Blade Runner: Tyrell as God

When talking about the creation of AI and the alteration of human biology, a phrase that tends to come up a lot is "playing God." It implies a natural order to the universe, and a sense that we as a species are not yet mature enough to even think about the technologies in question. A man who "plays God" is one who has overstepped his bounds, definitionally. Blade Runner, however, offers a different take on a similar idea with the character of Tyrell. See, while Tyrell can very much be said to have usurped the powers of a god, he never seems out of place in that role.Instead, his domination seems calmly natural. For most intents and purposes, Tyrell is God.

For most of the film, Tyrell's role is that of unassailable power. He sits atop his tower, having created life almost indistinguishable from naturally evolved humans. He is, indirectly, thhe root of Rick Deckard's problems, but he can't be blamed because of his power. Rick Deckard doesn't "Retire" Karen immediaely at least partially because she's the pet project of Tyrell, whose wishes supersede the law. He even proudly pointed Karen's nature out to Deckard, despite the criminal nature of his deception. Every human knows to afford Tyrell a measure of respect at all times.

On the other hand, the replicants hold out hope that he is their last chance for survival. They have travelled countless miles, or light-years, based on the faith that this one being can fix them - heal them. The parallels to pilgrimage and faith-healing seem fairly evident to me.

Think about his lavish bedroom. It's cavernous, built from stone, with ceilings lost in the warm gloom cast by the flickering candelabras, whose ever shifting patterns give the impression of a fountain, or perhaps a baptismal. In this cathedral-like suite, he sits around in a thick white robe, an outfit often associated with personifications of God.

Think also about his choice of building design. The Tyrell building, which dominates the city skyline, is a high-tech pyramid, rich with associations to ancient Egypt, which was ruled by the Pharaohs; God-kings who were believed to be both flesh and blood, and divine.



Consider, finally, Tyrell's death. As Roy approaches him, Tyrell references the biblical story of the prodigal son, tying his death into a similar legacy of religious significance, as do the words spoken by Roy: "It's not an easy thing to meet your maker," a phrase that refers to both God, and to death, usually, but in this case refers to Roy's literal creator. Just before killing Tyrell, he calls him "the God of Biomechanics," making the killing more than homicide, more than patricide, and even more that regicide. He has committed deicide. This is reinforced by the final shot of he scene: we look down on Roy in the elevator, gazing up into a blinding white light, seeming to exult in his own power - what little he has left before his death was still enough to kill God.