Greedo

Greedo Tetsu Jr. is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He was a Rodian bounty hunter from the Tetsu Clan and worked for gangster Jabba the Hutt. Greedo's Huttese language is based on Quechua, the Inca language.[1] He appears in the first Star Wars film during a scene where he confronts and threatens Han Solo, only to be killed by Solo. The scene was later altered so that Greedo also shoots at Han, leading to the infamous fan controversy known as "Han shot first" with which the character has since come to be best-known.

This article is about the fictional character. For the armored catfish, see Peckoltia greedoi. For the rapper, see 03 Greedo.
Greedo
Star Wars character
Greedo as he appears in Star Wars (1977)
First appearance
Created byGeorge Lucas
Portrayed by
  • Paul Blake/Maria De Aragon (Episode IV)
  • Simon Rose/Oliver Walpole (Episode I, deleted scene)
Voiced by
In-universe information
Full nameGreedo Tetsu Jr.
GenderMale
OccupationBounty hunter
AffiliationJabba the Hutt
HomeworldRodia

Greedo was portrayed in 1977 by Paul Blake, as well as Maria De Aragon for some close-in pickup shots in 1977, while a younger version of him was played by Simon Rose and Oliver Walpole in a deleted scene from the 1999 prequel film Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. The character has made appearances in a few other pieces of Star Wars media, including the 2008 animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the 2015 video game Star Wars Battlefront.

Appearances

Star Wars (1977)

Greedo is a Rodian bounty hunter working for Jabba the Hutt in Star Wars: A New Hope.[2] Jabba hires him to capture Han Solo, who purposefully jettisoned the Hutt's cargo during a smuggling mission while being boarded by an Imperial Star Destroyer. Greedo tracks his target to the Mos Eisley cantina on Tatooine, where Han attempts to persuade him that he will pay back Jabba, but Greedo demands the money up front. Han, who has just been promised a large payment by Ben Kenobi, responds that he doesn't have it with him but will pay soon. Greedo says Jabba is tired of Han's excuses and gloats that he's waited a long time to kill him, to which Han responds, “Yes, I’ll bet you have,” and quickly kills him first with a concealed blaster.[3]

The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)

The 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special depicts a being strikingly resembling Greedo in both species and clothing, known as "Bludlow".[4] Bludlow is seen at the Cantina, although no relation between Greedo and him is known, other than being both Rodians. Nevertheless, the bountyhunter Koh'Wa Phœur is also seen in the cantina in episode IV. In the Christmas episode we learn that both are close friends.

A Rodian named "Ludlo" was described as the brother of Greedo during a 1978 marketing campaign.[5]

In 2014, The Star Wars Holiday Special, already of the lower "S-Canon" canonicity level, was declared non-canonical and part of the separate Star Wars Legends continuity, which takes place in a different universe. Despite this, Bludlow was recanonized with the 2018 novel Star Wars: Last Shot, a tie-in to the film Solo: A Star Wars Story, of the same year.

The Phantom Menace (1999)

In Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, a young Greedo wrestles with a young Anakin Skywalker in a deleted scene set on Tatooine. The scene was shot to demonstrate the violence potential that would have led Anakin to become Darth Vader, but George Lucas decided that Anakin should have been completely good in Episode I, to begin his downfall to evil later.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2010)

Greedo also appears in the 2010 Star Wars: The Clone Wars episode "Sphere of Influence". In this series, set 21 years before A New Hope, Greedo is hired by the Trade Federation to kidnap Baron Papanoida's daughters, Che Amanwe and Chi Eekway. He and his accomplices are ultimately foiled by Ahsoka Tano as well as the Baron and his son.

