Han Shot First

I feel a disturbance in the Force. And by that I mean that there's a new Star Wars film coming out this weekend. One supposed to be the origin story of Han Solo.

I'll talk about Solo once I've seen it, but for now, I'd like to talk about one of the most controversial scenes of the franchise: Who shot first? Now, this has been debated to death, but I'd like to talk about it anyway. Mainly because I'm bored at work, which technically means I'm getting paid for this.

Anyway, let's give a summary of the scene from the original Star Wars: Han Solo was a smuggler in the employ of the crime lord Jabba the Hutt, but ended up being in debt to him after a botched job forced him to dump his cargo to prevent it from being seized by an Imperial boarding party. In the Mos Eisley Cantina, he is confronted by Greedo, a bounty hunter in Jabba's employ, who corners him at gunpoint in the booth and tries to shake him down. Han tries to talk his way out, discreetly drawing his gun under the table, and ends up shooting Greedo. That was all well and good, but then in 1997, the special editions were released, and it was changed so that Greedo shoots and misses, and then Han returns fire.

So, what's the issue? Well, first of all, it looks terrible. Han's head digitally shifts to avoid the shot, but the idea of him casually dodging a shot fired at close range is kind of hilarious. It's like Joe Perry in the Livin' on the Edge music video playing his solo in front an oncoming train and then stepping off the track before it hits him.

Alright, that's not my main issue. That would be the fact that the scene is supposed to establish Han's character as a morally-ambiguous anti-hero, and I can't help but feel that Greedo shooting first kind of detracts from that. In fact, that was how George Lucas justified the change. He reckoned that Han shooting first would make him too cold-blooded. It's likely that he was worried about the re-release getting a PG-13 rating, which didn't exist in 1977. Personally, I'd be fine with Han being cold-blooded, as it provides some contrast between him and the more moral and idealistic Luke Skywalker. In fact, I've actually read the script for the film (specifically a fourth draft dated from 1976), and it states that Greedo does not shoot.

The whole scene is actually based on a scene from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, in which Tuco is having a bath and is confronted by a one-armed bounty hunter. As the bounty hunter gloats, Tuco shoots him, revealing he had hidden his gun in the suds made by the bath salts, saying "When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk." I couldn't have said it better. And if we're talking about westerns, Unforgiven discusses the notion of quick draw gunfights that the person who shoots first is rushing and will most likely miss. But that scenario doesn't work in Greedo's favour, as he already had his gun drawn.

This has been debated for over 20 years. Before I go, I'd like to share some of the funnier studies I've read:

1. One was made by a lawyer in California, who reckoned that because Greedo had Han cornered at gunpoint and announced an intent to cause harm, Han acted in legally justifiable self-defence. 
2. Harrison Ford himself was asked about it on Reddit, and simply said "I don't know and I don't care."
3. Finally, Paul Blake, who played Greedo, actually spoke out in favour of Han shooting first, because he looks like the world's worst henchman if he shoots and misses at close range, but goes out with a little more glory if he gets gunned down.

That's about it. Granted, I have the 2004 DVD version of the original trilogy, where Greedo still shoots first but it's a little smoother. But I'd still like to see the unaltered trilogy get released at some point, and I'm certainly not the only one who feels that way.

Anyway, I'd best sign off. Happy writing, and may the Force be with you.