The beloved Star Wars character of Han Solo is famous for many things – joining the Resistance, piloting the Millennium Falcon, doing the Kessel Run – but one of the most legendary feathers in his cap is his encounter with Rodian debt collector Greedo, in the Mos Eisley Cantina during Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. The tense exchange gave birth to one of the great mysteries of modern cinema: Who shot first?
This question has been hotly debated by Star Wars fans for four decades, with many concluding that it was, in fact, Han that shot first. But, the deeper layer to this mystery has always been, why was there tension between them in the first place? In the sequence, it’s clear that Greedo seeks to collect money from Han on behalf of Jabba The Hutt, and that when it’s revealed that Han doesn’t have sufficient funds, Greedo suggests taking the Falcon as payment. Tension builds, and the two rogues engage in a quick-draw shooting match, in which Greedo comes off much worse. But the two clearly have a history.
The answer now lies within the Star Wars short story collection, From A Certain Point Of View – specifically the tale The Luckless Rodian. This story asserts, somewhat unsurprisingly, that the problems between Han Solo and Greedo are all about a woman. The romantic interest in question is named Uncelta, and Greedo falls desperately in love with her – only to see Han Solo sweep her off her feet and then break her heart. Such turns of events leave Greedo with a deep, festering anger toward Han Solo, and it’s this that finally boiled over in the Mos Eisley Cantina.
We’ve seen a young Greedo in the Star Wars franchise before – in The Phantom Menace and The Clone Wars – but we’ve yet to hear confirmation of whether he’ll pop up in the Han Solo anthology movie when it’s released on May 25th, 2018. Could it be that, in addition to watching the roguish smuggler first take possession of the iconic Millennium Falcon, that we might also see him steal the love of Greedo’s life? Only time will tell.
