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An exact quote from Lucas on Greedo shooting first.

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 (Edited)

This quote is a classic by Lucas as he tries to defend the change of Greedo shooting first in the Special Edition:


GL: It’s a correction. [When I made Star Wars] I said, ‘Well, I don’t have that shot, so I’ll just, you know, fudge it editorially.’ In my mind [Greedo]shot first or at the same time. We like to think of [Han Solo] as a murderer because that’s hip- I don’t think that’s a good thing for people. I mean, I don’t see how you could redeem somebody who kills people in cold blood."…


Come on now, Lucas has lost his mind!

 

 

Mod Edit: Included now is a screenshot image of the Lucas quote above - from the September 2004 issue of EW magazine:-

_^ as provided by doubleofive - from his insightful twitter thread on the ‘Han Shoots First’ issue - and also some of George Lucas claims and statements on the topic:-

https://twitter.com/StarWarsVisComp/status/1168554173136166913_

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He doesn't know how too redeam people who kill in cold blood? Hmm...

And yet, Han IS redeamed. I wonder how that happend. Hell, Anakin got so redeamed he received bonus points and got his youth back. Now that is redemption to the X-TREME!
"I am altering the movies. Pray I don't alter them any further." -Darth Lucas
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Well, it's not like anybody else in the saga kills a bunch of innocent kids or anything and gets redeemed in the end.
Forum Moderator

Where were you in '77?

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And all that mowing down of Stormtroopers doesn't count for anything either, I suppose, since you can't actually see the "cold blood" through the armor.

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

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Yeah so how did blasters kill you? Wasn't it just a burn wound?
http://www.my-musik.com/uploads/zidane006.gif
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To say nothing of the fact that Greedo was about to shoot:

HAN: Over my dead body.

GREEDO: That's the idea. I've been looking forward to this for a long time.

So Han was acting in self-defence anyway. Every kid understood this the first time they saw the OT.
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Lucas thinks we are all idiots. It's a classic western bar room shoot up. Is Lucas that arrogant to think that none of us have ever been exposed to a western before? Of course Han would shoot first, otherwise he would have been killed, and that would have sucked.
"I am altering the movies. Pray I don't alter them any further." -Darth Lucas
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Well, according to George, he was perfectly safe, even if Greedo had fired off a blast.

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

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Then again why even bother shooting back when Greedo missed in the first place? Just bitch slap him.
There's good in the Original Trilogy, and it's worth fighting for.
"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."
http://www.myspace.com/harlock415
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Slapping a Rodian would probably be painful, but that is besides the point. Greedo was pointing a gun at him and clearly WANTED to pull the trigger. He was probably GOING to do it, just gloating beforehand like a Bond villain. So Solo shoots him. Self defense.

Lucas' assertion that it's cold blooded murder reflects, I think, his increasingly liberal world view.

4

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If I could jump in here, I personally don't think that Greedo was absolutely definitely 100% going to shoot Han. I mean, if he had shot and killed Han right then and there, he'd have a 170 lbs. dead body to drag all the way from the cantina to Jabba's palace. That's, what, at least ten miles as the crow flies? Greedo doesn't look strong enough. No upper body strength. He knew that wasn't going to happen. Unfortunately, he wasn't sharp enough to march Han right out of that cantina the moment he confronted him. Instead, he let him sit down, relaxed the "keep your hands where I can see them" rule, and, well, that was that.

And even if Greedo wasn't going to take him to Jabba, even if his intent was to collect Han's cash and "forget" he found him, Han clearly stated that he didn't have the money on him. I suppose Han could have been lying, but the only way Greedo would have known for sure is if he had kept Han on his feet and searched him. If he had shot Han dead with empty pockets, he would have been totally fucked. But, as Darth Chaltab put it, our green friend was too busy gloating like a Bond villain to think any of these scenarios through.

That's what I think, at least. I could be (totally) wrong.

http://jgtwo.wordpress.com

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"Well, according to George, he was perfectly safe, even if Greedo had fired off a blast."


ROTL. He did prove that, didn't he?

"But, as Darth Chaltab put it, our green friend was too busy gloating like a Bond villain to think any of these scenarios through."

That's it, precisely. And before anyone else tries to convince themselves that Han wasn't in immediate danger, please keep in mind that - ONSCREEN - Greedo does have a blaster pointed at Han, and in the Special Edition, Greedo does fire at Han at point blank range - ONSCREEN. If this DOESN'T CLEARLY ILLUSTRATE the immediate threat to Han, then I don't know what does.

