BLADE RUNNER 2049 K STORY
K
Biographical information
Nickname
Joe
Died
July 6, 2049
Succumbed to his injuries by Luv
Created by
Serial number
KD6-3.7
Family
Joi (partner)
Occupation
Affiliations
Physical description
Race
Gender
Male
Hair color
Brown
Eye color
Blue
Behind the scenes
Portrayed by
Ryan Gosling
KD6-3.7, nicknamed K and later known as Joe, was a Nexus-9 replicant Blade Runner tasked by the Los Angeles Police Department with retiring outdated Nexus-8 replicants, which were rushed into production in 2020 by the Tyrell Corporation upon the death of its founder, Dr. Eldon Tyrell, in 2019. A number of the remaining Nexus-8 models had formed a replicant freedom movement, which the LAPD sought to terminate as well.
On June 30, 2049, following his retirement of fugitive replicant Sapper Morton, K's superior in the LAPD, Lieutenant Joshi, tasked him with terminating the child of a female replicant whose remains were unearthed from beneath Sapper's tree.
June 30, 2049
Retiring Sapper Morton
"I hope you don't mind me taking the liberty. I was careful not to drag in any dirt."
―K to Sapper Morton[src]
Officer K's task involving the search and "retirement" of illegal Nexus-8 replicants led him to rural California, well beyond the city limits of Los Angeles, where rogue replicant Sapper Morton lived as a reclusive protein farmer. Following some brief questioning of Sapper by K, the two engaged in violent hand-to-hand combat inside the small farmhouse. After a vicious struggle, K managed to fend off Sapper and recover his gun. At gunpoint, Sapper told K that he had "Never seen a miracle." K fired twice shortly after, ultimately retiring Sapper. While sitting in his spinner, K's droid provided a reading of the ground beneath Sapper's tree, revealing a large crate buried underground.[1]
Return to Los Angeles
"Honey, you can go wherever you want in the world now. Where do you wanna go first?"
―K to Joi after giving her freedom[src]
Back in Los Angeles, K entered the LAPD headquarters, where he was given an immediate post-traumatic Baseline Test.[1]
Later that night, K returned to his apartment, where he was accompanied by his girlfriend, the Wallace Corporation designed and produced DiJi, "Joi." K gifted Joi an emanator (also of Wallace design) as an "anniversary present," allowing Joi to be portable, or in K's words, allowing her to "go anywhere in the world" unrestrained by the need of a home projector.[1]
Replicant mother
"I've never retired something that was born before. To be born is to have a soul, I guess."
―K to Joshi[src]
Shortly after, K was recalled to the LAPD headquarters by his superior, Lieutenant Joshi. In the forensics lab of the LAPD, K, Joshi, Officer Nandez, and lab technician Coco examined the skeletal remains obtained from inside the crate recovered from underneath Sapper's tree. The skeletal remains, carefully placed within the crate re-purposed as an ossuary, belonged to a woman tracing thirty years prior. Further examination of the remains revealed a narrow birth canal and a fractured ilium, which, in addition to cuts in the iliac crest, led to the conclusion that the cause of death was an emergency C-section. K's intuition led him to examine the remains closer and a serial number was discovered to be inscribed on the bone.[1]
At Joshi's office, K was informed about the gravity of the situation, and the necessity to maintain the discovery in secret, as the knowledge of a female replicant capable of procreating, something thought to be inconceivable, could spark a violent war between humans and replicants on Earth, as well as in the Off-world colonies. K was then tasked by Joshi with eliminating the child born from the replicant. K considered this for a moment, as he "never retired something that was born before," since "to be born is to have a soul," but then proceeded as ordered. Before he left, K was told by Joshi that he had been getting along fine without a soul.
July 1, 2049
Wallace Corporation
"He named you. You must be special."
―K to Luv[src]
K's search for the child led him to the Wallace Corporation's Earth Headquarters, where he requested information on the dead female replicant's serial number, providing a sample of DNA from a lock of hair found inside the ossuary. Inside Wallace's archives, K was informed by an employee that the serial number belonged to a pre-prohibition, standard issue, "unremarkable" replicant made by the Tyrell Corporation.[1]
Moments later, Luv introduced herself to K before leading him to memory data-bank containing decades-old memories. A small audio memory fragment of former LAPD Officer Rick Deckard's Voight-Kampff testing of the unknown female replicant was played.[1]
Interviewing Gaff and meeting Mariette
"Didn't you hear your friends? Don't you know what I am?"
―K to Mariette[src]
Later that day, K visited former LAPD officer Gaff at a retirement home. K questioned Gaff about Rick Deckard, asking of his whereabouts. Gaff responded he had no knowledge of this, mentioning Deckard was "nyugdijas," retired.[1]
While dining in Los Angeles that night outside of Bibi's Bar, K was approached by a prostitute named Mariette. Despite her best attempts, Mariette was unable to retrieve any substantial information from K, who denied her sexual advances.
