Insanely Awe-dical

Greedo shooting first created some major implications. Nerd lore is a powerful thing, and the classics are one to not be messed with. Making Bilbo baggins a troll, a human, or anything besides a hobbit takes away from the implications that a creature so simple, small, and rural will end up changing the world. Bilbo, Belle (from Beauty and the Beast), and Red (from Hoodwinked) are all those characters raised and fit to be one of the simple people who live their simple lives in the small community they grew up in, but yearn for life outside of their bubble (Ariel from Little Mermaid is also similar).

I digress.

Instead of a simple reshot scene of "who shot first," it becomes a character-defining moment, when Han Solo "kills in cold blood" to get away. The self-absorbed, cocky, anti-hero character continues developing, and Harrison Ford does a swell job. Instead, Han Solo fires back, defending himself when backed into a corner. Not only that, Greedo comes off as incompetent, either for missing a shot at point-blank range, or for having his firearm discharge on accident, leaving him dying a rather pathetic death (comparable to learning that Darth Vader tripped on a rock and fell down the stairs -- quite sad).

The implications may be a little stretched, and over-analyzed, but the truth remains that fucking with nerd lore will get you criticism. This led to the whole "Han Shot First" outcry, fueling fires that George Lucas was dumbing down the fairy tale space opera he had created. Addition of Jar Jar Binks and the uber-commercialism of the most-recently released trilogy also added to it.

In a hilarious side-note, a web-comic parodied the "Han Shot First" t-shirts in response to the recent Cheney incident, creating a shirt claiming "Cheney Shot First."

This is what an hour of wikipedia will teach you. It isn't quite history or "real learning," but understanding pop/nerd culture is intriguing nonetheless.

Apparently, Lucas is releasing another edition of Star Wars, including the original unedited scene of Han shooting first.

Alright already -- as if anyone reading honestly gives a crap, right?