In addition to this, Han clearly had no qualms shooting Greedo in either version, and no one else in the cantina had any issue with Han shooting Greedo either. Since they've both been on Tatooine for some time, it's pretty god-awful clear that such occurances are pretty commonplace. If anyone wants to argue this point with me, be sure to watch the SAME general reaction of the cantina patrons in regards to Obi-wan disarming two aliens with a lightsaber. If that's not enough, then we'll all just form a line and take turns slapping you.

Here's a few more words on the topic:
IGNFF: You're the person to ask about this – when you're talking about these kind of special editions and changes and are they due to an original vision or changing sensibilities – I have to ask you about your thoughts regarding the infamous redo of the scene with Greedo in the cantina.... the whole shooting first thing.

KURTZ: Yeah, I really was livid about that one. I think it was a total – it ruins the scene, basically. The scene was never intended that way. Han Solo realized that Greedo was out to get him and he had to blast him first or he would lose his life. It shows you how much of a mercenary he is. That's what the point of the scene was. And so the way they've changed it around, it loses the whole impact of that whole aspect of it.

IGNFF: Do you think that's due to George's changing sensibilities as opposed to his argument that, "No, that was my original intention"?

KURTZ: Well, he can say that was his original intention, but we could have shot it that way very easily. There was no reason that it couldn't have been shot that way. It was shot and edited the way it was because that's the way the script was. That's what he wanted at the time.

IGNFF: What is your opinion of why he would try and rationalize it, when he could very well just say, "You know, I just thought nowadays, it's better if he shoots first."

KURTZ: Maybe he just didn't want to say that. Maybe he felt it was a stronger argument to say, "That's what I really wanted to do and I just didn't have time or inclination at the time." You listen to all these directors, they all say that. That's the stock argument ... somehow if they say that, you can't argue with them.
Kurtz interview
ES:Much has been made about the changes to the Greedo scene in the Star Wars: Special Edition. After working on a Han Solo novel, how do you feel about the change?

AC:I found the revised Greedo scene confusing and unnecessary. And...silly. After all, it was obvious from Han's actions that he intended to blow Greedo away, whether Greedo shot first or not. And the idea that Greedo could miss after having the first shot -- at point-blank range! -- was unbelievable. Also, it wasn't that obvious what happened. I realized, because I was prepared for it, having read about the revision. Most people in the audience, I think, didn't even realize that Greedo had fired. They just went, "Huh? Was that changed?" I assure you that in my books, Han never puts himself in the position of playing sitting duck like that! If a bounty hunter gets off the first shot, it's because Han got ambushed!
- Ann Crispin

UGO: So you were there; who shot first, Han Solo or Greedo?

MH: [Laughs] I always thought that it was the alien. But George [Lucas] keeps going back and tweaking these things. I don't even know anymore. I do know that they dubbed a scream when I let go in the second movie. Which was funny because [Irvin] Kershner and I discussed it, but basically Luke is committing suicide. Rather than join [Darth] Vader, he let go in a very calm way. So, he ended up dubbing a scream. He didn't tell me. He didn't have me do the scream. I don't know where he got it. Maybe it was from the library of sounds that I made for him, but I haven't double checked that, but you could tell me. Do I scream on the way down?

UGO: Why would you?

MH: That's what I say.
- Mark Hamill


Then again, there's always the second line in my quote.

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: Sadly, I believe the prequels are beyond repair.
<span class=“Bold”>JediRandy: They’re certainly beyond any repair you’re capable of making.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: You aren’t one of us.
<span class=“Bold”>Go-Mer-Tonic: I can’t say I find that very disappointing.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>JediRandy: I won’t suck as much as a fan edit.</span>

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UGO: So you were there; who shot first, Han Solo or Greedo?

MH: [Laughs] I always thought that it was the alien. But George [Lucas] keeps going back and tweaking these things. I don't even know anymore. I do know that they dubbed a scream when I let go in the second movie. Which was funny because [Irvin] Kershner and I discussed it, but basically Luke is committing suicide. Rather than join [Darth] Vader, he let go in a very calm way. So, he ended up dubbing a scream. He didn't tell me. He didn't have me do the scream. I don't know where he got it. Maybe it was from the library of sounds that I made for him, but I haven't double checked that, but you could tell me. Do I scream on the way down?

UGO: Why would you?

MH: That's what I say.
- Mark Hamill


For better news for Mark Hamill, didn't they get rid of the scream for the SSE DVDs?


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Originally posted by: Number20
UGO: So you were there; who shot first, Han Solo or Greedo?

