One of the most bizarre properties in the Star Wars franchise is The Star Wars Holiday Special, whichbecame an official part of the Star Wars Legends timeline thanks to an issue of Marvel’s classic comics. Set after the events of Return of the Jedi, a Marvel Star Wars story has Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Lando Calrissian return to Kashyyyk and interact with Chewie’s family, who’d been introduced in the Holiday Special. This Marvel comic wouldn’t be the last Legends property to reference the infamous TV special, however.
Released in 1978, The Star Wars Holiday Special is infamous within the Star Wars fandom for being a so-bad-it’s good classic, even though it’s never been officially released on home media by Lucasfilm. Although the special includes the onscreen debut of the fan-favorite bounty hunter Boba Fett, its comedic and irreverent tone might have made some viewers question its canonicity. Marvel’s classic Star Wars comics and many other Legends properties, however, have clarified that, as strange as the Holiday Special is, it’s a canonical part of the franchise’s original continuity.
In the 91st issue of Marvel’s Star Wars, by Mary Jo Duffy and Tony Salmons, Chewbacca’s family and the planet Kashyyk from The Star Wars Holiday Special show up once more. Set during the Nagai–Tof War less than a year after Return of the Jedi, the issue has Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Lando Calrissian foil a sinister plot by the Nagai to enslave Wookiees. Mala, Lumpy, and Itchy (Chewbacca’s wife, son, and father, respectively) all appear as they did in the Holiday Special, making it clear that the weird variety show is a canonical part of the franchise at the time. While Marvel’s Star Wars comics, like the rest of the Expanded Universe, became an alternate timeline with Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, the ongoing canon continuity references the Holiday Special as well.
Lore from The Star Wars Holiday Special appears throughout the Legends continuity, with Clone Wars Adventures comics showing a younger Itchy defending Wookiees from mind-controlled clone troopers and the look of Kashyyyk directly influencing the planet’s depiction in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Even Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith looked to the Holiday Special when depicting the Wookiee homeworld to make sure that the two portrayals are consistent. Love it or hate it, the Holiday Special is a canonical part of Legends.
The ongoing Star Wars canon, while not including the Holiday Special in its timeline directly, makes numerous references to it, with The Mandalorian and Star Wars: The Clone Wars acknowledging Life Day and using Boba Fett’s appearance as inspiration for Death Watch helmets, respectively. Marvel even released a Life Day one-shot comic, bringing the canonization of the Holiday Special full circle. The Star Wars Holiday Special may be a bizarre chapter in the Star Wars franchise, but it is part of the old Expanded Universe, with Marvel’s classic comics being the first property to acknowledge this.