George Lucas’ Star Wars Holiday Special lived in infamy for decades, but the much-maligned film may have found its redemption with Disney. The release of Disney+’s LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special is the most obvious nod to the 1978 made-for-TV special, but the franchise has had several other recent Star Wars Holiday Special references.
Released between Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars Holiday Special earned the ire of Star Wars fans for decades. The special, which was broadcast on CBS, brought back Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford in their iconic roles and told the story of Chewbacca’s family and their “Life Day” celebration on the Wookiee planet Kashyyyk. With Lucas working on The Empire Strikes Back, Lucasfilm’s B team set out to make a feature that could live up to the Star Wars standard.
Star Wars Holiday Special bombed with audiences, receiving ridicule for its laborious plot, some bizarre side tangents and a Carrie Fisher “Life Day” musical number in the finale. Lucas wasn't happy either - according to Hamill during a conversation with USC, Lucas said that “if I could find every copy of that holiday special, I’d smash them with a hammer.” Unsurprisingly, Lucas relegated the special from Star Wars canon and it was never aired again. When Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith returned to Kashyyyk, Lucas painted a much different picture of the Wookiee planet from its television debut. The special’s lone bright spot was the introduction of bounty hunter Boba Fett to the Star Wars universe via a 2D animation sequence, but even that wasn’t enough to redeem the story in Lucas’ eyes.
Disney+’s release of LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special is the franchise’s most notable embrace to date of the 1978 special. The story revolves around the Life Day concept that was central to the original, but takes a much different strategy this time around. In the LEGO reincarnation, the humor is tongue-in-cheek and pokes fun at the franchise, rather than serving as the punchline itself. The return to Life Day - including the singing of a Life Day carol - also signals Disney's acceptance of the special, in contrast to the franchise's previous attempts to pretend as if it had never been released. LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special may be a way for Star Wars to pave over the 1978 special that Lucas might wish fans could forget, but it’s also a clear acknowledgement and enjoyment of Star Wars Holiday Special’s existence.
Bits of the Star Wars Holiday Special have also worked their way into Star Wars canon. In The Mandalorian season 2, episode 1, "Chapter 9: The Marshal", Din Djarin uses his amban rifle, itself the weapon Boba Fett wielded in his appearance in Star Wars Holiday Special, to electrocute the krayt dragon, a similar dragon-like beast to the Paar's ichthyodont that Fett attacks in his cartoon sequence. Considering the connection between the two bounty hunters and Fett’s emergence at the end of the episode, the subtle reference was a welcome nod to the special that gave Fett his start. The Mandalorian season 1, episode 1, "Chapter 1: The Mandalorian" also gives Star Wars Holiday Special a knowing wink when the Mythrol, Mando's target, references his need to “be free for Life Day and get back to the family.”
While Star Wars Holiday Special has not been added to the Disney+ catalog and stands as one of the franchise’s glaring failures, the special is returning to relevance in the latest Star Wars content, whether as source material or as the inspiration for new movies and jokes. Disney’s knowing nods show that, over 40 years after its release, Star Wars Holiday Special has its own place in the Star Wars universe.