Paull, Morgan The actor portraying Holden. Has performed in more than 25 movies, often in important supporting roles and not seldom as military officer: Patton (1970), The Last Hard Men (1976), Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977), Norma Rae (1979) etc. "Essentially retired today," according to himself. Blade Runner trivia: Paull actually made the voice-over for the original trailers. See also external link: Internet Movie DataBase entry.

Peoples, david A.k.a. David Webb Peoples and Anthony Able. Successful Hollywood screenwriter, specialised in science fiction. Was called in when Hampton Fancher and Ridley Scott experienced co-operation problems. Movies: The Day After Trinity (Oscar nominated documentary) (1980), Ladyhawk (1985), The Blood of Heroes (1988), Leviathan (1989), Unforgiven (1992), Hero (1992), Twelve Monkeys (1995) etc. See also external link: Internet Movie DataBase entry.

PKD Nickname for Philip K. Dick among fans.

PK-D Abbreviation for Plager/Katsumata Series D, the unofficial name of the regulation-issue blade runner gun. Coined by Rick Ross at Doppelganger Productions, who constructed the first authentic replica available for fans. The name is a hommage to Philip K. Dick.

PLAGER/KATSUMATA SERIES D see PK-D

Polokov, max Renegade, possibly Russian android in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?.

Positronic brain In early Blade Runner scripts, it is said that replicants have "positronic brains". This term was coined by the world-famous science fiction author Isaac Asimov in his first robot story, "Robbie", in 1939. Asimov explains: "Since I needed a power source I introduced the 'positronic brain'. This was just gobbledygook but it represented some unknown power source that was useful, versatile, speedy, and compact — like the as-yet uninvented computer." This may or may not be a subtle homage to Asimov by Hampton Fancher. Furthermore, Asimov wrote a robot essay in 1977 entitled "The Friends We Make"...

Pris Renegade Nexus-6 replicant. Esper data: "ID: N6FAB21416; Incept date: 14 FEB, 2016; Function: Military/Leisure; Phys: LEV A; Mental: LEV. B." Bryant's comment: "Basic pleasure model." Note: Pris's incept date is Valentine's Day. Wears streetwise New Wave fashion. Roy Batty's lover. Manipulates J. F. Sebastian cunningly in order to infiltrate the Tyrell Corporation and reach Eldon Tyrell. Retired while engaged in acrobatic melee with blade runner Rick Deckard in Sebastian's apartment. Portrayed by Daryl Hannah. Illustration: Pris.

Prosser and Ankopitch Mentioned by Tyrell in the screenplay of 1981-02-23, just before Batty and Sebastian make their late visit. Prosser and Ankopitch is evidently a corporation. Tyrell is about to sell or buy 66,000 shares in the company.

Psycho-program Mentioned by Rachael in the screenplay of 1981-02-23. The only thing we know for sure is that it is some kind of replicant feature and that it is classified. Psycho-programs may, or may not, be connected with brain implants.

PYKE, HY The actor portraying Taffey Lewis. Born 2 December 1935 in Los Angeles, California, USA. Experienced comedian, stage performer and character actor, specialised in low- and medium-budgeted movies. Blade Runner trivia: Ridley Scott is a notorious perfectionist and shot most scenes a dozen times or more, with the exception of Hy Pyke, who basically had to do only one retake. See also external link: Internet Movie DataBase entry.

Pyramid, the see Tyrell Pyramid, the

Rach Nickname for Rachael used by fans.

Rachael Experimental replicant model, probably a Nexus-6, working for Eldon Tyrell as his assistant. As she has memory implants, she truly believes she is a human being. Deckard conducts a Voight-Kampff test on Rachael at the Tyrell Corporation, which marks the beginning of a complicated love affair. Rachael escapes Los Angeles together with Deckard, but their later whereabouts are unknown. The Domestic Cut raises the question if her life span is as short as four years, as she is an experimental model. In the controversial literary sequel Blade Runner 2: The Edge of Human, it is suggested that Rachael ends her days in a cryo-module in a cabin in the wilderness. Portrayed by Sean Young. Illustration: Rachael.

