It seems weirdly disconnected from anything in the movie, and I don't think it came from PKD's novella - so what's up with that? If you needed a different name than the book, why not call it 'Replicant' and leave it at that? Why 'Blade Runner'? And 'it sounds cool' isn't enough if it is relevant to zero in the book and zero in the movie.
shareBecause Scott liked the name
shareYup, as the previous poster said.
The studio had the rights to the title but it wasn't in connection with any script or movie. When Scott made this, it just had that cyber-punk edgy sound to it so they went with it.
It's never explained in any context in the movie.
Scott bought the title to Alan E. Nourse's 1974 SF novel 'The Blade Runner' about medical black marketeering in the near future. He thought 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep' sounded dumb so he called the movie 'Blade Runner' for no other reason than it sounded cool.
shareA pity. "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" is a far more appropriate and provocative title.
It’s a great title but I can’t see it selling too many tickets, it sounds more like a comedy, or something akin to ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy’
‘Blade Runner’ basically looks better on the poster, but you’d hope they could have thought about this earlier on and had at least a couple of references in the actual film.
You're not wrong. As an SF fan since the 60's I am very aware of the originals and the stories involved; so the Dick title resonates more with me.
But for the general public that familiarity isn't going to exist. (and that's not a criticism of the general public. I couldn't tell you popular titles and story-lines in the romance, historical or general fiction genres.)
"A comic-book adaptation of Blade Runner written by Archie Goodwin attempted to explain the term by having Deckard’s narration at one point read, “Blade runner. You’re always movin’ on the edge,” but anyone searching for the term’s meaning within the movie was denied it."
https://www.vulture.com/2017/10/why-is-blade-runner-the-title-of-blade-runner.html
This was an after-the-fact explanation, but really afa the movie, it's never explained.
I can honestly say I never thought of it before. Now you've got me thinking about it.
shareIt seems like that would be a title for an artsy independent type movie and they may have been trying for a blockbuster.
I wonder what they would call Bradbury's "I Sing The Body Electric" if they wanted to try for a blockbuster. Probably something like "Death Wars" or "Mayhem Incorporated".