The infamous 'Han shot first' scene in 'Star Wars' has changed yet again on Disney+
One of the most controversial scenes in the galaxy far, far away just got inexplicably more complicated.
A key early moment in George Lucas' 1977 original "Star Wars" movie features Han Solo gunning down bad guy Greedo in the Mos Eisley cantina before heading off into space with Luke, Leia and the gang to take on the evil Empire. Who shot first and when has been at the center of a slew of changes over four decades that have irked the hardcore "Star Wars" faithful, and an alteration in a new cut streaming on Disney+ muddies up the affair even more.
"Did Han shoot first?" has been debated for years. In the original cut, lovable rogue Han (Harrison Ford) guns down Greedo, but in a 1997 special edition, Lucas edited the movie to make it seem like Greedo was the one who fired first, making Solo look a little more heroic but irking fans in the process. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in 2012, Lucas said he wanted to "clean up the confusion. ... Obviously, it upset people because they wanted Solo to be a coldblooded killer, but he actually isn't."
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In 2004, for an updated DVD release of Lucas' first "Star Wars" trilogy, the sequence was changed again to show Greedo firing just a hair before Han.
Much of the scene is the same in the updated Disney+ version, except Greedo says, "Maclunkey" – we're still translating that one – and he and Han shoot simultaneously. (Luckily for the rest of the movies to follow, Han is still a much better shot.)
The scene still reflects the 2004 version on other streaming platforms, including iTunes.
Well, they've done it again. #DisneyPlus appears to have altered the infamous Han and Greedo scene from #StarWars. See for yourself. pic.twitter.com/6aGqwoOrzF
— Garrett McDowell (@GarrettMcDowel1) November 12, 2019
Lucasfilm confirmed to USA TODAY that the new change in the Disney+ version was made by Lucas before Disney's $4 billion acquisition of his company in 2012.
Social media had a field day with the alteration, which generated just as much conversation as the ballyhooed new "Star Wars" TV series "The Mandalorian."
New York Times culture reporter Dave Itzkoff used the kerfuffle to make a timely "OK Boomer" joke.
i can't believe they changed the Han/Greedo scene yet again pic.twitter.com/vRK5mtiupc
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) November 12, 2019
Writer Richard Littler compared it to changing other classic movies, like Michael Corleone playing a kazoo in "The Godfather II."
For. The. Love. Of. Greedo. Somebody. Take. It. Away. From. Them.
In a new version of The Godfather II, Michael Corleone plays a kazoo. In Casablanca, Rick Blaine checks his iPhone. In Psycho, Norman Bates now wears roller-blades. https://t.co/hrbLcddHfG— Richard Littler (@richard_littler) November 12, 2019
And CNN media reporter Frank Pallotta joked that he's looking forward to the next big changes 20 years down the line, "where Han and Greedo hug."
I'm looking forward to Star Wars being released in another format 20 years from now, and it having a scene where Han and Greedo hug.
— Frank Pallotta (@frankpallotta) November 12, 2019
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Star Wars': Disney+ switches up controversial Han Solo/Greedo scene