July 2, 2049
Return to Sapper's
K returned to Sapper's protein farm to continue his investigation. Within Sapper's piano, K found a cigarette tin containing an old baby sock and a photograph of a woman holding a baby in her arms, with Sapper's tree also visible. Before leaving, K discovered the date "6.10.21" inscribed at the base of Sapper's tree. Deeply disturbed by this discovery, K proceeded to set Sapper's farmhouse afire.[1]
K's memory
"I feel a little strange sharing a childhood story considering I was never a child."
―K to Joshi[src]
Following the murder of Coco at the LAPD headquarters, Lieutenant Joshi visited K at his apartment. Joshi was greatly distressed since the remains of the replicant woman had been stolen, increasing the possibility of a leak to the general public and reminded K of the importance of finding the child and eliminating it.[1]
Moments later, K recounted an intimate memory of himself as a child. In the memory, K revealed, he was living in an orphanage where a group of children chased after him in order to get a wooden horse toy from him by force. K, determined to stop this from happening, hid the toy inside an abandoned furnace. He was then beaten by the children. K told Joshi that he considered such recounting as insignificant since memories such as the one recounted were implanted into replicants such as himself and thus held no real meaning.[1]
Joshi made a pass at K and, after being denied, ordered K to look into the DNA of the child at the LAPD the following day.[1]
July 3, 2049
Searching for the child
"Your memory. The date carved beneath. 6.10.21. Coincidence?"
"A dangerous coincidence."
―Joi and K in the DNA room[src]
K continued his investigation at the LAPD Headquarters. Because of the Blackout, the majority of all electronic records were damaged or destroyed. Thus, K was forced to carry out the DNA analysis personally. Whilst doing this, Joi joined him in the DNA analysis room. The two had a private conversation in which Joi produced the wooden toy horse, which was referred to by K in his childhood memory. Joi revealed, however, that the date "6.10.21" was also carved on the base of the toy horse. The appearance of the same date on both the horse and Sapper's tree opened the possibility of K being connected to the investigation itself. K called this a "dangerous coincidence" while Joi tried to convince K that he may have been born, not made. K established the dangers that such truth may have. As a replicant, he could face persecution and unwanted examinations.[1]
The DNA analysis ultimately revealed the birth of two children, a boy and a girl. This was particularly strange since two individuals could not have identical DNA. The records revealed that the girl died at a young age due to a genetic disorder (Galatians Syndrome), while the boy was processed at the Morrillcole Orphanage in San Diego.
Attacked at the trash mesa
"Aw, come on. Get up. Do your fucking job. Find the child."
―Luv after saving K's life[src]
K and Joi flew in his spinner past the Sepulveda Sea Wall and towards San Diego. K's spinner was attacked and brought down by a crude but effective harpoon that shut down his electronics, forcing his spinner to crash land. Scavengers cut open K's door, prepared to kill him and take his property, but he managed to kill four of the scavengers and ordered the others to stay back, only to view many more coming down from the trash hills. Suddenly, they all came under fire from missiles, one so close to K that it blew him back into his own spinner.[1]
Unbeknownst to K, Luv had been tracking him in hopes of K locating the child. She saved his life so that he could continue his search for the replicant child.[1]
The orphanage
K reached the top of one of the trash piles to discover large, domed buildings - collapsed and repurposed Radio Telescope dishes - where the orphanage once existed. Finding his way inside one, bald children began to form around him and touch his jacket. As K made his way into the center of the structure, he ran into a child slavery ring taking apart electronics for their master, Mister Cotton. After K revealed he was a Blade Runner and beat Cotton with his pistol, Cotton took K down into an older section of the building to show him records of all the children who were present in the orphanage since the 2020s. However, the pages K required had been torn out by an unknown party.[1]
Frustrated, K followed a path back through to the furnaces because he seemed to recognize them earlier as part of his memory of the wooden horse. Shockingly, K discovered that the exact toy horse in his memory is where he placed it, wrapped in cloth, inside one of the furnaces. K began to show signs of breaking down as he came to the conclusion that his memory was real.[1]
He later returned to his apartment, informing Joi about his findings. Excited by this news, Joi decided to bestow the name "Joe" upon him. Unsure of this conclusion, K wished to dig deeper and Joi suggested he see the one responsible for creating replicant memory implants.[1]
July 4, 2049
This search led him to memory designer Dr. Ana Stelline at Stelline Laboratories. Stelline informed K that it was illegal for real human memories to be implanted into replicants. She offered to analyze his memory and tearfully confirmed that it was real. Faced with this, K had an outburst as he exited the lab. Outside, he was taken into custody by the LAPD.[1]
