'Maclunkey?!' The Star Wars 'who shot first' debate takes baffling new turn on Disney+
With Disney+ now launched in the US – but not until March 2020 in the UK – it's now flooded with content from the Disney archives.
And, of course, that now means Star Wars too, but still there's one debate among fans which continues to trundle on, and now it's taken yet another turn with the first movie now set up in its new forever home.
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It is, of course, did Han Solo shoot first in his stand-off with Greedo in the Mos Eisley cantina in Star Wars: A New Hope?
Famously, the original cut of the movie appears to show Solo shooting first, which set up his character arc nicely – a vagabond, fully prepared to shoot first, who them redeems himself by the movie's ending, getting himself a bravery medal into the bargain.
Then George Lucas had to meddle with it in his 1997 special edition, in which Greedo definitely shoots first, somehow misses despite being barely a few feet away, and is then gunned down by Han.
We thought - foolishly it seems - that we’d put all this to bed, but no.
With the movie landing on the new Disney service yesterday, fans noted that there's ANOTHER change to the controversial face-off.
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Now both Han and Greedo shoot at the same time, with Han, obviously, coming out alive.
But in a new twist, Greedo's even got some additional dialogue, uttering the nonsense word 'Maclunkey!' as he discharges his blaster.
It's a tiring new development, with fans weighing in all over Twitter.
In the Disney+ version of Star Wars Greedo now shouts "MACLUNKEY" before getting shot. This is now my favorite version because why the hell not? MACLUNKEY! #starwars #maclunkey pic.twitter.com/k1XmP8wAZT
— Eric Fell (@ericfell) November 12, 2019
Looks like the seed money that Maclunkey Toilet Pucks™️ gave to Disney+ is really paying off. #maclunkey https://t.co/ttgwz1BZLV
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) November 12, 2019
Just for comparison, here’s the original scene from Star Wars. #starwars #maclunkey pic.twitter.com/sgZGt36YcI
— David Ely (@davextreme) November 12, 2019
I'm crying laughing that George Lucas planted a land mine seven years ago and that's all anyone's talking about on the Disney+ launch day. #Maclunkey
— DrewMcWeeny (@DrewMcWeeny) November 12, 2019
Though one man, Pablo Hidalgo, a Lucasfilm employee and member of the Lucasfilm Story Group, has had his say, revealing that Disney+ must be using the 4K restoration version of the movie, which never actually came out.
Pablo confirms that this is Lucas’ Last Edition. https://t.co/L46HnZHOTs
— Star Wars Visual Comparisons (@StarWarsVisComp) November 12, 2019
What the hell 'Maclunkey' means is also creating some debate out there, some even having spotted the word previously in the Lucas-made prequels.
There’s real precedent for #maclunkey! What it means in Huttese — “It will be the end of you” — was first revealed in THE PHANTOM MENACE. https://t.co/wXmxqf36p3
— Christian Blauvelt (@ctblauvelt) November 13, 2019
#Maclunkey means "My blaster is jammed and prone to shooting up and to the right but here goes nothing!!" pic.twitter.com/h2mfhlfIbZ
— Jason Thomas (@hankey01) November 12, 2019
#Maclunkey is the “Rosebud” of the #StarWars franchise. Lucas added it just before selling Star Wars to Disney. No explanation. No context. Just one mysterious word, uttered before the end. People will debate its meaning online for years. pic.twitter.com/35oUqtU7d6
— Otis Frampton 💬 (@otisframpton) November 12, 2019
But it feels as though, despite this being the latest chapter in the Han/Greedo saga, it may well not be the last.
This whole thing could run and run...