The special introduced us to Boba Fett. Yes, believe it or not, the one lasting thing the Star Wars Holiday Special gave the world was the character Boba Fett. The Mandalorian bounty hunter technically made his first appearance in a county fair parade, but the special was his screen debut — and it was animated. A promotion for the Robot Chicken Star Wars special saw an animated Lucas discuss his hatred for The Holiday Special in a psychoanalyst's chair, admitting that he might have done the same with the.
...seriously, what Star Wars fan *wouldn't* want to watch this? Well, maybe a few - I remember when this first aired, this young kid was totally psyched, and got all my snacks ready and sat at the TV -- and after 15 minutes, I turned if OFF. I am going to try to give a different take towards this one than the other reviewers, because of course they are all correct, this is an amazingly bad piece of garbage.
First off, yep, I and no one else who is a Star Wars fan who has seen this will ever disagree it is complete and total crap. But you know the old saying about train wrecks, you just *have* to watch them, this is that. Because as unbelievably horrible as it is, and as totally unfathomably bad every scene is, as a Star Wars fan you wanna see these characters in new scenes.
It IS cool seeing 'new' footage of Han and Chewie in the Falcon's cockpit. It's cool seeing Luke do his thing, Leia, the droids, everyone, although this is nothing but a huge mess, you gotta like seeing these characters again somewhere. Of course, as you watch you may say to yourself that you wish you had NEVER seen this, because it taints the memory of these great Star Wars characters. So was actually seeing this special worth it? If you can keep your feelings about Star Wars in check and dismiss this easily, sure it is.
The Boba Fett appearance in the animated sequence is very cool, best thing about the show probably. It's too short though, especially in such a long show.
But you know, this is one part of the Star Wars universe where I would love some additional information. The special itself we have - but this is the only piece of the Star Wars universe we know almost nothing of the background about. How was this show proposed? What were the creative meetings for this abomination like? Who felt this should be 2 hours long in broadcast time? What did the actors say and feel when they read what they were supposed to do? How did the recording of Carrie Fisher's 'Star Wars song' go? Did everyone on screen just think this was a big joke before it was through?
And most importantly...did absolutely no one whatsoever in power have any ability at all to see this final product and realize what a complete piece of garbage this was, and what a blight on the Star Wars universe this would surely become? Were there stipulations that said this HAD to air, and they couldn't even trim it down?
I can't believe after creating such a masterpiece like 'Star Wars' that George Lucas didn't have the eyes to see what a total hack job this Star Wars Holiday TV Special was. (Even with 'Episode 2' in existence I still have to give George the benefit on this one.)
So c'mon....what is the REAL untold story behind this...this....this thing?
Maybe the 'E' network can help?
THAT would make for a much better tale than anything on this special.
But you gotta watch.
One more interesting note -- at a sci-fi con in New Jersey in the later 90's, at the end when the place was clearing out, one dealer that was selling tapes still had his TV on and he had none other than the Star Wars Holiday Special playing, maybe hoping to sell a last copy or two. Then, none other than convention guests Peter Mayhew (Chewie) and Kenny Baker (R2D2), by themselves, passed this dealer's table on their way out, and saw the Special playing, and then they started staring intently at it. Their jaws just dropped. The dealer was shocked when he noticed them (he was packing his stuff) and then he said something like 'hi guys,' and both Peter and Kenny answered with something along the lines of that they haven't thought about the Special in many years. Then Peter said 'c'mon Kenny' and they walked off. Interesting!
First off, yep, I and no one else who is a Star Wars fan who has seen this will ever disagree it is complete and total crap. But you know the old saying about train wrecks, you just *have* to watch them, this is that. Because as unbelievably horrible as it is, and as totally unfathomably bad every scene is, as a Star Wars fan you wanna see these characters in new scenes.
It IS cool seeing 'new' footage of Han and Chewie in the Falcon's cockpit. It's cool seeing Luke do his thing, Leia, the droids, everyone, although this is nothing but a huge mess, you gotta like seeing these characters again somewhere. Of course, as you watch you may say to yourself that you wish you had NEVER seen this, because it taints the memory of these great Star Wars characters. So was actually seeing this special worth it? If you can keep your feelings about Star Wars in check and dismiss this easily, sure it is.
The Boba Fett appearance in the animated sequence is very cool, best thing about the show probably. It's too short though, especially in such a long show.
But you know, this is one part of the Star Wars universe where I would love some additional information. The special itself we have - but this is the only piece of the Star Wars universe we know almost nothing of the background about. How was this show proposed? What were the creative meetings for this abomination like? Who felt this should be 2 hours long in broadcast time? What did the actors say and feel when they read what they were supposed to do? How did the recording of Carrie Fisher's 'Star Wars song' go? Did everyone on screen just think this was a big joke before it was through?
