I've long had the suspicion that not only did Scott begin his movie career knowing that writing was not his thing, but also that he felt his visual-heavy storytelling needed some sort of crutch to guide the audiences' understanding of his narratives.
Alien, Blade Runner, and Legend all leaned heavily into their genres stylistically, as though Scott felt that the viewer's understanding of the genre (and it's traditions) would help guide us through the story. Looked at this way, Alien and Blade Runner are not so much science-fiction films, but the horror film and the film noir, Legend being the fairy tale; three very distinct genre types.
The Duellists doesn't really fit into this, however. Although maybe that film, being his first, was what turned him onto this strategy. Perhaps he thought there was some failing there.
And then after Legend, his confidence grew and he got less defensive about all those accusations of being just a visual stylist.
All speculation, of course.
TC
