Professor John Gross recently wrote in a guest op-ed for Al.com that Han Solo acted in self-defense when he shot Greedo in Star Wars: A New Hope.
In the original version of the film it is obvious that Greedo intends to kill Solo and his decision to shoot first is entirely reasonable. Greedo is already in the cantina when Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi arrive. He doesn’t elect to confront Solo until Chewbacca leaves to get the Millennium Falcon ready for departure. Greedo waits until he sees that Solo is vulnerable before confronting him. Greedo points a blaster at Solo’s chest and forces him back to the table where he had been sitting.
If a person reasonably believes that deadly force is about to be used against them then they have the right to use deadly force in their own defense. They don’t have to wait until someone shoots at them; they don’t even have to wait until they see the barrel of gun. The scene never needed editing because it is clear that Solo was completely justified in shooting Greedo when he did. In other words, Han legally shot first.
For more, read “UA Professor: Han Solo Was Legally Justified to Shoot First.”