Han Shot First is shorthand for a fan grievance with a single line of blaster fire. In the original 1977 cut of A New Hope, Han Solo shoots the bounty hunter Greedo under a cantina table without warning, framing Han as a cold operator willing to kill first1. The 1997 Special Edition re-cut the shot so Greedo fires first and misses at point-blank range before Han returns fire, which fans argued made Greedo look incompetent and softened Han's edge2.

The phrase is used less as a punchline and more as a flag. Fans slap it on t-shirts, forum signatures, and image macros anytime a studio revises a beloved original, and it functions as a general-purpose complaint about George Lucas tinkering with the trilogy3. The wording is short and combative on purpose, which is why it works as merch and as a comment reply.

Han Shot First is typically used as a two-word protest whenever a studio or creator alters an older work. Fans commonly print it on shirts, drop it in comment threads about director's cuts, or pair it with a still from the 1977 cantina scene as a reaction image3.