Han shot first



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 Hut, 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: Yeah, 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. Lucas changed the scene, when re-editing the films for the special editions, because he felt that the original version made Solo look too cruel.

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 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.

This has since become an inside joke to many in the sci-fi and comic communities, with referances to this abundant in such literature.

"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." - Spider-Man: The Darkest Hour ISBN 1-4165-1068-0 By: Jim Butcher

There is also a reference to the controversy in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, a film by known Star Wars fan Kevin Smith.

T-shirts sporting the phrase have seen some popularity; the most prominent example is a design by cartoonist Scott Kurtz (PvP). 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. The Kurtz version has made an appearance on television, being worn by a major character in the Sci Fi Channel original movie Haunted Prison.