A Star Wars Holiday Special, the Gary Smith-Dwight Hemion Production inside association by having 20th Century Fox Television, was a 2-hour television special (including commercials) broadcast one time single in Friday, November 17, 1978 on CBS-TV from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (EST). Inside it, Chewbacca and Han Solo visit Kashyyyk, Chewbacca's home globe, to celebrate Life Day. Along a way, it is pursued by agencies of the Galactic Empire who are shopping for rebels on the planet. A favorite introduces deuce-ace members of Chewbacca's personal: his father, Itchy, his wife, Malla, and his boy Lumpy.

A program as well features cameos (although the cameo actors come employed when stars) by more Star Wars characters, including Luke Skywalker, C-3PO, R2-D2, Darth Vader, and Princess Leia (who sings a film's "theme song", set to the music of John Williams' Star Wars theme, near a prevent). A program is probably better known for an animated cartoon produced by Toronto-based Nelvana that introduces, for the first official instance in the Star Wars universe, the bounty hunter Boba Fett. Though a program received fantabulous ratings for its a single-period airing, a indicate has been considered by numerous world health organization stand seen it, including Star Wars owner George Lucas, to be the television flop. Despite this, a fact remains that this film may be considered a number 1 admittedly sequel to A New Hope.

Setting

A independent plot line of the film transpires on the Wookiee personal planet of Kashyyyk. When you took a course of a film, scenes likewise require place around outer space & inside space vehicle like the Millennium Falcon and an Imperial Star Destroyer. the kind-indicate segments & cartoon introduce two or three more venue, like a cantina on the godforsaken planet of Tatooine and a a stream planet called Panna.

Plot

A Holiday Special is important for existence a foremost film-length Star Wars story when a original motion picture, & for showing an expanded view area of that universe. Largely, all the same, the plot serves when little to the higher degree a means to string together a series of musical counts, celebrity cameos, and more kind-indicate acts. These include songs & comedy routines by such '70s talents as Jefferson Starship, Diahann Carroll, Art Carney, Harvey Korman, and Bea Arthur. Well a virtually all notable section is an animated cartoon featuring a pre-Empire Strikes Back debut of Boba Fett.

Story

These are Life Day. Chewbacca get on his way front yard, accompanied by his friend, Han Solo, to view his personal, & to celebrate a holiday. Shortly fallowing departing Tatooine, a duo locate themselves existence pursued by ii star destroyers, which Han collectively refers to as an "imperial garbage scowl." When a short argument when to whether it should abort a mission, due to their problems sustaining a empire, the guide is manufactured to move send on. Han pulls back a hyperspace controls, & when a stars streak prior to a Falcon, Han & Chewie escape a grasp of the empire, again.

In Kashyyyk, Chewie's personal of his caring married woman, Malla, his mischievous boy, Lumpy, & his crabby father, Itchy, come apprehensively awaiting & preparing for his go to. A terzetto, largely, come set about their everyday exists. Itchy is carving an X-Wing toy for Lumpy, Malla is working in the kitchen, & Lumpy is swimming using an already-complete X-Wing toy that his grandad got already apparently work him. On the personal table, Mallthe has prepared a bowl of Wookiee-ookiees. Lumpy tries to sneak 1 prior to dinner. Nevertheless, Malla catches him, & asks him to require out a day's trash. Then, Lumpy exits a tree home by having a trash. Upon arriving at a outer rail of a home, on a outside deck, which processed higher the circumference, he looks down into the outstanding depths of the forests of Kashyyyk. When setting down a trash, he decides to require the unsafe move of climbing au fait the railing, & walking along it for a bit. Malla & Itchy come unaware.

Back within a tree home, Malla & Itchy come caring. Chewbacca has non arrived eventually. Itchy will require down the framed picture of Chewbacca & Malla notices his worries. She reassures him that Chewie is safe, & he so comes back a picture. Lumpy returns into a home, Malla & Itchy ignorant to what has upright done outside. Itchy reaches into the cabinet & gets down a select few rather activity capsule for Lumpy. He shows it to Lumpy. Malla, still, understands this, & objects. Itchy convinces her otherwise, & inserts the capsule into a around table-machine, similar to the of these seen inside the Millennium Falcon in The Just released Hope. Fallowing switching on the device, Itchy urges Lumpy to sit down. Lumpy does, & begins to review the 3D-computer generated class action of circus performing artist, world health organization perform numerous unique acts. At a guide of a performance, Lumpy applauds a acts, & switches the machine murder. Malla today needs for him to help cleaning a dishes, he resists & complains, & possibly endeavors for Itchy to side by having him. Itchy would does'nt become when sympathetic, this period, even so. He agrees by having Malla, & Lumpy payoff to do a dishes.

Malla & Itchy start to worry over again. Mallthe switches in the viewscreen-computer, & diarrhea a seek for any starships in the area. She is hoping a Falcon is incurred in the read. Notwithstanding, a computer comes back a symptom of "no starships in the area." She is deeply disappointed, & switches off a viewscreeen. It so email Luke Skywalker, world health organizatiin, along by having his close droid, R2-D2, come working on his X-Wing starfighter. Mallthe opens a hidden communication device, from either in their cabinets. This device allows the two to communicate by using Chewbacca & the rebellion, yet, these are non allowed per empire, therefore it must keep it a secret. That is how come these are hidden. Luke doesn't underst& what has happened & suggests that, caring Han & Chewie, it probably stopped dispatch someplace, and would arrive presently. Luke begins to have the couple of problems of his have, whilst a a portiin he is working on begins to emit a big total of steam. Seeing that he is occupy, Malla shuts off a communication viewscreen, however using there is no luck within searching for a whereabouts of Han & Chewie.

