Han Shot First

It’s part of Star Wars lore that “Han shot first,” referring to the scene where we first met Han Solo. He gets into an altercation with a Rodian bounty hunter named Greedo and shoots him. We all know now that George Lucas was making up the story arc of the original trilogy as he went along, so later when Solo emerged as a fan favorite and Princess Leia’s love interest, he remastered the scene to show that Greedo shot first -and missed, so that Solo only killed Greedo in self-defense. Star Wars fans who were born after the remastered home video version came out never saw the scene as it was shown in theaters in 1977. The revision was to make Solo a more ethical hero, but the change angered fans who adored Solo even with a murderous streak. Today, the New York Daily News has an interview with Paul Blake, the actor who played Greedo. He confirms what we’ve been telling younger fans. 

"Of course, in it said it all in the original script, we played in the scene in English and at the end of the scene, it reads, 'Han shoots the alien.' " Blake told the Daily News. "It's all it says and that's what happened. It was very painful."

Besides, having Greedo fire first and miss from across a table, as has been the case after the original release, is sort of embarrassing.

"He was a bit inept wasn't he?" quips Blake. "He's a worse shot than a Stormtrooper. I don't think Jabba had him under a pension plan let's put it that way.

Blake would like to see the scene eventually restored to its original version. He also tells us how he got the role. Dying early meant it was short-lived, but the retcon gave him a place in history. -via Uproxx 

(Image credit: The NeatoShop)