The Duality between Decker and Nick Valentine (Creative Process for Collage)
“I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.”
While watching Blade Runner, we were struck by how similar the story was to a lot of the science fiction media we consume. Through research, we discovered that “Do androids dream of Electric Sheep?” by Philip K. Dick was likely the core source of inspiration for not only Blade Runner, but all the media we were reminded of.
For me, Deckard reminded me a lot of Nick Valentine, an android detective with implanted memories.
Fallout 4 - Abbie - Nick Valentine versus Deckard
“Because I was Nick Valentine. I had his memories, his fears. All that poor bastards hope.”
Similarities between deckard (a supposed replicant) and nick valentine (a machine with man’s memories)
While watching Bladerunner and researching Bladerunner, I was struck with the possibility that Deckard could be a replicant. It reminded me a lot of one of my favorite video game characters, Nick Valentine. The key difference is that Deckard has no idea that he is a replicant, while Nick Valentine is keenly aware of the fact that he is a synth (a synthetic human). He has exposed wires and ligaments, with glowing yellow eyes (not unlike the glints we see in Blade Runner). Nick Valentine is not only a machine, but he is a detective. He has the memories of a pre-war detective (also named Nick Valentine) implanted in his head, hence the name and the attitude that comes with Nick’s character. But is synth Nick the same as pre-war Nick? Or is he just a shell with the memories of a dead person trapped inside. His entire arc revolves around taking down the man (Eddie Winters) that killed pre-war Nick’s wife 2000 years ago, but it isn’t even his wife technically. However, in Nick’s own words:
“I was Nick Valentine. I had his memories, his fears. All that poor bastards hope.”
“I had some old memories, prewar faded to all heck, of guys dressed like this, doin’ what I do.”
“All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die -”
The sole survivor and Nick Valentine are the only ones who remember a time before the war. The sole survivor because they were cryogenically frozen for thousands of years, but Nick because of transplanted memories. He remembers a wife, a kid, a family, Eddie Winters, but they aren’t truly his memories. And with Eddie dead, the memories are truly lost to time. Nick has nothing else to build off of now. But, as he says, the only thing that is truly his, is the pursuit of justice.
Deckard and Nick are contrasts of the same character- a detective determined to do what is right. But their identities are warped with the uncertainty of who they really are. Man or machine? Memories that are or aren't your own? The two are really more alike the more you think about it.
What are my thoughts on the quote:
I certainly feel an existential vibe from the quote. Eventually, all memories will fade with time when no one else is around. However, I also disagree with the quote, to a certain extent. I don't think that memories have an expiration date. I think that as long as you tell someone's story, their memory can and will live on. That's why its so important to carry the stories and the memories you have of other people. To keep people alive, and keep their memories. I think this is just because I don't subscribe to the existential philosophy. There's too much to do in the world, too much to see and hear, for it to all be for nothing.
Comments
Post a Comment