Next, Mallthe contacts Saun Dann, a local human being dealer on the planet. Saun Dann, the middle-aged, gray hairy human, is midmost of the treat whilst Malla contacts him, thus he must treat by owning it foremost. A shop of Saun Dann's appears within the style similar to the dwelling quarters in Tatooine. When he is doing a treat, Malla views all about running in. An royal guard has let himself into Saun Dann's shop to look around. Saunn Dann suggests two or three things, to which a guard has there are no interest within. In a midst of the treat, fallowing the guard is however searching at items, Saun Dann initiates conversation by having Malla, after he notices her on the viewscreen. He lets her underst& across the carefully-worded message that Han & Chewie get on their way, and should exist as arriving before long. He doesn't, nevertheless, understand of their todays whereabouts. When shutting off a viewscreen, he suggests an item to the guard that interests him. Saun Dann shows him the groomer that is multi-functional. A guard will require a item, rendering Saun Dann nothing reciprocally. Though this seems Okeh sustaining Saun Dann, when he considers it the gift.

Orbiting Tatooine, is Darth Vader's star destroyer. Vader has been alerted to the escape of the Falcon from either a grasp of the empire. He was non ready to let the children escape for the 2nd instance. Vader got been on a lookup for the rebels world health organization got destroyed the number 1 Dying Star in The Up to date Hope, shortly agone, & was obsessed using securing a ones responsible. Additionally to this, a Empire wanted a rebels no more, usually, in the foremost place. On the star destroyer, Chief Bast, one of the couple of world health organization experienced escaped the destruction of the 1st Demise Star, informs Vader that a blockade has been install around Kashyyyk, & a look for began on the planet. Vader is supprised, & informs him to prove my point a lookup, whenever it will require shopping each menage in the patterns.

Back in Kashyyyk, Malla is preparing a portion of the dinner for the nighttime's feast for her personal. She is preparing Bantha Rump, with the assist of Chef Gormaanda, a automaton chef, which Malla watches on the kitchen viewscreen. This cook, the female by having quaternion arms, is shown to enjoy her cookery much. After she gets away from control, & speeds higher by owning her quaternity arms, Malla potty't keep higher, & switches a viewscreen hit, & resorts to cooking a Bantha Tail herself.

Back on the Falcon, Chewie & Han got upright appear of Hyperspace shortly from either Kashyyyk, which was their destination. Unaware of a blockade, the buy quite an surprise when confronted sustaining little joe Tie Fighters, blocking their way. When ingesting out two or three utilizing remote from either a cockpit, Han resorts to running down into a remote canons to utilise a children manually, when Chewbacca will require the independent controls. Back within Kashyyyk, Itchy is resting in his chair, when Malla is walking as much as. Suddenly, an purple officer announces on a viewscreen that a blockade has been install around the planet, & the empire has declared martial law. a, immediately fallowing a announcement, it develop a knock at the door. Frightened, Itchy attend open it. To their relief, like than a empire at a door, these are Saun Dann, a bargainer by using which Malla experienced confused earliest. He will bring the babies whole Life Day gifts. To Mallthe, he gives a musical box. To Lumpy, he paws the pack, by having an unknown present around it. &, eventually, when Malla & Lumpy experienced went to enjoy their presents, he gives Itchy his present. To Itchy, he gives the memory chip, which he inserts into Itchy's virtual-reality chair. These are apparently the person female, whom Itchy seems to use at times an interest around. Itchy with excitement watches her perform the song, when making suggestive comments & system language.

As a result this "experience" of Itchy's, a focus shifts to the Rebel base, in which Princess Leia & C-3PO come protective at functiin on something. Malla contacts the babies via viewscreen to alert the children of the lateness of Han & Chewie. Such as prior to by having a others, she could offer there is no serve. Nonetheless, she does ask in case Malla is alone, & she is freed that soul is there to protect everyone, Saunn Dann. By having little support from either Leia, Malla switches off a communication device. Saunn Dann so smells wookiee-ookiees cookery, & he & Malla attend become a bit of. Back on the falcon, Han & Chewie come approaching Kashyyyk. It is glad to eventually all but become there. Han notices the abundance of Imperials in the area, and so it decide to land in a safe division of the planet, on the northward side. Nevertheless, this is far a wookiee family, & is an extended hike. When a protest from either Chewie, it eventually decide to land the ship. When it enter a atmosphere of Kashyyyk, Lumpy hears a roaring of the ship. Everyone in the wookiee home gets excited, & entirely do to the door. It suppose Han & Chewie will become at it. However it is around for quite a surprise. When Malla opens a door, deuce stormtroopers hang on to their chargeman handgun at her, sustaining 2 majestic officers of different ranks behind the babies.

