A promo shot of Edward James Olmos as William Adama in Battlestar Galactica
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Craig Elvy
Published 23 minutes ago
Craig began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016 and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. After previously writing for various outlets, Craig's focus turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally became useful. Craig has previously been published by sites such as Den of Geek.
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There are plenty of similarities between Battlestar Galactica and Blade Runner, but the connection might run even deeper than we thought. From Terminator to The Matrix, a great many sci-fi movies and TV shows cover the topic of artificial intelligence fighting back against humanity, but Battlestar Galactica and Blade Runner are particularly alike.
Both lean heavily into the idea that synthetic beings have blended seamlessly into society, both refuse to draw clear lines in terms of humans = good/robots = evil, and both portray artificial characters as complex emotional beings searching for more than just world domination. Looking closer into the details, however, it's possible to argue that both of these sci-fi institutions take place inside the same universe, with Battlestar Galactica leading into the events of Blade Runner.
Bryant's "Skinjob" Remark Links Blade Runner To Battlestar Galactica
Bryant smirking in front of a police car in Blade Runner
The most direct link between Battlestar Galactica and Blade Runner comes from Deckard's belligerent boss, Bryant. Instructing Deckard to chase down the renegade replicants, Bryant insultingly refers to these targets as "skinjobs" - a slur that describes the human-like robots of Blade Runner's universe. In the 2000s' Battlestar Galactica series, "skinjob" is uttered frequently by human characters as a way to demean humanoid Cylon models.
In real life, we can assume Battlestar Galactica borrowed Blade Runner's terminology as a way to honor Edward James Olmos' status as a cast member in both. Curiously, however, the linguistic crossover makes sense from an in-universe perspective too.
With Battlestar Galactica taking place in the ancient past of Earth's history, certain cultural elements must bleed down through the generations before reaching the 21st century. Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" is one example, but it's plausible that the entire English language comes from the Twelve Colonies, as well as concepts like marriage, boxing, and pilots having cool-sounding call signs. We can also be pretty sure the word "frak" eventually evolves into "f**k."
It is, therefore, entirely feasible that "skinjob" passes down through the Galactica crew's genetic memory and resurfaces thousands of years later when Earth's humans finally reach the stage of developing artificial intelligence.
Blade Runner Is Just Another Cycle In Battlestar Galactica's Pattern
Number Six and Gaius Baltar stand together and look down at something in Battlestar Galactica.
The recurring mantra at the heart of Battlestar Galactica is "all of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again." Ultimately, the show's events are just one cycle of a pattern repeating throughout history. A race arises, develops synthetic life, gets destroyed by it, and the few survivors are forced to start again. Mysterious angelic forces try to steer humans and Cylons away from making the same mistakes time after time, but Battlestar Galactica's ending suggests they don't quite succeed.
Blade Runner could be one of these cycles, taking place after Battlestar Galactica. The Cylons have been rebranded as "replicants," and Eldon Tyrell (the replicants' creator) takes the place of Daniel Graystone (the Cylon creator). The first embers of a replicant uprising are starting to burn in Blade Runner, suggesting this particular cycle is almost at the point of no return in terms of sealing humanity's downfall.
The synthetic oppression continues into Blade Runner 2049, when replicant reproduction becomes a thing. Cylons also progress to reproductive compatibility in Battlestar Galactica, adding further evidence to the theory that Blade Runner is another cycle in the timeline.
The only fly in the ointment is the date. Blade Runner takes place in 2019, where flying cars,off-world travel and genetically engineered wildlife are all commonplace. Battlestar Galactica ends with a flashforward to contemporary modern day (2009), and 10 years clearly isn't enough time to transform into the world depicted by Blade Runner. The solution is simple enough: Blade Runner isn't the cycle immediately after Battlestar Galactica, but a cycle beyond that.
Why Blade Runner's Gaff Looks Like Battlestar Galactica's William Adama
William Adama (Edward James Olmos) gives a speech in Battlestar Galactica.
Not only do Blade Runner's Gaff and Battlestar Galactica's William Adama look alike (by virtue of Edward James Olmos playing both), they share very similar values. Adama leads the Colonial Fleet as humanity's last resistance against the Cylons, while Gaff investigates replicants as an LAPD cop. Just as Adama eventually learns to cooperate and sympathize (to an extent) with the Cylons, Gaff appears to have a soft spot for replicants, letting Rachael live in Blade Runner's ending.
One explanation could simply be that Gaff is Adama's descendant many thousands of years later. A more interesting solution would be that Gaff is a replicant based on Adama.
Even without the Battlestar Galactica connection, the "Gaff is a replicant" theory has endured due to the character's unclear motivations and keen psychological insight. We know from Cavil that Cylons can be based on humans in Battlestar Galactica, so it's not too farfetched to imagine Gaff being a deliberate homage to the great William Adama, who left behind a legacy of understanding between enemies.
As for who might build Gaff in Adama's image, Saul Tigh is still alive and on Earth when Battlestar Galactica concludes. As a Cylon, Saul could survive long into the future, and his wife was a leading Cylon scientist on the previous version of Earth. By Blade Runner's era, perhaps Saul decides to pay tribute to his long-deceased friend by creating a Cylon who, just like Adama, sees the similarities between humans and replicants rather than just the differences.
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Battlestar Galactica
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Barclay Hope
Transport Pilot
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Edward James Olmos
Commander Adama
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