It’s been 46 years sinceThe Star Wars Holiday Specialhit audience’s screens for the very first time, and yet its legacy inStar Warsstill persists.The Star Wars Holiday Specialhas become something of a legend (quite literally, with it being a part of theStar WarsLegendscontinuity), known more for its controversies rather than its actual contribution to theStar Warsgalaxy. It has, however, had an impact outside this controversy, and that impact continues to be felt in modernStar Warsstories.
From the very first appearance of Boba Fett to the creation of the holiday Life Day,The Star Wars Holiday Specialhas certainly secured its place inStar Warshistory and lore, even with its drawbacks. Nevertheless, it is still difficult to look beyond the hardships that were bad enough to make George Lucas himself want to scrub its existence from the face of the earth. What exactly didThe Star Wars Holiday Specialencompass, then, and to what extent does its legacy truly live on in the franchise?
What Is The Star Wars Holiday Special & Why Was It So Controversial?
An Interim Project Between Star Wars & The Empire Strikes Back
The Star Wars Holiday Specialwas a television movie created a year afterStar Wars(later retitledA New Hope)was first released. It follows the story of Chewbacca and Han Solo attempting to get the Wookiee to his homeworld in time for Life Day, a Wookiee holiday that’s comparable to both Thanksgiving and Christmas. In doing so,it incorporates a variety of different elements, including animated scenes and even musical numbers. Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher all appeared in theirStar Warsroles, though even they could not save the mess this movie became.
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Ultimately, these elements could not pull together to make this special work, and behind-the-scenes problems during its production only further contributed toThe Star Wars Holiday Special’s controversial legacy. To start with,Lucas didn’t even want to create this TV special, but was pressured by executives to make it happen while audiences waited forThe Empire Strikes Backto release. The original director also left mid-production because of how poorly things were going. The writers weren’t even science fiction writers; they were comedy writers. Overall, it was a disaster, especially once the special failed to come together.
Star Wars' Life Day Has Remained An Enduring Part Of The Franchise
The Wookiee Holiday Only Grows In Importance
Despite these controversies and its reception,The Star Wars Holiday Specialstill has an enduring legacy through Life Day. The Wookiee holiday continues to be referenced throughoutStar Warsmedia, and it even serves as the centerpiece in 2020’sThe LegoStar Wars Holiday Special. Every year, merchandise is created and sold for Life Day, particularly atStar Wars: Galaxy’s Edgeat the Disneyland and Walt Disney World resorts. This holiday still means something to people, and it seems to actually take on more and more significance with each passing year.
It’s not often that official holidays are established inStar Wars, and with Life Day being one of the first (if notthefirst), it remains relevant.
One of the likeliest reasons for this is that it’s the closest theStar Warsgalaxy has to a Christmas-like holiday.Although it’s a Wookiee tradition, it’s recognized and even celebrated by many species, as evidenced in the aforementionedLEGO Star Warsspecial. From the Wookiee’s red robes and crystal orbs to the trees that evoke Kashyyyk’s forest environment, Life Day has become just as recognizable to audiences off the screen. It’s not often that official holidays are established inStar Wars, and with Life Day being one of the first (if notthefirst), it remains relevant.
The Holiday Special Isn’t Canon, But It Still Has A Massive Impact
It’s Made Great Contributions To The Franchise
It’s important to note, however, thatThe Star Wars Holiday Specialisn’t a part ofStar Warscanon. It’s technically a part ofStar WarsLegends, but even then, it wasn’t well-regarded in that continuity, either - and not just because it introduced Chewbacca’s family that he left behind in favor of traveling around with Han Solo (including his son, Lumpy). Lucas wanted this special to be forgotten about, and he did succeed in a few ways. Despite this,there are still elements of the special that changedStar Warsforever, especially with one key character: Boba Fett.
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Boba Fett’s appearance inThe Star Wars Holiday Specialintroduced him and the Mandalorians to the galaxy for the first time, a group that has since become absolutely indispensible to theStar Warsfranchise. It was in this special that Boba wielded an Amban phase-pulse blaster rifle, which becameDin Djarin’s trademark weapon inThe Mandalorian. Boba was also seen riding a giant creature, which would eventually evolve into the lore of Mandalorians taming the greatMythosaur. All of this lore was kickstarted byThe Star Wars Holiday Special- in addition to the aforementioned lore around Life Day.
How To Watch The Star Wars Holiday Special
It’s Difficult To Find
Lucas truly wantedThe Star Wars Holiday Specialwiped away from memory, and in today’s streaming world, he’s really succeeded in that endeavor. This special isn’t available to stream anywhere;the best chance at watching it is by looking it up on YouTube. There are some options there that are of relatively good quality, given the fact that many of them are original recordings from the late 1970s. If viewers are looking for the streaming quality of this infamous special, however, they’ll have no such luck. It seems thatStar Warsalso has no desire to keep this one around.
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It is, however, important to rememberThe Star Wars Holiday Specialfor the good it did manage to contribute to theStar Warsgalaxy. Without it, it’s possible that there would have been no Boba Fett, and Life Day would not exist. It certainly did some harm to the franchise at the time, but nearly 50 years later, it’s now something that many viewers look back on as yet another important part of the building blocks that built this galaxy into what it is today.The Star Wars Holiday Specialwas far from perfect, but it will always be important.
The Star Wars Holiday Special
Cast
The Star Wars Holiday Special is a 1978 television special set in the Star Wars universe, featuring the original trilogy cast. The plot centers around Chewbacca and Han Solo’s efforts to reach the Wookiee homeworld to celebrate Life Day with Chewbacca’s family. This special includes musical numbers, animated segments, and guest appearances.
