The Star Wars Holiday Special Is Still Terrible After All These Years – Here’s How To See It
On November 17, 1978, the ” Star Wars Holiday Special” aired on CBS, cementing its place as the worst Christmas special ever made. Even George Lucas has admitted his embarrassment over the special, and once said he would destroy every bootleg copy if he could, so of course, we’ve included it below for you.
Featuring such 70s era stars as Bea Arthur, Diahann Carroll, Harvey Korman (who plays multiple roles), and The Jefferson Starship, the special focuses on Chewbacca’s family (wife Malla, son Lumpy, and father Itchy) as they wait for Han and Chewie to arrive on the Wookiee home planet of Kashyykk to celebrate Life Day, the Wookiee version of Christmas.
According to Star Wars legend, Life Day celebrates the values and tenets of Wookiee culture, including family, joy, and harmony. While Life Day is a celebration traditionally held at the Tree of Life on Kashyyyk and observed by extended Wookiee families, Wookiees throughout the galaxy still mark the day. When Wookiees were enslaved by the Empire, the holiday took on an even greater significance. Today, people from planets across the galaxy have embraced this tradition and made it their own by celebrating with festive décor, twinkling string lights, unique food and drink items, music, and activities. People share the hopes of celebrating freedom, harmony, and peace, no matter how different people may appear. At the end of the day, everyone gathers to sing songs and be reminded of their dedication, courage, and love for one another. This is the promise of the Tree of Life.
“Honeymooners” star Art Carney is along for the ride as a local trader, as is the original Star Wars cast, who all seem to be working hard to make the best of the horrible script. Except for Harrison Ford – he seems genuinely angry to be there.
Even though the Holiday Special is widely slammed by fans and critics alike, for many, the nostalgia outweighs the terrible quality. They keep it alive through bootleg copies of the special available online and on DVD.
Perhaps the Holiday Special’s best claim to greatness comes from an animated short it features, which marked the first appearance of Boba Fett, who pursues both Han Solo and Luke Skywalker.
If you prefer to just watch the cartoon without the rest of the special (and you won’t be missing much), here you go.
It just so happens that there are fairly good copies of the entire Star Wars Holiday Special still available on YouTube. You can watch one of them below.
Be warned: This is not the Star Wars you are looking for.
As you might expect, there are no official plans to ever release The Star Wars Holiday Special.
