Rick Deckard

Rick Deckard
Physical description
Race	Human/ or replicant
Gender	Male
Behind the scenes
Portrayed by	Harrison Ford

Rick Deckard is the protagonist in Ridley Scott's 1982 science-fiction film, Blade Runner. The character originally appeared in Philip K Dick's novel, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" on which the movie is based. Rick Deckard was played by Harrison Ford.

Rick Deckard is a Blade Runner, a special member of the L.A police department who is employed to hunt down and "retire" replicants (genetically manufactured humanoids). Since they were declared illegal on Earth, it is up to the Blade Runners to "retire" any that find their way to Earth. At the beginning of the film, Deckard is called out of retirement after a group of six clever and brutal replicants hijack a shuttle to Earth, intending to pass themselves off as normal humans. Deckard is reluctant to resume work, but is told he has no choice and must use some of "the old blade runner magic" to succeed. He follows the model of a film noir detective, mixing pursuit of clues and interviews with suspects with brutal violence. Like many noir heroes, he finds it hard to turn down a damsel in distress (the replicant Rachael) when she asks for his help.

There are lengthy debates among the movie's fandom on whether Deckard is a replicant himself. The Director's Cut DVD of the movie seems to lean towards the fact that Deckard is a replicant, as new footage was added that supports that side of the argument.

External links

• The Blade Runner FAQ – Is Deckard a Replicant?
• BBC: Blade Runner riddle solved – Ridley Scott states his position