17 Nov: The Star Wars Holiday Horror
The bizarre, incoherent ‘Star Wars Holiday Special’ was broadcast only once, on 17th November, 1978. Despite CBS signing up the stars of the original movie – Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill, the plot swapped epic battles for a bizarre variety show filled with cameos from Harvey Korman, Bea Arthur, and Jefferson Starship.
The story revolves around Chewbacca’s family as celebrate “Life Day” on their home planet, Kashyyyk. George Lucas’ initial vision was for a sombre, character-driven tale. But instead, it evolved into a chaotic blend of guest star sketches, dodgy green screens, and musical numbers. Lucas reportedly hated it so much he wished to destroy every copy with a sledgehammer.
Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain why Fisher ended up singing a new song to the tune of John Williams’s Star Wars theme; consider how Disney attempted to scrub the memory of the Special from the Star Wars canon after acquiring Lucasfilm; and contemplate the wisdom of making Wookies – who speak an unintelligible language, with no subtitles – the stars of the show…
Further Reading:
• ‘The Star Wars Holiday Special: A Retrospective’ (Empire, 2009): https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/star-wars-holiday-special/
• ‘Star Wars Holiday Special: Inside the Confusing Christmas Special’ (Thrillist, 2017): https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/star-wars-holiday-special
• ’The Star Wars Holiday Special’ (CBS, 1978):