One of the most important functions of Terminator 2 and Blade Runner within their Science Fiction subgenre is their portrayal of ‘The Other’ or the nonhuman. In this particular case, we are talking about the Terminators and the Replicants and how they are presented in the films. The Terminators are classified as cyborgs in Terminator 2, whereas Replicants are androids which are based on Phillip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. The terms android and cyborg are completely relative to how the films present them and have a debated definition within the sci-fi community. However, the Terminators are machines that are made in the likeness of human beings. The T-101 has flesh and skin covering his machine body, whereas the T-1000 …show more content…
The T-101’s death affirms the plight of the humans against the machines. His emotionally charged death can be seen as the loss of John’s father figure as he is at this point considered human. Roy’s death can only be seen as the Replicants being more human than the humans in the film which is a triumph for the Replicants. Terminator 2’s message about the importance of family does not translate to Blade Runner as the humans are devoid of family in the context of the film and the Replicant family is destroyed. Although the films use similar process to develop the T-101, T-1000, and the Replicants, the audience cannot thematically connect the two films because their messages are so different. The films dystopic setting aids in the creation of ideals that Blade Runner and Terminator 2 exemplify. Blade Runner utilizes this bleak industrialized Los Angles where people are devoid of significant relationships with one another, whereas Terminator 2 shows a unification both in 1995 and 2029. An important aspect as to why the films are so different is that they represent two sides to the android/cyborg sub-genre of Science Fiction. Blade Runner represents the demoralization of the human race and the idealization of “The Other” where Terminator 2