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Good Things From The Star Wars Holiday Special
3 years ago
Originally published: May 4, 2021 on DeviantArt
Happy May Fourth!
Legions of Star Wars fans never see the legendary 1978 atrocity which George Lucas waged a long war to erase from bootleg circulation. Mostly this is now because its reputation prevents people from even wanting to see it. It's like a 90-minute long episode of The Muppet Show had become convinced that it should try to become Star Wars, and made the attempt with whatever lay at hand. (Personally I find the inexplicable level of sheer 'f*ck it, let's just do whatever' incompetence, in a famous franchise production which was the first new entry after the original film's runaway success, hilarious.)
Reportedly George Lucas gave free reign to writers, only insisting the story focus on Chewbacca's family. After an early draft he was too busy filming 'Empire' to return and see what was going on before too many writing teams working on the project uncorked a crapstorm. He hit the roof when he did see what resulted, but by then it was too late to fix anything or pull the special.
To those who are curious to see what the hate is about, or saw the Special but want to again:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hH8rxarVG8
A warning to new viewers: enduring this stinkburger is a rite of passage among Star Wars fans. So, sack up. "Do", or "Do Not". There is no "Try"!
Amidst the drivel and poor production, though, are a few things that entered respectable Star Wars canon.
Now, to the point.
Here are the canon things the Special debuted:
Wookie Architecture.
I was stunned to discover that the graceful structures on Kashyyk from Episode III were based on matte shots of Chewbacca's family home made decades earlier. They were modified concept art by Ralph MacQuarrie for the original film, which in some drafts would've had scenes on Kashyyk. Technically, that means the Special didn't originate it, but I don't really care. Because the Special represents official acceptance of the designs.
The Special does not, however, truly introduce Kashyyk. We all already knew the Wookies came from somewhere. All that was revealed about their homeworld is that it has blue sky, a tree big enough to build open-plan houses around, and a dated TV has-been making ends meet as a trader. Even the world's name is spoken just once, by an Imperial officer who botches it as 'Ka-SHOOK".
Boba Fett. As if you didn't see that coming.
Fett's plot impact in the films was minor, though he upped the style factor for any scene he was in. But no one can deny he was the start of something big. Lore about the previously unmentioned Mandalorians is now detailed, extensive, and believable to boot. They've become a favorite, a Star Wars culture even non-fans identify with ease.
(It could be argued that Fett was introduced when a man in his costume appeared alongside other Star Wars characters in a parade earlier in 1978. But I maintain that until he achieved a story presence through the Holiday Special, there was no character to speak of.)
I liked the animation style of the cartoon segment, too. Back in a time when every animation studio but Disney insulted viewers by taking every possible production shortcut, that cartoon gave skilled, expressive animation to detailed and pleasantly stylized artwork. The backgrounds were carefully, intricately drawn and well-painted in watercolor. Nelvana, which animated the first 'Heavy Metal' movie, produced that segment.
In contrast, some popular shows from the mid to late 1990's (Fox's 'X-Men' and 'Spider-man' come to mind) still didn't quite have their acts together.
A bonus: Din Djarin's disrupter rifle is a direct homage to Fett's 'tuning fork' weapon from the cartoon.
Chewbacca's wife, Mala.
She was snapped up quickly by the Expanded Universe, and eventually got a renaming for her onscreen presence in Solo... where her pelt looked like she was attacked by a gang of murderous Roombas.
Life Day. Yes, freakin' Life Day.
It's assumed by most that Life Day is the Star Wars version of Christmas... but the Holiday Special was released in mid-November as a Thanksgiving special, and nothing Christmas-specific was shown. It's Space Thanksgiving, y'all! So stop rolling yer eyes at me!
Although Thanksgiving is an American holiday on Earth, the secular concept translates well across cultures: "Once a year, take inventory and appreciate what you've got." In a galaxy with so many competing moral systems and religious beliefs, this holds water as a universal holiday... especially compared to the 'Space Christmas' interpretation.
(The bit with candle-bearing Wookies marching through space remains utterly inexplicable.)
Some stuff that's not SW canon, but worthwhile:
James Earl Jones got his first credit as Darth Vader's voice. For reasons I can't remember, Jones didn't get a credit for his voice work in Star Wars. The Holiday Special not only credited him, but introduced him aloud in the opening sequence.
