When Han Solo was facing off with Greedo in Mos Eisley, negotiation failed, and blasters were fired. Originally, Han Solo just out-and-out shot Greedo, but in the Star Wars re-releases, Greedo shoots first, and misses, before Han Solo shoots. It’s a bone of contention among Star Wars fans that I won’t get into here.
But science now has an opinion on this science fiction. And, if you think about high-noon showdowns in Hollywood westerns for decades, the dilemma’s an old one. From Sciencemag:
Have you ever noticed that the first cowboy to draw his gun in a Hollywood Western is invariably the one to get shot? Nobel prize–winning physicist Niels Bohr did, once arranging mock duels to test the validity of this cinematic curiosity. …. Bohr was seemingly unhappy with the Tinseltown explanation that the good guy, who never shoots first, always wins. Legend has it that he procured two toy pistols and enlisted the aid of fellow physicist George Gamow. In a series of duels, Bohr never drew first but won every time. The physicist suggested that the brain responded to danger faster than it carried out a deliberate intention.
Well, scientists have now confirmed Bohr’s intuition — in computer simulations done at the University of Bristol, the person who is forced to react actually acts 9% faster than the person making the first move.
That’s a significant speed advantage. Unfortunately, it’s partly negated by the fact that reactors were more likely to make an error.
[Experimental psychologist Andrew] Welchman speculates that this rapid, if somewhat inaccurate, response system may have evolved to help humans deal with danger, when immediate reaction is essential and the risk of an error worth taking.
Grant Hamilton
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