extend their short life spans.

Despite its underperformance in American cinemas and mixed responses from critics, Blade Runner generated a passionate and committed fanbase of science-fiction lovers, bringing Scott’s film to cult status. Becoming so influential in sci-fi circles, the film inspired many other additions to the genre, from video games to TV shows. In 1993, just a little over a decade after its release, the movie was selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. As goes with most ’80s and sci-fi classics, one of Blade Runner’s central hooks is its protagonist, Rick Deckard.

It goes without saying that Harrison Ford brought some of the most legendary heroes from script to screen, with Han Solo and Indiana Jones being icons of the decade and of Hollywood in general. While Deckard may not receive as much spotlight, he is still a widely celebrated film character.

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Looking at the character’s original material, Dick wrote his protagonist to begin as a selfish and cold cop who works without empathy. These traits encourage a clear path of progression for the character, forming a compelling arc. He is married to a woman called Iran, who strategically contrasts his character type by being more empathetic and open.

When Ford was cast to perform in the adapted screenplay, written by David Peoples and Hampton Fancher, the character’s story was altered and made slightly more ambiguous. This is carried through the multiple versions of the film offered to audiences. In the theatrical version, Deckard is believed to be divorced, as voice-over narrations point to an “ex-wife”, whereas other copies have removed the voice-over and, thus, the detail of divorce. Deckard’s previous occupation as a blade runner had him hunting down replicants, something he demonstrates a strict black or white mindset on. For Deckard, “replicants are like any other machine. They’re either a benefit or a hazard. If they’re a benefit, it’s not my problem”. 

Deckard is brought out of his retirement after officers discover that replicants are residing on Earth illegally. He is tasked with hunting down a recently escaped man, Leon, and a group of synthetic humans, Roy, Zhora and Pris. Deckard meets with the CEO of the company responsible for the replicant, Tyrell, who tasks him with testing his assistant, Rachael, to decide whether she is human or a replicant. He concludes that she is a replicant who believes she is human and is later informed she is an experiment with false memories. Deckard manages to track down and terminate Zhora – and later Pris – and is rescued from death by Roy, who dies soon after. Despite being instructed to terminate Rachael, Deckard goes against orders and stays with her.

The character is presented as strong yet cynical; he takes care of number one and moves through life as a silent man who internally struggles with the moral compromise that comes with his occupation as a “killer”. This is established through the human impersonation the replicants embody, contrasting their true inhuman nature. Deckard must remind himself that he isn’t hunting down real humans in order to anchor his psyche. His dynamic with Rachael gives him a direction to empathy, and by the end, audiences can conclude that his bitterness and cold nature are starting to break down, evident in his choice to keep Rachael alive and stay with her, despite her status as a replicant. 

One area of ambiguity and debate surrounding Deckard is the inability to directly classify him as human or replicant. In the original novel, he is human; however, film audiences are given an ‘either/or’ situation and have to decide themselves if he is, or isn’t, a replicant. For example, he has photographs in his apartment that signal to a past; however, he receives a lack of sympathy from those around him.

Multiple people involved in the film have shown different interpretations. Screenwriter Hampton Fancher has stated that he wrote the character as a human but wanted the film to entertain the possibility that he is actually a replicant. He replies to questions about whether Deckard is human by saying: “It wasn’t like I had a tricky idea about Deckard that way”. Meanwhile, Director Ridley Scott has confirmed in several interviews that he considers Deckard a replicant. Syd Mead, who was responsible for creating the film’s futuristic visuals, sides with Scott on his opinion of the protagonist. However, Harrison Ford stands with Deckard being human, stating: “I thought the audience deserved one human being on screen that they could establish an emotional relationship with”.

Ford reprised the role in the 2017 sequel Blade Runner 2049, directed by Dennis Villeneuve and written by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green. Ryan Gosling stars alongside Ford as a replicant blade runner who has just discovered a world-changing secret. 30 years after the first film’s events, Deckard is found by Gosling’s K, who realises that Deckard could possibly be Rachael’s child, as replicants can reproduce. Deckard confirms he fathered Rachael’s child and assured their protection by destroying any birth records and leaving the child in the custody of the replicant freedom movement. K is later ordered by the leader of this movement to terminate Deckard for the ‘good of all replicants’. K instead rescues him from torture and stages his death to protect him, and Deckard’s story is concluded with him reuniting with his and Rachael’s daughter Stelline. 

Deckard is introduced in this sequel with a reversion to his cold and untrusting persona, demonstrating a cold shoulder to K upon their initial meeting. However, Deckard eventually shows pain and vulnerability when presented with a clone of his former lover by the leader of Wallace Corporation as a bribe for information. Despite the initial love, his face shows at the sight of ‘Rachael’, Deckard shows strength in refusing to fall for the ploy and submit to being bribed, resulting in the clone being executed right in front of him. Our last sight of Deckard is a powerful and beautiful image. He lovingly looks on at his daughter, his hand affectionately pressed against the glass separating them. This can be perceived as Deckard being re-ignited with hope and warmth when living in a dark and difficult world.

Deckard’s character can represent lost and regained humanity in a world where nearly everything appears bleak, with his ability to let himself feel and exemplify these feelings being consistently challenged throughout both of his film appearances. He exists as a somewhat grey area between human and artifice, as demonstrated in the unconfirmed human or replicant debate.

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