Dr. Tyrell’s murder is one of the most memorable scenes in Blade Runner, largely because of the powerful emotions evoked from the rich visual and aural depiction of the classic theological narrative in which a creation destroys its maker. Yes, Roy Batty, the android to which Tyrell has arguably been a poor father, will audibly identify Tyrell as the “God of biomechanics” before imploding his skull, which lends obvious support to the aforementioned theme. However, a closer examination of the scene reveals numerous motifs that intensify the gravity of Roy’s transition to the superior being. Firstly, Tyrell’s high-altitude, candle-lit retreat is the perfect stage for the original deity figure, who is robed in elaborate white pajamas that match the heavenly white-cloth decor. It is here that Tyrell, father of the sentient Nexus-6 androids, is reintroduced as a master of chess; his apathetic movement of the game pieces is analogous to his lack of concern for the well-being of the mechanical life forms which he created. Foreshadowing the coming events, Roy, dressed in a satanic all-black, defeats Tyrell in the chess match by advising Sebastian’s phone call in the elevator, just as Roy is using Sebastian to gain entrance to Tyrell’s otherwise unreachable sanctuary in order to conquer him. The actual moment of the murder is supported by an angelic chorus, representing the creation of a new God. Sebastian is brilliantly conveyed as helpless to these events, as he is only presented to the audience behind a formation of incarcerating candles.
One thing that I also took away from this scene is the way in which Tyrell is killed by having his eyes gouged out. I do not know if this seems a little far-fetched but this scene to me represents the fact that Tyrell was not able to see the future of his creation and what the Nexus-6 was to ultimately bring to humanity. Also stated in a few other posts, it was not clear who was being watched and who was the surveyor but I think hat Roy Batty, in gouging Tyrell’s eyes out seemed to make the statement of “You are not able to see what is to come and you are not the one who will ultimately decide the future. Without your ability to see the future, you brought a fate upon yourselves and upon human beings that could ultimately destroy you. You have failed to truly see what your creations are capable of and what is best for the future of the human race.” By taking Tyrell’s eyes, Roy makes all of these statements and permanently detaches Tyrell from civilization at this moment before Tyrell dies. I like the point you made about “c creation destroying his maker” and making that connection between Tyrell and Roy Batty because I feel that the things that have happened in our word today were not foreseen by our creator and many humans have lead to destruction and chaos, just like the Nexus-6 units did.