Other media

Portrayal

In Star Wars, Paul Blake played Greedo during the main shooting, while Canadian actress Maria De Aragon portrayed Greedo for close-in pick-up shots. Linguist Larry Ward performed the voice, speaking in a simplified form of Quechua, a South American language.[7] Tom Kenny provided the voice in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series.[3][8] British two-time Academy Award winning 'Dean of Special Effects' John Stears designed and built Greedo's articulated head and pyrotechnics for the infamous Han-Greedo scene in the first Star Wars film.[9]

Han shot first
Main article: Han shot first

In 2012, director George Lucas expressed his dissatisfaction with the Han-Greedo scene, believing that it depicts Solo, the film's supporting protagonist, as a "cold-blooded killer".[10] Lucas had altered the scene for the 1997 Special Edition re-release so that Greedo shoots first at Solo and misses, and then Solo returns fire, killing Greedo.[11] The scene was altered again for the 2004 DVD release so that the shots are fired at nearly the same time and so that Solo dodges Greedo's shot.[11][12]

Some fans objected to the revisions to the original film, even generating an online petition demanding that the changes be retracted.[13] The primary objection to the revision is that it alters Han's initially morally ambiguous character, making his later transition from anti-hero to hero less meaningful.[14][11][15] Lucas stated in 2012 that Greedo has always shot first, and his revisions to the film only served to "clean up the confusion".[10]

The scene was altered again for the version of Star Wars released on the Disney streaming service, Disney+, on November 12, 2019. In this version, Greedo says a line transcribed by fans as "maclunkey" or "ma klounkee" before shooting at Han. The line may be a threat spoken in Huttese, as it is used that way by Sebulba in The Phantom Menace.[16] Additionally, the reverse shot of Greedo being shot was removed. The changes were made by Lucas before Disney acquired the Star Wars rights in 2012.[17]

References
  1. Hutchinson, Sean (8 December 2015). "'Star Wars' Languages Owe to Tibetan, Finnish, Haya, Quechua, and Penguins". Inverse. Archived from the original on 2023-01-15. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  2. "Greedo". StarWars.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2023. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  3. Hill, Amelia. "Greedo: Star Wars Character Profile". Scifi.about.com. Archived from the original on September 20, 2011. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  4. "Bludlow". Archived from the original on 2023-01-15. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  5. https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/f/fb/Ludlo-poster.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20061020230614 Archived 2023-01-15 at the Wayback Machine
  6. McWhertor, Michael (2 March 2016). "Star Wars Battlefront's first DLC adds playable Greedo, Nien Nunb and Jabba's Palace". Polygon. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  7. "'Star Wars' Languages Owe to Tibetan, Finnish, Haya, Quechua, and Penguins". Inverse. 8 December 2015. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  8. Bray, Adam (April 2, 2015). "Split Personalities: Star Wars Movie Characters Played By Multiple Actors". StarWars.com. Archived from the original on July 4, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
  9. Aficionadofan (2012-10-03). "STAR WARS AFICIONADO WEBSITE: STAR WARS AT 35: CELEBRATING THE CANTINA CREATURES". STAR WARS AFICIONADO WEBSITE. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  10. Lucas, George (February 9, 2012). "5 Questions With George Lucas: Controversial Star Wars Changes, SOPA and Indiana Jones 5". The Hollywood Reporter (Interview). Interviewed by Alex Ben Block. Archived from the original on February 18, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  11. Eveleth, Rose (August 27, 2014). "The Star Wars George Lucas Doesn't Want You To See". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on August 28, 2014. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  12. "More Changes to STAR WARS Include Blinking Ewoks and Different Cut of Greedo Shooting First". Collider. September 1, 2011. Archived from the original on September 25, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  13. "Han Shoots First". Archived from the original on March 16, 2012. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  14. Sagers, Aaron, "An unbelievable day in the life of Jack Bauer" Archived 2012-11-04 at the Wayback Machine, The Morning Call, February 15, 2006
  15. "Restoring Star Wars". ABC News. 14 December 2015. Archived from the original on 2017-01-24. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  16. "In Latest Version of Star Wars' "Han Shot First" Scene, George Lucas Adds "Maclunkey"". Slate Magazine. 2019-11-12. Archived from the original on 2020-05-29. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
  17. Alexander, Julia (2019-11-12). "George Lucas changed Han Solo's scene with Greedo in Star Wars: A New Hope, Disney confirmed". The Verge. Archived from the original on 2019-11-12. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
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