On his return to headquarters, K was subjected to a Baseline Test and failed. In her office, an angry Joshi questioned K's previous whereabouts and the progress of his investigation. In response, K lied that he had tracked down the child, who was now working a regular job in Los Angeles, and retired him. Believing K, Joshi determined the stress from the supposed retirement to be the reason for his failed Baseline Test. She took his gun and badge, giving him 48 hours to return to normal before his next Baseline Test.[1]
He returned to his apartment, where Joi awaited him and Mariette soon arrived, hired by Joi to sync with her, so that Joi could have sex with him. After Mariette left, K informed Joi that he had to leave Los Angeles, as he would be hunted soon. Joi insisted she come with him, convincing him to delete her from his home console and remain only on the emanator, increasing the risk of her being lost forever.[1]
July 5, 2049
K brought the wooden horse to Doc Badger, who examined it, finding it to contain high levels of radiation, leading K to the bombed city of Las Vegas.[1]
In Las Vegas, during a thorough search of the city with his drone, K identified heat signatures that indicated life. This led him to an abandoned casino, where he encountered ex-Blade Runner Rick Deckard and his dog.[1]
Deckard held him at gunpoint, questioning why he was there. As Deckard opened fire on him, K evaded the shot and hid. Once Deckard found him in a theater area, he punched K until an Elvis Presley hologram began performing "Can't Help Falling in Love."[1]
K, after fighting Deckard, in Las Vegas
Post-fight, Deckard offered K a drink and asked for his name. When K attempted to respond with his serial number, the only name he had really known, Deckard interrupted and said "That's not a name." Remembering what Joi had called him, K took the name "Joe." When Deckard asked what he wanted, K questioned him about the female replicant, who Deckard reluctantly said to have been named Rachael. He informed K that he never met his and Rachael's child, as he worked to keep her hidden and safe, due to their being hunted. After Deckard left the room, K approached a jukebox and played a Frank Sinatra recording of "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)" as he found a photograph of Rachael.[1]
Later, Deckard's dog whimpered as a machine beeped, alerting Deckard and K to approaching vehicles that had tracked K. The vehicles, containing Wallace personnel and Luv, attacked the building and took Deckard with them. Luv incapacitated K and destroyed the emanator, essentially killing Joi.[1]
K was retrieved by a replicant freedom group, who had tracked him through a device left on him by Mariette. The group's leader, Freysa, urged K to prevent Niander Wallace from reaching the group by killing Deckard. She then informed K that the child was a female, not male, thus it was not him. This, along with what he had learned, led him to the conclusion that the child was Dr. Ana Stelline.
July 6, 2049
K intercepted a Wallace transport that held Deckard, which was traveling towards a spaceport so the latter could then be taken to an off-world colony for torture and interrogation. Using his spinner and its turret, K shot down two escorting spinners and damaged the one carrying Luv and Deckard, forcing it to land along the Sepulveda Sea Wall. He engaged in a fight with Luv, ultimately drowning her while also being severely wounded. K then used the situation to fake Deckard's death, saying he drowned.[1]
Afterwards, he took Deckard to Stelline Laboratories, urging him to meet his daughter. As Deckard went into the lab, the severely injured K laid down on the steps outside and succumbed to his wounds.[1]
Personality and traits
A Nexus-9 replicant model, Officer K was inherently obedient and devoted in his duty as a member of law enforcement in Los Angeles. He was predisposed to be truthful and loyal to his superiors.
Despite his cool and collected demeanor, K could and would demonstrate that he was an experienced, hardened police officer capable of turning aggressive and contentious.
He thoroughly enjoyed listening to vocal jazz and standards, big band jazz and the like. K also indulged himself with bourbon upon returning from a hard day's work.
K's investigation pushed him to the limits, both emotionally and physically, yet ultimately he chose to act selflessly and courageously as he rescued Deckard from the Wallace Corporation, allowing Deckard to reunite with his daughter.
Behind the scenes
K's introduction scene is similar to an unused idea for Deckard's introduction in the original film. In this scenario, Deckard was to show up at a cabin occupied by a replicant (who had soup cooking), retire the replicant, and leave.
In an early version of the script, K has a fear of water, caused by a manufactured memory of nearly drowning as a teenager.[2]
Ryan Gosling was the first and only actor considered for the role.[2]
Alongside Deckard, K is referenced in the twelfth issue of Blade Runner Origins when Cal Moreaux expresses his hope to recruit Blade Runners who would become sympathetic toward replicants. A panel during this speech shows K from behind, approaching the Las Vegas casino.
