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Was there ever an explanation given by George Lucas or the studios for changing the cantina scene to Greedo firing before Han did?

Machavity
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Nu'Daq
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1 Answers1

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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:

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

Community
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Jason Baker
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    I 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? – KSmarts Apr 09 '15 at 15:36
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    Indeed, 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. – Medinoc Apr 09 '15 at 15:45
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    Uhm, am I missing something? I watched the three Youtube videos linked above, and in the 1977 version I can't see who fires at all -- there's smoke and then Greedy collapses. In the 2004 version Greedy shoots first but misses (as an aside, how can you shoot so poorly at point blank range?). In the 2011 version I don't see Greedo firing his gun at all, there's just the blaster slug from Han's pistol. So, since 2011, Han actually shoots first as far as I can tell... – imolit Apr 09 '15 at 17:42
  • Waitwait hold up. I never had my own copy to check and weigh in on this particular topic, but seeing it now I agree with @imolit - the original on the left in the first video shows neither shooting, but there are two distinct shots: a flash of sparks, then smoke a moment later, which looks like it's coming from a different direction... – Izkata Apr 09 '15 at 18:02
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    @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? – Jason Baker Apr 10 '15 at 02:42
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    @JasonBaker Anybody does, when their target can dodge a shot at point-blank range. – KSmarts Apr 10 '15 at 14:31
  • @imolit - you never see Han's blaster bolt because he fires it UNDER the table. In the original, you never saw ANY bolt - Han says "I bet you have", then blaster sound and poof, Greedo slumps over. In the newer versions you see Greedo fire at or try to fire at Han right before or just as Han shoots him from under the table. – Omegacron Apr 10 '15 at 17:54
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    I 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. – VBartilucci Mar 06 '18 at 18:19
  • When someone holds a gun into your face and anounces he will kill you, then secretly drawing your own gun and shooting first still qualifies as self-defense in my opinion - maybe not in our time's RL, but in that SW setting where it was obvious that no threat of beeing prosecuted for murder would keep Greedo from carrying out his announcement. – Volker Landgraf Nov 15 '19 at 15:31