A short deleted scene from Star Wars was reused to make it appear as though Darth Vader was orchestrating the search for Han and Chewie. This wouldn't be a big deal, except that it showed finished deleted footage to home audiences that probably couldn't even get a home copy of the movie back then.
An irritating, unfunny 'comic relief' character played by Art Carney got insulted and intimidated repeatedly. (Technically not a contribution, but very satisfying. Most of Carney's roles drive me up the wall.)
Seeing Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill perform their roles while stoned! Fisher was infamous for her drug use back then, and she seemed sky-high during the musical number in the last scene. Hamill was still getting reconstructive surgery after his 1977 car accident, his face still disfigured enough by scars he wore a wig and very heavy makeup onscreen. He was almost certainly on opiate painkillers during his slightly loopy performance.
And it may surprise you that I enjoy the cantina sketch late in the special. This is for the sole reason that it offered better-lit, less-obstructed views of the aliens from the Chalmun's Cantina scene in A New Hope.
Many, many species were developed and fleshed out in the Expanded Universe based on those one-off costumes. Some were only seen as background silhouettes in a few frames of the movie, and a few (like the 'wolfman' Shistavanen) were removed entirely from the scene in later editions. So I was delighted to recognize live-action representations in that sketch I had only seen as sourcebook drawings before.
Plus, I've loved Chalmun's ever since I discovered it was owned by a Wookie... one who wore roguish clothes!
And... that's it, I guess
Well, since it's the Fourth, and I'm already writing about Star Wars... which of you folks know about BoShek?
Quite the under-appreciated background character. He was a Force-sensitive Corellian, the lone pilot to beat Han's Kessel Run record at the time of A New Hope. And if his ship hadn't been in impound, he would have taken Luke and Company to Alderaan. Instead, he recommended fellow smuggler Solo for the job.
BoShek's in the cantina scene; he's the guy at the bar in a flight suit, between Obi-Wan and Chewbacca. He excuses himself so that Kenobi and Chewbacca can discuss things face-to-face, and that's it for his screen time. Those few understated seconds onscreen intrigue me, making me wonder how things might have gone differently.
(Before anyone jumps on my back about BoShek's Kessel Run being Legends, bear in mind that some of the events surrounding it have been accepted in Disney-sanctioned works, and The Mouse has placed nothing in his new canon that contradicts it.)
Happy May Fourth!
Legions of Star Wars fans never see the legendary 1978 atrocity which George Lucas waged a long war to erase from bootleg circulation. Mostly this is now because its reputation prevents people from even wanting to see it. It's like a 90-minute long episode of The Muppet Show had become convinced that it should try to become Star Wars, and made the attempt with whatever lay at hand. (Personally I find the inexplicable level of sheer 'f*ck it, let's just do whatever' incompetence, in a famous franchise production which was the first new entry after the original film's runaway success, hilarious.)
Reportedly George Lucas gave free reign to writers, only insisting the story focus on Chewbacca's family. After an early draft he was too busy filming 'Empire' to return and see what was going on before too many writing teams working on the project uncorked a crapstorm. He hit the roof when he did see what resulted, but by then it was too late to fix anything or pull the special.
To those who are curious to see what the hate is about, or saw the Special but want to again:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hH8rxarVG8
A warning to new viewers: enduring this stinkburger is a rite of passage among Star Wars fans. So, sack up. "Do", or "Do Not". There is no "Try"!
Amidst the drivel and poor production, though, are a few things that entered respectable Star Wars canon.
Now, to the point.
Here are the canon things the Special debuted:
Wookie Architecture.
I was stunned to discover that the graceful structures on Kashyyk from Episode III were based on matte shots of Chewbacca's family home made decades earlier. They were modified concept art by Ralph MacQuarrie for the original film, which in some drafts would've had scenes on Kashyyk. Technically, that means the Special didn't originate it, but I don't really care. Because the Special represents official acceptance of the designs.
The Special does not, however, truly introduce Kashyyk. We all already knew the Wookies came from somewhere. All that was revealed about their homeworld is that it has blue sky, a tree big enough to build open-plan houses around, and a dated TV has-been making ends meet as a trader. Even the world's name is spoken just once, by an Imperial officer who botches it as 'Ka-SHOOK".
Boba Fett. As if you didn't see that coming.
Fett's plot impact in the films was minor, though he upped the style factor for any scene he was in. But no one can deny he was the start of something big. Lore about the previously unmentioned Mandalorians is now detailed, extensive, and believable to boot. They've become a favorite, a Star Wars culture even non-fans identify with ease.