Rep Slang for replicant, less offensive than skin job.

Rep-Detect Abbreviation for Replicant Detection (Division), a police department with special authorities. The main function of the department is to find and neutralise escaped replicants, thus protecting the public. It is reasonable to assume that Rep-Detect is a rather small and specialised division, surrounded by secrecy and only vaguely known by the public. Needless to say, Rep-Detect and Tyrell Corporation do not co-operate very well. Rep-Detect officers are popularly called blade runners.

Replicant A replicant is, to put it simply, a highly sophisticated android. Nexus-6 replicants are completely organic, but there are indications that earlier generations might have been partially electronic. Quote from the 1982 press kit: "A genetically engineered creature composed entirely of organic substance. Animal replicants (animoids) were developed first for use as pets and beasts of burden after most real animals became extinct. Later, humanoid replicants were created for military purposes and for the exploration and colonization of space. The Tyrell Corp. recently introduced the Nexus 6, the supreme replicant — much stronger and faster than, and virtually indistinguishable from, real human beings. Earth law forbids replicants on the planet, except in the huge industrial complex where they are created. The law does not consider replicants human and therefore accords them no rights nor protection." The New American Dictionary gives us further information: "Synthetic human, with paraphysical capabilities, having skin/flesh culture. [...] Off-world uses: Combat, high risk industrial, deepspace probe. On-world use prohibited." As stated above, replicants are prohibited from visiting earth, which is emphasized in the opening crawl: "After a bloody mutiny by a NEXUS-6 combat team in an Off-world colony, Replicants were declared illegal on earth — under penalty of death." Note: There is a tendency among Blade Runner fans to debate what a replicant really is and there is no exact definition so far. See also blade runner, empathy, Voight-Kampff, Colonization Program, the, unicorn, the.

Replicant Night see Blade Runner 3: Replicant Night

Rep train, the Underground train in Los Angeles which transports defective replicant models to a retirement facility, according to Blade Runner 3: Replicant Night.

Retirement A euphemism for the termination of a replicant, especially when speaking of blade runner law enforcement. Terms like execution, withdrawal or dismantle are probably as appropriate, depending on one's point of view. The term originates from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?.

Ride Into the Sunset After the Workprint screenings, Blade Runner's financiers assumed the audience, especially the American audience, would reject the dark ending. A more conventional and comfortable ending with picturesque photage from Stanley Kubrick's The Shining was added to the Domestic Cut, where Deckard and Rachael leaves Los Angeles smiling. Ironically, the audience rejected this ending even more. Ridley Scott actually considered a similar ending from the beginning, but with a less jolly tone and a less bright landscape. See also voice-over. Illustration: Rachael and Deckard in happy ending.

Ridleyville For Blade Runner's street scenes, Ridley Scott utilized a dramatically modified Old New York street set which had occured in film noir classics such as The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep. The set was located in former Burbank Studios, now Warner Brothers. The obsessively detailed set was named Ridleyville by the crew. Unfortunately, many interesting details could never be seen in the movie, e.g. a news-stand with magazines from the year 2019.

Rosen association The counterpart to Tyrell Corporation in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is named Rosen Association. Consequently, Eldon Tyrell's counterpart is named Eldon Rosen. The corporation is a "family affair" in the novel. Their headquarters can be found in Seattle.

Runciter Merchant in Blade Runner: The Computer Game. He is trading pets, both real animals and artificial counterparts. Witty and arrogant gentleman. Owner of Runciter's Zoological.

Runciter's zoological Pet shop which plays an important role in the opening of Blade Runner: The Computer Game.

Salander 3 A legendary interstellar spaceship which conducted an expedition to Proxima Centauri in the early stages of the Colonization Program. Salander 3 was briefly mentioned by Philip K. Dick in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, and K. W. Jeter advanced the idea in Blade Runner 2: The Edge of Human and Blade Runner 3: Replicant Night. In these literary Blade Runner sequels, it is suggested that the expedition had to be aborted due to unexpected circumstances. Only one passenger survived: Sarah Tyrell.