Malla roars withwithin horror, however a empire forces their way in anyway. A head officer checks a home for the residents. He finds that a male wookiee, Chewbacca, is missing. He orders the research. A officers impolitely look through a home, about discovering a hidden communication device in the home, which would keep close at h& spelt certain doomsday for the personal and contaminated the babies when allies by using the Rebellion. To try to distract a attention of the empire, Saun Dann suggests for he & Malla to develop a bit of food for everyone in the kitchen. When it is doing this, Saun Dann turns in Malla's musical box for one of a officers, world health organization seems to interested mnore in the music than his duties. the rock b& comes on the pack, and sings a song known as "Light the Sky on Fire." When a lot of this is running in, a empire is looking a home. Whilst a streaming videos ends, a head officer orders a seek to prove my point, & for a officer world health organization viewed the music band for back to operate. Saun Dann leaves, when he understands he can't assist farther. the head officer tells Mallthe to keep Lumpy occupy piece it lookup, and then Lumpy sets down to follow a cartoin on a viewscreen of one of his father's numbers of escapade. A empire begins to lookup Lumpy's room.

A cartoon dealt using Luke, Han, & Leia's foremost encounter by owning Boba Fett. In the period of the look for for amulet, the Millennium Falcin crashes on a a body of water planet, called Panna. Luke & the gang last fallowing a two, after it dispatch from either the rebel base around a Y-Wing. Upon landing, it dog into Fett, world health organization wants to help the two. It totally board a falcon, in which Han has been infected a bit of mysterious dormant virus from either a amulet. Upon typing, Luke immediately contracts a virus too. Boba & Chewie last into Panna City for a curative for Han's affliction. It used to be that it wear a city, which is occupied by imperials, Boba instructs Chewie to stay behind spell he gets a remedy. When out of Chewie, Boba contacts Darth Vader to inform him of the situation. He reveals that he & Vader come around a project to reveal the location of the Rebels & then that Vader might prevent the children, such as he tried and failed to within The Up to date Hope. At this point in a cartoon, Lumpy shouts call at horror at the cases in the cartoon. It alerts a independent regal officer. He comes across to view what is wrongly, however Lumpy acts such as it was nothing, & he hides a fact that he is watching a cartoon, somehow. He so resumes a cartoon. Back on the Falcon, when C-3PO is treating Han & Luke, he & R2-D2 intercept a message between Vader & Fett in their viewscreen. Fallowing evading a imperials, Boba & Chewie link to to the Falcon by using a remedy. Fallowing generating it to the children, & it feel better, everyone learns of Boba's admittedly allegiances. Boba ignites his sooty dozen, & blasts away, promising that he may meet the two whole once more. Everyone so blasts out of a planet, & back to a rebel base in board the falcon. Lumpy shuts off a monitor & applauds it.

Higher around Lumpy's room, a Imperials use his room & trashed all about. A single possibly rips a avoid of his stuffed ransacked bantha. Lumpy comes higher there when it stand went to a second section of the home. He is very saddened across what it use done to his wanted toy. He lays it down in his bed momently of sadness. Then again he creates the project for retaliation. He remembers a contrivance Saun Dann gave him sooner for his Life Day present. Though wookiees come known to exist as naturally skillful by using technology, Lumpy puts in a instruction streaming videos to wholly teach him training jointly the device. His project is apparently to produce a communication device that may fool a imperials into giving to their base by emulating the voice of one of their superiors in the empire. A instructiin cd comes on. The android described as an "Amorphian being from the planet Morphia" comes on the streaming. He explains to Lumpy tons of the technical indicator details of assembly. A condition by using Amorphians, nonetheless, is that their immune system functions ofttimes temporarily prevent working. Throughout a program, this Amorphian does upright that. Fallowing instructing Lumpy of a basic principles, the Amorphianknwing close down nigh totally & lessens in the floor. Lumpy shuts off a streaming merrily, caring training properly jointly a device.

Below of the treehouse, spell the imperials come however shopping, a streaming video comes on the dwelling room viewscreen, which is advertised as "required viewing by all imperial personnel." Therefore, all the imperials in the home turn their quick attention to the viewscreen. the program appears to exist as a reality-TV nature and severity program entitled "Life on Tatooine." Fallowing the announcer goes off, humans come seen waling wall street of Mos Eisley on a viewscreen, so the focus shifts to within a Cantina. In the cantinthe, a b& is swimming, animals come talking, and items come running jolly swell. the barkeep, Ackmena, is inside the run of serving drinks, after a humanoid-nature & severity walks within known as Krelman, world health organization seems super concerned and attracted in her. It is in the run of discussiin, whilst an regal guard comes on the viewscreen announcing that today Tatooine is existence put out the curfew per empire. His cause is "due to subversive forces." This may inflict everyone to link to to theirs homes immediately. Ackmena is deeply shocked, & asks her client to please leave a Cantina, due to the nonindulgent orders of the empire. Whilst it entirely refuse to leave, she suggests a single other spherical of drinks for everyone, & puts everyone's bill in her have tab. She so proceeds to usher the babies retired via singing & dancing. Everyone yet leaves, albeit sustaining opposition. Ackmenthe so continues a portable discussion by owning Krelman. A streaming videos so goes off.

