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E. Gaff[1] was a police officer with the LAPD Blade Runner Unit. In November 2019, he investigated a break-in at the Tyrell Corporation headquarters and accompanied Rick Deckard during part of his assignment to retire a group of renegade replicants.

He had an affinity for creating origami figures.

Biography[]

Renegade replicants[]

Gaff was relatively new to the Los Angeles Police Department Blade Runner unit in November 2019.[2][3] That month, he was assigned to investigate a break-in at the Tyrell Corporation[4] and he was sent by his superior, Captain Harry Bryant, to retrieve Deckard. He presented his compulsory invitation to Deckard in Cityspeak, which Deckard pretended not to understand. Upon hearing that Bryant wished to see him, Deckard reluctantly joined Gaff on a flight in his spinner to the LAPD.[5] Along the way, Gaff complained to Deckard, telling him that he'd argued with Bryant about trying to convince him that Gaff alone could find the replicants and kill them all one by one, but Bryant had insisted, citing Deckard's expertise. Gaff also criticized Deckard on the way he looked and how it reflected upon the department.[6]

Upon arrival at the LAPD, Deckard and Gaff took a seat in Bryant's office. Deckard learned of the escaped replicants and his job to retire them before word got out to the public that there were replicants on Earth. Gaff, meanwhile, constructed an origami chicken.[5]

After leaving the Tyrell Corporation and introducing Deckard to Rachael, Gaff and Deckard went to the replicant Leon Kowalski's apartment at 117 Hunterwasser to investigate his whereabouts. While Deckard explored the bathroom, finding several scales (belonging to Zhora), Gaff created more origami. This time, he made a man with an erection from a matchstick.[5]

While Deckard traveled to the Bradbury Apartments, Gaff went to Deckard's apartment where Rachael – who was ordered to be retired – slept. Before leaving, Gaff left behind an origami unicorn.[5]

He met Deckard shortly after his final fight with the replicant leader Roy Batty, complimenting him on a job well-done. He mockingly noted, referring to Rachael, "It's too bad she won't live, but then again, who does?"[5]

Later, while Deckard retrieved Rachael from his apartment and they made their escape, he noticed one of Gaff's origami unicorn. After recalling Gaff's enigmatic final words, Deckard left.[5]

Around this time, Gaff encountered rookie Blade Runner Ray McCoy several times as the latter investigated the murders of Tyrell scientists. Gaff informed him that the replicants who were connected to the murders were also responsible for a moonbus hijacking the previous month. If McCoy retired these replicants, Gaff left him with an origami dog.[4]

Human supremacy movements[]

In 2022, in the midst of the human supremacy movements, Gaff and another officer researched five Nexus-8 replicants who had escaped from Calantha, though Gaff stated that this affair was the military's concern, not theirs.[7]

Night Owl[]

By 2023, Gaff was a lieutenant with the department. At some point he fashioned a small origami figure of a howling wolf which he placed upon his own desk. When Blade Runner Harper was ambushed and knocked unconscious by a group of replicants, Gaff wrote a small note in a get-well card that the department arranged for Harper's benefit. Gaff then went to his location, learning from Harper that they had mentioned "Night Owl" and someone named Nakayama, both of which Gaff intended to research.[1]

Later during Harper's search for Nakayama, Gaff ordered Harper to perform and Voight-Kampff test on Lazarus.[1]

After Harper failed to retrieve Nakayama – who was killed at the hands of Eve – and retire Lazarus, Gaff stopped him and advised that he tell Holden the complete truth about his investigation.[1]

Midway through a Voight-Kampff test administered by Holden on Harper, Gaff entered and informed Holden that Lilith Tyrell – who had allegedly disappeared – had been located at her office.[1]

Retirement[]

By 2039, Gaff had retired and was living in a senior care facility. There, he maintained a friendship with his former LAPD colleague Lydia Wojciech. Shortly after Wojciech died, former Blade Runner Aahna "Ash" Ashina came to the facility in search of her. Gaff informed Ash that Wojciech had passed away and was aware that Ash intended to kill Niander Wallace. He recommended that she bring Wallace what he wanted in order to get close to him. When she left, he gave her an origami frog.[8]

As of 2049, Gaff continued to live in the care facility. Officer K met him during his investigation into the whereabouts of Deckard and Rachael's child, where the two talked about Deckard. Enigmatic as always, Gaff remarked that he knew Deckard was not long for this world because of "something in his eyes." Gaff remarked that Deckard probably got to be alone, implying that was what he wanted. Gaff placed an origami sheep on the table in front of K.[9]

Behind the scenes[]

Katherine Haber suggested Edward James Olmos for the role. Olmos wore blue contact lenses for the role, created by Dr. Morton Greenspoon. Ridley Scott allowed Olmos to create a background story for Gaff, deciding that the character was primarily of Mexican-Japanese heritage, with his American lineage going back at least five generations.[10] Les Martin's novelization identifies him as Japanese.

Olmos also created the cityspeak on his own, using a variety of his own extensive language experience. For preparation, he visited the Berlitz School of Languages in Los Angeles, where he learned phrases in Hungarian, German, and French.[11] One of the words Gaff speaks in 2049 is "nyugdijas", the Hungarian word for "retiree".

Gaff game model

Gaff's character model in the 1997 game

Olmos reprised the role in Blade Runner Black Out 2022 and Blade Runner 2049. Gaff was voiced by Javier Grajeda (credited as Victor Gardell) in the 1997 video game and by Kirk Thornton in Blade Runner: Revelations. The character additionally appears in the ninth issue of Blade Runner 2039.

In a draft of the film, dated February 23, 1981, it is Bryant rather than Gaff who appears on the rooftop after Roy Batty dies. Another draft included Gaff chasing Deckard and Rachael as they fled the city.[10]

Blade Runner: Revelations shows Gaff's nameplate in the LAPD as "E. Gaff" seemingly confirming that the name Gaff is his surname.

References[]

BRLOGO
Off-world: The Blade Runner Wiki has 14 images related to Gaff.
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