Thursday Truths - Han Shot First

Welcome to Thursday Truths. My goal is to write about one obvious truth each week.

Tonight the truth is "Han shot first". This is no surprise to anyone who saw Star Wars when it was released as the director originally envisioned it. Han Solo was (is) as scoundrel. And a hero. And a man who is not a sociopath.

He shoots first not because he couldn't give a dam, but because he is threatened. Very pointedly threatened. He knew his assailant. He knew he would suffer horrific pain if brought to Jabba. He did the math and came to the conclusion there was only one way out alive.

I can not emphasize that enough. Knowing the threat completely is the only thing which absolves him. For him it was a decisive act of self defense. To kill without comprehending the threat reduces a person to the mindlessness of a George Zimmerman. This is the key point. Without knowledge and understanding, you can not wield extreme force.

Our society does not like subtle points like this. So, we have the Disney-fied remix of the movie. Here Han was just lucky. He happened to not get hit with a shot at point blank range, then managed to retaliate. I believe the term is dice-liced. This reduces him to someone who simply has reasonably good reflexes. Or worse, someone who has no comprehension and just reacts.

I'll take my Han Solo as I found him. A scoundrel yes. But a thinking man's one.