# Han Shot First

Han Shot First is a Star Wars fan catchphrase used to protest a 1997 edit to A New Hope, where George Lucas altered the Mos Eisley Cantina scene so Greedo fires at Han Solo before Han returns fire. What started as fan grumbling in 1997 turned into one of the defining rallying cries of the anti-Special Edition Star Wars fandom.

## Overview
Han Shot First, 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 first[1]. 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 edge[2].

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 trilogy[3]. The wording is short and combative on purpose, which is why it works as merch and as a comment reply.

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Han Shot First?
It's a Star Wars fan catchphrase arguing that in the original 1977 A New Hope, Han Solo shot the bounty hunter Greedo first, before George Lucas re-edited the scene in 1997[1].

### Where did Han Shot First come from?
It came out of fan backlash to the 1997 Special Edition re-release of A New Hope, which altered the Mos Eisley Cantina standoff so Greedo fires at Han first[2].

### What does Han Shot First mean?
It means fans believe the original cut, where Han shoots first, better fits his character as a ruthless smuggler, and that Lucas's edit weakened the scene[3].

### How do you use Han Shot First?
It's typically used as a slogan on merch or in comment threads to protest edits to original films, especially anything George Lucas changed in the Star Wars trilogy[3].

### Is Han Shot First still popular?
It's a classic Star Wars fandom reference that gets pulled out whenever the Special Edition changes or director revisions come up in discussion[1].

## References
1. [https://www.forbes.com/](<https://www.forbes.com/>)
2. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxODU7RK730](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxODU7RK730>)
3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/han-shot-first](<https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/han-shot-first>)
4. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changes_in_Star_Wars_re-releases](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changes_in_Star_Wars_re-releases>)

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Source: https://meme.com/memes/han-shot-first
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