What is the Star Wars Holiday Special?
The Star Wars Holiday Special was a CBS special made by Smith-Hemion Productions in 1978 that starred all of the main Star Wars: A New Hope cast members (excluding Sir Alec Guinness and Peter Cushing), all portraying their respective characters, as well as other celebrities such as Art Carney, Harvey Korman, Bea Arthur, Diahann Carroll, and the Jefferson Starship. The special also included an animated cartoon by Nelvana that featured the first appearance of Boba Fett.
The Star Wars Holiday Special is a little remembered entry in the Star Wars universe. This two hour special, which combined a story about the Wookie Chewbacca’s family with variety show elements, a cartoon, and even Princess Leia singing, aired in 1978 in America and was never shown on American television again. Creator George Lucas has frequently expressed his dislike of the special, but many cult fans adore it for its kitschy and universally panned story. The original Star Wars film was released in 1977, and rocked the film world with its epic tale and unheard-of special effects. George Lucas, the mastermind behind the franchise, was awash with possibilities as to where to take his new universe. Investing time and presumably money in the Star Wars Holiday Special was a fascinating and still much-discussed choice by Lucas, who possibly thought to keep viewers interested in the series during the three year release gap between Star Wars: A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. In the St