Sammon, Paul M. Skilled journalist, specialised in film history in general and science fiction film history in particular. Has written articles for various science fiction magazines, e.g. Cinefantasique. His most famous work is "the Blade Runner Bible" Future Noir: the Making of Blade Runner. The connoisseur of Blade Runner and Ridley Scott. Sammon's work has, without any doubt, been essential for the Blade Runner revival in recent years and the compilation of this encyclopedia would have been an impossible task without it.

San Angeles Blade Runner was supposed to take place in either Los Angeles, San Fransisco or an imaginary city called San Angeles. San Angeles was supposed to be a so-called sprawl, i.e. a new city which emerges when large cities grow together, e.g. in the Boston-Atalanta corridor today.

Sanderson, William The actor portraying J. F. Sebastian. Born 10 January 1948 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. Experienced actor, specialised in eccentric characters. Movies: Coal Miner's Daughter (1980), Raggedy Man (1981), Black Moon Rising (1986), The Client (1994), Phoenix (1995), Last Man Standing (1996), George Wallace (TV movie) (1997) etc. Blade Runner was a minor break-through for Sanderson. See also external link: Internet Movie DataBase entry.

San Diego Sneak Preview, the The second preview version from 1982, following the Workprint. It is basically the same version as the Domestic Cut, the theatrical version later to be released, but with a few seconds of extra film.

Schlecht, Hermann Doctor, discipline uncertain. Senior Vice President of the Tyrell Corporation; has dix huit clearance. German, evidently an immigrant. In the screenplay of 1981-02-23, Deckard obtains J. F. Sebastian's adress from Doctor Schlecht through a VidPhon call. He was completely cut out before principal photography. Note: The German word "schlecht" means "bad".

Scott, Ridley The director of Blade Runner. Born 30 November 1937 in South Shields, Durham, England, UK. Art student and experienced commercials director. Movies: The Duellists (1977), Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982), Legend (1985), Someone to Watch Over Me (1987), Black Rain (1989), Thelma & Louise (1991), 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992), White Squall (1996), G.I. Jane (1997), Gladiator (2000), Hannibal (2001). His movie debut, The Duellists, rendered the Special Jury Prize at Cannes and Thelma And Louise and Gladiator rendered some Oscars. Illustration: Ridley Scott. See also external link: Internet Movie DataBase entry.

Sebastian, J. F. Skilled genetic designer and Eldon Tyrell's right hand man, chess partner and perhaps also personal friend; has dix huit clearance. Sebastian is suffering from a rare aging disease, resembling progeria. According to the screenplay of 1981-02-23, he is 27 years old. Sebastian lives alone in the Bradbury Building, but makes friends, literally. His damp dwelling is filled with more or less defective creations, e.g. half-mechanical animoids and replicants. Sebastian was manipulated and deceived by Pris and later slain by Roy Batty in the Tyrell Pyramid. Probably fell in love with Pris. Portrayed by William Sanderson. Illustration: J. F. Sebastian.

Sebastian's unicorn In wide-screen versions of Blade Runner, a toy unicorn can be seen in J. F. Sebastian's home. A controversial fact among fans, see the unicorn. Illustration: Sebastian's unicorn.

Sector 4 A sector in downtown Los Angeles, probably close to or in Chinatown. Deckard mentions it briefly when calling Rachael from The Snake Pit.

Sixth Replicant, the A rich source of speculation among fans. During his briefing, Bryant tells Deckard that six replicants escaped from the colonies and that one of them was killed by a security system in the Tyrell Pyramid. The problem is that Roy Batty's group only consists of four replicants. Who is the sixth replicant? There are quite a few spectacular theories circulating, but the truth is not very dramatic. There was supposed to be one more replicant, named Mary and looking like an ideal American housewife of the '50s. An actress named Stacy Nelkin was chosen for the part. All scenes with Mary were cut prior to principal photography, but Bryant's line unfortunately never got changed. See also Hodge.

