Despite its unique place in the heart of many die-hard Star Wars fans, the much-maligned Star Wars Holiday Special isn't canon, but various creators have taken elements from the made-for-TV movie over the years to flesh out the famous franchise's universe. While characters like the notorious Boba Fett have been the most prominent aspects of the special to find their way to other Star Wars projects, there have been numerous other beings, locations, and items from the 1978 event that can trace their connection to Star Wars since The Empire Strikes Back just two years later.
Thanks to the wildly popular series The Mandalorian, the new LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special, and even aspects of Galaxy's Edge at Disney theme parks worldwide, bits and pieces of the Star Wars Holiday Special have been popping up for decades, sometimes in the most unlikely places.
Chewbacca's Family
The plot of the original Star Wars Holiday Special focuses heavily on Chewbacca's family, who patiently await the return of their noble warrior to celebrate Life Day on Kashyyyk. In the popular LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special Chewbacca's family makes their return, this time making their way to Chewbacca on the Falcon.
His wife Mallatobuck ("Malla"), father Attichitcuk ("Itchy"), and young son Lumpawaroo ("Lumpy") are invited by Poe Dameron to a special version of Life Day, complete with music, singing, dancing, and a feast of roast porg.
Chef Gormaanda
Apparently Gormaanda, the four-armed Julia Child-esque chef that teaches Chewbacca's wife Malla how to prepare her Bantha loin Life Day feast provided inspiration to another Star Wars character decades later; Strono "Cookie" Tuggs, chef to Maz Kanata at Takodana Castle.
In the story A Recipe For Death - Tales From a Galaxy Far, Far Away: Aliens Volume 1, Tuggs discovers Chef Gormaanda's holovids, and marvels at how she can transform something "ugly" into something beautiful shortly before their untimely demise. Some of her recipes even appear in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge: The Official Black Spire Outpost Cookbook.
Ackmena
The beguiling Ackmena, night shift bartender at Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina in Mos Eisley, is known for being quite the chanteuse. In the high point of the holiday special, she sings "Goodnight, But Not Goodbye", and the sight of seeing The Golden Girl's Bea Arthur bring down the cantina was a hit with viewers (as well as cantina regulars).
Ackmena makes two other notable appearances in the franchise; one canonically in the anthology book From A Certain Point Of View, featuring the short story "We Don't Serve Your Kind Here" that mentions her life on Tatooine with her wife Sorschi, and one in the Star Wars Legends novel Fate of the Jedi: Allies, where she works as a member of Freedom Flight, an organization dedicated to the business of freeing slaves in the galaxy.
Saun Dann
Saun Dann, the friendly trader who helps Chewbacca's family handle the Imperial detachment sent to his house, appeared as an NPC in the short-lived Star Wars Galaxies MMORPG by LucasArts, which took place between two famous Alliance conflicts, the Battle of Yavin and the Battle of Hoth. Saun Dann could be interacted with by players eager to go on a mission for the trader on Life Day in the mid-'00s.
Dann's character complained about losing shipments of "delicious Life Day candy" from someone named Keren on Naboo, and players could try to track the candy down for him and receive a prize. Saun looked almost exactly the same as he did in the holiday special.
Mermeia
Itchy's gorgeous holographic companion Mermeia, courtesy of trader Saun Dann's mind evaporator, is part of one of the most controversial vignettes of the holiday special. Played by popular singer Diahann Carroll, she engages in a mesmerizing dance routine that showcases her athleticism as well as her singing voice.
In Star Wars Galaxies, her voice can be heard when players interact with a mind evaporator of their own, and she's featured the "Thought as Action" card for the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game.
Life Day
In the very first episode of The Mandalorian, Din Djarin is after his target Mythrol, who after being taken aboard Razor Crest asks to use the "vac tube" before they take off. At this point he tries to escape, forcing Mando to put him into carbon freezing for the journey.
Mythrol protests, telling the bounty hunter that he hoped he'd be "home in time for Life Day", a direct reference to the Star Wars Holiday Special and a way to make the celebration of Life Day canon in the franchise.
Boba Fett's Weapon
After crashing into a moon somewhere in the Panna system, Luke, Han, Chewie, and the droids have to find a way to get to a civilized port for repairs. Luckily, they run into everyone's friendly neighborhood bounty hunter, Boba Fett, in his franchise debut. The weapon he uses to stun the giant making a meal of Luke's Y-Wing is a distinct prong-tipped rifle.
This weapon, now canonically known as an Amban phase-pulse blaster, is later seen again in The Mandalorian, used with great proficiency by another armored warrior named Din Djarin. It's the first time the weapon is seen in a live-action setting, and it looks a great deal more threatening than it did in the holiday special.
Son Of Attichitcuk
Jon Kasdan, son of Lawrence Kasdan who worked on The Empire Strikes Back tried to fill Solo: A Star Wars Story with several references to the Star Wars Holiday Special, but only managed to get in one, and fans wouldn't even be able to detect it if they tried.
In the scene where Han officially introduces himself to Chewie, the Wookiee replies that his name is, "Chewbacca, son of Attichitcuk", the grey-haired old warrior whose nickname was "Itchy."
Mythosaur
In the animated sequence that introduces Boba Fett for the first time, the bounty hunter is seen riding a dim-witted beast that doesn't seem to want to do anything else but eat. The beast doesn't have tusks or horns and has never been named canonically, but thanks to The Mandalorian there's implication that it could be related to the mythosaur.
As Mando rides the blarrg, Kuill explains that his ancestors used to ride mythosaurs, ancient beasts whose skull adorns many Mandalorian's armors. The sight of Boba Fett riding the creature in the Star Wars Holiday Special could have inspired such a concept.
Kashyyyk
George Lucas's single contribution on the writing side of the Holiday Special involved centering it on Chewbacca's family, specifically at their home on Kashyyyk. The Wookiee planet had never been featured before, and despite the fact that it was supposed to be where the Battle of Endor took place in Return of the Jedi, it would take decades for it to feature in a decisive battle.
In Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Lucas finally got to use Kashyyyk as the site of conflict between the Grand Army of the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. After Order 66 and the fall of the Republic, when the clone troopers turned against their Jedi generals and occupied the planet, the newly formed Galactic Empire enslaved the Wookiee population and instituted the sort of blockades Chewie has to deal with when trying to see his family for Life Day.