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"A new life awaits you in the Off-world colonies. The chance to begin again in a golden land of opportunity and adventure."―Advertisement[src]
The Off-world colonies were human settlements outside of Earth, such as Calantha.
History[]
Beginning with the Earth's moon and Mars, the colonies began to be settled in the 1990s and employed the use of slave labor by replicants.[1]
In 2018, a Nexus-6 replicant combat team staged an uprising, prompting the ban of replicants from Earth.[2]
By late 2019, the Dominguez and Shimata colonies had been settled[3] and humans on Earth were encouraged to emigrate to the colonies; this was promoted aggressively with advertising from the Shimago-Dominguez Corporation extolling the adventure and opportunities awaiting them if they left Earth, as well as promises of financial and personal incentives; for example, all colonists were promised a free replicant for their personal use.[4] The Planetary Development Organization continued such advertisements as late as 2032.[5]
Ana Stelline's adoptive parents moved Off-world, leaving her behind due to her "compromised immune system."[6]
By mid-2049, nine additional Off-world colonies existed, which frustrated Niander Wallace, given that he wished to see humanity rapidly expand across the stars.[6]
Behind the scenes[]
The concept of Off-world colonies is based on the colonization program mentioned in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, where humans have settled other planets, such as Mars.
The actual conditions on these colonies are never shown in the films, but the setting hints that the situation Off-world is not as rosy as the advertisements claim. The replicants are designed to survive dangerous harsh labor and environments. Roy was designed specifically for use as a soldier, recalling the battles he fought Off-world, and it appears that Leon and Zhora also had considerable combat training. Zhora was described as having been a member of a kick-murder-squad. Finally, there is the intensity of the marketing campaign itself; although the Los Angeles of 2019 is a miserable dystopia, its population still apparently requires aggressive promotion and considerable financial incentives to leave for these supposed paradises.
A deleted scene notes that Rick Deckard's ex-wife left him for a man Off-world. A draft of the script dated February 23, 1981 also mentions the Dominguez-Shimata Colony. The novelization mentions Dominguez and Shimata as separate colonies.
It is never specified as to if the Off-World society is limited to interplanetary (within our solar system) or had any interstellar presence. Roy Batty's speech includes a reference to "attack ships on fire off the Shoulder of Orion." Also, Harry Bryant, when discussing Leon Kowalski with Deckard mentions Leon being "an ammunition loader on intergalactic runs." The suggestion of intergalactic travel seems incongruous with the future society of Blade Runner as that would make them far more advanced than other future science fiction universes such as Star Trek where even practical warp travel is still limited to a small slice of the galaxy and is not instantaneous. This use of the word "intergalactic" may be a script oversight. Niander Wallace's words about wishing to see mankind reach the stars heavily suggest that there is no interstellar travel yet. The 1998 film Soldier, however, does refer to the Tannhäuser Gate as a kind of warp portal or stargate, which hypothetically would allow for interstellar travel.