It's been one of the most heated debates in pop culture history, but now an actual lawyer has weighed in on the subject.
Yes, Han Solo did shoot Greedo first and, what's more, he did it legally. Josh Gilliland, a Californian attorney-at-law, analysed Solo's predicament in a blogpost and had a few opinions before he arrived at his judgement.
Here's the original scene, to get you up to speed.
"The issue under common law is whether Han reasonably believed that deadly force was necessary to prevent imminent and unlawful use of deadly force by Greedo," explained Gilliland.
"Applying the facts to the Model Penal Code and Common Law, Han was justified in shooting first and killing Greedo. Without a doubt, having a blaster pointed directly at Han put his life in danger. 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 the only away to prevent Greedo from using deadly force himself."
Think that's all pretty cut and dry, in fairness. Solo did the right thing and we can all rest assured now, knowing that he did the right.
Of course, George Lucas disagreed and edited the whole thing. WHY.
