One of the longest running arguments in all of Star Wars is whether or not Han Solo shot at Greedo first. In the original version of the film A New Hope, Han opens up on Greedo in the cantina to avoid being captured and taken to Jabba the Hutt. In the "Special Edition" version to the film, George Lucas changed the scene to show Greedo shooting first. This changed the whole dynamic of the scene, as well as the character Han Solo. So why did he do it? Here's what Lucas said on the subject in a recent interview:
"Han Solo was going to marry Leia, 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 be John 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. It's a mythological reality that we hope our society pays attention to."
I'm not 100% on this, but I'm pretty sure John Wayne didn't always wait to get killed before shooting someone himself. Oh, and John Wayne was the cowboy! Let's be honest for a moment...it doesn't matter if you label Han Solo as a space cowboy, or a space pirate. Both cowboys and pirates killed people, so what difference does it make if they shot first or not? Why is he so distraught over this one scene when he goes on to kill hundreds of Stormtroopers in later battles? Plus, Greedo had a gun already trained on him in the scene, so why wouldn't he shoot first? Not only did Lucas' "Special Edition" ruin the original scene with his own conscience, but he also turned Greedo into the worst shot in the universe! I mean, really? How could a bounty hunter miss a shot from across a table?!? How had Greedo not been killed sooner???
Now you know where I stand on the whole "Who shot first?" debate, but I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the matter. Leave me your comments in the section below, and tell me who you think shot first!
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