Comments | stormwreath: (Fic) Is this testing whether I'm a Replicant or a lesbian, Mr Deckard?

stormwreath

(Fic) Is this testing whether I'm a Replicant or a lesbian, Mr Deckard?

Mar 27, 2009 12:16

Inspired by a conversation about Dollhouse with alexeia_drae. Background on the Voight-Kampff test (from Blade Runner) is here.

ETA - I've also done a similar post on the two female Terminator characters from the Sarah Connor Chronicles.

Good morning, Agent Ballard - or Mr Ballard, I should say. I need you to answer some questions for me.

Why? I had enough of ( Read more... )

meta, dollhouse, fic

Comments 19

joe_sweden March 27 2009, 14:50:54 UTC

I went with "pulls out a gun and shoots you" - cos that man is one violent little fcker.

stormwreath March 27 2009, 16:26:43 UTC

No he's not! He's cute and cuddly like a big teddy bear!
:-)

And he may also be an evil killer robot or Active. Maybe.

jadestrick March 27 2009, 16:34:33 UTC

There's no way. He's the Knight in Bruised Armor. :)

But I adore you for putting him to this test. ;D

stormwreath March 27 2009, 16:52:46 UTC

Thank you. :-)

(I've just done the same for Cameron and Weaver from 'Terminator', if you're interested.)

jadestrick March 27 2009, 21:55:11 UTC

Oh cool! I'll have a look!

moscow_watcher March 27 2009, 16:35:54 UTC

Right now he isn't. But if Joss gets season 2 he could change his mind and retcon Paul's status.

stormwreath March 27 2009, 16:54:03 UTC

Or maybe he's the only person in the entire world who isn't an Active...
:-)

eowyn_315 March 27 2009, 17:43:45 UTC

Er, I went with the gun, partly because he totally, totally would, but also because I'm not sure I understand the test (and I even read the link!). I'm noticing a theme with killing animals in the situations - is it that the more you have a problem with it, the more human you are?

stormwreath March 27 2009, 19:09:53 UTC

Basically, yes. In the book (and the film too, although it's less clear there) Deckard rigs up a machine to monitor the subject's pupil dilation and blush response - basically a lie detector. He then asks them these questions, the idea being that humans will react with empathy, disgust, sadness etc at the different situations; while androids will either not respond emotionally, or try to fake their response and get it subtly wrong.

The actual verbal replies aren't really the point of the test, but it was fun trying to think how Ballard would respond to them.

sister_luck March 27 2009, 17:58:06 UTC

I don't think this test would work on an active - the way I understand the technology there is nothing to distinguish an imprinted active from a real human being. On the other hand, there must be some sort of failsafe - (apart from the pre-conditioned triggers like the "treatment" thing and the trust in the handler).

Also, I don't think that Ballard is an Active.

stormwreath March 27 2009, 19:14:44 UTC

I'm not sure that it wouldn't work, or at least something similar. Especially if the imprint is composited together from several different personalities - which I gather most of them are - it could be that detailed psychometric tests would pick up subtle clues that would be different from a normal person's brain. Or if Topher takes shortcuts and uses the same early childhood memories for every imprint, that might show up too.

And I don't think he's an Active either, really, but given that everybody else is turning out to be one...