Immediately when a streaming videos ends, Lumpy's project goes into result. the imperials develop a turn their radios to "return to base." This message continues repeatedly. It decide to leave, however a head officer instructs one of a stormtroopers to stay behind. Fallowing a more imperials leave, a stormtrooper however hears a radio signal to "return to base." He immediately understands that something is wrongly because no supplementary radios about. He listens within, & determines that a healthy is actually from either a upstairs, which is in which Lumpy's room is. He diarrhea upstair to call for Lumpy speaking into a pack, the a single which he got constructed earliest. His voice was existence translated & amplified to become extra individual & deeper. A stormtrooper walks into a room, & this startles Lumpy, world health organization immediately jumps higher. A stormtrooper grabs a pack, & thrusts it quickly & difficult towards a ground, shattering it. Lumpy so is frightened, & diarrhea down a step, & retired onto the deck, existence followed closely per stormtrooper. At exactly a instance two arrive retired onto a deck, Han & Chewbacca happen to become walking as much as the door. Chewie growls, & Han prepares for battle. Chewie frisk a stormtrooper, to protect Lumpy. A troper points his gun at each of the two. Secretly, Han is backing against a wall, ready to attack. A stormtrooper doesn't view him, & Han sneaks higher & hits him. Them develop ready to fight, after Han suddenly trips a stormtrooper, & makes him fall off of a deck, breaking the railing, & falling to his dying in the deep forests beneath. Alleviated, Han picks higher Lumpy & paws him to his father.

It completely tierce last within, in which Malla & Itchy come waiting. Han lets the two understand he has taken care of the threat. Everyone is glad to exist as safe & back together eventually. Chewie & Han hug everyone, & these are clear that there is a feeling of love & personal among everyone present. It desire Han to stay, however he says he has for back to the Falcon prior to soul finds it in which he has hidden it. Fallowing bidding everyone the devout sayonarthe, he leaves & wishes everyone a happy Life Day. Afdter he leaves, it hear eventually an additional knock at a door. These are Saun Dann, apparently within his way to the delivery, sustaining bags in his paws. He sets the children down. Suddenly, a regal officer on the viewscreen appears. He gives the general alert in case anyone in the arethe has seen a missing stormtrooper. Whilst he gives a precise number, everyof these in the home knows this is the one Han recently tripped polish off of the deck & flushed. Reallizing the pawithin it can become in, Saun Dann quickly thinks of a lie that might operate to the officer. He claims the officer was left per others, & fallowing it experienced left, he stole much of food from either his home & left while forgoing a trace. A excuse worked, & a officer experienced there are no suspicions. He says he may send a look for person to locate the missing trooper. He goes off a viewscreen, & everyone is freed. Prior to he goes, Saun Dann wishes the entire personal a happy Life Day, even as Han did. Fallowing he leaves, a personal prepares to last a festival at a tree of life. It gather their crystals together & join the two above their heads.

As if by magic, the entire personal, along sustaining several more wookiees come next seen around space, travelling toward a brilliantly star of a select few nature and severity. It is walking into it. By doing this, it apparently arrive at a awesome tree of life, around which numbers of wookiees come dressed in red robes & come gathered. Chewie take stage. Suddenly, C-3PO & R2-D2 come out. So Luke, Leia, & eventually, Han. Han got got a suprise for everyone, he got brought the whole gang back for the celebration. Everyone was glad to become together. To beginside, Leithe gave the short speech on the meaning of Life Day and sung a song in celebration. At The guide of a ceremony, Chewbacca began to remember the risky venture he got been within in A Up to date Hope, rather whenever he number 1 met Luke & Leia, or even even even whenever it totally escaped a demise star, or swimming chess by owning R2-D2, or a award ceremony, when he & Han experienced helped Luke kill a Demise Star. A wookiees began to file away from a ceremony when his memories ceased.

That nighttime, a wookiee personal: Chewbacca, Mallatobuck, Lumpawarrump, & Attichitcuk sat at a personal table. It was a great feast to celebrate a day, & existence back together over again.

Cast

Mark Hamill .... Luke Skywalker Harrison Ford .... Han Solo Carrie Fisher .... Princess Leia Organa Anthony Daniels .... C-3PO Peter Mayhew .... 'Chewie' Chewbacca James Earl Jones .... Darth Vader (voice) Beatrice Arthur .... Ackmena Art Carney .... Trader Saundan Diahann Carroll .... Mermeia Holographic Wow Marty Balin .... Holographic Band Singer (when The Jefferson Starship) Craig Chaquico .... Holographic Band Member (when A Jefferson Starship) Paul Kantner .... Holographic Band Member (when A Jefferson Starship) Harvey Korman .... Krelman/Chef Gormaanda/Amorphian instructor Mickey Morton .... 'Malla' Mallatobuck Paul Gale .... 'Itchy' Attichitcuk Patty Maloney .... 'Lumpy' Lumpawarrump Jack Rader .... Imperial Guard Officer Stephanie Stromer .... A Wonderful Zorbak (Holographic Gymnast) Michael Thrower .... Imperial Guard Officer Wazzan Company .... Holographic Tumblers Yûichi Sugiyama .... Ringleader Mum Brothers .... A Reeko Brothers Claude Woolman .... Majestic Officer (wallscreen) Lev Mailer .... Regal Guard #1 John McLaughlin .... Regal Stormtrooper Sir Alec Guinness .... Obi-Wan Kenobi (archive footage) (uncredited) David Prowse .... Darth Vader (uncredited) Arthur Rowton .... Zutton (uncredited) Leslie Schofield .... Chief Bast (archive footage) (uncredited)

Segments

Music

A favorite features quaternity songs. A number 1, "This Minute Now," sung by Diahann Carroll, is better remembered for the off-the-wall monologue which precedes it where Carroll—world health organization is supposed to exist as an image created by the virtual-reality machine—tells Chewbacca's father, Itchy, that she is his "fantasy" and suggestively invites him to "experience" her. A 2nd musical total is the song "Light the Sky on Fire", performed by Jefferson Starship, which is presented as a Three-D music streaming videos watched by one of a Purple guards. Late, Bea Arthur, world health organization plays a barkeeper in the Mos Eisley cantina, sings a song, "Good Night, But Not Goodbye," to the equivalent placed of aliens that were seen within the Cantina in A New Hope, including, as a back-higher musicians, a Cantina's resident class action, Figrin D'an & a Modal Nodes. Eventually, at the prevent of the favorite Carrie Fisher sings (somewhat off key) a song within celebration of Life Day to the tune of the Star Wars independent title.

