5

Are there any sources that are canonical to the movie version of Blade Runner (as opposed Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep) that discuss the main method of interplanetary space travel in the Blade Runner universe?

If so, what do these sources say?

Improve this question
7
  • 6
    There's barely any mention of space travel in the movie ... just references to 'off-world-colonies', and the famous 'attack ships ... off the shoulder of Orion' speech, and that Replicants are used to explore. Given its not mentioned in the movie and you exclude the novel, what canonical sources would you accept?
    – iandotkelly ♦
    Commented Jul 26 at 16:48
  • I can't quote it myself but: "Niander Wallace's words about wishing to see mankind reach the stars heavily suggest that there is no interstellar travel yet." - suggests even less has been established in the sequel. At least in DADOES there is mention of colonies on Mars, and Rosen mentioning Rachael on the Salader 3 heading for Proxima. Movie-wise, Bryant mentions intergalactic run for Leon (loader) but thats the only reference. Reps on Calantha is shown in the anime, travel method not shown.
    – blobbymcblobby
    Commented Jul 26 at 16:55
  • Also see "How are the off-world colonies reached in Blade Runner?" - scifi.stackexchange.com/q/186119/140676
    – blobbymcblobby
    Commented Jul 26 at 17:03
  • 1
    There are extensive comics and other media that are considered fully canon to the films. Space travel features regularly.
    – Valorum
    Commented Jul 26 at 18:04
  • We can conclude that it is highly advanced and superluminal since they have reach distant stars such as those in Orion. PKD was not a hard scifi writer, not worried about plausibility of technologies mentioned.
    – releseabe
    Commented Jul 27 at 0:38

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
5

In brief, the 'off-world' travel in the Blade Runner fictional universe is inconsistent, incomprehensible and leaves every question unanswered.

The very short answer is that in the two original films there's essentially no mention of how off-world travel is accomplished.

If we take the comics as canon, we see a star gate in Blade Runner 2019 #6. This appears to be a riff off of Hauer's speech where he mentions something called the "Tannhauser Gate". It has no obvious mechanism and we don't see it working. It merely exists.

enter image description here

Travel to the stargate is undertaken using some form of sublight engine. These have large and visible glowing stacks but no visible exhaust. It's not clear what fuel they're using or the energy source propelling them.

Improve this answer
1
  • 1
    Shame, I rather enjoyed the Gate being ambiguous in my mind (before Soldiers deleted scene, and I had never read the comics..), that it was a place, or a place of reference. I rather enjoyed the idea of a battle playing out against the background of some enormous colorful phenomenon in deep space.. oh well...
    – blobbymcblobby
    Commented Jul 27 at 10:01
2

Submitting as a partial, or not even as an answer, and also probably not answering this per se, but:

(thought I would put it in as I have not seen it mentioned elsewhere)

What was the main method of interplanetary travel in the Blade Runner universe?

Blade Runner 2049 explicitly shows an Off-World ship - only that there is no further information beyond that - there is no explanation for power source nor how it functions for example.

Concept artwork by Adam Baines for Blade Runner 2049:

Offworld Ship

Sketches for a ship seen overhead when leaving LA. I did some quick block out sketches in 3d Coat and then did some rough renders to mock up the shot.

These made it in to the movie, where you see it looming out over the landscape:

mesa wall scene 2049 with off world colony ship

More detail from concept:

clearer detail on colony ship

Interestingly, these vessels are not only interplanetary, they are capable of operating in the atmosphere...

Earlier concept examples:

earlier off-world colony ships concept art

His page can be found here: https://adamb.artstation.com/projects/x9NzE

Note:

Because of the design, many thought it was a link to the Alien universe or even the Sulaco itself, which obviously it was not:

ussc sulaco aliens franchise

And just to add, the 1998 movie Soldier penned by BR's David Peoples, with BR Easter Eggs added by the vfx artists and BR's Art Director David Snyder (replica Spinners), added ships that were either in battle at Tannhauser Gate (suggested) or some other battle in the Off World colonies (in the script as the Trinity Moons), and was considered as sharing its universe with BR (or sidequel):

1998 Soldier combo pic

(IIRC, the battle sequence is incomplete due to budget, and was referenced as a deleted battle at Tannhauser Gate). Having said all that, despite the connections I'm pretty sure most do not consider Soldier's shared universe as canon though.

even more off-topic, I found these of the Soldier interplanetary ships:

production models of interplanetary ship Soldier 1998

Improve this answer
3
  • 1
    "They travel by spaceship, we actually see one" seems a perfectly fine answer to me!
    – Valorum
    Commented Jul 28 at 8:44
  • I suppose I was umming and ahhing because I thought OP wanted 'hyperdrive!' or 'generational sub-light!', 'futuromangodrive!', and 'duriansmellodrive!' etc detailed explanations... :P
    – blobbymcblobby
    Commented Jul 28 at 9:13
  • 1
    Oh sure, we have no idea how that thing actually stays up in the air instead of falling down and killing thousands. Probably it uses some of the same anti-gravity tech as the spinners.
    – Valorum
    Commented Jul 28 at 9:18

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .