Star Wars Holiday Special

Last updated

Star Wars Holiday Special
StarWarsHS.jpg
An advertisement for the special in TV Guide
Based on Star Wars by George Lucas
Written by
Directed by
Starring
Voices of
  • Mark Hamill
  • Harrison Ford
  • Carrie Fisher
  • Anthony Daniels
  • Don Francks (uncredited)
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers
Producers
Running time98 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network CBS
ReleaseNovember 17, 1978 (1978-11-17)

The Star Wars Holiday Special [lower-alpha 1] is an American television special originally broadcast by CBS on November 17, 1978. It is set in the universe of the sci-fi-based Star Wars media franchise. Directed by Steve Binder, it was the first Star Wars spin-off film, set between the events of the original film and the then-unreleased sequel The Empire Strikes Back (1980). It stars the main cast of the original Star Wars and introduces the character of Boba Fett, who appeared in later films.

Contents

In the storyline that ties the special together, following the events of the original film, Chewbacca and Han Solo attempt to visit the Wookiee home planet of Kashyyyk to celebrate "Life Day". They are pursued by agents of the Galactic Empire, who are searching for members of the Rebel Alliance on the planet. The special introduces three members of Chewbacca's family: his father Itchy, his wife Malla, and his son Lumpy.

The program also features the rest of the main Star Wars characters, including Luke Skywalker, C-3PO, R2-D2, Darth Vader and Princess Leia, all portrayed by the original cast (except R2-D2, who is simply billed as "himself"). The program includes footage from the 1977 film and a cartoon produced by Toronto-based Nelvana featuring the bounty hunter Boba Fett. Scenes take place in space and in spacecraft including the Millennium Falcon and a Star Destroyer; segments also take place in a few other locales such as the Mos Eisley cantina from the original film.

The special was very poorly received, and has never been rebroadcast nor officially released on home video in any format. It has become something of a cultural legend due to the underground quality of its existence. It has been viewed and distributed in off-air recordings of the original 1978 CBS television broadcast by fans as bootleg copies, and it has also been uploaded to content-sharing websites. In contrast, the animated segment that introduced Boba Fett was positively received and, in 2021, was released on Disney+.

Plot

On Life Day, Chewbacca, accompanied by Han Solo, is headed home to see his family. Along the way, the duo is chased by two Star Destroyers, but they escape into hyperspace. Meanwhile, on Kashyyyk, Chewbacca's family is preparing for his return. Hoping to find the Millennium Falcon , his wife, Malla, runs a computer scan for starships in the area but is unsuccessful.

Malla contacts Luke Skywalker, who, along with R2-D2, is working on his X-wing fighter. Luke tells her that he does not know what happened. Malla contacts Saun Dann, a local trader. He tells her through a carefully worded message that Han and Chewbacca are on their way and should be arriving soon.

Malla then attempts (unsuccessfully) to prepare a meal, the instructions of which are being aired via a local cooking show by an eccentric four-armed alien cook, Chef Gormaanda (Harvey Korman).

Saun arrives with Life Day gifts for everyone, including a virtual reality fantasy program (featuring Diahann Carroll) for Itchy. Back on the Falcon, Chewbacca and Han have just come out of hyperspace not far from Kashyyyk. Han notices an increased Imperial presence, so they decide to land in an unguarded area to the north.

As they enter the atmosphere, Lumpy hears the roaring of the ship. Believing Han and Chewie might be arriving, Malla opens the door, but instead finds two stormtroopers and officers. The Imperials force their way into the house. An officer orders a search for Chewbacca.

As they search, Saun and the others attempt to distract them with food and Malla's music video box (which features a video by Jefferson Starship). When the music finishes, the head officer orders the search to continue. The head officer tells Malla to keep Lumpy busy while they search his room, so Lumpy (and the viewing audience) uses a viewscreen to watch a cartoon of his father's many adventures:

During a search for a talisman, the Millennium Falcon crashes on the water moon of Panna with the main characters onboard. They run into Boba Fett, who saves Luke from a giant monster and claims to want to help the Rebels. They all board the Falcon, where Han has been infected by a mysterious sleeping virus caused by the talisman. Luke then contracts the virus as well. Fett and Chewie go into Panna City to get the cure. Once they get into the Imperial-occupied city, Fett instructs Chewie to stay behind—so he can contact Darth Vader. On the Falcon, as C-3PO is caring for Han and Luke, R2-D2 intercepts the transmission between Vader and Fett. Evading the Imperials, Fett and Chewie return to the Falcon with the cure. After everyone recovers from the virus, they learn of Fett's true allegiances. He blasts away using his jetpack, promising they will meet again. The heroes head back to the Rebel base aboard the Falcon.

Lumpy works to create a translation device that will fool the Imperials into returning to their base by faking their commander's voice. To do so, he first must watch the manual for the device, being presented by a malfunctioning, incompetent robot (also played by Korman). While the Imperials are searching downstairs, the living room viewscreen activates, announcing that Tatooine is being put under curfew by the Empire because of "subversive forces".

The video is announced as required viewing for all Imperial forces and much of it features Ackmena (Bea Arthur) running the Mos Eisley cantina. Ackmena is approached by an admirer: Krelman, an amorous alien, who has misunderstood something she said to him recently. Ackmena announces last call, and upon being ignored, sings a farewell song.

Lumpy uses this opportunity to put his plan into motion, faking a repeated call for the Imperials to "return to base". They leave, but one stormtrooper stays behind and realizes that they were tricked. He finds Lumpy and destroys the machine, then chases Lumpy outside.

Han and Chewbacca arrive. Chewie protects Lumpy as Han kills the stormtrooper. After they are reunited, an Imperial officer appears on the viewscreen, giving a general alert for the missing stormtrooper. Saun quickly responds that the trooper stole supplies and deserted. The danger averted, the family prepares to go to the festival at the great Tree of Life. They hold glowing orbs, and appear in space wearing red robes. [2]

Wookiees walk into a bright star and arrive at the Tree of Life, where many are gathered, including C-3PO and R2-D2. Luke, Leia, and Han also appear. Leia gives a short speech and sings a song in celebration. Chewie remembers his adventures during the events of the original film. Finally, the Wookiee family sits around a table and bow their heads.

Cast

Kenny Baker, who played R2-D2 in the films, was not involved in the special. The droid was performed entirely by a radio-controlled unit, operated by Mick Garris (Lucas's receptionist). In the credits, R2-D2 is credited by announcer Art James as playing himself. [3]

Because James Earl Jones was originally uncredited in Star Wars, the special marked the first time he was credited as the voice of Darth Vader. [5]

Malla's mask was repurposed from a Chewbacca mask from the original film. [6] The names of Chewbacca's family were later explained to have been nicknames, their full names being Mallatobuck (Malla), Attichitcuk (Itchy), and Lumpawarrump or Lumpawaroo (Lumpy). [7] [8] [9]

Production

While outlining the original Star Wars and planning its potential sequels, Lucas imagined a "film just about Wookiees, nothing else." [10] After the original film's success, its cast made a few appearances on TV variety shows. [2] According to Charles Lippincott, who was head of marketing of the Star Wars Corporation, CBS brought the idea of doing a TV special to him and Lucas, although there is some internal dispute about this claim. [11] According to J.W. Rinzler, "Everybody agreed that a television special was a good idea." Lucas was busy moving his production company to a new location, which was not heavily involved in the special. [2] According to Lucasfilm producer Gary Kurtz:

It did start out to be a lot better [with a different script]. We had half a dozen meetings with the TV company that was making it. In the end, because of work on promoting Star Wars and working on the next film, we realized we had no time. So we just left it to them and just had the occasional meetings with them, provided them with access to props and the actors, and that was it. [12]

Though Lucas is uncredited, it was his idea to build the narrative around Chewbacca's family. CBS hired experienced variety show writers and producers, [2] including writer Bruce Vilanch, who was concerned about the decision to center the special on a species who grunt in a fictional language without subtitles. Regardless, Lucas would not budge on his vision. [11] The special went through two directors. The first, David Acomba, was brought in through an attempt to "make us different in variety shows", according to Lippincott. [11]

Acomba, a classmate of George Lucas at USC film school, was unfamiliar with a multiple-camera setup, which caused some problems. Acomba also felt that there was a divide between himself and the producers, and chose to leave the project after finishing only a few scenes, including the cantina and Jefferson Starship. He was replaced by Steve Binder, whose only contact with Lucasfilm was a "Wookiee bible" detailing how the species should look and behave. [11] Stan Winston was hired to design the Wookiee family. [13]

The special was broadcast in its entirety in the United States only once, on Friday, November 17, 1978 (the week before Thanksgiving), on the television network CBS from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm, Eastern Standard Time (EST), pre-empting Wonder Woman and The Incredible Hulk leading to the latter shows' episodes to be aired that day to instead be shown a week later. It was also broadcast on the Canadian television network CTV from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Eastern Standard Time. [14]

Segments

All the acts are loosely linked together with material that involves the Wookiees' preparation for Life Day on Kashyyyk, Han and Chewie's attempt to bypass the Imperial blockade and make it to Chewie's family, and the Imperial garrison's search for rebels. The plot strings together a series of musical numbers, celebrity cameos and other variety-show acts. These include songs and comedy routines by such 1970s talents as Jefferson Starship, Diahann Carroll, Art Carney, Harvey Korman and Bea Arthur, and a circus-style acrobatics routine including uneven bars and juggling. The most notable segment is an animated cartoon featuring the onscreen debut of Boba Fett.

Music

Original music was composed for The Star Wars Holiday Special by Ken and Mitzie Welch, while Ian Fraser was brought in to adapt John Williams' orchestral themes from Star Wars. [11] The special features four songs:

  1. "This Minute Now" is sung by Diahann Carroll. Carroll – who is supposed to be an image created by a virtual reality machine – tells Chewbacca's father, Itchy, that she is his "fantasy" and suggestively invites him to "experience" her.
  2. "Light the Sky on Fire", performed by Jefferson Starship, which is presented as a 3D music video watched by one of the Imperial guards; during production the song was given the working title "Cigar-Shaped Object (Vanished Without a Trace)" (the song was included as a bonus 45 rpm single in the Jefferson Starship greatest hits collection Gold ). (The clip marked Marty Balin's final appearance with Jefferson Starship, as he had left the band in October 1978, a month before the special was broadcast. He later rejoined the band in 1993.)
  3. Later, Bea Arthur, who plays Ackmena, proprietress of the Mos Eisley cantina, sings "Good Night, But Not Goodbye" set to the Cantina Band theme. Some of the same aliens seen in the cantina in Star Wars reappear, including the band Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes, as back-up musicians. [15]
  4. Finally, at the end of the special, Carrie Fisher sings a song in celebration of Life Day to the tune of "Star Wars (Main Title)" by John Williams.

Comedy

Harvey Korman provides comedy in three of the special's skits, including the cantina skit with Bea Arthur where he plays a love-struck barfly who drinks through a hole in the top of his head. [16] He also performs two solo routines: one as Chef Gormaanda, a four-armed parody of Julia Child [16] (the four arms allow her to work much faster than Malla can keep up with) and one as a malfunctioning Amorphian android named Dromboid in an instruction video watched by Lumpy.

Art Carney has a more integral role in the story, [16] playing a trader named Saun Dann on Kashyyyk who is a member of the rebellion and helps Chewie's family. His segments are also largely played for laughs and at one point includes a scene alluding to his character Ed Norton from The Honeymooners , where an Imperial officer demands that he "get on with it" while Carney dallies with a prop, thus introducing the Jefferson Starship performance.

Cartoon

The high point of the special is generally considered to be the animated segment known as "The Faithful Wookiee", [17] which is the first official Star Wars cartoon. [18] It was written by Lucas and produced by Toronto animation firm Nelvana Ltd., which later produced Droids and Ewoks , two Saturday-morning series based on the franchise in 1985 on ABC. [19] [20] Lucas requested that the visual style be inspired by Moebius. [21] The vocal talents of the main cast are featured. [22] Intended as an in-universe flashback, Luke wears a yellow jacket similar to his outfit at the end of A New Hope.

The cartoon introduces Boba Fett, whose appearance was based on footage of the unpainted costume from The Empire Strikes Back , and according to Nelvana co-founder Clive Smith, their suggestion to "scuff up his costume a little bit" influenced the character's live-action appearance. [17] The final costume design made a public parade appearance two months before the Holiday Special aired. [23] The simplified color scheme for the cartoon was later repeated for Fett's appearance in Droids. [24] According to the official Star Wars website, Fett was voiced by Don Francks in the special. [21]

Separate from the rest of the special, the cartoon is presently available to view on the streaming platform Disney+. [25]

Reception

Critical response

The Star Wars Holiday Special was universally lambasted by critics, audiences, and Star Wars fans alike. [14] Jerry Buck, in a November 1978 review for the Associated Press, called the program "bubble gum for the brain". [26] Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club wrote, "I'm not convinced the special wasn't ultimately written and directed by a sentient bag of cocaine." [27] David Hofstede, author of What Were They Thinking?: The 100 Dumbest Events in Television History, ranked the holiday special at number one, calling it "the worst two hours of television ever". [28] On the review-aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 25% approval rating, based on 16 reviews, with an average rating of 3.4/10. [29]

Writing for Fatherly, Nathan Rabin says the cartoon segment is singular compared to the rest of the special in that it "feels worthy of being canon and not a hypnotically insane aberration." [30]

Recognition

The special was ranked at No. 3 in "The Five Goofiest Moments of the Star Wars Mythos" in the 62nd issue of the UK's Star Wars magazine. [31] TV Guide ranked it at number 11 on their "25 Most Hilarious Holiday TV Moments", mentioning that it was "unintentionally hilarious." [32] Both TV Guide and TV Land ranked the special at No. 59 on their "Top 100 Unexpected Television Moments" in a five-part special that aired from December 5 until December 9, 2005. [32]

In 2008, the Star Wars Holiday Special was selected to be shown at the Paley Center for Media by 59% of voters in an online poll of Christmas specials (which allowed users to vote on five titles), beating A Charlie Brown Christmas (34.6%), How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (31.3%) and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (28.4%), among others. [33]

Reception from cast and crew

George Lucas did not have significant involvement with the film's production [lower-alpha 2] and was reportedly unhappy with the results. In 1987, Lucas reportedly said of the special: "I believe it will be released on videotape. I'm not sure if they're going to rerun it on television or not." [35] In a May 2005 interview, Lucas was asked if the film had soured him on working in television. He replied:

"The special from 1978 really didn't have much to do with us, you know. I can't remember what network it was on, but it was a thing that they did. We kind of let them do it. It was done by... I can't even remember who the group was, but they were variety TV guys. We let them use the characters and stuff and that probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, but you learn from those experiences." [36]

In 2006, Harrison Ford made an appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien , and jokingly did not even acknowledge its existence at first when asked about it, then saying that he had never seen it. [37] On the 2010 television program Times Talk, New York Times columnist David Carr asked Carrie Fisher about the special; she said that she made Lucas give her a copy of the special in exchange for recording commentary for the Star Wars trilogy so that she would "have something for parties...when [she] wanted everyone to leave." [38] In 2018, Mark Hamill admitted to not having seen the entire special. [39] In his 2019 autobiography, Anthony Daniels referred to the special as a "turd". [40]

The official Star Wars site states that the special "delivered mixed results" and states that its highlight was the Boba Fett animated segment. [41] The official site also says, when referring to the fan interest in seeing the Wookiees on-screen, "the 1978 Holiday Special didn't cut it." [42] The official site also refers to the Boba Fett animated segment as "a cult classic". [43]

Distribution

Despite only airing once on television, bootleg recordings of the special uploaded to the Internet led to it becoming a cult classic among Star Wars fans. [14] The entire cartoon appeared as an Easter egg on the 2011 Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray set, making it the only portion of the special to be officially released in any home video format. [44] The cartoon was also released on Disney+ on 2 April, 2021, under the name The Story of the Faithful Wookiee. [25]

International broadcast

The program was seen in Canada on CTV on the same evening as the CBS broadcast. Toronto CTV station CFTO-TV aired the program at 7 pm, an hour earlier than seen on the nearest American outlet, WIVB-TV in Buffalo, New York. [45] It was also distributed and seen in Australia and New Zealand. [46] [47] In Australia it was repeated multiple times on local stations between 1979 and 1984. [48] It aired in France on January 1, 1980, on TF1, in a shortened 72-minute version, dubbed in French. [49]

It was shown on Swedish SVT on May 31, 1979 as Stjärnornas krig - och fred (literally "Star Wars - and Peace"). [50]

It aired in the Republic of Ireland on RTÉ 2 on Christmas Day 1979. [51] The special was also broadcast in Honduras on Canal 5 and Brazil on TV Bandeirantes (on Christmas Day, 1981). [52]

Legacy

Canonicity of the special

Despite the unpopularity of the special, Lucasfilm maintained its status as part of the continuity, placing it halfway between Episodes IV and V. [57] From 1978 to 2014, most elements of the Holiday Special fell under a secondary level of canon superseded by other licensed works. [58]

This was clarified in 2007 by Leland Chee, who maintained Lucasfilm's internal continuity database called "the Holocron". According to Chee, the Holocron contained at least 28 entries about The Star Wars Holiday Special by that point. These placed all elements referred to in other works, such as Life Day and Chewbacca's family members, in an intermediary level of canon. Chee stated that elements not subsequently referred to were given the next lowest rank. [59]

Chee also confirmed that Leslie Schofield appears as an unnamed character in The Star Wars Holiday Special and not the character he played in A New Hope named Chief Bast. Previously this confusion had caused some fans to question whether Bast's death aboard the Death Star was genuine (drawing on a hint in the Customizable Card Game ).

After Lucasfilm was acquired by The Walt Disney Company, the Holocron was retired. Only the episodic films and animated series beginning with The Clone Wars were declared to be part of the new canon. J. J. Abrams sardonically referred to the holiday special as canonical in a 2015 interview. [60] Life Day was mentioned in "Chapter 1: The Mandalorian", the first episode of the canonical live-action series The Mandalorian (2019). [61]

Later appearances

After being introduced by the special, the character Boba Fett and the planet Kashyyyk have gone on to play integral roles in the franchise, making their first film appearances in The Empire Strikes Back and Revenge of the Sith , respectively. Apart from this, more specific references to The Star Wars Holiday Special have been made, including:

In 2005, Lawrence Person wrote a review of a "Platinum Edition" DVD release of the special as an April Fools hoax. [85]

In the 2006 music video accompanying the "Weird Al" Yankovic song "White & Nerdy", the main character is seen buying a bootlegged version of the Star Wars Holiday Special. The scene depicts the exchange as a drug deal, referencing the underground status of the special. [86]

In 2007, the comedy troupe RiffTrax, which is composed of Mystery Science Theater 3000 alumni Bill Corbett, Kevin Murphy and Michael J. Nelson, released a parody commentary on the special including the original commercial breaks. [87] [88] [89] [90]

In the 2011 Community episode "Regional Holiday Music", the main characters watch the "Inspector Spacetime holiday special", a clear nod to the Star Wars Holiday Special. [91]

YouTuber JonTron reviews the holiday special in the series finale of his 2015 Star Wars themed series, StarCade, which also features appearances from his former YouTube group Game Grumps ’ co-members Egoraptor and RubberNinja.

In December 2018, a comedy play was released about the special's production, entitled Special. [2]

The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special featuring characters from the sequel trilogy in a Life Day-themed adventure was released on Disney+ on November 17, 2020, [92] [93] the 42nd anniversary of the special. The same day, io9 announced that Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak were directing a documentary about the making of the special titled A Disturbance in the Force . [94]

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is a Disney+ special released in November 2022. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and director James Gunn has cited the Star Wars special as its main inspiration. [95]

On April 1, 2022, io9 discussed the relationship between the special and the Galaxy's Edge themed area in an interview with Disney Imagineer Alex Lee. Io9 cited a tradition amongst fans attending the park dressed in red robes like the Wookiees on Life Day, and Lee acknowledged that "performers [may] react to ... and inject all of that into their storytelling", also referencing the possibility of future "formal events". [96]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boba Fett</span> Fictional character in the Star Wars franchise

Boba Fett is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. First appearing in the Star Wars Holiday Special (1978), where he was voiced by Don Francks, he is an armored bounty hunter featured in both the original and prequel film trilogies. In the original trilogy, the character is a supporting antagonist and was mainly portrayed by Jeremy Bulloch and voiced by Jason Wingreen. Notable for his taciturn demeanor and for never removing his helmet, Fett appears in both The Empire Strikes Back (1980), employed by the Galactic Empire, and Return of the Jedi (1983), serving the crime lord Jabba the Hutt. While seemingly killed in Return of the Jedi after falling into a sarlacc, he has since appeared in Star Wars media set after the film, confirming his survival within the new canon, portrayed by Temuera Morrison. Daniel Logan plays a preteen Boba in the prequel film Attack of the Clones (2002), which reveals the character's origins as the genetic clone and adoptive son of Jango Fett, also a famous bounty hunter. Morrison appeared first in Star Wars media playing Jango. The animated series The Bad Batch further reveals Boba to have been born Alpha, and to have a biological twin sister, Omega. The series also reveals that he has another sister named Emerie Karr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C-3PO</span> Robot character from the Star Wars universe

C-3PO or See-Threepio  is a humanoid robot character in the Star Wars franchise. He is a protocol droid designed to assist in etiquette and translation, and is fluent in over six million forms of communication. The character appears in all nine films of the Skywalker Saga—which includes the original trilogy, the prequel trilogy and the sequel trilogy. Anthony Daniels portrays C-3PO in all the Skywalker Saga films and the standalone film Rogue One, and voices the droid in the animated film The Clone Wars. In addition to films, C-3PO appears in television series, novels, comics, and video games.

<i>Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire</i> 1996 multimedia project created by Lucasfilm

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire is a 1996 multimedia project created by Lucasfilm. The idea was to create a story set between the films The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and to explore all commercial possibilities of a full motion picture release without actually making a film. The venture was intended to reinvigorate interest in the franchise ahead of the theatrical Special Editions of the Star Wars trilogy released the following year.

Lego Star Wars: Revenge of the Brick is a brickfilm loosely based on Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Revenge of the Brick premiered on Cartoon Network on May 8, 2005, at 7:00 p.m. EST. The movie can now be seen in QuickTime format on the Lego website or directly downloaded. It was also released with the Clone Wars Volume Two DVD as one of its special features.

Young Jedi Knights is a Star Wars young adult fiction series by science fiction writer Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta. It was published from 1995 to 1998. It covers the Jedi training of Jacen and Jaina Solo, the twin children of Han Solo and Leia Organa Solo. The series begins 23 years ABY, when the twins are fourteen years old.

<i>The Han Solo Trilogy</i>

Star Wars: The Han Solo Trilogy is a trilogy of non-canon ('Legends') science-fiction novels set in the Star Wars galaxy. It follows Han Solo's origins and life before the events depicted in the original Star Wars trilogy (1977–1983). The trilogy was written by Ann C. Crispin, and released in June 1997, October 1997, and March 1998, respectively. The author stated that "Per Lucasfilm's request, I did not cover Han's time in the Imperial Academy, or his first meeting with Chewbacca"; these events were eventually depicted in the 2018 film Solo: A Star Wars Story.

<i>Tales of the Bounty Hunters</i> 1996 anthology edited by Kevin J. Anderson

Tales of the Bounty Hunters (1996) is an anthology of short stories set in the fictional Star Wars universe. It presents the background stories about each bounty hunter that was seen aboard Darth Vader's Star Destroyer in the film The Empire Strikes Back. It contains the tales of IG-88, Dengar, Bossk, Zuckuss and 4-LOM, and Boba Fett.

<i>Star Wars Tales</i> Comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics, 1999-2005

Star Wars Tales is a comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics, beginning on September 29, 1999, and completing its run on July 13, 2005. Each issue is 64 pages and features a few unrelated stories from various eras of the Star Wars timeline. Stories from issues #1–20 were retroactively labelled "Infinities", placing them outside the Star Wars canon, while those of issues #21–24 were considered to be within continuity, unless labelled otherwise. References to the stories were made within the Expanded Universe, the entirety of which was deemed non-canon by Lucasfilm in 2014.

<i>A Forest Apart</i> 2003 novel by Troy Denning

A Forest Apart is a 2003 Star Wars ebook written by Troy Denning. The novel is set before Tatooine Ghost in the Star Wars expanded universe timeline. The novel is also available as part of the Tatooine Ghost paperback (ISBN 0-345-45669-6).

<i>The Empire Strikes Back</i> (novel) 1980 science-fiction novel by Donald F. Glut

The Empire Strikes Back is a science-fiction novelization written by Donald F. Glut and first published by Del Rey. It is based on the screenplay to the film of the same name by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan. Along with the film, it introduces new characters, most notably Lando Calrissian and Boba Fett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robot Chicken: Star Wars</span> 2007 American TV series or program

"Robot Chicken: Star Wars" is a 2007 episode of the television comedy series Robot Chicken, airing as a one-off special during Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block on June 17, 2007. It was released on DVD on July 22, 2008.

A Star Wars Pez is a Pez candy dispenser themed after the Star Wars movies, and is one of the company's most prominent merchandising deals. Approximately 100 dispensers have been released on the market from 1997 to 2023, among the many collectibles spawned by the franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chewbacca</span> Fictional character in the Star Wars franchise

Chewbacca, nicknamed "Chewie", is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He is a Wookiee—a tall, hairy, highly intelligent species originating from the planet Kashyyyk. He is 7.5 feet (2.3 m) tall, and typically wears only a bandolier and a tool pouch. He carries a bowcaster, a traditional Wookiee weapon, and he speaks the Wookiee language Shyriiwook. He first appears in the original Star Wars film as the loyal friend of the smuggler Han Solo. He is also the co-pilot of Han's starship, the Millennium Falcon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Han Solo</span> Star Wars character

Han Solo is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He was introduced in the 1977 film Star Wars, and later appeared in The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of the Jedi (1983), The Force Awakens (2015), and The Rise of Skywalker (2019). Harrison Ford portrays Solo in all five films. In Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), a younger version of the character is played by Alden Ehrenreich. In the animated web series Forces of Destiny (2017–2018), Solo is voiced by A.J. LoCascio and Kiff VandenHeuvel. Ford was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Solo in Star Wars, and won the award for his performance in The Force Awakens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wookiee</span> Tall, hairy species from the "Star Wars" franchise

Wookiees are fictional humanoid aliens in the Star Wars universe, native to the forest planet Kashyyyk. They are distinguished from humans by their gigantism, hirsutism, and physical strength. The most prominent Wookiee in the films is Chewbacca, the co-pilot of the Millennium Falcon, and best friend to Han Solo.

<i>Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II</i> 2008 American TV series or program

"Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II" is a 2008 episode of the television comedy series Robot Chicken, and the sequel to the Annie Award winning "Robot Chicken: Star Wars", which aired as a one-off special during Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block on November 16, 2008. Like "Robot Chicken: Star Wars", it has been released on its own DVD on July 21, 2009, and will not be part of a season box set. The DVD contains the original broadcast version, and the "Extended Version", which features an additional 15 minutes of footage cut from the broadcast version. It was nominated for a 2009 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.

<i>Millennium Falcon</i> Fictional starship in the Star Wars franchise

The Millennium Falcon is a fictional starship in the Star Wars franchise. Designed by Joe Johnston for the movie Star Wars (1977), it has subsequently appeared in The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of the Jedi (1983), Revenge of the Sith (2005), The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017), Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), and The Rise of Skywalker (2019). Additionally, the Falcon appears in a variety of Star Wars spin-off works, including books, comics, and games; James Luceno's novel Millennium Falcon focuses on the titular ship. It also appears in the 2014 animated film The Lego Movie in Lego form.

<i>Star Wars</i> (1977 comic book) Comic book series

Star Wars is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics from April 12, 1977 to May 27, 1986. Featuring classic Star Wars characters Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2, the first six issues adapt the May 1977 film Star Wars. The series chronicled their subsequent adventures for 107 issues and three annuals, including a six-issue adaptation of the 1980 sequel film The Empire Strikes Back in 1980–1981. In 2019, the series was revived for a single issue.

<i>Star Wars</i> (comic strip)

A Star Warscomic strip ran in both daily strips and Sunday strips, originally distributed between 1979 and 1984 by two American newspaper publishers, the Los Angeles Times Syndicate and Watertown Daily Times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Krrsantan</span> Star Wars character

Black Krrsantan, or simply Krrsantan, sometimes Black K, BK or Santy, is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. Created by writer Kieron Gillen, artist Salvador Larroca, and editors Jordan D. White and Heather Antos, he first appeared in Marvel Comics' 2015 Darth Vader comic book series as a major antagonist, before returning as a supporting character in its 2016 spin-off comic book series, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, as well as 2015's ongoing Star Wars comic book series. He made his first live-action appearance in the Disney+ miniseries The Book of Boba Fett (2022), mainly portrayed by Carey Jones.

References

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 'The' is included at the beginning of the title in the opening credits, as well as in some editorials. [1]
  2. ↑ Patty Maloney, who played Lumpy, stated in 2008 that Lucas was sent dailies of each day's shooting for approval, but otherwise Maloney did not see the franchise creator on set. [34]
  3. ↑ The series' creator, Jon Favreau, has said that he is a fan of "certain sequences" of the special and that he "loved the introduction of Boba Fett and that rifle". [81]

Citations

  1. ↑ "The Screening Room". TV Guide . Local Programs, Nov. 11–17: A-5. 1978.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Roy, Jessica (November 17, 2018). "'The Star Wars Holiday Special' aired only once. 40 years later, it's still weird". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 The Star Wars Holiday Special, original CBS airing, November 17, 1978. Steve Binder, George Lucas.
  4. ↑ "Shorts and Specials". TV Guide . Local Programs, Nov. 11-17: A-117. 1978.
  5. ↑ McKairnes, Jim (November 19, 2018). "Remembering that infamously bad 'Star Wars' holiday special, 40 years later". USA Today. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  6. ↑ Cavanaugh, Patrick (November 20, 2018). "'Star Wars Holiday Special' Wookiee Mask Gets Impressive Restoration". ComicBook.com . Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  7. ↑ Ehrhardt, Eleanor (1979). Star Wars: The Wookiee Storybook. Random House. ISBN   0-394-94256-6.
  8. ↑ Cavanaugh, Patrick (September 17, 2018). "'Solo: A Star Wars Story' Bonus Features Confirm Connection to 'Star Wars Holiday Special'". ComicBook.com . Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  9. ↑ Agar, Chris (February 21, 2017). "Star Wars: Empire's End Confirms Chewbacca Is a Father In New Canon". Screen Rant . Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  10. ↑ Steranko, "George Lucas", Prevue #42, September–October 1980.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Digiacomo, Frank (December 2008). "The Han Solo Comedy Hour!". Vanity Fair. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  12. ↑ Taylor, Chris (September 27, 2014). "'Star Wars' Producer Blasts 'Star Wars' Myths". Mashable.com. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  13. ↑ Rossen, Jake (December 3, 2017). "The Dark Side: An Oral History of The Star Wars Holiday Special". Mental Floss. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  14. 1 2 3 Berman, John; Ted Gerstein (December 20, 2007). "Holiday Specials Gone Bad; The 'Star Wars Holiday Special' Flop Lives On". ABC News . Archived from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  15. ↑ Bea Arthur sings in the Star Wars Holiday Special. YouTube. July 11, 2006. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021.
  16. 1 2 3 Television Academy
  17. 1 2 Plesset, Ross (December 10, 2008). "Tooning Out the "Holiday Special": Nelvana Studios". StarWars.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2011. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  18. ↑ Conterio, Martyn (December 1, 2015). "May the farce be with you: the Star Wars Holiday Special they want us to forget". The Guardian . Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  19. ↑ Snyder, Jon Bradley (1995). "A Star Wars CELibration". Star Wars Insider (27): 63–65. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  20. ↑ Taylor, Paul (June 11, 1979). "Toronto's animation houses gain international reputation for expertise". The Globe and Mail (Canada).
  21. 1 2 Seastrom, Lucas (November 15, 2018). "The Star Wars Holiday Special and the Debut of Boba Fett". StarWars.com. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  22. ↑ Vilmur, Pete (August 18, 2008). "Early Star Wars Animation Collectibles: The Star Wars Holiday Special, Droids and Ewoks". StarWars.com. Archived from the original on September 13, 2011. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  23. ↑ Vilmur, Pete (October 19, 2006). "Proto-Fett: The Birth of Boba". Archived from the original on August 27, 2011. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  24. ↑ Vilmur, Pete (October 19, 2006). "Proto-Fett: The Birth of Boba page 2". Archived from the original on August 25, 2011. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  25. 1 2 "The Star Wars Vintage Collection Has Arrived on Disney+". StarWars.com. April 2, 2021. Archived from the original on April 9, 2021.
  26. ↑ Buck, Jerry (November 16, 1978). "Star Wars... "Bubble Gum For The Brain"". Daily Record.
  27. ↑ Pasternack, Alex (December 24, 2014). "The Star Wars Holiday Special Was the Worst Thing on Television". Motherboard. Vice. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  28. ↑ David Hofstede (2004). What Were They Thinking? The 100 Dumbest Events in Television History. Back Stage Books. pp. 204–206. ISBN   0-8230-8441-8.
  29. ↑ "Star Wars: Holiday Special (1978)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved October 7, 2021. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  30. ↑ Rabin, Nathan (November 24, 2020). "Your Kids Need to Witness the Horror of the 1978 'Star Wars' Holiday Special". Fatherly. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  31. ↑ Abel G. Pena and Enrique Guerrero. "20 Most Memorable Moments of the Expanded Universe". Star Wars Insider. p. 47. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  32. 1 2 Thomas, Bryan (December 17, 2015). ""The Star Wars Holiday Special": The colossally-awful variety show that George Lucas would rather you forget existed". Night Flight. Archived from the original on January 11, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  33. ↑ Poll: Pick Your Holiday Cheer Archived May 14, 2016, at the Wayback Machine The Paley Center for Media
  34. ↑ Kirkwood, SKot (November 8, 2008). "Interview with Patty Maloney, 'Lumpy'". The Star Wars Holiday Special. Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  35. ↑ Cronin, Brian (December 17, 2017). "Did Lucas Want to Destroy All Copies of the Star Wars Holiday Special?". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  36. ↑ Burke, R. (September 10, 2005). "The Greatest Story Ever Told: An Interview With George Lucas". StaticMultimedia.com. Archived from the original on May 28, 2005.
  37. ↑ Clark, Mark (August 2015). Star Wars FAQ: Everything Left to Know About the Trilogy That Changed the Movies. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 172. ISBN   9781495046087 . Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  38. ↑ Carr, David (January 10, 2010). "Times Talks: Carrie Fisher". The New York Times. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  39. ↑ Jackson, Matthew (November 19, 2018). "Mark Hamill admits he's never sat through the entire Star Wars Holiday Special". SyFy Wire. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  40. ↑ Keane, Sean (May 4, 2020). "Star Wars' Anthony Daniels fell asleep the first time he saw Rise of Skywalker". CNET. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  41. ↑ "Making Episode II, Part 9: Bucket Head". StarWars.com. Archived from the original on November 3, 2005.
  42. ↑ "Star Wars: The Best of 2004 – 8 The Return of Chewbacca". StarWars.com. December 22, 2004. Archived from the original on December 30, 2006.
  43. ↑ "Hyperspace: Kessel Run". StarWars.com. November 19, 2003. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008.
  44. ↑ Gartenberg, Chaim (April 2, 2021). "The Star Wars Vintage Collection brings classic cartoons and shows to Disney Plus". The Verge. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  45. ↑ "Star Wars special reunites cast on planet of Kazzook". Globe and Mail. Canada. Associated Press. November 17, 1978. p. 18.
  46. ↑ May the farce be with you: the Star Wars Holiday Special they want us to forget|Star Wars: The force Awakens|The Guardian
  47. ↑ "About SMDB | Svensk mediedatabas (SMDB)". Archived from the original on September 29, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link).