Comedy

Harvey Korman will bring comedy within triad of the favorite's skits, including a Cantina skit by having Bea Arthur. He as well performs 2 solo routines: of these as a 4-armed parody of Julia Child, whose four arms allow her to operate great deal sooner than Malla might keep higher by using, & of these as a nonfunctional Amorphian android in an instruction streaming video watched by Lumpy. Art Carney has the additional integral role in the story, swimming the dealer on the Wookiee planet who occurs as member of the Rebellion & assists Chewie's personal. His segments come too largely played for laughs.

The cartoon

A high point of a favorite is usually considered to exist as the alive section, called "The Faithful Wookiee," by Nelvana. When a artistic style requires nifty liberties—R2-D2's system is rubbery & Han's face about unrecognisable, a animation is effective & a music & healthy results come straight away from a film. Sustaining all the independent stars from either a film doing a voice function for their characters the cartoon sounds such as a Star Wars film potentially in case it looks the little odd at days. Non exclusively does a cartoon introduce Boba Fett, however two his jet few dozen & rope gun, which don't come out once more in the picture until Link to of the Jedi tetrad & the half years late, come each seen in the cartoon.

Other bits

A Holiday Favorite likewise includes the circus-style acrobatics routine that includes uneven bars & juggling. All a acts were loosely linked together by owning lesson which involves the Wookiees' preparation for Life Day, Han & Chewie's attempt to evade a Imperials & produce it to Chewie's personal, & a Regal garrison's lookup for rebels.

Versions and availability today

A Star Wars Holiday Favorite was wasted to the globe & mostly forgotten fallowing its exclusively airing inside 1978. There was super little grounds to believe of its being until erstwhile in the early-to-mid-1990s when individuals come forward, world health organization got in their possession original VHS recordings of the TV airing. A bit of of a two began to copy the indicate & sell it lawlessly as a bootleg VHS or DVD at conventions.

It presently became the cult classic and a legend among Star Wars fans. File-sharing technologies have mass produced a favorite supplementary widely available to curious fans to look at for themselves. To this day, though, a Favorite has however non been processed officially available.

Virtually all viewers (including Lucas himself) revile A Star Wars Holiday Favorite for its meagre plot & moo production values, however occasionally enjoy it for its wackiness & novelty, & several Star Wars fans have a copy in their collection. Occasionally fans hope for an official release, if only as a comedic novelty.

A bit of information all about copies of the Holiday Favorite: The original print rests in the Lucasfilm archives. Animation-cel product sold in a mid-1990s mentions there are no source, however probably comes from either the favorite's alive Boba Fett section. Segments of the cartoon come out in the 2002 Attack of the Clones web documentary "Bucket Head." Boba Fett actor Jeremy Bulloch introduces a section when from either the Holiday Favorite. a copies that were distributed within 1978 to CBS & its major broadcasting stations come virtually all in all likelihood too in the Lucasfilm Archives by using the original print. Some world health organization watched a program's lone airing recorded it to videotape. These keep around since been duplicated & reduplicated & then that virtually all copies of the favorite available in todays world (& since 1978) come 2nd to sixth generatiin on DVD and VHS. A select few one fan-processed copies include a original commercial message that aired in a period of the indicate, when others will have these edit. In 2001 or 2002, an anonymous video professional digitally remastered a second-generation recording of the original special sustaining Dolby Digital technology. Though this "remastered" version does survive, a term "digitally remastered" is typically days good utilized as a catchword to sell illegal copies in eBay and at conventions. There is an isolated version of the Boba Fett cartoon that contains two or even three additional seconds of lesson that was either edited or non involved in the Holiday Favorite. At a bit of locations using your internet browser, single clips from either a favorite come available for download. Around more stores, like several BitTorrent or file sharing sites, a entire favorite is available for download, around varying quality. The favorite has eventually to exist as officially freed in DVD, despite recent rumour of the imaginable release (view DVD release segment following).

