In the early twenty-first century, the Tyrell Corporation, during what was called the Nexus phase, developed robots, called replicants, that were supposed to aid society, the replicants which looked and acted like humans. When the superhuman generation Nexus 6 replicants, used for dangerous off-Earth endeavors, began a mutiny on an off-Earth colony, replicants became illegal on Earth. Police units called blade runners have the job of destroying – or in their parlance retiring – any replicant that makes its way back to or created on Earth, with anyone convicted of aiding or assisting a replicant being sentenced to death.

It’s now November, 2019 in Los Angeles. Rick Deckard, a former blade runner, is called out of retirement when four known replicants, most combat models, have made their way back to Earth, with their leader being Roy Batty. One, Leon, tried to infiltrate his way into the Tyrell Corporation as an employee, but has since been able to escape.In the 21st century, a corporation develops human clones to be used as slaves in colonies outside the Earth, identified as replicants. In 2019, a former police officer is hired to hunt down a fugitive group of clones living undercover in Los Angeles.