  48. ↑ "Star Wars Holiday Special: The complete Australian broadcast history". May 4, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  49. ↑ "Nanarland - Star Wars Holiday Special - la chronique de Nanarland". Archived from the original on May 13, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  50. ↑ "SVT, TV2 1979-05-31". Svensk mediedatabas [Swedish Media Database] (in Swedish). National Library of Sweden . Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  51. ↑ The Irish Times (Tuesday, December 25, 1979), page 15.
  52. ↑ "Programação de TV". Folha de São Paulo. Ilustrada: 24. December 25, 1981.
  53. ↑ Whitbrook, James (August 18, 2018). "9 Star Wars Toys That Were Canceled Before Anybody Could Buy Them". io9. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  54. ↑ "Jefferson Starship - Light The Sky On Fire". Paste . January 1, 2008. Archived from the original on October 15, 2018. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  55. ↑ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. December 2, 1978. p. 17. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  56. ↑ "Boba Fett (Animated Debut)". Star Wars: The 30th Anniversary Collection Photo Archives. Rebelscum.com.
  57. ↑ Chee, Leland (Tasty Taste) (October 12, 2006). "Star Wars: Message Boards: Holocron continuity database questions". StarWars.com. Archived from the original on June 10, 2008. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  58. ↑ Baker, Chris (August 18, 2008). "Meet Leland Chee, the Star Wars Franchise Continuity Cop". Wired . Archived from the original on November 21, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  59. ↑ Chee, Leland (Tasty Taste) (October 4, 2006). "Holocron continuity database question". StarWars.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2006. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  60. ↑ McNally, Victoria (August 3, 2015). "J. J. Abrams answers several very important 'Force Awakens' questions". MTV. Archived from the original on August 4, 2015. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  61. 1 2 Morrow, Brendan (November 15, 2019). "11 delightful Star Wars Easter eggs and tie-ins from The Mandalorian's first 2 episodes". The Week. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  62. ↑ Clark, Mark (2015). Star Wars FAQ: Everything Left to Know About the Trilogy That Changed the Movies. Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. p. 172. ISBN   978-1480360181.
  63. ↑ Miller, Gordon S. (May 26, 2017). "Book Review: Star Wars: The Complete Classic Newspaper Comics, Vol. 1". Cinema Sentries. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  64. ↑ "Star Wars (1977) #91". Marvel Comics. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  65. ↑ Kube-McDowell, Michael P. (1997) [1996]. Tyrant's test. New York: Bantam Books. ISBN   0-553-57275-X. OCLC   36046628.
  66. ↑ Crispin, A. C. (1998). Rebel Dawn. New York: Bantam Books. ISBN   0-553-57417-5. OCLC   38568778.
  67. ↑ Sansweet, Stephen J. (1998). Star wars Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Ballantine Pub. Group. ISBN   0-345-40227-8. OCLC   36960986.
  68. ↑ The Star Wars Cookbook: Wookiee Cookiees and Other Galactic Recipes. Chronicle Books. 1998. ISBN   9780811895118.
  69. ↑ Luceno, James (2000). Star Wars: The New Jedi Order – Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial. New York: Ballantine. ISBN   0-345-42860-9. OCLC   45004100.
  70. ↑ "Star Wars: Chewbacca #1 (of 4)". Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  71. ↑ "Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds - DataBank FAQ". IGN . October 11, 2013. Archived from the original on November 20, 2018. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  72. ↑ Luceno, James (2003). Star Wars: The New Jedi Order – The Unifying Force (First ed.). New York: Del Rey. ISBN   0-345-42852-8. OCLC   53292538.
  73. ↑ "Wookiee Life Day". Star Wars Galaxies. Archived from the original on October 20, 2005.
  74. ↑ "A Forest Apart: Star Wars Legends (Short Story) by Troy Denning". Penguin Random House. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  75. ↑ Luceno, James (2005). Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith – The Visual Dictionary. Barnes, Robert E., Goodson, John., Ivanov, Alexander. (1st American ed.). New York: DK. ISBN   0-7566-1128-8. OCLC   58673915.
  76. ↑ Lund, Kristin (2005). Star Wars: Complete Locations. Beecroft, Simon; Dougherty, Kerrie; Luceno, James; Fry, Jason; Saxton, Curtis; Chasemore, Richard (Updated and expanded ed.). New York: DK. ISBN   1-4654-5272-9. OCLC   942710316.
  77. ↑ "Life" section Archived November 24, 2005, at the Wayback Machine , HoloNet News Volume 531 No. 50 13:4:4.
  78. ↑ Killham, Evan (February 26, 2013). "Star Wars Pinball: That wizard is not just a crazy old man (review)". VentureBeat. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  79. ↑ Lovett, Jamie (July 5, 2020). "Star Wars: The Clone Wars Still Isn't Finished Yet". ComicBook.com . Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  80. ↑ "The Mandalorian: Directors, First Photo, Details & More Revealed for Jon Favreau's Star Wars TV Series". TheForce.net. October 13, 2018. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  81. ↑ Downey, Meg (September 17, 2019). "Jon Favreau Is Interested In Directing A New Star Wars Holiday Special". GameSpot. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  82. ↑ Brooks, Dan (January 28, 2021). "Celebrate the Star Wars Galaxy's Greatest Holiday with Life Day Treasury - Exclusive Reveal". StarWars.com. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  83. ↑ Holland, Dustin (November 24, 2021). "Marvel's Star Wars Life Day #1 Comic Review". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  84. ↑ The Story of the Faithful Wookiee (Star Wars) by Golden Books|PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
  85. ↑ Person, Lawrence (April 1, 2005). "DVD review of The Star Wars Holiday Special". Locus Online.
  86. ↑ "Weird Al" Yankovic - White & Nerdy (Official Music Video) , retrieved September 1, 2022
  87. ↑ RiffTrax (December 7, 2007). "The Star Wars Holiday Special". RiffTrax. Archived from the original on January 7, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  88. ↑ "The Star Wars Holiday Special (RiffTrax preview)". Archived from the original on November 18, 2021 – via www.youtube.com.
  89. ↑ Best of Star Wars Holiday Special: RiffTrax on official YouTube channel
  90. ↑ RiffTrax: 25 On-Demand Movies You Need to Watch|Den of Geek
  91. ↑ Canning, Robert (January 5, 2012). "Community: "Regional Holiday Music" Review". IGN . Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  92. ↑ "Disney+ to Premiere "The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special" on Fan-Favorite Holiday Life Day, November 17". The Futon Critic . August 13, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  93. ↑ Floyd, James (November 17, 2021). "10 Reasons We Love the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special". StarWars.com. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  94. ↑ Lussier, Germain (November 17, 2020). "See How The Star Wars Holiday Special Came to Be in a New Documentary". io9. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  95. ↑ Jirak, Jamie (April 24, 2021). "Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special Director James Gunn Clarifies Thoughts on Star Wars Holiday Special". ComicBook.com . Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  96. ↑ Graves, Sabina (April 1, 2022). "Disney Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser Producer Interview". io9. Retrieved April 3, 2022.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.