Making Greedo shoot first was ridiculous, but I don't see how it changed Han's character. People seem to think Han shooting first was important for character development, because it shows he was a cold blooded murderer, whereas Greedo shooting first made it self defence. But even when Han shot first, it was still clear self defence, as Greedo was still pointing a gun at him.
shareIt was a change that showed Lucas was now into making babyish films, hence the prequel fiasco.
I can't think of one good thing that Lucas has added to star wars after the release of Return of the Jedi. It's like his golden touch just turned to shit overnight.
I blame that two timing wench Marcia Lucas for wrecking his brain. Lucas was a bad ass in the 70s & 80s, hence Han blowing away Greedo. She pumped the help and took half his money. No one wonder he lost it.
Marcia did nothing wrong. If anything she helped shape the original trilogy to what it was. Had she been around during the prequel era perhaps those movies could have been better. Even she admits George was more into just showing a bunch of action and special effects than actual story telling. She wished she could have been involved to help shape those movies better. I don't dislike them, but I see their flaws especially when very little was actually filmed on location for Episodes II and III and was basically green screen central.
shareMarcia Lucas made Star Wars what it was, she edited the entire Death Star trench run sequence and practically saved the movie. If anything, Lucas lost his muse when he divorced her.
shareBecause originally it made it clear he's not willing to take any chances and will straight out kill you if he believes you're a threat. Whereas in the SE it shows he wont kill someone until they make the first move.
shareexcellent explanation
shareBut how did Greedo miss? He was sitting across maybe 4 feet from him at the table?
shareThat too is a reason its a stupid change
shareIt was because he said "Maclunky". He puts himself off! If he'd just shot him, there's no way he misses. He would have said it back in the 70s but the technology just did not exist back then.
That's why George Lucas added the MacLunky line to rectify things. It's as per his original vision for the scene and makes Greedo look less stupid.
Oh please. If someone has a gun in your face you have two options. Either be killed or kill the person who is pointing the gun in your face. In a situation like that you don't wait for the other person to shoot first.
shareMuch as I agree , Greebo has already made "the first move"
Does that apply in all situations?
What do think of these 3 examples ?
1) mugger in alley way points gun demands wallet . You've got a gun . Do you start a gunfight or just give wallet , lose the cash, and cancel your credit card when you get home?
2) You're in the line at the bank , A bank robber says "everyone down on the floor and no one gets hurt!"
Do you do that? or start shooting?
3) Or to take it to the extreme , what if its a cop pointing a gun at you at a traffic stop (his gun is drawn because , say , your car matches description of a different more dangerous one)
Surely thats not license to start shooting?
It makes the scene sloppy and untidy. The original version is very clear as to what happens and why. As stated above, why does Greedo miss at close range? It makes the whole scene muddled and ridiculous. Better to cut it altogether if it offended Lucas that much.
Also, claiming "it doesn't change Han's character" is false. It is essential that we see how violent, and ugly Hans world is, and how jaded he is as a person. That makes his return at the end to save the day more impactful and moving. What's even the point of having Greedo "kinda sorta shoot first but not really"? Audiences understood the scene perfectly in 1977... it's Georges Lucas who forgot.
I liked the original scene much better. It was both funny and showed how much of a badass Han was.
shareHan Solo never shot first. He's the only who shot. That's it. He fired and killed him.
Changing it ruined it because he's supposed to be completely different to Luke. That's a big driving force of the film. The jaded, cynical, anti-hero teaming up with the young, naive, honourable hero. Not just killing Greedo gave Solo too much honor.
And putting that aside, it just looks awful. The way he dodges Greedo's laser without moving naturally. Lucas should've left it alone.
54 seconds in. It's part of what made Han Solo the cool character he is.
https://youtu.be/la7uuFsCIrg?feature=shared