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Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Cover art by Harry Sehring.

In 1992, owning a live animal—or the finest imitation thereof—is an emblem of status among those too gene-damaged to flee Earth’s prosperous off-world colonies, where every citizen gets an android slave. The earthbound spend their time empathizing with Wilbur Mercer to prove their humanity while escaped androids attempt to hide among the refuse of humanity, evading bounty hunters like Rick Deckard.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968) by Philip K. Dick, relates to the movie Blade Runner (1982) as Dick’s The Man in the High Castle (1962) relates to world history—recognizably the same place populated by similar characters, but seen from an entirely different perspective, informed by different parade of facts.

Blade Runner

The Criterion Collection #69.

I received my Laserdisc player as an early birthday present in November 1994. At least, that’s how I remember it.

Are memories to be trusted?

Are they real?

Circa 1987, Criterion released the international theatrical cut of Blade Runner on Laserdisc, a version without any unicorn dreams or nagging ambiguity.

Because I bought the LaserDisc the week of Christmas, Blade Runner (1982) became my Christmas Eve movie. The DVD of the Director’s Cut supplanted the LaserDisc at the turn of the millennium and was succeeded by the Final Cut on Blu-ray and 4K. I missed a few years early on, when family gatherings in far away places robbed me of the necessary technology, but there’ve been no years without Deckard since I left home.

Rachael (Sean Young) in Blade Runner (1982).

It’s probably weird to spend Christmas Eve questioning the nature of humanity, or maybe not.

“It’s too bad she won’t live. But then again, who does?”
Gaff

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