(It could be argued that Fett was introduced when a man in his costume appeared alongside other Star Wars characters in a parade earlier in 1978. But I maintain that until he achieved a story presence through the Holiday Special, there was no character to speak of.)
I liked the animation style of the cartoon segment, too. Back in a time when every animation studio but Disney insulted viewers by taking every possible production shortcut, that cartoon gave skilled, expressive animation to detailed and pleasantly stylized artwork. The backgrounds were carefully, intricately drawn and well-painted in watercolor. Nelvana, which animated the first 'Heavy Metal' movie, produced that segment.
In contrast, some popular shows from the mid to late 1990's (Fox's 'X-Men' and 'Spider-man' come to mind) still didn't quite have their acts together.
A bonus: Din Djarin's disrupter rifle is a direct homage to Fett's 'tuning fork' weapon from the cartoon.
Chewbacca's wife, Mala.
She was snapped up quickly by the Expanded Universe, and eventually got a renaming for her onscreen presence in Solo... where her pelt looked like she was attacked by a gang of murderous Roombas.
Life Day. Yes, freakin' Life Day.
It's assumed by most that Life Day is the Star Wars version of Christmas... but the Holiday Special was released in mid-November as a Thanksgiving special, and nothing Christmas-specific was shown. It's Space Thanksgiving, y'all! So stop rolling yer eyes at me!
Although Thanksgiving is an American holiday on Earth, the secular concept translates well across cultures: "Once a year, take inventory and appreciate what you've got." In a galaxy with so many competing moral systems and religious beliefs, this holds water as a universal holiday... especially compared to the 'Space Christmas' interpretation.
(The bit with candle-bearing Wookies marching through space remains utterly inexplicable.)
Some stuff that's not SW canon, but worthwhile:
James Earl Jones got his first credit as Darth Vader's voice. For reasons I can't remember, Jones didn't get a credit for his voice work in Star Wars. The Holiday Special not only credited him, but introduced him aloud in the opening sequence.
A short deleted scene from Star Wars was reused to make it appear as though Darth Vader was orchestrating the search for Han and Chewie. This wouldn't be a big deal, except that it showed finished deleted footage to home audiences that probably couldn't even get a home copy of the movie back then.
An irritating, unfunny 'comic relief' character played by Art Carney got insulted and intimidated repeatedly. (Technically not a contribution, but very satisfying. Most of Carney's roles drive me up the wall.)
Seeing Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill perform their roles while stoned! Fisher was infamous for her drug use back then, and she seemed sky-high during the musical number in the last scene. Hamill was still getting reconstructive surgery after his 1977 car accident, his face still disfigured enough by scars he wore a wig and very heavy makeup onscreen. He was almost certainly on opiate painkillers during his slightly loopy performance.
And it may surprise you that I enjoy the cantina sketch late in the special. This is for the sole reason that it offered better-lit, less-obstructed views of the aliens from the Chalmun's Cantina scene in A New Hope.
Many, many species were developed and fleshed out in the Expanded Universe based on those one-off costumes. Some were only seen as background silhouettes in a few frames of the movie, and a few (like the 'wolfman' Shistavanen) were removed entirely from the scene in later editions. So I was delighted to recognize live-action representations in that sketch I had only seen as sourcebook drawings before.
Plus, I've loved Chalmun's ever since I discovered it was owned by a Wookie... one who wore roguish clothes!
And... that's it, I guess
Well, since it's the Fourth, and I'm already writing about Star Wars... which of you folks know about BoShek?
Quite the under-appreciated background character. He was a Force-sensitive Corellian, the lone pilot to beat Han's Kessel Run record at the time of A New Hope. And if his ship hadn't been in impound, he would have taken Luke and Company to Alderaan. Instead, he recommended fellow smuggler Solo for the job.
BoShek's in the cantina scene; he's the guy at the bar in a flight suit, between Obi-Wan and Chewbacca. He excuses himself so that Kenobi and Chewbacca can discuss things face-to-face, and that's it for his screen time. Those few understated seconds onscreen intrigue me, making me wonder how things might have gone differently.
(Before anyone jumps on my back about BoShek's Kessel Run being Legends, bear in mind that some of the events surrounding it have been accepted in Disney-sanctioned works, and The Mouse has placed nothing in his new canon that contradicts it.)
