The Star Wars Holiday Special was unimaginable.
In 1978 on Nov. 17th, The Star Wars Holiday Special aired. Star Wars mania was at a high, as fans flocked to the theaters to watch their favorite movie again and again. To encourage toy sales for the Christmas season, this special was created with all the main characters making an appearance. But even if you’re a serious Star Wars fan, you may have missed this, because unlike other Holiday specials shown here, The Star Wars Holiday Special never aired again.
Given the multi-cultural, intergalactic nature of Star Wars, no Earth Holiday would do for the Star Wars Holiday Special. It focuses instead on a Wookie tradition called Life Day. Presents are exchanged, so you can guess which holiday it was meant to emulate. The story is rather trite, but seeing that Chewbacca has a family was enough to enthrall most little kids. In the movies the political tensions, between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire, were beyond the comprehension of most youngsters.
But this holiday special succeeded in making storm troopers the literal face of evil. This was no cops and robbers game. Storm troopers went up to the bedroom of Chewbacca’s son, and trashed it, then tore the head off of his stuffed animal. Every child who had been watching the wookie boy argue about doing chores, and delighting in watching his favorite cartoon, could relate and instantly saw the Empire as their own enemy.
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If you dare to watch this special, you’ve been warned. It mixes in a healthy dose of 70s variety show styled entertainment. The costumes are more elaborate, but it is a jumble of colorful distractions from a weak plot. Harvey Korman does multiple roles, including one in drag. But to an adult audience, the suggestive hypno-erotic piece by Diahann Carroll, will leave you wondering why this is part of a children’s special.
