Summary

• Ridley Scott's new live-action series, Blade Runner 2099, could finally provide answers to the mysteries and unanswered questions from the Blade Runner franchise, such as the identity and origin of the protagonist, Deckard.
• The series has the potential to explore the relationship between Deckard and his daughter, Ana Stelline, and whether they were able to reconnect after the events of Blade Runner 2049, even if they do not actually appear.
• The possibility of a replicant civil war and the conflict between Niander Wallace and the rebel replicants could be an engaging storyline as well.

The mysteries and unanswered questions from the Blade Runner franchise could finally be answered with Ridley Scott's new live-action series, Blade Runner 2099. Blade Runner was first released in 1982 and quickly became a critical success. Harrison Ford, the leading actor, had already starred in iconic roles such as Han Solo and Indiana Jones. Likewise, director Ridley Scott had already released his hugely successful Alien a few years prior. Blade Runner was also based on a popular book by Philip K. Dick, although not every answer to the questions raised by the movie can be found in the source material.

The world of Blade Runner is full of mystery and surprises with some major plot points being left open-ended since the first film. For example, Deckard's identity and origin. With the sequel, Blade Runner 2049, more questions arose as new characters were introduced and their origins were hinted at without fully exploring the meaning. The world of replicants is long overdue for some solid answers, and Scott's Blade Runner 2099 series could finally offer some clarity with the original director back at the helm.

5 Was Rick Deckard Actually A Replicant?

The question of whether Deckard was a replicant in Blade Runner the entire time has existed since the first movie was released, with conflicting answers. In an extended director's cut of the film, it alludes to the fact that Deckard was actually a replicant all along. Ridley Scott has explored the idea in interviews and played both sides to consider which would make the most sense. Even the lead actor himself, Harrison Ford has weighed in with an opinion on Deckard's humanity, but none of these answers are a part of the official canon of the series.

While Ridley Scott hasn't confirmed his intention to direct the project, although he has expressed an interest, he will be closely involved with Blade Runner 2099 as a producer. This could mean that the origin of Rick Deckard is finally explained in the series that takes place 50 years after the events of Blade Runner 2049. The original movie had plenty of clues to indicate Deckard's identity was ambiguous, and 2049 further complicated things when Deckard was revealed to have fathered a child with the replicant Rachael.

4 What Happened To Deckard & His Daughter?

Ana Stelline, a memory designer for the Wallace corporation, is revealed to be the child of the original Blade Runner, Rick Deckard, and his replicant lover, Rachael. However, replicants have never been capable of giving birth before. Either Deckard and Rachael were replicants who were able to produce a naturally conceived child, or a human Deckard was able to reproduce with a replicant and create a human-replicant hybrid. K, a replicant Blade Runner played by Ryan Gosling, believes himself to be the child of Deckard during Blade Runner 2049, but soon comes to learn the true origin of his memories and that they belong to Stelline.

K brings Deckard to meet his daughter through the glass window of her office/cell, and while she doesn't recognize him, he appears to recognize his daughter. Their relationship goes unexplored in the Blade Runner 2049 ending, and it would be great to get some answers regarding their relationship and if they were able to connect again after this film takes place. Whether this will be explored in the new series remains to be seen, but gaining a better understanding of the child of either one or two replicant parents seems like an important thing for the future of replicant-human relationships in Blade Runner.

3 Is K Really Dead After Blade Runner 2049's Conclusion?

Blade Runner 2049 ends with K lying down in the snow to gently expire. However, K's death was not explicitly shown on screen, and with what is known about the series, and its attitude towards ambiguity, it's entirely possible that somehow, K did not die in this scene. It's likely he did die due to the extent of the damage he suffered, but should Scott want to include him in the future series, the excuse for a great escape is all there.

K was a central figure in the story of the Denis Villeneuve movie as a replicant who found himself with real memories from childhood. Unlike replicants like Rachael and possibly Deckard, K knew that he was not human, but the confusion of finding real-life artifacts that confirmed his memories to be real caused serious confusion. Ultimately, the fact that the memories were real, but actually belonged to Deckard's daughter was revealed and this close connection with the earlier Blade Runner and his family makes K an interesting character to explore even further in the series.

2 Will There Be A Replicant Civil War?

The conclusion of Blade Runner 2049 left the world in a pretty precarious state. There are two clear groups of replicants with opposing missions, Niander Wallace with his dreams of creating more replicants capable of reproducing, and the rebel replicants who wish to be free of their human masters. Either way, it appears that humans are standing in the way of these replicants achieving their goals. In addition to standing against humanity and making mankind obsolete. These two factions may turn against each other as Wallace, a human is seeking to build his replicant empire with him holding the power and the rebels are seeking freedom.

A replicant civil war would also make for an engaging new story to come from the world of Blade Runner, as the story comes full circle from Deckard hunting down rogue replicants to the potential images of humans being chased down and erased by replicant Runners. Wallace still possessed all of his resources and the research he gained during Blade Runner 2049, so surely in the span of 50 years, he could have made significant progress towards his goal of creating replicants that can reproduce. The outcome of these two warring groups needs to be explored otherwise the franchise is at risk of discarding meaningful storylines.

1 How Did Rachael Have Children As A Replicant?

Rachael and Deckard fell in love during the original Blade Runner and decided to run away together. The continuation and fruit of this relationship are revealed with the introduction of their daughter, Ana Stelline, in Blade Runner 2049. How could this be possible is a mystery. Rachael is a confirmed replicant and Deckard is at least suspected of being one. How replicants can have a child is a question a new Blade Runner story can answer, even if with new characters entirely.

Blade Runner 2099 can explore this concept with a greater understanding thanks to the 50 years that elapse between each film. Ana's birth is sure to be a point of great interest to humans and replicants alike as it has a huge impact on both of their futures. It's likely that mystery will be explored through the series as it was the biggest development to come from Blade Runner 2049 and the film left this mystery as the potential key for unlocking Wallace's future plans.