Film 3: Blade Runner- One of the science fiction "classics", starring Harrison Ford, and directed by Ridley Scott. Blade Runner is the first movie of its kind, a dark and apocalyptic view of what the future may hold for humanity. Ford Plays Decker, a "Blade Runner", a special officer dedicated to seeking out and destroying "replicants", artificial humans with possible homicidal tendencies. The plot unfolds as these replicants try to come to terms with their limited life spans.

In this film, we look at the creation of a robotic "slave race" and their exploitation in the new human colonization in space. However, instead of these being mindless drones, they are given distinct human characteristics, among other things, the capacity for human emotion. However, as a method of control, the androids are given shortened "lives". The corporation in charge of the manufacture of these machines is constantly trying to push the envelope, developing a new prototype of device that does not know that it is a "replicate". We ask the question, "just because we have the ability, should we create it?"

Another aspect that Scott looks at in this exploration is the "commonilization" of science. He shows images of matter analysis machinery being available at every street corner, and hot-dog stand. As our technology progresses, what will the lay-person have the ability to do? Does the lay-person have the right to be able to access any sort of technology?

-Links to Explore:

Blade Runner is a movie that is filled with many images and discussion topics ranging from bioethics to fantasy. The links below are provided to help you explore some more abstract and hard to notice points in the film that will provide hours of controversy for any discussion.

----> Blade Runner Script This script is from the 1982 movie, and is supplemented with still shots from the movie.

----> Blade Runner Questions- Frequently discussed topics on the internet, as well as new questions and clarifications about the movie. Don't

miss the explanation of the chess game!

----> Blade Runner Insight A highly graphical website dedicated to the unofficial in-depth analysis of Blade Runner

-Recommended Reading:

----> Supertoys Last All Summer Long, and other Stories of Future Time. by Brian Aldiss. The Story that the summer blockbuster A.I. was

based on. Inspires many of the same questions (as well as new ones) raised by Blade Runner.

---->Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. The story that inspired the movie Blade Runner.