Skin job Harsh language for replicant. Compared with offensive racial expressions in the voice-over narration in the Domestic Cut.

Snake Pit, The Decadent nightclub in sector 4, owned or at least operated by Taffey Lewis. Clientele: blasé upper class people who enjoy sipping exotic drinks and watching erotic dancing. Judging from the many clay pipes in the nightclub, quite a few customers may be opium smokers. Taffey Lewis is hostile against Deckard when he investigates the establishment in order to find Zhora, which suggests the possibility of connections between The Snake Pit and Los Angeles' underworld.

Soundtrack, the see Blade Runner: Vangelis

Specials In Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, emigration within the Colonization Program is dictated by crypto-fascistic tests. Genetically unfit individuals have to stay on Earth and are commonly referred to as "specials". Aspiring emigrants also have to pass special intelligence tests and individuals who fail are popularly called "chickenheads". The term appears in Blade Runner: The Computer Game.

Speed Death Productions The film producers responsible for the adaptation for the screen of Deckard's life as a blade runner in Blade Runner 3: Replicant Night. They seem to be specialized in fast, more or less modestly budgeted productions. Uses replicants in stunt scenes who, needless to say, may be killed in order to get realistic shots.

Spinner The 1982 press kit gives the following explanation: "The generic term for all flying cars in use around the year 2020. Only specially authorized people and police are licensed to operate these remarkable vehicles, which are capable of street driving, vertical lift-off, hovering and high-speed cruising. The Spinner is powered by three engines — conventional internal combustion, jet and anti-gravity." All police spinners are supposed to be connected to the main police esper. Although only "specially authorized people and police" may get spinner certificates, it is obvious that important corporate leaders and rich jet set people can obtain them as well, see the Ferrari spinner. Syd Mead has later explained that spinners are not propelled by any spectacular technology, e.g. anti-gravity, but by jet propulsion much like VTOL aircraft today. This futuristic jet technology is sometimes refered to as vector jet. Illustration: spinner.

Steele, Crystal Skilled and coldhearted blade runner amazon in Blade Runner: The Computer Game. Competitor to Ray McCoy.

Steel shop slaughter, the Mentioned by Gaff in the screenplay of 1981-02-23 at the noodle bar. Exactly what happened during this incident is never explained, but it rendered Deckard the nickname "Mister Nighttime".

Sudermann Manufacturer of androids in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. They have produced a model called "T-14", the first android which could pass for a human being.

Sushi master, the The cook, and probably also manager and owner, of the White Dragon Noodle Bar. He obviously have excellent cooking skills, but he do seem to lack linguistic skills. Portrayed by Bob Okazaki.

Synthetic freedom fighters In Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, androids were originally advanced weapons in World War Terminus, called Synthetic Freedom Fighters. It is not necessarily safe to assume that the original purpose with replicants was military, though. A couple of Blade Runner scripts state that replicants were developed mainly for the Colonization Program, while other scripts are more ambiguous.

Tanhauser Gate Mentioned during Roy Batty's death monologue: "I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tanhauser Gate." It is uncertain exactly what Tanhauser gate is, but it has been suggested by fans that it could be an Off-world colony. The name may, or may not, be connected to the old German tale and Richard Wagner opera Tannhäuser.

Tears in Rain

1) Track on the official soundtrack, Blade Runner: Vangelis, illustrating the death of Roy Batty.

2) The death monologue of Roy Batty. His legendary last words: "All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die." This line was actually improvised by the actor Rutger Hauer.

Tech noir It is sometimes said that Blade Runner is tech noir and it is perhaps the best label one can put on this unique movie. Just like film noir, this is a movie genre which cannot easily be defined or demarcated and is probably best described as a hybrid between film noir and cyberpunk. Tech noir movies are dark and mesmerising and have complex perspectives on technology, urbanisation, environment etc. Dark City, Brazil, Twelve Monkeys and The City of Lost Children are other examples of tech noir movies.

Templant A human being who serves as template for a replicant model. Rep techie lingo, introduced in Blade Runner 2: The Edge of Human. Neither the term nor the concept is ever mentioned in the movie.

