The Original 1977 Star Wars Is Back In Theaters—Finally Settling Who Shot First

The original 1977 Star Wars is heading back to theaters for its 50th anniversary. Yes, the unaltered cut. Yes, on the big screen. And yes, we have to wait a bit.

When and where this is happening

The date to circle is February 19, 2027. That is the official theatrical re-release of the original Star Wars (later retitled Star Wars: A New Hope). If you are doing the math, that means a roughly two-year wait from now. The upside is big: this will be the first time the original, pre-Special Edition cut has played in theaters in nearly 47 years.

Gizmodo says IMAX could be in the mix, but Disney and Lucasfilm have not confirmed that yet. So consider the IMAX part a strong maybe until the studios say so.

'Han shot first.'

What version are we getting (and why that matters)

This is the 1977 theatrical cut, before decades of tweaks and re-tweaks. Which means the infamous cantina showdown plays the way it did originally: Han Solo drops Greedo, no preemptive Greedo blast, no awkward timing tweaks, no extra alien shout.

If you have whiplash from all the different versions over the years, you are not alone. In 1997, George Lucas revised the movie for the Special Edition, changing the cantina scene so Greedo fires first, reframing Han’s shot as self-defense. More changes followed, including a 2019 Disney re-release that added a new Greedo line right before he dies.

A refresher on the tinkering

• 1997 Special Edition: a CGI Jabba the Hutt was added to the Docking Bay 94 scene.
• 1997 Special Edition: the cantina shootout was altered so Greedo fires first, softening Han’s edge.
• Lightsaber chaos: Luke’s saber color bounced from blue to green in some releases, then back again later.
• A trimmed shootout: a scene where Han and Luke gun down Imperial officers was cut entirely from the Special Edition.
• 2019 Disney re-release: Greedo yells 'Maclunkey!' right before getting blasted.

What I’m expecting here

No CGI Jabba. No altered blaster timing. No surprise alien quips. Just the film that blew the doors off theaters in 1977. Personally: great. We had a perfectly good scene, and then came decades of well-intentioned fiddling. Maybe stop fixing what was never broken.

The wait

Two years is a long runway, but the 50th anniversary framing makes sense. If that IMAX rumor pans out, even better. Either way, seeing the unaltered Star Wars back in a theater after almost 47 years is the real headline.

If you want more galactic homework while we wait, check out my guide to upcoming Star Wars movies.