# 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.

## Origin
The controversy started in 1997, when Lucasfilm released the Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition to mark the 20th anniversary of A New Hope[1]. George Lucas used the re-release to insert new effects and clean up shots he had never been happy with, and the Mos Eisley Cantina standoff between Han and Greedo was one of the scenes he changed[2].

In the altered version, Greedo pulls the trigger first from across a small table and somehow misses, and Han shoots back in a hastily edited beat that was not in the theatrical cut[1]. Fans immediately zeroed in on the change, arguing the edit rewrote Han Solo's arc from selfish smuggler to Rebellion hero by scrubbing the moment that established his ruthlessness[3].

- **Platform:** Star Wars fandom / early web forums (viral spread)
- **Creator:** Star Wars fans (Unknown originator)
- **Date:** 1997

## Overview
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 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.

## How It Spread
The phrase spread through Star Wars newsgroups, fan sites, and early forums in the late 1990s and became a fixture of Star Wars fandom online[2]. In 2004, a petition site called HanShootsFirst.org launched to demand an unaltered home release of the original trilogy and to collect fan complaints about the Special Edition changes, and it was later mentioned by Forbes and Movies.com[3].

Han Shot First became referenced outside the fandom too. It shows up as a gag in Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Clerks II, and the MythBusters team ran a segment testing whether Greedo could plausibly have missed at that range[1]. The line was also folded into Star Wars expanded-universe novels, comics, and games, and it still gets pulled out whenever a studio re-edits an older film[2].

## How to Use
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 image[3].

## 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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