MH: [Laughs] I always thought that it was the alien. But George [Lucas] keeps going back and tweaking these things. I don't even know anymore. I do know that they dubbed a scream when I let go in the second movie. Which was funny because [Irvin] Kershner and I discussed it, but basically Luke is committing suicide. Rather than join [Darth] Vader, he let go in a very calm way. So, he ended up dubbing a scream. He didn't tell me. He didn't have me do the scream. I don't know where he got it. Maybe it was from the library of sounds that I made for him, but I haven't double checked that, but you could tell me. Do I scream on the way down?

UGO: Why would you?

MH: That's what I say.
- Mark Hamill


For better news for Mark Hamill, didn't they get rid of the scream for the SSE DVDs?


They did indeed. More proof that Lucas has no idea what the hell he's doing.

Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here, this is the war room!

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From the screenplay:



GREEDO
That's the idea I've been looking
forward to killing you for a long
time.

HAN
Yes, I'll bet you have.

Suddenly the slimy alien disappears in a blinding flash of light. Han pulls his smoking gun from beneath the table as the other patrons look on in bemused amazement. Han gets up and starts out of the cantina, flipping the bartender some coins as he leaves.

HAN
Sorry about the mess.



Hmm, i missed the part where it says "Greedo fires first and then Han fires back." Guess he forgot to write it in there. And edit it in the film. And then accidentally staged it all like a classic western salloon shoot-up. And also staged the Kenobi lightsaber scene in the exact same way.
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Yeah, I was about to ask if anybody had reference to the screenplay. That proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Lucas just accidentally neglected to film that footage the first time around. Dirty, dirty, dirty rotten liar!

I find it a little bit sad that Mark Hamill has been confused by the whole Han/Greedo exchange and ended up answering the question wrong.

But reading Ann Crispin's quote made me realize that, if Lucas wanted to change Han's intentions, he went about it the wrong way. He should have cut out all the close-ups of Han pulling his gun out while Greedo was talking to him. And then have Greedo fire. And then add the deleted clips back in in fast motion of Han pulling his gun out of his holster, and then firing. But then again, he always has half-assed it, hasn't he?

And jturd, Greedo wouldn't have had to drag Han back to Jabba's palace. Jabba was already at the spaceport and sent Greedo out as a gofer. Yes, I know that scene is special edition, but it was actually originally planned (imagine that!) and in the novelization written before the movie came out, so I consider it canon. I just don't want to see it on my screen because it's redundant and not central to the plot of the story. But he was there.

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

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And jturd, Greedo wouldn't have had to drag Han back to Jabba's palace. Jabba was already at the spaceport and sent Greedo out as a gofer. Yes, I know that scene is special edition, but it was actually originally planned (imagine that!) and in the novelization written before the movie came out, so I consider it canon. I just don't want to see it on my screen because it's redundant and not central to the plot of the story. But he was there.


I gotcha. So I'm guessing Jabba went there with Greedo, was all like, "let's split up, we'll cover more ground," Greedo found Han first, and Han blasted his ass. If Greedo was really smart, he would have shot Han on sight, checked his pockets, and met up with Jabba later.

"Dude, Solo's totally dead. I don't know what happened. Someone must have shot him right before we got here. Crazy. No, no money with him. I'm gonna knock off early, okay Jabbs?"

http://jgtwo.wordpress.com

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I might also add, from the novelization:
"I haven't got it here with me. Tell Jabba—"

"It's too late, I think. Jabba would rather have your ship." "Over my dead body," Solo said unamiably.

The alien was not impressed. "If you insist. Will you come outside with me, or must I finish it here ?"

" I don't think they'd like another killing in here ," Solo pointed out.

Something which might have been a laugh came from the creature's translator. " They'd hardly notice . Get up, Solo. I've been looking forward to this for a long time . You've embarrassed me in front of Jabba with your pious excuses for the last time."

"I think you're right."

Light and noise filled the little corner of the cantina, and when it had faded, all that remained of the unctuous alien was a smoking, slimy spot on the stone floor.

Solo brought his hand and the smoking weapon it held out from beneath the table, drawing bemused stares from several of the cantina's patrons and clucking sounds from its more knowledgeable ones. They had known the creature had committed its fatal mistake in allowing Solo the chance to get his hands under cover .

"It'll take a lot more than the likes of you to finish me off . Jabba the Hut always did skimp when it came to hiring his hands. Leaving the booth, Solo flipped the bartender a handful of coins as he and Chewbacca moved off. "Sorry for the mess. I always was a rotten host."


Case closed.