Lucasfilm/media uses and statements of the holiday special

In 1996, Lucasfilm discharged animation cells from either a holiday favorite Boba Fett cartoon section. These were combined by using fresh art to produce slightly different images than what is seen in the favorite. Copies of the cells were sold in public that month. In 2002, StarWars.com freed, when a share of their Attack of the Clones web documentaires, the documental entitled, "Bucket Head." A docudrama was intended to show you a origins of a Fett personal & the fascination using Boba Fett. A 1st videos appearing in a infotainment was scenes from either either a Boba Fett alive section from the favorite. Jeremy Bulloch, a actor world health organization originally played Boba Fett in a Star Wars films, appears perfect fallowing, & notes that the cd originated in the holiday favorite, & that was in which Boba Fett mass produced his 1st appearance. This docudrama, afterwards, was discharged on the 2002 DVD placed of Attack of the Clones. In 2002, in a area of a holiday of Thanksgiving, the official Star Wars site StarWars.com acknoleged an element of the favorite by wishing its viewers "Happy Life Day," equally seen [http://www.starwars.com/community/news/holiday/beacon74.html here.] To help within designing a sets & look of the planet Kashyyyk for Revenge of the Sith, a Lucasfilm art department reported in the official places that it number 1 viewed the holiday favorite & depending their designs partially on what got already been created there. A look of a planet, a epa of the wookiees, & the types of houses & technology it have was a lot depending part in ideas from either the holiday favorite. On November 17, 2003, at about 7:00 p.m. Eastern standard time, which was exactly Twenty-five years from either either a airing of a favorite, Shephard Smith of the Coyote News Channel played two or three of the opening clips from the favorite in his G Prevent section. Fallowing calling this announcement the "nerd alert," he announced that that day was a Twenty-fifth day of remembrance of the a single-instance airing. He potentially announced a availableness of the favorite using your internet browser. a quality of the streaming video shown in Cur news appears to become of a bootleg from either either an original recording, like than footage found from the Lucasfilm archives. A clip may be downloaded directly [http://www.starwarsholidayspecial.com/multimedia/fox_news_g_block-divx.avi here.] The official Star Wars places reported around September 2004 on the Kevin Burns-directed Star Wars documental "Empire of Dreams", which experienced already been previewed in The&E in abbreviated form, and which was included on the Star Wars Original Trilogy DVD set on the 21st of that later month. Originally there was to exist as a bit of coverage of a Holiday Favorite, however it aroused existence cut to help shorten the already extended docudrama. On this button's a relevant quote from either the article:

On the similar note, Comingsoon.net reported 2004, at a rollout presentation of a Star Wars Trilogy DVD at the Silent Movie Theater around Los Angeles, in which various list world health organization worked on the DVD were attendant. Kevin Burns was at a rollout. On this text's a second quote from either "Empire of Dreams" documental director Kevin Burns on a Holiday Favorite:

Revenge of the Sith featured the big-screen debut of the Wookiee planet of Kashyyyk, along with many of the native wookiees. The wookiee houses seen in the film were closely modeled after the ones seen in the holiday special, but were much more detailed, and more elaborate. The 2005 Revenge of the Sith scrapbook contained two pages in its section on the planet of Kashyyyk, explaining the origins of the planet. One of the pages displayed the original concept art image of the wookiee family treehouse, used in the special. The other page indicated that Kashyyyk first appeared in the special, and gave its full name. The book explained why it was never re-aired due to its production values not being up to George Lucas' standards. One of the recent 2005 additions to Hyperspace, the paid membership section on Starwars.com, was the video clip "Animation Sizzle", which was shown at Comic-Con International 2005 in San Diego. The clip is a run-down of all the Star Wars animation projects over the years, and naturally it starts out with a segment from the 1978 animated Boba Fett cartoon used in the Holiday Special. This and the "Pail Head" documentary are some of the few occasions when a part of the Holiday Special has been shown officially. Lucasfilm has hired well-known Star Wars author, Timothy Zahn to write a book entitled Allegiance, which will serve as a prequel to the animated segment of The Star Wars Holiday Special. The book has been set for a release in early 2007. This announcement has led Holiday Special enthusiasts to believe that this same year could be a likely release period for the special, due to several factors. The first being that the book, being a prequel to a portion of the special, is actually being relased. Also, 2007 will be the year of the 30th anniversary of Star Wars, when Lucasfilm is likely to do many celebratory events and releases. The holiday special could be one of these. The third and final reason is that Star Wars prequel producer, Rick McCallum has stated that he and Lucasfilm would like to see all of the obscure productions of Star Wars, including all of the making-of, released after the completion of the prequels. There is no more likely date for this, than around 2007.

Airing dates and locations

The special reportedly aired in: Canada in 1978 on November 17, 1978 (the same day of the US airing, most likely on channel CTV, since a black and white still from the show has that channel’s logo on it) Mexico in December 1978 on Televisa XHGC Channel 5 Argentina around Christmas 1978 France (dubbed in French, under the name "Au Temps first state la Guerre des Etoiles" which means "In the Instance of Star Wars") New Zealand sometime in 1979 Belgium in 1979 and/or 1980 (in English, with Dutch subtitles) Australia in 1980 or 1981 (possibly also in 1982 or 1983 on the WIN Network), and again in 1983 & 1984 on Channel Ten Victoria (reportedly). It was reportedly broadcast once again in the late 1990s as part of the ABC's youth series, Recovery. Malaysia in late January/early February 1981 or 1982 (in English, with no subtitles) Sweden on May 31, 1979 on SVT TV 2 (in English, under the name "Stjärnornas Krig Och Fred", with Swedish subtitles). The special reportedly aired at the Library of Congress in the 1990's. Unofficially, the special was screened at a private Canadian theater, around the holiday season, several years in a row, from 2001-2004. The theater owners charged a small amount of money to view the special. Unofficially, the special has been screened privately in many homes through bootleg or original recordings.

It most assuredly aired in other countries too (It is unknown exactly what or how many countries the special aired in, this list was compiled from reports by people from those countries who saw it when it aired). Screen captures from the various known versions of it that have survived from 1978 VHS tapes can be found [http://www.starwarsholidayspecial.com/versions.htm here].

Title

There has been some dispute since the airing of the special, what the correct name of it was. The correct title is “The Star Wars Holiday Special�, though it is often mislabelled “The Star Wars Christmas Special�. Even Star Wars creator, George Lucas, once called it that. It has also been called “A Very Wookiee Christmas� and “A Wookiee Holiday�.

