One of the most famous bounty hunters in Star Wars is Greedo. The hunter first appeared in Star Wars: A New Hope during a fateful meeting in the cantina.
Unlike other bounty hunters who excelled at their craft, like Boba Fett, Greedo is by far known for his death at the hands of Han Solo. With a roller coaster of a life, complete with a dash of rotten luck, Greedo is fascinating both as a character and with his behind-the-scenes creation. Here are 15 facts you may not know about the bounty hunter.
1 – Greedo is a Rodian
Rodians hailed from the swamp planet of Rodia. While Greedo was green, Rodians came in various colors, including red, turquoise, and yellow. Hunting in the jungles of Rodia was an essential part of their culture which is why many Rodians often became bounty hunters like Greedo.
2 – Swamp to Desert
Despite being an amphibious species, Greedo moved to the desert planet of Tatooine. When he was young, he was a fan of podracing, often in the stands cheering on his favorite racers.
3 – Cheater
During the events of The Phantom Menace, a young Anakin Skywalker beat the renowned racer Sebulba in the Boonta Eve classic. Being a hothead as a kid, Greedo confronted Anakin and called him a cheater. Anakin’s friend Wald warned Greedo not to pick fights, foreshadowing he might meet a tragic end.
4 – The Hutt
When he became older, Greedo began working as a bounty hunter for Jabba the Hutt. By the time of the Clone Wars, he was fully in the gangster’s service and took on high-profile jobs. One included kidnapping the daughters of Chairman Papanoida of Pantora. The plan was foiled thanks to Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano.
5 – Play That Funky Music
Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes, better known as the Cantina Band in A New Hope, had a bit of a past with Greedo. The bounty hunter brought in their leader Figrin D’an who owed Jabba the Hutt a lot of money. This act would land the group as indentured servants to the Hutt.
6 – A Final Bow
Figrin D’an would get his revenge on Greedo. During his band’s time playing for Jabba, he found out Greedo developed a system to free captives only to bring them back and re-collect bounties. Once his debt was paid off, D’an told Jabba, which damaged the relationship between the bounty hunter and his boss.
7 – Working With Solo
While Han Solo would have a fateful final meeting with Greedo in A New Hope, they worked together before. Jabba tasked the two men along with Chewbacca for a mission with plenty of backstabbing. The Millenium Falcon fell into Greedo’s possession briefly before Han punched out the Rodian and took his ship back.
8 – Scorned Lover
Getting punched by Solo after a job went awry wasn’t Greedo’s only grievance with the smuggler. Greedo had fallen in love with a woman named Uncelta, but she picked Han over Greedo. No one won because Han broke her heart which upset Greedo even more.
9 – A Bitter Legacy
Greedo would meet his end at the hand of Han Solo. Years later, the pirate Hondo Ohnaka would write about Greedo’s lackluster legacy, stating, “The Rodian bounty hunter Greedo is one of the few of his trade who is, perhaps, more famous for his death than his life.”
10 – Bringing Greedo to Life
While filming A New Hope, multiple people were tasked with creating the bounty hunter. Paul Blake portrayed the Rodian during the wide shots with him and Han Solo in the cantina. Larry Ward would be the voice of Greedo and Jabba the Hutt. Ward was also a linguist, and he helped develop the language of Huttese.
11 – The Clothespin
Maria De Aragon, by far, had the most creative step in creating Greedo. She wore the mask during the close-up shots of the puppet the Rodian’s mouth. But when the mechanism broke during filming, Aragon came up with a quick solution. She put a clothespin between her teeth to help move the puppet’s mouth to make it appear like Greedo was talking.
George Lucas also saved Aragon’s life. At one point, she was unable to breathe in the Greedo mask. Lucas noticed her making strange gestures before jumping into action when he realized she was suffocating.
12 – Who Shot First?
One of the famous debates of Star Wars was about who shot first, Han or Greedo. This spun out of a controversial change by George Lucas when he created the Special Editions of the films. In the original movie, Han shot Greedo first, but in the later versions, Greedo pulled the trigger first, with Han responding in self-defense. Fans felt this made Solo’s character arc less impactful.
13 – Not a Killer
George Lucas vehemently stood by the change in the Special Editions despite pushback from fans. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he declared, “The controversy over who shot first, Greedo or Han Solo, in Episode IV, what I did was try to clean up the confusion, but obviously it upset people because they wanted Solo to be a cold-blooded killer, but he actually isn't. It had been done in all close-ups, and it was confusing about who did what to whom. I put a little wider shot in there that made it clear that Greedo is the one who shot first, but everyone wanted to think that Han shot first because they wanted to think that he actually just gunned him down.”
14 – Maclunkey!
Another change made before the Disney acquisition but appeared in the Disney+ version in 2019 was added dialogue of Greedo shouting “Maclunkey!” during the duel. This change was from George Lucas, and fans ridiculed it after the reveal.
15 – Harrison Ford
The debate of who shot first and the controversial change climbed until it reached Han Solo himself. In 2014, Harrison Ford participated in a Reddit Ask Me Anything event. When asked who shot first between Han and Greedo, in good old Harrison Ford fashion, he answered, “I don't know, and I don't care.”
