From Entertainment Weekly:
GL: (speaking about Han Solo firing first) I don't see how you could redeem somebody who kills people in cold blood.
Now, he's talking about Han here, but does he have ANY idea what he's just said?
George, ever since ROTJ, you've maintained that the whole Saga was about the Fall and Redemption of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader - a character who, it is well known, killed many, many, many people in cold blood, over a period of at least a couple decades. If it's impossible to "redeem" Han Solo for an act of self-defense, how can you justify making an entire 6-movie Saga about the redemption of Anakin/Vader?
This is a topic that has been raised, in pretty harsh terms, by David Brin in the past, and given the above quote, you really have to wonder if Lucas has any idea what he's doing or saying in these movies any more.