Thompson, Kevin The actor portraying Bear. Movies: Star Virgin (1979), Return of the Jedi (1983), The Ewok Adventure (TV movie) (1984), Weird Science (1985) etc. Has also performed stunts in a few movies. See also external link: Internet Movie DataBase entry.

Trumbull, Douglas Blade Runner's F/X supervisor, credited together with Richard Yuricich and David Dryer. Born 8 April 1942 in Los Angeles, California, USA. Director, producer and F/X specialist. Except for Blade Runner, Trumbull is most famous for his involvement in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), as well as the much underestimated sci-fi classic Silent Running (1971), probably the first environmentally consious sci-fi movie ever, in which he directed, produced and supervised all the special effects. See also external link: Internet Movie DataBase entry.

Tsin Tsin Vinyl Mentioned by Tyrell in the screenplay of 1981-02-23. Tsin Tsin Vinyl is evidently a corporation. Tyrell sells 300,000 shares just before Batty and Sebastian make their late visit.

Turkel, Joe The actor portraying Eldon Tyrell. Born 15 July 1927 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. Experienced actor who has performed in over 50 movies, e.g. The Shining (1980) and The Dark Side of the Moon (1990). Blade Runner trivia: Turkel is totally uncapable of learning lines, so the crew had to show huge cue cards with written dialogue to him during filming. See also external link: Internet Movie DataBase entry.

Tyrell Corporation Mega-corporation and main manufacturer of replicants, named after Eldon Tyrell or perhaps a whole corporate dynasty. A multi-national and obviously multi-stellar enterprise, probably employing hundreds of thousands or perhaps even millions of people. If one follows the cyberpunk tradition with mega-corporations, "zaibatsus", it is an implicit fact that the corporation basically has its own government, police force, code of laws etc. The Tyrell Corporation might or might not be the sole replicant manufacturer, as it is never clarified in the movie. In the controversial literary sequel Blade Runner 2: The Edge of Human, it is suggested that the United Nations has given the Tyrell Corporation monopoly on replicants. In Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? on the other hand, there are several different manufacturers of androids. Hannibal Chew and J. F. Sebastian are employed by the Tyrell Corporation. In the screenplay of 1981-02-23, there are indications that the corporate language might be French.

Tyrell, Eldon Doctor, discipline uncertain. The omnipotent ruler and probably also founder of the Tyrell Corporation. The screenplay of 1981-02-23 suggests that Tyrell might be an important shareholder in many other corporations too. Obviously a genetic engineering genius and a ruthless corporate leader. J. F. Sebastian claims that Tyrell is a chess master. Employer of Chew and J. F. Sebastian. Encounters Deckard when the latter visits the Tyrell Pyramid in order to verify the validity of the Voight-Kampff scale. Viciously murded by his own creation Roy Batty. Portrayed by Joe Turkel. Illustration: Eldon Tyrell.

Tyrell, Sarah Character introduced in Blade Runner 2: The Edge of Human. The niece of Eldon Tyrell. Only survivor of Salander 3. Templant of Rachael. Some of Rachael's memory implants are supposed to be based on Sarah's childhood memories. When her uncle is murdered by Roy Batty, Sarah gains control of the Tyrell Corporation. Her wicked intrigues involve the assignment of former blade runner Rick Deckard. In the movie, Tyrell's niece is briefly mentioned, but the name and the character has been made up by K.W. Jeter.

Tyrell Pyramid, the Headquarters of the Tyrell Corporation, located in central Los Angeles. Gigantic architecture with a totalitarian touch. Probably both the main administration center and the main production facility. The building is said to be over a mile high and between 600 and 900 stories tall. In the pyramid, Holden is seriously injured after a Voight-Kampff test on Leon, Deckard meets Rachael for the first time and conducts a Voight-Kampff test on her, and Batty murders Tyrell and Sebastian. The Tyrell headquarters obviously has questionable security systems, as Leon manages to smuggle firearms into the facility and Batty manages to enter Tyrell's private quarters.