Shoulder of Orion: The Blade Runner Podcast

We often talk about a "loneliness epidemic" in modern society. We're more connected than we've ever been, and yet we're feeling more isolated from one another.

Blade Runner, for all of its vibrant street life and urban density, has a profound undercurrent of loneliness.

In today's episode, Jaime, Patrick, Peter, and Micah are joined by returning guest Dom for a discussion about loneliness in the world of Blade Runner, and how it reflects some of the loneliness we are seeing in the real world around us all.

We wish you a happy and healthy close to 2025, and we'll see you in 2026!

// For more on this and our other projects, please visit www.bladerunnerpodcast.com 

// If you'd like to join the conversation, find us on our closed Facebook group: Fields of Calantha.

// To support the show, please consider visiting www.bladerunnerpodcast.com/support. We've got some great perks available!

// And as always, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing this show. We can't tell you how much your support means to us, but we can hopefully show you by continuing to provide better, more ambitious, and more dynamic content for years to come.

We are getting this episode out later than planned, but it is a special one and worth the wait. As humanity tries to understand the rise of artificial intelligence, Patrick and I sit down with our contributing hosts Peter from the Midwest and Micah Greene to talk about JOI in the time of AI.

 

AI is here in every corner of our lives now, from ChatGPT to large language systems to the generative engines reshaping art and communication. With this new reality around us, how does JOI read today. Does she feel different? Does she come across as something more troubling or more harmless? Has the world changed enough that her presence in the Blade Runner universe means something new.

 

We explore all of it in this episode. We hope you enjoy the conversation.

// For more on this and our other projects, please visit www.bladerunnerpodcast.com 

// If you'd like to join the conversation, find us on our closed Facebook group: Fields of Calantha.

// To support the show, please consider visiting www.bladerunnerpodcast.com/support. We've got some great perks available!

// And as always, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing this show. We can't tell you how much your support means to us, but we can hopefully show you by continuing to provide better, more ambitious, and more dynamic content for years to come.

In this episode, Patrick and Jaime open the vault and take you behind the curtain of Blade Runner 2099. Fresh from their virtual set visit, they walk you through an array of exclusive behind-the-scenes imagery, offering a rare glimpse into the making of Amazon’s long-awaited series.

Rumors suggest that 2099 returns to the haunting beauty and texture of Ridley Scott’s 1982 masterpiece , but how true are those claims? Your hosts dive into the details: the architecture, the props, the atmosphere, and the spirit of what they’ve seen. Are we truly stepping back into the neon-soaked dream of the original film, or are we witnessing a new world take shape?

Settle in and enjoy this one. It was an extraordinary experience for us, and we’re thrilled to finally share it with you.

* A correction: Drew Struzan was the creator of the Final Cut poster, not the original. That one was by John Alvin.

// For more on this and our other projects, please visit www.bladerunnerpodcast.com 

// If you'd like to join the conversation, find us on our closed Facebook group: Fields of Calantha.

// To support the show, please consider visiting www.bladerunnerpodcast.com/support. We've got some great perks available!

// And as always, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing this show. We can't tell you how much your support means to us, but we can hopefully show you by continuing to provide better, more ambitious, and more dynamic content for years to come.

In this episode Jaime and Patrick sit down with the writer for Blade Runner: Black Lotus | Las Vegas, Nancy Collins. From the ins and outs of writing a comic like Blade Runner, to her connections with Swamp Thing, Nancy covers a lot of ground as she traverses the world that Philip K. Dick started. Join us for this very thorough discussion. We hope you enjoy. 

// For more on this and our other projects, please visit www.bladerunnerpodcast.com 

// If you'd like to join the conversation, find us on our closed Facebook group: Fields of Calantha.

// To support the show, please consider visiting www.bladerunnerpodcast.com/support. We've got some great perks available!

// And as always, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing this show. We can't tell you how much your support means to us, but we can hopefully show you by continuing to provide better, more ambitious, and more dynamic content for years to come.

Believe it or not, it's been SIX YEARS since David Leach has been on our show. Last time, we were discussing the imminent release of the first arc of Blade Runner Titan comics. Now, we're about to get three massive omnibus releases collecting Blade Runner 2019, Blade Runner 2029, and Blade Runner 2039 (and a whole lot more).

It was nice to take a moment to reflect back on all that's happened since 2019 in Blade Runner comic-dom—and to look ahead at what's to come!

More Blade Runner comics talk coming next month, so stay tuned!

// For more on this and our other projects, please visit www.bladerunnerpodcast.com 

// If you'd like to join the conversation, find us on our closed Facebook group: Fields of Calantha.

// To support the show, please consider visiting www.bladerunnerpodcast.com/support. We've got some great perks available!

// And as always, please consider rating, reviewing, and sharing this show. We can't tell you how much your support means to us, but we can hopefully show you by continuing to provide better, more ambitious, and more dynamic content for years to come.