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Founded January 1970
Julian Date: 2458810.16
2019-2020:  LVIII
           "...starships on fire off the shoulder of Orion..."
                               -Roy Batty

THE DAILY ASTRONOMER
Friday, November 22, 2019
Quiz XII: Blade Runner

[image: 027_blade_runner_theredlist.0.jpg]
Of course!
Of course we wouldn't forget that we have finally reached November 2019!
After years of eager anticipation, the science fiction aficionados are now
living in "Blade Runner" month.    We couldn't not celebrate this month
with a quiz that pays homage to the best science fiction movie that will
EVER be made at any time on any planet in any time period, thank you very
much! Mind you, any sci-fi worth's his inertial mass in sodium chloride
will consider these questions comically simple.  Anybody who hasn't seen
the movie will likely just delete the quiz or flip a coin..twice for each
answer.


1.  The movie is based on Philip K. Dick's novel entitled_____________
a.  "Blade Runner"
b.  "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"
c.  "Nexus 6"
d.  "Deckard's Dream."

2.  The film is set in November 2019 in which city?
a.  Tokyo
b. Hong Kong
c.  Shanghai
d.  Los Angeles

3. Rick Deckard was assigned the task of "retiring" artificial human beings
known as __________.
a.  replicants
b.  androids
c.  daleks
d.  Tryell-bots

4.  Who composed the sublime soundtrack:  you know, the one that actually
made the movie what it was?
a.  Philip Glass
b.  Vangelis
c.  Frank Zappa
d.  Andrew Lloyd Webber

5. Harrison Ford portrayed Rick Deckard.  Who was originally chosen for the
role?
a.  Dustin Hoffman
b.  Frank Sinatra
c.  Tom Cruise
d.  Tom Hanks

6. What is the purpose of the Voight-Kampff test?
a.  to determine if a subject is a human or an artificial human
b.  to determine if one's eyesight is affected by cigarette smoke
c.  to determine if any even number greater than 2 cannot be reduced to the
sum of two primes
d.  none of the above

7.  How long do the Nexus 6 model of artificial humans live?
a. indefinitely
b. 3 years
c.  4 years
d.  111 years, which, considering that their systems are binary based,
isn't that long

[image: blade_runner_hed.jpg]

8.  When was the movie "Blade Runner" released?
a. 1979
b. 1982
c. 1985
d. 1989

9.  "Blade Runner" didn't enjoy commercial success when it was first
released perhaps because two other well known science fiction movies were
released in the same month.    Pick these two movies out from the following
list:
a.  E.T.  The Extra Terrestrial
b. The Empire Strikes Back
c. Star Trek II:  The Wrath of Khan
d. Alien

10.  Is Rick Deckard an artificial human?
a.  yes
b.  no
c.  no, but I am
d. perhaps

ANSWERS

1.   "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"

2. d.  Los Angeles

3. a.  replicants

4. b.  Vangelis

5. a.  Dustin Hoffman

6 a.  to determine if a subject is a human or an artificial human
By asking questions designed to provoke an emotional response.

7. c.  4 years

8  b. 1982

9.
a.  E.T.  The Extra Terrestrial
c. Star Trek II:  The Wrath of Khan
These two movies and Blade Runner were released in June 1982.

10.   a. *YES!*
Now comes on the onslaught of furious e-mail responses.   Look!  Remember
the scene when Deckard was about to fall to his death from the high rise?
Roy Batty looked down on Deckard as the latter was holding onto the steel
girder by his non dominant hand FAR longer than any human should have been
able to.   While watching Deckard slipping off the girder, Batty initially
appeared triumphant. He soon appeared puzzled for he observed that Deckard
possessed unusual strength.  At the last moment, he recognized that Deckard
was a replicant and saved his life.   Then, as we all know, Roy delivered
the best death soliloquy in the history of cinema.

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