In France, the official title was "Au Temps first state la Guerre des Etoiles" which means "In the Period of Star Wars".

In Sweden, the official title was "Stjärnornas Krig Och Fred" which literally means "Stars' War & Peace".

In Norway, the official title was "Stjerne Krigens Helligdags Spesial" which means the same as the English title.

Deleted scenes

There is a deleted scene available for viewing to the special. Although many scenes can be considered deleted between the five drafts of the script, this one is one of the few that was actually created on film. The scene is from a small unused portion of the cartoon, originally part of the special as an in-cartoon commercial. A link to view this extremely rare portion of the special via Windows Media Player can be found here [http://www.ffrevolution.com/1ocpvideos/HS-CUT_1400kbps.wmv]. Another confirmed deleted scene from the special was one taking place immediately following the imperial invasion of the wookiee home. An imperial stormtrooper stops at the table to sample one of Malla's wookiee-ookiees, a wookie version of cookies.

Related media tie-ins

In 1979, one year after the special's release, Lucasfilm released a children's book called "Star Wars: A Wookiee Storybook," which reunited the characters from the special. In 1980, Lucasfilm released a similarly themed christmas album, entitled, Christmas in the Stars: Star Wars Christmas Album. At one point prior to the special's airing, the toy company, Kenner, was considering creating a toy line, based on the special. The project, however, was cancelled due to the unpopularity of the special and its characters. A press kit was released prior to the special, to promote its airing. Several action figures have been released since the special's airing that were characters appearing in the show. The Jefferson Starship, who had had a song and music video used in the special, proclaimed on their "Weak a Sky aflare" album that it was: "as seen & heard on the CBS-Star Wars Holiday Favorite."

Role in greater Star Wars continuity

Canonocity of the special

The Star Wars Holiday Special is technically in the Star Wars canon, which means that the events depicted are part of the greater continuity that includes the other films, novels, comic books, video games, etc. It falls in the C-Canon in the overall Star Wars continuity.

Later EU appearances

Since The Star Wars Holiday Special was released, it has received an extreme amount of criticism and dislike by both fans and official sources. Despite the relative unpopularity of the elements of the special, those at Lucasfilm responsible for liscensing have kept the special in continuity, due to their canon policies. In many cases, they have in fact expanded on elements from the special in several different media, including novels, comic books, video games, children's books, and even in a Star Wars-themed cookbook. Indeed the phrase from the special's opening "introducing Chewbacca's personal" meant more than originally envisioned.

Several of the characters in The Star Wars Holiday Special appear in other Star Wars works. Chewbacca's family are featured in various stories, including:

The Kashyyyk Depths (1979) was a newspaper comic strip by Russ Manning which featured another venture by Han, Luke, Leia, and Chewie to Kashyyyk for Life Day. It was reprinted in a collective book entitled "Classic Star Wars #4: A Early Adventures." The Wookiee Storybook (1979) features Chewbacca's family in a situation very similar of that to the holiday special. Except in the book, Lumpy, wishing to be brave like his father, goes to the lower levels of Kashyyyk to get a type of fruit in preparation for the return of Chewbacca for Life Day. When trouble arisies when Lumpy doesn't return, Chewbacca must rescue his on. Wookiee World (1985) was issue #91 of the Marvel comics Star Wars run. It featured Chewie's family in another adventure on Kashyyyk. '''Tyrant's Test' (1996) was the third and final book of The Black Fleet Crisis trilogy'', by Michael P. Kube-McDowell. It featured Lumpy and his rites of passage into Lumpawaroo. The Han Solo Trilogy (1997) of novels by A.C. Crispin. dealt with the younger years of Han in relation to Chewbacca and his family. Malla and Chewie's marriage is shown in the third book. The Star Wars Cookbook: Wookiee Cookiees and Other Galactic Recipes (1998) gives an official recipe for "Wookiee cookiees," a different name for "Wookiee-ookiees" from the special. Chewbacca (2000) was a four-issue comic book series by Darko Mecan, which featured Itchy and Malla recalling stroies of Chewbacca's history. Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds (2001) was a game released by LucasArts, which explored the past of Chewbacca's father, Itchy. As seen in the game, Itchy was a great warrior in his younger days, who fought many battles. The Unifying Force (2003) was the final book of the New Jedi Order series, it features Chewbacca's son Lumpy, along with Lowbacca, who hold a pivotal role of taking up Chewbacca's life debt to Han. Star Wars: Galaxies (2003) was a popular MMORPG game that allowed the player to visit and explore Kasyyyk. While there, the player can explore the customs of Life Day, as there are several wookiees dressed in red robes, as in the special. Also in the game, Lumpy's stuffed bantha from the special can be seen. The official site for Star Wars: Galaxies even has a webpage dedicated to explaing these features in the game, and the customs of Life Day [http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/content.jsp?page=Wookiee%20Life%20Day here.] A Forest Apart (2003) was an e-book by Troy Denning released also in print as a supplement to his main book Tatooine Ghost. A Forest Apart focuses on the exploits of Lumpy, after Malla allows him to go to Coruscant with Chewbacca.

Boba Fett returns in The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and in many Expanded Universe books, comics, and video games (not to mention numerous official and unofficial fan-made films).

