There isn’t a more infamous moment in the galaxy far, far away than the release ofThe Star Wars Holiday Specialin 1978 on ABC, which was met with such historically awful reviews that it was never aired again, and has never been released by Lucasfilm in any official capacity. The two-hour television event featured brief appearances byStar Warscast members such asMark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher,andAnthony Daniels, but the story was mostly centered around how Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) and his family prepared for the Wookiee holiday of “Life Day” on their home planet of Kashyyyk. Much of the special felt only tangentially related to theStar Warsuniverse, as it featured appearances by ‘70s stars likeArt Carney, Jefferson Starship, Bea Arthur,andHarvey Corman. Although it has still been the subject of ridicule,the creation ofThe Star Wars Holiday Specialis unpackedin the highly entertaining documentaryA Disturbance in the Force.
‘A Disturbance in the Force’ Shows the Origins of ‘The Star Wars Holiday’ Special
One of the reasons that the originalStar Warsfilm becameone of the biggest popular culture sensations in the history of cinemawas thatGeorge Lucashad control of the marketing and merchandising, which allowed him to drum up support for the franchise as production commenced onThe Empire Strikes Back. A Disturbance in the Forceexamines the initial motivation behind creatingThe Star Wars Holiday Special, as the opportunity to use original footage, highlight the characters, and appeal to audiences during the holiday season seemed like a great way to keepStar Warsat its peak. Although the special would be able to appeal to a larger audience of primetime television viewers thanks to its musical guest stars and celebrity cameos, it also allowed Lucasfilm to debut the bounty hunter character Boba Fett in an animated segment that teased his appearance inThe Empire Strikes Back.
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A Disturbance in the Forceexplores howThe Star Wars Holiday Specialquickly went off the railswhen Lucas was not there to dictate to the showrunners what theStar Warssettings and characters should be. As a result,The Star Wars Holiday Specialwas pitched in the same tone as other television variety shows that were popular at the time, and did not feature thescience fiction action and adventurethat fans of the first film expected. Although the network understood that Chewbacca was a fan-favorite character, they made the disastrous decision to spend the majority of the special centered on Wookiees that talked in their native language of growls without offering any translations; additionally, the inclusion of a segment involvingDiahann Carrollwith significant sexual undertones was far too mature for younger fans. Although the special did include archived interviews with some of the original cast, popular culture insights are also provided by experts likeKevin Smith, Patton Oswalt,andSeth Green.
‘A Disturbance in the Force’ Examines the Evolution of ‘Star Wars’ Fan Culture
A Disturbance in the Forceshowed whyThe Star Wars Holiday Specialattained such a significant legacy, as by denying audiences the chance to see it, Lucasfilm only fueled speculation as to why it was buried. Although the documentary does poke fun at those who searched for bootleg copies, only to be disappointed by what they actually saw, it does show the inadvertent effect that the reception had onthe rest of theStar Warsfranchise; Lucas never again allowed a spinoff to exist that he was not creatively involved with.
A Disturbance in the Forcetakes a look atthe complexity ofStar Warsfandom, which has certainly grown more toxic since 1978. Although many fans took pleasure in lampooning the failures made inThe Star Wars Holiday Special, the criticism was made in jest, and came from a genuine respect for the franchise. Some segments, such as the animatedThe Story of the Faithful Wookiee, went on to influence various aspects of theStar Warsexpanded universe. WatchingThe Star Wars Holiday Specialin its entirety may be too painful of an experience to endure, butA Disturbance in the Forceoffers a great summation of why it was such a calamity.
A Disturbance in the Force: How the Star Wars Holiday Special Happened
