Was there ever an explanation given by George Lucas or the studios for changing the cantina scene to Greedo firing before Han did?
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104Greedo never shot first. Ever. Anyone who tells you differently is a filthy liar.– phantom42Commented Apr 8, 2015 at 15:31
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2@phantom42 [Looks at own answer and coughs nervously] Then again, we always knew Lucas was a liar– Jason BakerCommented Apr 8, 2015 at 15:32
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87I'm tempted to delete this question as it's about fanfic– ValorumCommented Apr 8, 2015 at 15:52
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2@Richard: How is this FanFic?– bobbyalexCommented Apr 9, 2015 at 1:56
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2@BobbyAlexander - Because all fans know that this didn't happen, notwithstanding Lucas' fiddling.– ValorumCommented Apr 9, 2015 at 5:29
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1 Answer
Yes, Lucas addressed this controversy in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in 2012:
Lucas: The controversy over who shot first, Greedo or Han Solo, in Episode IV, what I did was try to clean up the confusion, but obviously it upset people because they wanted Solo [who seemed to be the one who shot first in the original] to be a cold-blooded killer1, 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.
He goes on to compare this change to replacing the puppet Yoda in Phantom Menace with the CGI model used in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Ultimately, this is an example of Lucas using CGI to make older films more true to his creative vision; in Lucas' mind, Greedo always shot first.
Interesting, this is contradicted by the script:
Greedo I've been looking forward to killing you for a long time.
Han: I bet you have.
Suddenly the slimy alien disappears in a blinding flash of light. Han pulls his smoking gun from beneath the table as the other patron look on in bemused amazement. Han gets up and starts out of the cantina, flipping the bartender some coins as he leaves.
The novelization (which, despite having Lucas' name on the cover, was actually written by Alan Dean Foster and presumably approved by Lucas) also contradicts Lucas' statement:
"Over my dead body," Solo said unamiably.
[Greedo] was not impressed. "If you insist. Will you come outside with me, or must I finish it here?"
"I don't think they'd like another killing in here," Solo pointed out.
Something which might have been a laugh came from the creature's translator. "They'd hardly notice. Get up, Solo. I've been looking forward to this for a long time. You've embarrassed me in front of Jabba for the last time."
"I think you're right."
Light and noise filled the little corner of the cantina, and when it had faded, all that remained of the unctuous alien was a smoking, slimy spot on the stone floor.
Solo brought his hand to the smoking weapon it held out from beneath the table, drawing bemused stares from several of the cantina's patrons and clucking sounds from its more knowledgeable ones. They had known the creature had committed its fatal mistake in allowing Solo the chance to get his hands under cover.
Star Wars (novelization) Chapter 7
No mention is made of Greedo shooting at all. Chalk it up to Lucas' historical revisionism, I guess.
However, they've been slowly rectifying this with subsequent releases:
The initial controversy came from the 1997 Special Edition release
In the 2004 DVD release, the timing is shortened slightly; Greedo fires first, but only just. A diligent YouTuber has compared the 2004 scene to the 1977
In the 2011 Blu-Ray release, it's shortened again; Han and Greedo now shoot at basically the exact same time. The 2011 scene is also on YouTube.
TheStarWars Trilogy.com has assembled a composite of all four versions, available on YouTube:
1 I understand that this is a topic that incites passion. Please keep the discussion in comments respectful to all2, especially those with different opinions. We're all friends here, let's keep it that way.
2 Except for George Lucas, for whom Nerd Rage has been justified (even mandatory) since 1997
answered Apr 8, 2015 at 15:27
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18I think Lucas was even wrong about why people were/are upset about the change. I don't know of anyone who "wanted Solo to be a cold-blooded killer". He's just pragmatic. Han knows that Greedo intends to kill him; why give him the chance to try?– KSmartsCommented Apr 9, 2015 at 15:36
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26Indeed, the weird part is George Lucas's assessment that shooting someone who is holding you at gunpoint and announcing their intent to kill you makes you a cold-blooded killer.– MedinocCommented Apr 9, 2015 at 15:45
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6@Izkata The 1977 version is consistent with the script and the novelization: it's a deliberately confusing moment and nobody's quite sure what happens, but Han comes out alive and Greedo doesn't. The implication is that Han shot Greedo before Greedo could shoot him because, as imolit points out, who misses from point blank range? Commented Apr 10, 2015 at 2:42
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2@JasonBaker Anybody does, when their target can dodge a shot at point-blank range.– KSmartsCommented Apr 10, 2015 at 14:31
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9I have always maintained that this moment is important to illustrate what kind of a person Han is. He's not a "cold-blooded killer" - Greedo was clearly threatening his life, not simply walking down the street, or yelling an insult at Han, or just snoring too loud. So he's WILLING to kill, but he's also willing to cut and run, or drop his cargo at the first sign of an Imperial cruiser. In short, out for himself. So that shows how far he's come by the end of New Hope alone, when he comes back to aid Luke. Making him shoot in self-defense minimizes that aspect of his character. Commented Mar 6, 2018 at 18:19