Tyrell Corporation Origins

The company that built the replicants.

The Tyrell Corporation was the manufacturer of replicants, bioengineered beings used for labor and military service on off-world colonies. Founded by Eldon Tyrell, the corporation is based in a pyramid in Los Angeles. Its Nexus series replicants, such as the Nexus-6 and Nexus-7 models, were central to the Blade Runner franchise. In 2019 a group of rogue Nexus-6 replicants led by Roy Batty reached Tyrell in his penthouse, and Batty killed him.

Quick Facts

Founder: ceo: Eldon Tyrell
Primary product: Nexus Series Replicants

Lore & Background

The Tyrell Corporation was the creator of the Nexus series replicants, including the Nexus-6 models like Roy Batty, Leon, Zhora, and Pris, and the Nexus-7 model Rachael. Eldon Tyrell, the founder, believed that implanting replicants with memories would allow them to develop emotional control, making them more manageable. He designed replicants with a four-year lifespan to prevent them from developing full emotional complexity. Its headquarters is a pyramid in Los Angeles. Tyrell was killed by Roy Batty, who sought an extension to his lifespan but was refused. After the Blackout of 2022 replicant production was banned and the corporation went bankrupt; Niander Wallace later bought it.

Reader's Guide

The Tyrell Corporation is central to the Blade Runner narrative as the manufacturer of replicants. Its founder, Eldon Tyrell, was a geneticist who created the Nexus series, including the Nexus-6 combat model Roy Batty and the Nexus-7 Rachael, who was given the ability to reproduce. The corporation's headquarters in Los Angeles is a pyramid. Blade runners use the Voight-Kampff test to identify replicants; Rachael answered more than a hundred questions before Deckard identified her.