Among the many enemies Han Solo made during his time roaming the galaxy far, far away was the bounty hunter Greedo. Star Wars fans will remember how Greedo cornered Han at blaster-point at the Mos Eisley Cantina during A New Hope, only to pay for underestimating the cocky scoundrel with his life. It was seemed that Greedo's hatred of Han was more personal than professional, and thanks a new Star Wars story, we've learned that the reason for this is because Han got in the way of one of Greedo's romantic pursuits.
In "The Luckless Rodian," one of the many short stories included in the 40th anniversary Star Wars literary collection From a Certain Point of View, (via Big Shiny Robot), it's revealed that Greedo was madly in love with a woman named Uncelta, who was everything he "cherished" in a woman. Unfortunately for him, Uncelta ended up choosing Han, which was bad enough. But when Han later broke Uncelta's heart, that enraged Greedo further, hence why he was all too willing to shoot Han in the Mos Eisley Cantina. He wanted revenge against Han for taking Uncelta away from him and for emotionally hurting her. When Jabba hired Greedo to collect the money Han owed the Hutt crime lord, that presented the perfect opportunity for Greedo to settle his grudge.
Of course, in the end Greedo failed to eliminate his romantic rival. As most Star Wars fans can instantly recall, Greedo intercepted Han shortly after his meeting with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker, where he demanded that Han either pay up or give up his ship, the Millennium Falcon. Han unsurprisingly refused to do the latter, and since he lacked the credits for Jabba's payment, Greedo decided to snuff out his nemesis for good. Wherever you fall on the "Han shot first" debate, the encounter ended with Greedo being blasted in the chest and left for the Cantina staff to clean up later. Younger versions of Greedo would later appear in The Phantom Menace and the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series, but the Rodian bounty hunter is still chiefly remember among fans of the franchise for his quick and brutal demise. At least now we have a better understanding of his beef with Han, who would soon make the transition from smuggler to Rebel hero.
We'll be learning more about Han Solo's time in the criminal underworld next year in his spinoff movie, which is set years before A New Hope. Given that it was rumored that Jabba the Hutt might appear, that then begs the question of if Greedo might pop in for a cameo, too. The events of "The Luckless Rodian" wouldn't necessarily have to be referenced; instead the Han Solo movie could depict the two of them meeting for the first time, with Greedo being able to tell right away that he doesn't like the black-vested human.
With or without Greedo, Han Solo will be back on the big screen when his standalone Anthology movie is released on May 25, 2018.
