Star Wars: Han Solo Shot First And Had The Law On His Side

Han shot first… and he also had the legal right to do so.

According to The Legal Geeks, the dispute about whether or not Han shot first is immaterial… because it was well within Han’s rights to protect himself according to US law.

“Here are the basic facts: Han is stopped at gunpoint by Greedo,” they explain. “During the entire conversation in the bar, Greedo has his weapon pointed directly at Han. There is a dispute over money, with Han saying ‘Over my dead body’, to which Greedo replies, ‘That’s the idea. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time’.”

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“Without a doubt, having a blaster pointed directly at Han put his life in danger,” they explain. “Additionally, Greedo’s statement, ‘That’s the idea. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time’, communicated Greedo’s intent to kill Han. Shooting first was seemingly the only way to prevent Greedo from using deadly force himself.”

Of course, ‘Star Wars’ fans have long bemoaned the changes made by George Lucas in the special edition versions of the original trilogy… and making Han shoot last is one of the most controversial.

We all know that Han wouldn’t have turned to run… but from a legal standpoint, should he have retreated to a safe distance rather than scratching his itchy trigger finger?

“Regarding the retreat issue, Han was already at gunpoint and cornered in the booth when Han shot Greedo. It is unlikely Han could have retreated with his back to the wall and in a seated position. Shooting his way out appeared to be his only option. Finally, reasonable belief wouldn’t be hard to prove. Han was in Mos Eisley Spaceport, a wretched hive of scum and villainy. Greedo had his weapon pointed at Han the entire time, with Han cornered in a booth. This should be sufficient to show the reasonableness of the threat to Han’s life.”

You can find out more about the legality of Han’s infamous shot at the original blog post… complete with mounds of legal mumbo jumbo. But the short of it, is that Han Solo was well within his rights to shoot Greedo first, in self-defence.

And that kinda takes the edge off.

Still, at least George Lucas can rest easy – whatever version of events you wish to believe, good old Han remains the good guy… from a certain point of view.

But does US law apply in a galaxy far, far away?

Well… that’s another question entirely.

‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ heads to cinemas on 17 December 2015.

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Picture Credit: Lucasfilm.