The Star Wars Holiday Special is absolute madness
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For those who thought Jar Jar Binks was the most unfortunate contribution to the Star Wars universe, think again. Because on Nov. 17, 1978, CBS aired the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special. And it never aired again.
Why? Perhaps because the first 10-minutes of the special — which chronicles Chewbacca returning to his home planet of Kashyyk to celebrate something called Life Day — is spoken almost entirely in Wookiee… without subtitles. Perhaps because there are a gaggle of zany guest stars (such as Harvey Korman, who appears in space drag) that have no business being there. Or perhaps it is the Jefferson Starship performance of "Light the Sky on Fire" that makes you want to light both your eyes and ears on fire. It is no wonder George Lucas has publicly rued the day he agreed to the special.
George Brich/AP/REX/Shutterstock The 'Star Wars Holiday Special'
But there are still some at least semi-legitimate reasons to watch the Star Wars Holiday Special, and that is exactly what we did on this week's episode of the Dagobah Disptach podcast — breaking down the good, the bad, and the Unkar Plutt-level ugly of the two-hour travesty.
What kind of semi-legitimate reasons, you might ask? Well, for one thing, the entire main cast is present for the debacle — even if they wish they weren't. (Carrie Fisher's climatic crooning of the celebratory Life Day anthem feels like merely a lateral move in the torture department compared to being chained up by Jabba the Hutt.) So at least it's another chance to see Luke, Leia, and Han in action, and I use the word "action" loosely. It should also be noted that there are also a few deleted scenes from A New Hope that surface here (although one was redubbed to make sense within the story… as much as anything makes sense in the story).
And then there is the very first appearance of one of the franchise's most popular characters ever, Boba Fett, who stars in an animated segment where the bounty hunter befriends Luke, yet is secretly working for Darth Vader to help locate the rebel base. That part is actually not terrible.
While the original Star Wars mesmerized audiences, Holiday Special merely confused them. So allow us to confuse you even further as we break down every minute of the madness. Join us on this acid-trip of a journey, which features Chewbacca's father, Itchy, at one point seeming to engage in some sort of virtual reality sex program with international — and, apparently, intergalactic — sensation Diahann Carroll. Yes, that is something that happens. Hit the podcast below to hear for yourself, and also make sure to ingest our deep dive into the equally bizarre Star Wars holiday album, Christmas in the Stars.
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