The Wookiee planet of Kashyyyk features in various novels, comic books, and video games, including Revenge of the Sith, the cartoon micro-series known as Star Wars: Clone Wars, and video games such as Star Wars: Battlefront, Star Wars: Republic Commando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. An entire city from the planet was even elaborated on in Timothy Zahn's popular 1991 novel Heir to the Empire, which was the first in his Thrawn trilogy.

Lucas's feelings on the special

George Lucas, who wrote the basic story for the special but otherwise had very little to do with it, has rarely commented on or even acknowledged its existence except to friends and co-workers. At one Australian fan convention he reportedly said:

In an online chat with fans, he reportedly said:

Later, in a May 2005 interview with StaticMultimedia.com, Lucas was asked if the film had soured him on working in television:

Sequels

Rumors of a follow-up special called A Very Star Wars Christmas have spread in recent years, but are an April Fool's prank. The special's plot was said, according to its creator, the people at stomptokyo.com, to go something like this: Rebellion forces abandoned Hoth after the Empire invaded the base, and some rebels were left behind. The story follows two such soldiers, Coren and Vila. Forced to survive on the barren surface of Hoth, we are told, Coren and Vila have learned to live with the Wampas, who are not so much evil as misunderstood. Vila is particularly fond of one young Wampa whom she has dubbed "Christmas" after her favorite holiday. When Darth Tyranus comes to Hoth in search for the young Wampa, trouble begins, as Tyranus and the Rebels go on a chase leading them all the way to Coruscant and back to Hoth, where the Rebels attempt an escape. For the record, fans will note that part of this is impossible: Tyranus was killed by Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith, which takes place before the rebellion even existed.

Trivia

Despite his rather unwelcomed three roles in The Star Wars Holiday Special, and George Lucas' dislike of the special, Harvey Korman appeared in Lucas' 1994 film, the Radioland Murders, as Jules Cogley. Genndy Tartakovsky, director and animator of the Star Wars: Clone Wars micro-series, states that he payed homage to Nelvana's animation in the Holiday Special segment, particularly the design of C-3PO. He says that he animated Threepio's eyes to move in a similar way to Nelvana's, and made the droid's overall look similar to theirs. The Star Wars Holiday Special was spoofed in the 1988 movie, Scrooged. It was also spoofed in an extremely obscure reference on the animated show, South Park. On one particular episode, entitled "Christmas within South Park," during every commercial break, an announcer would come on as part of the program and say "fighting a frizzies at eleven." This was a reference to an original commercial that was shown on certain broadcast copies at commercial breaks, during the airing of the holiday special. The reference, even among many south park fans, is quite unknown, since not only would you have had to have watched the holiday special on its one time airing, you would have had to been watching that particular broadcast copy, and remember the commercial to get the reference, nearly 25 years after the holiday special's airing. More information about this can be found [http://www.starwarsholidayspecial.com/multimedia.htm at this site], and the original clip can be directly downloaded [http://www.starwarsholidayspecial.com/multimedia/fighting_the_frizzies.avi here.] A prototype for Itchy appeared in early drafts of Lucas's Star Wars screenplay as far back as 1973. When asked about his involvement with the special, Mark Hamil has reported that the producers asked him to sing a song for one scene. He refused. Despite his introduction in The Holiday Special, Boba Fett has went on to become one of the most popular Star Wars characters. Peter Mayhew has reportedly said that the most common question asked of him at fan conventions was something along the lines of "Do you remember working on the holiday favorite?" His response, he says, is always, "course I personally launder." Carrie Fisher has made claims that she never remembers working in any Star Wars-themed holiday special. Lucas's original screenplay for Star Wars spelled the wookiee planet's name as "Kazhyyyk." The holiday special refers to it as "Kazook," and many other Expanded Universe novels and games refer to it as "Kashyyyk." Kashyyyk has become the G-Canon name of the planet now, as Lucas used that spelling when the planet made its theatrical debut in Revenge of the Sith. Footage featuring Leslie Schofield (Chief Bast) were unused scenes from the 1997 Star Wars movie. In that movie, Bast was stationed on the Death Star. As the Holiday Special happens after the end of that movie, further official sources (including Decipher) state that Bast left the Death Star before its destruction, to avoid contradictions. The cast specifies "James Earl Jones as the voice of Darth Vader", but does not menction David Prowse, the actor under the suit. Ironically, in the first two Star Wars movies (including Empire Strikes Back, which was filmed after the Holiday Special), Prowse was credited as Vader, but Jones specifically requested not to be credited.

DVD release

The Star Wars Holiday Special has yet to be given an official DVD release by Lucasfilm Ltd. If there are any plans to officially release the Star Wars Holiday Special on DVD, those plans have never been stated by Lucasfilm and there has never been any announcement suggesting such a release either on Lucasfilm's site, or the starwars.com site. However, an eventual release is expected by many fans. Amazon.com has placed an entry for the Holiday Special on its site [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005JOIP/qid=1124948445/sr=8-10/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i3_xgl74/102-0497441-2631369?v=glance&s=dvd&n=507846], leading to rumors in summer 2005 that a DVD was to come out soon, but in fact that is something the company does for nearly all movies and television shows that have not yet been released on DVD, to find popular titles and measure the interest of the public. Target.com has also posted a page on their site, with the same information about the show.

Sansweet's comments

When asked by the IESB if George Lucas ever has the intention to release the holiday special, the head of Lucasfilms content and fan releations Steve Sansweet replied: