The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special is absolutely packed with Star Wars Easter eggs from across the entire franchise. The first Star Wars movie made cinematic history, and as a result George Lucas agreed to a made-for-TV Christmas special to sustain interest in the franchise while he worked on the sequel. The result was the Star Wars Holiday Special, which released in 1978.
With the possible exception of Vonda N. McIntyre's novel The Crystal Star, there's probably never been anything quite so bizarre in the history of Star Wars. The Holiday Special introduced a Christmas analogue, Life Day, and saw Chewbacca head to his homeworld of Kashyyyk with his friends to celebrate the festival. Weirdly, it's also known for the first appearance of Boba Fett, as a cartoon character being watched by Chewbacca's son. It was packed with unexpected guest appearances, surreal music videos, and even a number by Carrie Fisher herself.
Fortunately, the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special is nowhere near so surreal. The basic concept is the same - Rey and her friends are celebrating Life Day on Kashyyyk shortly after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - but the execution is infinitely better. This time round, the plot is basically Avengers: Endgame played for comedy, as Rey uses a Force vergence to travel through the galaxy and explore the history of the Jedi. It's absolutely packed with in-jokes and Easter eggs that will delight Star Wars fans.
19. Finn Is Training To Be A Jedi
Marketing for Star Wars: The Force Awakens highlighted Finn holding a lightsaber, suggesting this Stormtrooper would become a Jedi Knight. Unfortunately the sequel trilogy failed to deliver on this promise, much to John Boyega's frustration. It wasn't until Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker that the films even confirmed Finn was Force-sensitive, and most viewers assumed he would then begin to train under Rey as the first student in a new Jedi Order. The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special uses that as its main focus, with the bookish Rey struggling to train Finn. It's a welcome glimpse of a Master-Apprentice dynamic that is sadly unlikely to be seen on the big screen, given Boyega has no interest in returning to Star Wars.
Rey follows the tried-and-tested technique of training Finn to block blaster bolts, in the same way Obi-Wan Kenobi mentored Luke in the first Star Wars movie. This isn't just a cool callback, though; as seen in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Master Yoda used this approach with Younglings as well. According to the book Secrets of the Jedi, mastery of this skill is particularly helpful in building a Force-sensitive's relationship with the Force, helping them learn to trust it on an intuitive, instinctive level.
18. Porgs on the Millennium Falcon
Finn's training is being disrupted by a trio of Porgs, who are watching him and putting him off. Rey encountered the Porgs on the waterworld of Ahch-To in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and a bunch of them really did settle aboard the Millennium Falcon, still living there in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The Porgs are the basis for a number of background gags throughout the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special, with Chewbacca stopping his son Lumpawaroo from eating them. Star Wars: The Last Jedi did indeed suggest Wookiees find Porgs rather tasty, and it's unclear whether Chewie himself has ever eaten one.
17. Rey's Argument With Finn Repeats Luke & Yoda's
Prompted by one of the ancient Jedi texts, Rey rushes off to the planet Cordocu in search of guidance to help her learn how to train her Padawan. The argument between Finn and Rey is amusingly reminiscent of the one between Luke Skywalker and Master Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back, with a couple of lines of dialogue that are actually lifted straight from it. Of course, this time round it's a little different; the Jedi Master is the one rushing off on an ill-advised mission rather than the student.
16. Rey Visits Key Star Wars Moments
Cordocu is clearly a planet rich in the Force, akin to other Force vergences such as Mustafar and Lothal. There, Rey discovers the key to the galaxy, a crystal that can be used to open portals through space and time. The portals are rendered in a similar manner to those seen on Lothal, where it was possible to enter the World Between the Worlds, another realm through which you could travel through time and space. Star Wars Rebels avoided using them too much, but the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special exploits them to their full potential. Rey visits a number of key moments in galactic history, believing the Force is guiding her to learn a lesson. The times visited include:
- Luke Skywalker training with Master Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back, complete with a hilarious critique of the famous "Do or do not, there is no try" line.
- Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon at the beginning of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, as their negotiations with the Trade Federation go badly wrong.
- Anakin and Obi-Wan on their way to see Padmé in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones.
- The pivotal moment Luke Skywalker destroyed the Death Star in the first Star Wars movie, which plays out almost identically - except for the fact Rey is sat in Luke's lap inside the X-wing.
- The Emperor's throne room in Return of the Jedi, as Palpatine and Vader scheme.
- The Battle of Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back.
- The duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.
- The final battle in The Mandalorian season 1, with Baby Yoda making a cameo.
- The podracer competition in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.
- The Battle of Exegol in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
15. Obi-Wan Kenobi's "Hello There"
One recurring gag in the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special sees Obi-Wan Kenobi saying, "Hello there." This is one of his most famous lines from Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, where the suave Jedi Master confronted General Grievous. Unfortunately Rey doesn't take the hint she can actually change the timeline after she is spotted by Obi-Wan and Anakin.
14. Rey Has A "Good Feeling About This"
Rey insists on one final time jump, and tells BB-8 she has "a good feeling about this." It's a hilarious shout-out to one of the most famous lines in Star Wars, which has appeared in almost every single move. The inversion is smart, because it signposts Rey's naivete in believing she can control the time travel escapades. A voice-over from Master Yoda reinforces the point, telling viewers this is where things go wrong for Rey.
13. Rey's Force Levitation Trick
Darth Vader pursues Rey through the portal, arriving on Cordocu and stealing the key. This prompts a spectacular Force-battle, and one of the highlights shows Rey demonstrating her power in the Force by levitating boulders. The scene is reminiscent of one in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, where Rey used this same technique to help the Resistance leaders escape Kylo Ren and the First Order. It's accompanied by a confident smirk, demonstrating Rey's cocky character.
