“Sorry about the mess,” that apology along with a cool coin flip were the actions of Han Solo in the infamous scene wherein he shoots the Rodian Bounty Hunter Greedo in Star Wars: A new hope (Episode IV). This scene wherein Greedo and Han discuss his debt to Jaba the Hutt which ends Solo shooting the bounty hunter was considered irrelevant when the movie was first released (this is because the original footage of Han talking to Jaba the Hutt was edited out in the original 1977 version).
Fan’s would only later discover its relevance to the storyline with the release of the sequel “The Empire Strikes Back.” As a new bounty hunter (and fan favorite) Boba Fett is introduced….
However in 1997, this confrontation became the one of the most highly debated scenes because George Lucas decided to edit the footage. In the revised version, Greedo shoots at Han first and misses. Han then shoots him, which makes Han Solo’s action appear to be a defensive response. This angered Star Wars superfans which prompted the famous internet declaration “Han shot first.” It’s a mostly pointless debate, but one that still upsets people until today.
The reason I am bringing this issue up is because Disney has altered the scene again. With the release of their new streaming service Disney Plus, all of the original three Star Wars movies are available to stream. And one Star Wars Fan has recently watched the movie noting there is a new edit to the scene. As in the original 1997 edit Greedo shoots Han first, however Greedo before he is shot by Han Solo shouts the word “Maclunkey!”
What is Maclunkey and what is its relevance? We have no clue. As far as we know, Maclunkey is NOT the name of any Star Wars character, place or thing. And there is no translation of the word before Greedo is shot. Is it possible it is a swear word by Greedo’s race? Or a reference to a Rodian deity? Uncertain…however, it has now become a new topic in Star Wars forums. Hopefully, there is a reason this new word has become part of the Star Wars Mythology. However for now, your guess is as good as ours.
One thing to note….Han’s apology isn’t just to the bar owner…. It now implies to everything related to this scene…