Han shot first

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Greedo's big miss in the 2004 DVD version of A New Hope
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Greedo's big miss in the 2004 DVD version of A New Hope

In Star Wars fandom, the phrase "Han shot first" refers to the changes made to a scene in Star Wars, involving the characters Han Solo and Greedo in the Mos Eisley Cantina. The bounty hunter Greedo has come at the behest of Jabba the Hutt, to whom Solo owes a large debt for a failed smuggling run. Apparently, the bounty on Solo's head is of the "dead-or-alive" variety, as Greedo tells him he will enjoy killing him:

GREEDO: You can tell that to Jabba. He may only take your ship.
HAN SOLO: Over my dead body.
GREEDO: That's the idea... I've been looking forward to this for a long time.
HAN SOLO: Yes, I'll bet you have.

During this entire exchange, Greedo has kept his "blaster" aimed at Solo who craftily works his hand down to his own weapon.

In the original version, Solo shoots Greedo under the table after uttering the line "Yeah, I'll bet you have." In the Special Edition version, Greedo, an experienced bounty hunter, shoots at Solo from point blank range and misses. Han shoots him in retaliation afterwards. Thus, the phrase "Han shot first" is a retort to George Lucas's implicit assertion that "Greedo shot first." In the original release of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, only one shot was fired, and it was fired by Han Solo.

Since the 1997 Special Editions, there have been two DVD releases. In the 2004 DVD release, the disputed scene was altered again to have Solo and Greedo shooting at almost the same time (though Greedo still shoots first); Greedo still misses from point blank range. The 2004 DVD release also altered the scene to where Han "dodges" the shot by digitally leaning him to the side. Neither of these changes did much to appease those who were unhappy with the changes. The 2006 DVD had two versions — the 2004 changes and the original theatrical version. The theatrical version features no changes, including Han Solo shooting first without Greedo firing a shot.

When announcing the dual version DVDs, Lucasfilm made note of the fact that the controversial scene was included by saying: "...and yes, see Han Solo shoot first." [1]

[edit] List of references in Popular Culture

This has since become an inside joke to many in the sci-fi and comic communities. This event and controversy has been referenced intertextually many times. Some of these times include:

  • T-shirts sporting the phrase have seen some popularity in geek culture; one of the most prominent examples is a design by cartoonist Scott Kurtz (PvP) [2]. The official Star Wars website even sells a T-shirt with the phrase and a cartoon caricature of Han Solo, created in honor of the 2006 DVD with the original theatrical version.[3] The Kurtz version has made an appearance on television, being worn by a major character in the Sci Fi Channel original movie Haunted Prison.
  • The ire of some fans lead to an online petition demanding that the changes be retracted. [4]
  • Kevin Smith often alludes to Star Wars in his films, including these incidents:
    • In the 2001 film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Holden MacNeil tells Jay and Silent Bob that a feature-length film based on their exploits and those of their superhero alter-egos Bluntman and Chronic would be "the worst idea since Greedo shooting first".
    • On an extra in the Clerks X DVD detailing the extensive audio and visual tweaks to the decade old reels, Kevin Smith jokes how the visual clean-up did not make Dante shoot first or digitalize Jabba.
    • In the 2006 film Clerks II, a bitter customer remarks that main characters Randal and Dante spend their time over pointless conversations, such as "fighting over who shot first, Han or Greedo."
  • In the video game Star Wars: Battlefront II, if the player selects Han and shoots an enemy, they will sometimes say, "What, Han shot first?".
  • In the novel "The Darkest Hours" Spider-Man says, "It dimly occurred to me that at this point, if I was Han Solo, faced with a genuine threat to my life, I would officially have moral license to shoot first."[5]
  • In the song "The Wrist" by Mushroomhead J Mann sings "Greedo died by the hand of Solo."[6]

[edit] References

  1. ^ This September: Original Unaltered Trilogy on DVD. starwars.com (2006-05-03). Retrieved on 2006-12-03.
  2. ^ Han Shot First. ThinkGeek.com. Retrieved on 2006-12-03.
  3. ^ Han Solo "Han Shot First" Adult T-shirt (w/exclusive Topps collector card). StarWarsShop.com. Retrieved on 2006-12-03.
  4. ^ Han Shoots First. hanshootsfirst.org. Retrieved on 2006-12-03.
  5. ^ Butcher, Jim. The Darkest Hours. Pocket Star. ISBN 1-4165-1068-0. Retrieved on 2006-12-03.
  6. ^ Mushroomhead. Superbuick. mushroomhead.com. Retrieved on 2006-12-03.
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