If there’s one thing we geeks love to do, it’s debate the minutae of fictional universes. Arguably the most popular debate in all of pop culture is whether Han Solo or Greedo shot first in the Mos Eisely cantina during the original Star Wars. Seven movies later, the debate continues to rage. When faced with the question, the cast of The Force Awakens seems to generally share the same opinion:
This question was posed by the folks over at Collider. As previously mentioned, the cast generally all feels the same way about the matter: Han shot first. Some, like John Boyega, feel that way generally because it fits in with their perception of the character as a badass, scruffy looking nerf herder. Others, such as Adam Driver, are of the opinion that whatever George Lucas originally committed to film is the correct answer, meaning that no special edition revisions can change the fact that Han murdered Greedo in cold blood. The only member of the cast who didn’t chime in is the one who has had to deal with this question the longest: Harrison Ford. In the face of the nerdiest question of all time, the Hollywood icon simply smirks, leans forward, and tells the interview that he doesn’t care. If ever you needed further proof that Ford is Han Solo, I think we just found it.
When faced with the question, some of the respondents laughed, others answered seriously. In particular, J.J. Abrams sarcastically remarked that he considers the question offensive, holding firm in his belief that Han always has and always will shoot first.
For those of you not fully in tune with this decades old debate, check out a side by side comparison of the Han/Greedo scene – one from the original 1977 Star Wars, the other from a remastered special edition – to get a better sense as to just how this controversy started:
The beauty of this debate is that a true resolution will never be reached. Fans watch A New Hope and glean what they want from that scene, deciding for themselves what kind of character they want to perceive Han Solo as. With a Han Solo prequel film on the way, perhaps we will get more insight into the inner workings of the character during his younger years, but for now the question of whether Han had it in him to murder someone in cold blood remains an open ended mystery with no true resolution. You can check out an older, more seasoned Han in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which continues to dominate at the box office.
