There are few questions as indelibly part of theStar Warsfandom than the famous “Who shot first?” and it’s fun to speculate on what other lovable rogues would’ve done in the showdown between Han Solo and Greedo. For the protagonist scoundrel ofStar Wars Outlaws, Kay Vess, the answer is cut and dry.
Star Wars Outlaws' Kay is a different kind of rogue than Han Solo or Lando Calrissian, developers at Massive explained to Game Rant in a recent interview. Still, she is a rogue all the same, so it’s natural to wonder if she would shoot first in a similar circumstance. Narrative director Navid Khavari had a clear and simple answer.
Star Wars Outlaws Begs the Question: Who Shoots First?
The question stems from a famous, or perhaps infamous, difference between the original version ofStar Wars: A New Hopeand its later remasters. Solo gets cornered bythe bounty hunter Greedowho is looking to collect on the price Jabba the Hutt put on Solo’s head for unpaid debts. In a scene that plays out extremely fast, the tense conversation breaks down and blaster fire is exchanged.
In the original version of the movie, Han shoots Greedo first. But when remastering the original trilogy, George Lucas made several controversial changes to the originals–one of those changes was Greedo shooting first instead. Lucas felt this made Solo more justified in killing the bounty hunter, as it made the act one of self-defense. Self-defense doesn’t even factor into the question for Kay, though. According to Khavari, if Kay was in a similar situation, she would quickly put down her opponent—but for a different reason.
“Kay would shoot first. Period. Forget protecting herself, is she going to let someone hurt Nix? No way.”
Khavari thinks Kay and her Merqaal companion Nix stand among other iconic Star Wars duos like Solo and Chewbacca, orCal Kestis and BD-1. When working on characterization, it was important to Khavari that Kay and Nix not feel like owner and pet, but like family to hammer home their deep connection. The team also infused Nix with the beloved traits of their own pets and believes that effort pays off.
It’s a future of freedom for both herself and Nix that drives Kay forward on her career as aStar Warsscoundrel and drives the game toward its centerpiece: the greatest heist in the galaxy. The promise of a big score, her ship theTrailblazer, and how Kay will ensure a future with her constant companion is her central motivation.
Against that backdrop, it makes a lot of sense that, for her, protecting Nix is all the reason she’d need to shoot first. Solo was shooting first to protect himself and his ship; for Kay, shooting first means protecting her family.
