I'm just about to post my own short take on the Special Editions. You're right about a lot of the reasons why some fans were unhappy with them. I'll add that the crux of the Han Shot First Controversy isn't just that the sacred and holy ANH was defiled by changes, but that this particular alteration changed their belief as to who Han was. In the '90s, Han was viewed as an antihero and that made him "cool." The shootout scene in the cantina was often mentioned as a "cool" scene because it showed how ruthless and coldblooded Han could be. George Lucas didn't want Han to be perceived that way, so he made Greedo shoot first in order to make audiences understand Han was threatened. I always got that impression from the film, so I didn't think it was really necessary, but I guess Lucas wanted it very clear Han was, for all of his flaws, not Boba Fett's twin brother. You can argue the scene looked awkward--I think it was improved in the DVD version--but it didn't turn Han into Pollyanna either. Han needed to be freed from his cynicism and learn that there are ideas and friends worth fighting for, not that he was some murderer who needed to aim his blaster at the right people for a change.