Looking back on Star Wars, part 2: The Holiday Special (1978)

…curiously, despite being disavowed, The Star Wars Holiday Special was still regarded as official Star Wars canon for decades.

Then there’s the actual special itself. As Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) flee from Vader’s Imperial fleet, Chewie’s family awaits nervously on Kashyyyk while making preparations for the Life Day festivities. For the first ten minutes, we watch as these three Wookiees interact in nothing but grunts and growls without any subtitles. It’s a genuine relief when Carney’s Trader Dan does finally show up.

Things only grow progressively weirder from there. In between more Wookiee grunts, stock footage from Star Wars, and a surprise Imperial inspection, we’re treated to a series of increasingly bizarre sketches. These include:

• A holographic circus troupe of alien dancers, jugglers and acrobats, accompanied by sounds of electronic, out-of-tune horns.
• A cooking show with actor Harvey Korman as a four-armed chef making “Bantha Surprise.” Notable for his meme-worthy chant of “Stir, whip, stir, whip, whip whip, stir!”
• Itchy watching a virtual-reality module of actress-singer Diahann Carroll, which comes across as thinly-disguised erotica. Because Star Wars is for the kids, folks!
• An Imperial officer watching a Jefferson Starship music video.
• A nine-minute animated segment in which Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), along with C-3P0 (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2, must rescue Han and Chewie from a hostile water planet. This also marks the very first canonical appearance of the intergalactic bounty hunter, Boba Fett.
• An instructional video in which a malfunctioning android, also played by Harvey Korman, explains how to build your very own intergalactic transmitter. This, believe or not, winds up becoming a key plot point.
• An imperial surveillance-broadcast of “Life on Tatooine,” in which actress Bea Arthur plays a bartender of the Mos Eisley Cantina, and Harvey Korman as a patron who’s fallen in love with her. The segment ends with a musical number set to a slowed-down version of the “Cantina Song.”

As for the cameo appearances from the original cast, it gives new meaning to hilariously bad. Hamill is caked in so much makeup, he looks like he fell into a vat of insta-tan. Fisher, who would later admit that she started using cocaine around this time, gives a whole new meaning to the term “spaced out.” As for Harrison Ford, he doesn’t even put in the effort to phone it in. He may be saying how much Chewie’s family means to him, but his eyes are saying, “Can somebody just kill me now? Please?!”

But the coup de grâce in outright lunacy is the Life Day celebration itself. Dressed in full-length red robes and carrying glowing orbs, Chewie, his family, and dozens of Wookiees head to some astral plane towards “The Tree of Life.” Somehow, Han, Luke, Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), 3PO and R2 are waiting for them there. In the most cringe-worthy moment of an entire extravaganza of cringe, Leia gives a speech about coming together in peace and love. Then John Williams’ Star Wars theme begins… and Leia starts singing! And yes, this demands to be seen… if you can somehow stomach watching it without wanting to tear out your eyes and run away screaming.

More from Movies

• James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy casts more major DC characters
• New Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom trailer pushes Arthur to his limits
• 7 actors who could replace Ezra Miller as The Flash in the DC Universe
• Masters of the Universe reboot’s new domain could be at Amazon’s Prime Video Streamer
• James Gunn gives interesting update of Superman and Supergirl movies at DC Studios

It goes without saying that the Holiday Special was a complete disaster the moment it aired. An estimated 11 million viewers changed channels midway through. The following day, critics savaged it. One by one, everyone involved in the production refused to talk about it. And of course, Kenner halted production on their new action figures.

Yet curiously, despite being disavowed, The Star Wars Holiday Special was still regarded as official Star Wars canon for decades. What’s more, Nelvana, the studio hired to produce the animated segment, would go on to produce more Star Wars spin-off cartoons, particularly the prequel series, Droids (1985). The animated segment also appears as a bonus feature in the Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-Ray set, making it the only part of the Special ever officially released by Lucasfilm. Boba Fett, of course, would go on to become a Star Wars staple and one of the most popular villains in the franchise.

As for its overall historical significance, it’s a real oddity in every sense. If you are brave enough to watch, it’s better if you see it in the company of friends who will not question your sanity afterward. Even better, get your hands on the Rifftrax edition, and let them do the jokes for you. Hopefully, you’ll survive the experience.

There’s another reason The Star Wars Holiday Special didn’t tank the movie’s popularity or it’s viability as a franchise. The following year, what was once a film was about to become a saga.