20 Things You Didn't Know About Blade Runner
15. The Term "Replicant" Never Appeared In The Novel
Despite "replicant" being an extremely memorable term for the androids in Blade Runner's universe and the term coming into use in the wider science fiction world since, it was completely absent from Philip K. Dick's original novel. In the book, replicant are known by the classic term "android" or the diminutive "andy". The writers felt these terms would sound clichéd or even comical, and opted not to use them.
David Peoples' daughter, who was studying microbiology and biochemistry at the time, introduced him to the theory of replication, and thus the unique and altogether more sinister "replicant" was born. The pejorative term "andy" was also replaced with "skin job", a repulsive epithet espoused by more bigoted characters.