And most importantly...did absolutely no one whatsoever in power have any ability at all to see this final product and realize what a complete piece of garbage this was, and what a blight on the Star Wars universe this would surely become? Were there stipulations that said this HAD to air, and they couldn't even trim it down?
I can't believe after creating such a masterpiece like 'Star Wars' that George Lucas didn't have the eyes to see what a total hack job this Star Wars Holiday TV Special was. (Even with 'Episode 2' in existence I still have to give George the benefit on this one.)
So c'mon....what is the REAL untold story behind this...this....this thing?
Maybe the 'E' network can help?
THAT would make for a much better tale than anything on this special.
But you gotta watch.
One more interesting note -- at a sci-fi con in New Jersey in the later 90's, at the end when the place was clearing out, one dealer that was selling tapes still had his TV on and he had none other than the Star Wars Holiday Special playing, maybe hoping to sell a last copy or two. Then, none other than convention guests Peter Mayhew (Chewie) and Kenny Baker (R2D2), by themselves, passed this dealer's table on their way out, and saw the Special playing, and then they started staring intently at it. Their jaws just dropped. The dealer was shocked when he noticed them (he was packing his stuff) and then he said something like 'hi guys,' and both Peter and Kenny answered with something along the lines of that they haven't thought about the Special in many years. Then Peter said 'c'mon Kenny' and they walked off. Interesting!
The infamous Holiday Special is sort of a cinematic Bigfoot. It's so notorious, everyone reading this knows which Holiday Special we’re talking about. Many speak of it, but few have actually seen it, and facts about TheStar Wars Holiday Special are sparse and murky. The Special was a much-hyped television event that aired exactly once in 1978, and has since been passed around via bootlegged tapes and, eventually, Internet piracy. The singular live airing adds to the event’s mystique, but it was hidden for reasons more closely related to shame.
The 'story' follows Chewbacca’s Wookiee family as they await Chewie’s return for Life Day, which is basically Space Christmas. The Special is a sort of variety show, with multiple bizarre, oddly placed vignettes interspersed throughout the main drama. The story of what happened to TheStar Wars Holiday Special is almost as outrageous as the film itself. George Lucas, in a rare moment of honest self-assessment, hated the entire thing, and tried to erase it from history. Sadly for Mr. Lucas, nerds have famously long and detailed memories, so the infamous dumpster fire of a TV special lives on to induce ignominy in an entirely new generation of Star Wars fans.
TheStar Wars Holiday Special, ostensibly a Christmas film, aired only once, on November 17, 1978. It was a highly anticipated event, with a full-page advertisement in TV Guide (that was a big deal, at the time) and a runtime of 98 minutes. A massive home audience tuned in for the second installment in the Star Wars saga - and probably came away with a serious urge to become a Trekkie. The Special reportedly reached around 13 million American homes.
Harvey Korman Plays Three Roles, Including One In Blackface
The Holiday Special features cameos from some classic comic actors, like Art Carney and Richard Pryor, but it’s Harvey Korman who puts in the most work, playing three different roles. Unfortunately, his standout character was memorable for all the wrong reasons.
Korman’s turn as Chef Gormanda, a four-armed alien, saw the veteran actor wearing blackface. That’s right, The Star Wars Holiday Special is not just awful from a storytelling perspective, it’s also unconscionably racist. Despite the insanely offensive costume choice, the physical comedy of a gangly Wookiee trying to keep up with the cooking pace of a four-armed alien is one of the few legitimately humorous moments in the Holiday Special.
Carrie Fisher Seemed High As Balls While Singing The 'Happy Life Day' Song
The Holiday Special culminates in a musical number where Princess Leia sings the 'Life Day' song, which conveniently goes to the tune of the Star Wars theme. This performance was a major reason Carrie Fisher signed on to the Special in the first place, as she was looking to launch her own musical career.
The 'Life Day' song obviously didn’t help her there, although the quality of her singing suggests she wouldn’t have had much success as a vocalist anyway. To make matters worse (and more awkward), Fisher appears to be completely lit up on cocaine throughout the entirety of her appearance, which may have actually been the case, given her personal history.
Perhaps the most bizarre scene in the entire Holiday Special occurs fairly early on, when Chewbacca’s father, Itchy (seriously), plugs into his personal hologram machine, the Mind Evaporator. Despite the foreboding title, the Mind Evaporator allows users to turn their fantasies into holographic realities.
Itchy immediately uses it to imagine a human woman in a revealing dress and a bad wig, because apparently Chewie’s dad is into some deeply freaky stuff. She starts by attempting, quite successfully, to the seduce the elderly Wookiee with a bit of breathy dialogue about how “adorable” he is. The woman then sings a vaguely erotic song, while Windows Media Player effects play in the background. Throughout the show, Itchy grunts with what appears to be sexual pleasure, despite the fact that his entire family is in the house. What a pervert.