"Han shot first" refers to a controversialchange made to a scene in the filmStar Wars (1977),[a] in whichHan Solo is confronted by thebounty hunterGreedo in theMos Eisley cantina. In the original version of this scene, Han shoots Greedo dead. Later versions are edited so that Greedo fires at Han first. DirectorGeorge Lucas altered the scene to give Solo more justification for acting in self-defense. Many fans and commentators oppose the change, feeling it weakens Solo'scharacterization. The controversy is referenced in the 2018 filmSolo: A Star Wars Story.
The smugglerHan Solo (Harrison Ford) is cornered by the bounty hunterGreedo (Paul Blake/Maria De Aragon) in a cantina and moves to sit down while at gunpoint. While they talk about money Solo owes, Solo readies his gun under the table. Greedo tells him he has been "looking forward" to killing Solo for a long time. Solo replies, "Yes, I'll bet you have."
The conclusion varies depending on the version of the film being watched.[1] In the original version, the film cuts to a shot of Greedo, followed quickly by flashes of sparks, a cloud of smoke, and the sound of a blaster firing. This is followed by a shot of Greedo from behind, slumping over the table. In the1997 Special Edition, Greedo shoots first at Solo and misses due to Solo moving his head, and Solo then returns fire, killing Greedo.[2]
For the 2004 DVD release, the shots are fired at nearly the same time and Solo dodges Greedo's shot.[2] For the 2011Blu-ray release, the scene of Solo and Greedo firing at each other was shortened by several frames.[3] The scene was changed again for the version of the film released onDisney+ on November 12, 2019. In this version, using a close-up shot already used a few seconds before,[4] Greedo says a line transcribed by fans as "maclunkey!” ("This'll be the end of you") before shooting at Han. The line may be a threat spoken inHuttese, as it is used that way bySebulba inThe Phantom Menace.[5] Additionally, the reverse shot of Greedo being shot was removed, and new effects were used. The changes were made by Lucas beforeDisney acquired the franchise in 2012.[6]
According to Paul Blake, the scene was created as a result of Lucas having to cut a special effects-heavy scene introducingJabba the Hutt[7] due to budget and schedule concerns.[8] The original version of the Greedo scene has grown to be considered iconic,[6] whilethe Jabba scene, which was restored for the Special Edition and later releases, is generally regarded as superfluous.[9][10][11][12]The original special effect was designed and carried out by British two-timeAcademy Award winning 'Dean of Special Effects'John Stears, who mounted the pyrotechnics to the Greedo character.[13]
The change is one of the most controversial ofmany alterations made in the 1997 Special Edition ofStar Wars.[1][14] Many fans argued that it alters Han's initially morally ambiguous character,[15] making his later transition fromantihero tohero less meaningful.[citation needed] According toVariety, "Fans lost their minds. It was an affront, the neutering of a badass."[16] Fans have createdfan edits of the originalStar Wars films (such asHarmy's Despecialized Edition) to reverse Lucas' changes, especially the scene with Solo and Greedo.[2][17] In a 2004 interview, Lucas responded to the criticism, saying, "To me, [the original movie] doesn't really exist anymore. ... I'm sorry you saw half a completed film and fell in love with it. But I want it to be the way I want it to be."[18] He acknowledged the controversy by wearing a "Han shot first" T-shirt on the sets ofStar Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005) andIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008).[19][20] In a 2012 interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, Lucas said:
The controversy over who shot first, Greedo or Han Solo, inEpisode IV, what I did was try to clean up the confusion, but obviously it upset people because they wanted Solo to be a cold-blooded killer, but he actually isn't. It had been done in all close-ups and it was confusing about who did what to whom. I put a little wider shot in there that made it clear that Greedo is the one who shot first, but everyone wanted to think that Han shot first, because they wanted to think that he actually just gunned him down.[21]
One draft of the original script makes no mention of Greedo shooting at all, only Solo.[22][better source needed] In 2015, a replica of an early script forStar Wars was discovered in the archives of theUniversity of New Brunswick library. In the script, dated March 15, 1976, Han shoots first.[23] In a 2015 interview, Lucas said:
Han Solo was going to marryLeia, and you look back and say, "Should he be a cold-blooded killer?" Because I was thinking mythologically—should he be a cowboy, should he beJohn Wayne? And I said, "Yeah, he should be John Wayne." And when you're John Wayne, you don't shoot people [first]—you let them have the first shot.[b] It's a mythological reality that we hope our society pays attention to.[25]
In 2020'sThe Star Wars Archives: 1999–2005, Lucas commented, "I never designed Han to be a ruthless killer. All the good guys shoot inself-defense. When I edited the scene in 1977 you couldn't tell who does what."[26]
Paul Blake said in a 2016 interview: "Of course, it said it all in the original script, we played in the scene in English and at the end of the scene, it reads, 'Han shoots the alien.' It's all it says and that's what happened. It was very painful." Blake felt that Greedo shooting at and missing Solo at very short range made him appear inept, and that Greedo has more glory if he is "just blown away".[27] In 2015, legal expert John P. Gross argued that Greedo's behavior constituted a direct threat and would warrantpreemptive action in self-defense under U.S. law.[28] In 2014, when asked in aReddit AMA, Harrison Ford replied, "I don't know and I don't care."[29]On the 2019 addition of a new line of dialogue, Blake said:
I couldn't understand a word of it. (laughs) It confused me incredibly, but I've never understood anything about the movies anyway, particularly that. The convention I've just come back from, I had a million opinions from everybody. This new word![7]
In the 2018 filmSolo: A Star Wars Story, Han Solo shoots antagonistTobias Beckett mid-sentence, killing him.[30][31][32] WritersLawrence andJonathan Kasdan confirmed that this was a deliberate reference, and that theSolo shooting script specifies: "There can be no question that Han shoots first."[30][32]
InThe Lego Star Wars Holiday Special (2020), which features characters from different time periods brought together throughtime travel, an older Han fromThe Force Awakens asks the younger Han fromA New Hope if he wants to shoot first during an encounter with Greedo. He replies, "After you." Both men open fire simultaneously, before Greedo can react.[33]
George Lucas wants them to fade into oblivion. But some fans spent more than a decade digitally restoring the original 'Star Wars' trilogy, preserving the movies as they were shown in theaters.
In the original versions ... it's clear that Han Solo pulled out his gun and shot the bounty hunter Greedo. In the 1997 version, Greedo shoots first. In the 2004 version, they shoot at the same time.