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: Sadly, I believe the prequels are beyond repair.
<span class=“Bold”>JediRandy: They’re certainly beyond any repair you’re capable of making.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: You aren’t one of us.
<span class=“Bold”>Go-Mer-Tonic: I can’t say I find that very disappointing.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>JediRandy: I won’t suck as much as a fan edit.</span>

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As to the Jabba scene, itself. Yes, it was originally planned, and actually filmed, but the final effects were never done. This is also from the novelization:

The docking-bay entrance to the small saucer-shaped spacecraft was completely ringed by half a dozen men and aliens, of which the former were by half the most grotesque. A great mobile tub of muscle and suet topped by a shaggy scarred skull surveyed the semicircle of armed assassins with satisfaction. Moving forward from the center of the crescent, he shouted toward the ship.

"Come on out, Solo! We've got you surrounded."

"If so, you're facing the wrong way," came a calm voice.

Jabba the Hut jumped—in itself a remarkable sight. His lackeys likewise whirled—to see Han Solo and Chewbacca standing behind them.
"You see, I've been waiting for you, Jabba."

"I expected you would be," the Hut admitted, at once pleased and alarmed by the fact that neither Solo nor the big Wookie appeared to be armed.

"I'm not the type to run," Solo said.

"Run? Run from what?" Jabba countered. The absence of visible weapons bothered Jabba more than he cared to admit to himself. There was something peculiar here, and it would be better to make no hasty moves until he discovered what was amiss.

"Han, my boy, there are times when you disappoint me. I merely wish to know why you haven't paid me… as you should have long ago. And why did you have to fry poor Greedo like that? After all you and I have been through together."

Solo grinned tightly. "Shove it, Jabba. There isn't enough sentiment in your body to warm an orphaned bacterium. As for Greedo, you sent him to kill me."

"Why, Han," Jabba protested in surprise, "why would I do that? You're the best smuggler in the business. You're too valuable to fry. Greedo was only relaying my natural concern at your delays. He wasn't going to kill you."

"I think he thought he was. Next time don't send one of those hired twerps. If you've got something to say, come see me yourself."

Jabba shook his head and his jowls shook—lazy, fleshy echoes of his mock sorrow. "Han, Han—if only you understand…I just can't make an exception. Where would I be if every pilot who smuggled for me dumped his shipment at the first sign of an Imperial warship? And then simply showed empty pockets when I demanded recompense? It's not good business. I can be generous and forgiving— but not to the point of bankruptcy."

"You know, even I get boarded sometimes, Jabba. Did you think I dumped that spice because I got tired of its smell? I wanted to deliver it as much as you wanted to receive it. I had no choice." Again the sardonic smile. "As you say, I'm too valuable to fry. But I've got a charter now and I can pay you back, plus a little extra. I just need some more time. I can give you a thousand on account, the rest in three weeks."
The gross form seemed to consider, then directed his next words not to Solo but to his hirelings. "Put your blasters away." His gaze and a predatory smile turned to the wary Corellian.

"Han, my boy, I'm only doing this because you're the best and I'll need you again sometime. So, out of the greatness of my soul and a forgiving heart—and for an extra, say, twenty percent—I'll give you a little more time." The voice nearly cracked with restraint. "But this is the last time. If you disappoint me again, if you trample my generosity in your mocking laughter, I'll put a price on your head so large you won't be able to go near a civilized system for the rest of your life, because on every one your name and face will be known to men who'll gladly cut your guts out for one-tenth of what I'll promise them."

"I'm glad we both have my best interests at heart," replied Solo pleasantly as he and Chewbacca started past the staring eyes of the Hut's hired guns. "Don't worry, Jabba, I'll pay you. But not because you threaten me. I'll pay you because…it's my pleasure."

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: Sadly, I believe the prequels are beyond repair.
<span class=“Bold”>JediRandy: They’re certainly beyond any repair you’re capable of making.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: You aren’t one of us.
<span class=“Bold”>Go-Mer-Tonic: I can’t say I find that very disappointing.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>JediRandy: I won’t suck as much as a fan edit.</span>

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There's actually a very funny exchange about all this between Stacey and one of Jabba's palace slaves in the newly released Return of Pink Five Volume One. Check it out...

THE PINK FIVE FILMS
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Okay, Pink Five is like, totally cool. Most entertaining fan films I've seen.
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I've never understood why Han was hanging out in a bar on the home planet of the very guy to whom he owed money.
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Because he knew that if anything should happen to him, he had the skills to fire first.

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

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Star Wars is about redemption? And all these years I thought...
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Han knew Jabba would put a price on his head if he tried to run - his only chance was to see Jabba and make a deal. But he needed a drink to stiffen his nerve first.