Conclusion:

Pulling it all together, the lore in the world of “Blade Runner” themes mix beautifully with the themes of rebellion, autonomy, and morality presented in John Milton’s “Paradise Lost.” Both articles by Dessen, Gowan and Lussier read the rebellion of Satan in “Paradise Lost” as a heroic act (following the Romantic ideal of the Promethean hero). The act is heroic because Satan rebels against God for freedom and the pursuit of knowledge. Much like the Romantic ideal that Satan embodies, the rebellion seen across the film and the animated short follow the same parameters: the rebellion of Roy Batty and the replicants in the original movie begin with the pursuit of an extension of life, but the course of the film gives Roy new meaning. Rebelling against his designed purpose (killing) is what solidifies him as a tragic hero and allows him to find purpose and humanity in his final moments. This, in combination to the knowledge he passes on to Deckard which allows him to rebel in an Adam like way, allows us to see how “Blade Runner” showcases and provides context to Satan’s “heroic” arch as presented in John Milton’s “Paradise Lost.”

As an extension of the original “Blade Runner,” the animated short “Blade Runner: 2022 Blackout” provides a new narrative which follows the same formula and concepts of the original film, but in a different way. I see the two replicant protagonists as a split in Roy Batty’s arch from Satan (associated with Iggy) to Son (associated with Trixie). This short allows for us to see how the messages are interpreted by another creator and what stands out from the original film. What I found most interesting was the “splitting” of Roy Batty’s character arch into two distinct entities. Whichever movie (or animated short) you select, the lore of “Bade Runner” solidify disobedience as a virtue: the replicants are usually the most “human” when they rebel for noble purposes, namely freedom.