Blade Runner 2049: 9 Easter Eggs You Probably Missed

9. Vladimir Nabokov’s Pale Fire

After K has dispatched Sapper Morton, he's subjected to a Post-Trauma Baseline Test to ensure he wasn't emotionally affected by his murderous mission.

Presumably standard protocol for any Blade Runner, the procedure has the subject recite words like 'cell' and 'interlinked' in response to a string of prompts.

It sounds like gibberish, but it's actually poetry, taken from the book Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov which, like Blade Runner, is rich in existential themes.

A subtle nod to the Baseline Test's inspiration appears later on in K's apartment when a copy of Pale Fire can be glimpsed. Joi doesn't appear to be a fan of the book.