12. Rey and Darth Vader Engage In a Tug of War
Rey has a habit of getting in ill-judged telekinetic tug-of-war contests with dark side warriors. Interestingly, she and Darth Vader appear evenly matched as they battle for ownership of the key, just as she matched Kylo Ren in a similar battle for Luke Skywalker's old lightsaber in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. There, the contest shattered the lightsaber, but here it simply triggers the opening of a new portal.
11. The Rise of Skywalker's Flying Stormtroopers
The duel between Darth Vader and Rey takes them through time and space, and at one point they get caught up in the Battle of Exegol in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Rey hurriedly opens a portal to prevent everybody crashing on to the surface of a Xyston-class Star Destroyer, and a number of First Order Stormtroopers fall through. It's easy to miss, but one of the Stormtroopers triggers his jet pack. The Resistance members were taken aback to learn Stormtroopers could fly in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
10. Luke Skywalker and Blue Milk
The time-space chaos comes to a climax on Tatooine, with Rey and Darth Vader - and the countless people they've picked up - landing on the desert sands. There, they are watched by a puzzled Luke Skywalker, a farmhand who knows how to repair droids but is useless in a fight, who is yet to leave his homeworld with Obi-Wan Kenobi. He's drinking blue milk, just as in the first Star Wars movie, and this would continue to be his favorite drink all his life. You can buy milk of different colors at the Star Wars Galaxy's Edge theme park.
9. Darth Maul Seeks His Revenge
The stage is set for a spectacular battle on Tatooine, and one of the most amusing participants is Darth Maul. He's fresh from his battle against Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, where he was cut in two by Obi-Wan. Darth Maul really did survive this, and as revealed in Star Wars: The Clone Wars he was given a cybernetic lower half. Darth Maul has even returned in the movies, making an unexpected appearance in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
8. Han Shot First
There's a hilarious gag on the famous "Han shot first" scene from the first Star Wars movie, as two versions of Han Solo offer one another the opportunity to shoot Greedo. The original script for Star Wars confirms Han really did shoot first, but Lucas changed his mind, and spent a great deal of time reworking the Greedo scene in the Special Editions. Greedo even gets out a "Maclunkey" line, referencing Lucas' final edited version that can be seen on Disney+.
7. Kylo Ren Is Shirtless After Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Palpatine and Darth Vader travel forward to 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi, where they discover Kylo Ren has just become Supreme Leader of the First Order. He's celebrating his leadership by going shirtless, a hilarious gag on a scene in Star Wars: The Last Jedi where Adam Driver showed off his muscles. Kylo Ren's physique is certainly distracting for everybody involved, with General Hux struggling to get out a sentence, and Palpatine telling Kylo Ren to put a shirt on. Suffice to say Kylo Ren demonstrates himself the ultimate fanboy when he meets Palpatine and Darth Vader.
6. Palpatine Restores Kylo Ren's Mask
The Emperor is understandably unhappy to learn of his imminent demise, and decides he would be wise to replace Darth Vader with Kylo Ren. In one quite cool scene, he uses the power of the dark side to repair Kylo Ren's mask, although you can see angry red scores where the different fragments have been put back together. Kylo Ren would actually have his mask repaired in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, with the exact same effect. Darth Vader, for his part, is unimpressed at his grandson's lack of originality.
5. Poe Dameron References Jar-Jar Binks
Poe Dameron describes his Life Day Party as the biggest galactic disaster "since Jar-Jar Binks' Senate speech." This is a reference to a key moment in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, in which Jar-Jar proposed granting Supreme Chancellor Palpatine emergency powers. This can technically be seen as the beginning of the Empire, because Palpatine avoided ever giving up those emergency powers.
4. Max Rebo Gets The Party Started
Finn and Rose have hired Max Rebo to liven up the Life Day Party, much to Poe's surprise, as in his view nobody's heard of Max Rebo in 30 years. He's right that Max Rebo hasn't been since Return of the Jedi, when he and his band played for Jabba the Hutt. Finn and Rose promptly sing a Life Day carol, an amusing reminder of the ill-advised songs from George Lucas' Holiday Special, but this time played for humor.
3. Darth Vader Was The One Who Named "Starkiller Base"
The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special reveals Darth Vader was the one who actually thought of the name "Starkiller Base", which ties into Vader training his apprentice Starkiller in The Force Unleashed video games. He was unimpressed with Palpatine's "Death Star 2," but the Emperor dismissed his idea immediately. Later, when Kylo Ren references Starkiller Base, Palpatine gives an entirely different reaction. "Oooh, good name," he declares, trying to win Kylo Ren over as his apprentice. Darth Vader interjects angrily, feeling like something of a fifth wheel.
2. Kylo Ren Warns Palpatine There's No Coming Back From The Reactor Shaft
Transported back to the time of Return of the Jedi, Kylo Ren is somewhat bemused by Palpatine's actions. As he notes, the decision to send Darth Vader down to the Forest Moon of Endor to find Luke Skywalker will lead inevitably to the Emperor's being tossed down the reactor shaft of the Second Death Star - "and there's no coming back from that." The line is a hilarious one, given Kylo Ren is entirely unaware Palpatine did indeed survive Return of the Jedi, and would return in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
1. Kylo Ren Throws A Temper Tantrum
Transported back to his own time, Kylo Ren throws a furious temper tantrum, hacking his throne room apart with his lightsaber. This is a nice shout-out to a similar scene in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, where First Order Stormtroopers appeared to react as though this kind of temper tantrum was commonplace with Kylo Ren. The reaction from Kylo Ren's aide is an amusing one, as he backs hurriedly out of the room in case he winds up on the receiving end of the Supreme Leader's ire.