D

Rick Deckard

Book/Movie

Book

The main character of DADoES, Rick Deckard, is a bounty hunter for the San Francisco Police Department. The opening of the story introduces the reader to Rick and his wife Iran.

At the police station Deckard learns that the department's chief bounty hunter, Dave Holden, has been incapacitated by a Nexus-6. Deckard asks to take over his caseload to track and hunt the six remaining Nexus-6 models.

Midway through the book, while Deckard is trying to decide if Phil Resch was an android, Deckard questioned his own humanity. Deckard had Resch conduct the Voigt-Kampff test on him to ensure he wasn't an android. He passed

There are a number musical references that Deckard makes throughout the book. Almost all of those refer to roles in Mozart's operas, "The Magic Flute" and "Don Giovanni". PKD plants the love of music in characters he tends to like or approve of; in this case, he seems to suggest a connection between love of music and the capacity for empathy, which would weigh in on the side of Deckard being human.

Movie

Rick Deckard is the central character of the film. He is a retired Blade Runner. He is called back to the department and given the assignment of tracking down and "retiring" four Replicants.

There have been lengthy debates on whether Deckard is human or a Replicant. The "Deck-a-Rep" debates can be found throughout the net. The consensus is he is a Replicant.

FYI

Although he wasn't in Westwood's Blade Runner game, references are made to Deckard.

Harrison Ford plays the role of Deckard in Blade Runner.

Philip K. Dick

Philip Kindred Dick is the author of "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" (DADoES), the book Blade Runner is based on.

Often known by his initials PKD, he was born December 16, 1928. His works are characterized by an eroding sense of reality, with protagonists often discovering that those close to them (or even they themselves) are secretly androids, aliens, supernatural beings, brainwashed spies, hallucinations, dead, from another time or a combination of these. These characteristic themes and the atmosphere of paranoia they generate are sometimes described as "Dickian" or "Phildickian."

PKD published 44 novels, 121 short stories, and numerous essays and poetry.

Hugo Awards
Best Novel
1963 - The Man in the High Castle (winner)
1975 - Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said (nominee)
Best Novelette
1968 - Faith of Our Fathers (nominee)

Nebula Awards
Best Novel
1965 - Dr. Bloodmoney (nominee)
1965 - The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch (nominee)
1968 - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (nominee)
1974 - Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said (nominee)
1982 - The Transmigration of Timothy Archer (nominee)

John W. Campbell Memorial Award
Best Novel
1975 - Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said (winner)

Dick died on March 2, 1982, the result of a combination of recurrent strokes accompanied by heart failure. In a 1981 entry in his Exegesis ( His journal "In the Pursuit of VALIS: Selections from the Exegesis") PKD wrote as focused a self-assessment of his aims and talents as a writer as can be found in any of his journals, letters, essays, and interviews:

"I am a fictionalizing philosopher, not a novelist; my novel & story-writing ability is employed as a means to formulate my perception. The core of my writing is not art but truth. Thus what I tell is the truth, yet I can do nothing to alleviate it, either by deed or explanation. Yet this seems somehow to help a certain kind of sensitive troubled person, for whom I speak. I think I understand the common ingredient in those whom my writing helps: they cannot or will not blunt their own intimations about the irrational, mysterious nature of reality, &, for them, my corpus is one long ratiocination regarding this inexplicable reality, an integration & presentation, analysis & response & personal history."

Official PKD Website: http://www.philipkdick.com/index.html
Philip K. Dick Fan Site: http://www.philipkdickfans.com/main.htm

Motion Pictures based on PKD's books/short stories:

Blade Runner (1982)
Based on "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"

Total Recall (1990)
Based on "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale"

Confessions d'un Barjo (French, 1992)
Based on "Confessions of a Crap Artist"

Screamers (1995)
Based on "Second Variety"

Impostor (2001)
Based on "Impostor."

Minority Report (2002)
Based on "The Minority Report."

Paycheck (December 25, 2003)
Based on "Paycheck."

A Scanner Darkly (July 7, 2006)
Based on "A Scanner Darkly"

Next (2007)
Based on "The Golden Man"

Director's Cut

This is a version of Blade Runner said to be more true to Ridley Scott's initial vision than the Domestic Cut. Released on September 11, 1992 to fifty-eight theaters around the U.S. and later on video, laser disc and on DVD, it replaced the Domestic Cut for theatrical and television showings, as well as DVD releases.

This version has 4 major differences.

>Deckard's narration is removed.
>The extra violence seen in the International Cut was cut from this version.
>No happy ending scene
>Features a unicorn vision while Deckard is drunk & playing the piano. This is not found in any other version.

For more information on the different verions click here.

See also:
>Domestic Cut
>International Cut

Domestic Cut

This version opened nationwide in 1,290 theaters on June 25th, 1982. Also referred to as the Original Version" (OV), it contains the voice-over narration and the "Ride-off-into-the-sunset" happy Hollywood-ending.

For more information on the different verions click here.

See also:
>Director's Cut
>International Cut

Game/Location

In the Westwood game, DNA Row is the section containing Dermo Design and Eye Works. There you will meet Moraji, Chew, and possibly run into Gaff. You will also learn of Luther and Lance, and how to get to the Bradbury Hotel, amongst other clues.

Game/Object

The Dragonfly is a theme that runs throughout the story in the Westwood game.

Dragonfly anklet: A clue in Act 1 at the Runciter crime scene from the surveillance camera disc. Zoom in to Lucy's ankle.

Dragonfly earring: A clue found in Act 2 at the Tyrell Corporation Grav Test control room, at the scene of the Eisenduller crime scene on the floor. Also can be seen worn by Sadik in the Tyrell security camera footage.

Dektora's Dragonfly dance: In Act 3 at Early Q's Dektora has a dance scene where she is dressed as a dragonfly (If you click on her while she is dancing you will be thrown out of the club!). After her dance have Ray interview her in her dressing room. There Ray will find she has a dragonfly belt.

Dragonfly collection: Depending on gameplay, in Act 3 Ray may be able to get into Early Q's Lair where he will find the receipt for the collection, containing an earring, belt, and anklet.

See also: Dragonfly Booth.

Game/Location

In the Westwood game, the Dragonfly Booth is located in Animoid Row. The Insect Dealer will ask Ray to stop by later, after she asks one of her connections about it.

See also:
>Dragonfly
>Insect Dealer