The Star Wars Holiday Special

The Star Wars Holiday Special is a 1978 television special based on a story by George Lucas. The main storyline of the film transpires on the Wookiee home planet of Kashyyyk. Chewbacca and Han Solo visit the planet to celebrate the Wookiee holiday Life Day with his family, which includes his wife Malla, his son Lumpy, and his father Itchy. As Chewbacca and Han are known Rebel agents, they are pursued by the Galactic Empire, who in the process invade Chewbacca's household. The plot is strung together by a series of musical numbers, celebrity appearances, and other variety-show acts, including songs and comedy routines by such 1970s celebrities as Jefferson Starship, Diahann Carroll, Art Carney, Harvey Korman, and Bea Arthur.

Lucas' involvement with the special was limited, and he was unhappy with the final product. As a result, it has never been re-aired in the US or officially released on home video, but has been widely bootlegged by fans. Despite its infamy, the special is notable for being the first film-length Star Wars story to appear following the release of the original film, for featuring cameos by all of that film's major cast (although some were portrayed using archive footage), and for introducing the character Boba Fett.

Text and facts from the “The Star Wars Holiday Special” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.