The Star Wars Holiday Special

"Well, I know that George Lucas doesn't like it at all&mdash;when I was working on The Illustrated Star Wars Universe, he told me that he would be happy if every copy could be tracked down and burned..."

- Kevin J. Anderson

The Star Wars Holiday Special is a 1978 TV movie set in the Star Wars galaxy. 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 Beatrice Arthur.

Star Wars creator George Lucas's involvement in the special's production was limited, and he was unhappy with the final product. As a result, it has never been re-aired in the US or been officially released on home video, but has been widely bootlegged by fans. The Holiday Special is important for being the first film-length Star Wars story to appear following the release of the original Star Wars, for featuring cameos by all of that film's major cast, and for introducing the character Boba Fett.

Synopsis
Onboard the Millennium Falcon, Chewbacca and Han Solo are on their way to Kashyyyk to be with Chewbacca's family for Life Day, a Wookiee holiday. After departing Tatooine, the pair find themselves being chased by two Star Destroyers. Han wants to turn back, but Chewbacca convinces him to move forward, and they jump to hyperspace.

On Kashyyyk, Chewbacca's family are anxiously awaiting and preparing for his return. Itchy is carving an X-wing toy for Lumpy, Malla is working in the kitchen, and Lumpy is playing with an already-complete X-wing toy. On the table, Malla has prepared a bowl of Wookiee-ookiees. Lumpy tries to sneak one before dinner, but Malla catches him and asks him to take out the day's garbage. Lumpy sets the trash down outside, and climbs up on the railing to walk along it.

Back inside the house, Malla and Itchy are worried, as Chewbacca has not arrived yet. Malla takes down a picture of Chewbacca and Itchy notices her worries. He reassures her that Chewbacca is safe, and she then returns the picture. Lumpy comes back into the house, and Itchy reaches into a cabinet and gets down an activity capsule. He shows it to Lumpy. Malla, however, sees this and and objects. Itchy convinces her otherwise, and inserts the capsule into a round table-machine. After Itchy switches on the device, Lumpy sits down and begins to view a computer-generated group of circus performers performing an act. At the conclusion of the performance, Lumpy applauds the acts, and switches the machine off. Malla then asks Lumpy to help wash the dishes.

Malla and Itchy begin to worry again. Malla uses a computer to run a search for any starships in the area. However, the computer returns no results. She switches on a hidden viewscreen and contacts Luke Skywalker, who is working on his X-wing starfighter with help from the droid R2-D2. Luke does not know what has happened and suggests that Han and Chewbacca probably stopped off somewhere, and would be there soon. He begins to have a few problems of his own when the part he is working on begins to emit steam. Seeing that he is busy, Malla shuts off the communication viewscreen.

Next, Malla contacts Saun Dann, a local Human trader on the planet. He is in the middle of a deal with an Imperial Guard when Malla contacts him, so he must handle it first. Saun Dann suggests a few items, for which the guard expresses no interest. While the guard is distracted looking at items, Saun Dann speaks with Malla through a carefully-worded message that Han and Chewbacca are on their way, and should be arriving soon. However, he too does not know of their current whereabouts. He shuts off the viewscreen, and suggests a multi-functional groomer. The guard takes the item, giving Saun Dann nothing in return. Saun Dann has no choice but to let him take it, and he sarcastically says that he considers it a gift to the guard.

Meanwhile onboard a Star Destroyer, an Imperial officer informs Darth Vader that a blockade has been set up around Kashyyyk, and a search had begun for the Rebels. Vader tells him to continue the search, even if it takes searching every household in the system.

Back on Kashyyyk, Malla is preparing the dinner for the night's feast. She turns on a viewscreen to view a cooking program with Gormaanda, a four-armed chef. Gormaanda gives instructions on how to prepare the Bantha rump. When she begins to speed up the process, Malla can't keep up and switches the viewscreen off.

In space, the Millennium Falcon approaches Kashyyyk. Unaware of the blockade, Chewbacca and Han are attacked by four TIE fighters. After taking out a few using the cockpit's remote controls, Han resorts to going down into the quad cannons to use them manually; Chewbacca takes the main controls.

On Kashyyyk, Itchy is resting in his chair while Malla is walking around. Suddenly, an Imperial officer announces on the viewscreen that a blockade has been set up around the planet, and that the Empire has declared martial law. Immediately after the announcement, they get a knock at the door. Frightened, Itchy goes to open it. To their relief, it is Saun Dann. He has brought each of them Life Day gifts. He gives Malla and Lumpy their presents first, and they go off to open them. Saun Dann then gives Itchy his present: a memory chip, which he inserts into Itchy's mind evaporator. Itchy activates thee chip, and sees a human female, whom Itchy excitedly watches perform a song.

At a Rebel base, Leia and the droid C-3PO are working on something. Malla contacts them via viewscreen to alert them that Chewbacca and Han haven't shown up. Leia asks if Malla is alone, and is relieved that Saun Dann is there to protect her. Malla switches off the viewscreen. Saun Dann says he smells "Wookiee-ookiees", and he and Malla go into the kitchen.

Back on the Millennium Falcon, Chewbacca and Han are approaching Kashyyyk. Han notices the abundance of Imperials in the area, so they decide to land on the north side of the planet&mdash;a safe section area. He notes that this is far the Wookiee household however, and will be a long walk. After a protest from Chewbacca, they decide to land as planned. As they enter the atmosphere of Kashyyyk, Lumpy hears the roaring of a ship. Everyone in the house gets excited, and run to the door. Malla opens the door to two stormtroopers holding their blaster pistols at her, with two Imperial officers behind them.

Malla roars, but the Imperials force their way in. The head officer checks the house for all residents. He finds that a male Wookiee is missing. He his orders men to do a full search of the house. The officers proceed look through the house, nearly discovering the hidden communication device Malla uses to keep in contact with Luke. To try to distract the attention of the Imperials, Saun Dann suggests that he and Malla prepare some food for everyone. Saun Dann turns on Malla's gift&mdash;a music box&mdash;for one of the officers, and watches with the officer while Malla does the cooking.

A holographic band appears on the box, and sings a song. When the video finishes, the head officer orders the search to continue, and for the officer who viewed the music band to get back to work. Saun Dann leaves, as he believes he cannot help further. The head officer tells Malla to keep Lumpy busy while they search, so Lumpy sits down to watch a program on a viewscreen.

The program deals with Chewbacca, Han, Luke, Leia, R2-D2 and C-3PO's first encounter with Boba Fett, a notorious bounty hunter. During a search for a talisman, the Millennium Falcon&mdash;piloted by Chewbacca and Han&mdash;crashes on a moon in the Panna system. At a Rebel base, Luke, Leia and the droids are concerned for their safety, so Luke and the droids take a Y-Wing to the Panna moon. Upon landing, they are attacked by a giant monster. The monster begins eating part of the Y-wing, which prompts Luke to eject the cockpit. Boba Fett appears on an even bigger monster and hits the first monster with a ray from his staff, causing it to flee. He introduces himself to Luke and C-3PO, then tells them that he wants to help them. As Luke is heading toward the Millennium Falcon's crash site, C-3PO tells Luke he shouldn't be so quick to trust Boba Fett, but Luke laughs this off. They all board the ship, where Han has been infected by a sleeping virus apparently caused by the talisman. Luke immediately contracts the virus as well. Boba Fett and Chewbacca go into Panna City to get the serum for Han's condition. Once they are in the city, which is occupied by Imperials, Boba instructs Chewbacca to stay behind while he gets the serum. Once away from Chewbacca, Boba contacts Darth Vader to inform him of the situation. He reveals that he and Vader are in a plan to reveal the location of the Rebels so that Vader can stop them.

Lumpy shouts out in horror at the events in the program. It alerts the main Imperial officer, who comes over to see what is wrong. Lumpy acts like nothing is wrong, and shuts off the cartoon when the officer approaches. He then resumes the program with C-3PO caring for Han and Luke. He and R2-D2 intercept the message between Vader and Fett on their viewscreen, and C-3PO says that they have to tell Luke. After evading the Imperials, Boba and Chewbacca return to the ship with the serum. After giving Han and Luke the serum, they recover and everyone learns of Boba Fett's true allegiance. Boba ignites his jet pack, and blasts away, promising that he will meet them again. Everyone leaves the planet on board the Millennium Falcon. Lumpy shuts off the monitor and applauds.

Upstairs, the Imperials search and ransack Lumpy's room. One rips the head off of Lumpy's stuffed bantha. Lumpy comes up after they have gone back downstairs. He is saddened by what they have done to his treasured toy, and tries to put its head back on. He lays it down on his bed and covers it with a blanket. Lumpy then opens the present Saun Dann gave him and puts in the instruction video, which teaches him how to assemble the device&mdash;a mini-transmitter. A humanoid described as an "Amorphian Being from the system Amorphia" appears on the video. The video's announcer explains that Amorphian beings' body functions frequently stop working temporarily. Throughout the program, this Amorphian does just that. After instructing Lumpy of the basics of the product, the Amorphian shuts down completely and falls in the floor. Lumpy shuts off the video.

Downstairs, while the Imperials are still searching, a video comes on the living room viewscreen. Its narrator describes it as "Life on Tatooine" and that it is "required viewing by all Imperial personnel", so all the Imperials in the house turn their attention to the viewscreen. At first, individuals are seen walking the streets of Mos Eisley. The focus then shifts to inside a cantina, where a band is playing and the patrons are drinking and conversing. The bartender&mdash;Ackmena&mdash;is in the process of serving drinks, when a humanoid walks in named Krelman. He seems very interested and attracted to her. Krelman offers her flowers and they begin to talk, but are interrupted by an Imperial announcement on the viewscreen&mdash;as part of their search for the Rebels, Tatooine is being put under a curfew by the Empire. The Imperial agent orders everyone to return homes immediately. Ackmena is shocked, and asks her customers to leave. When they all refuse, she suggests one more round of drinks for everyone, which she pays for herself. She then proceeds to usher them out by singing a song and dancing. Everyone eventually leaves except for Krelman, who again offers the flowers to Ackmena. The video then ends.

After the video finishes, Lumpy's plan goes into effect. The Imperials repeatedly get a call to "return to base". They decide to leave, but the head officer instructs one of the stormtroopers to stay behind. After the other Imperials leave, the stormtrooper still hears the radio call to "return to base". He immediately sees that something is wrong because there are no more comlinks around. He determines that the sound is coming from Lumpy's room upstairs. He runs upstairs to finds Lumpy speaking into a the mini-transporter he had constructed earlier. The stormtrooper startles Lumpy, who jumps up. The stormtrooper grabs the box and smashes it on the ground. Lumpy runs down the stairs and out onto the deck, followed closely by the stormtrooper.

Lumpy and the stormtrooper arrive outside at the same time, just as Chewbacca and Han approach the door. Chewbacca growls and runs around the stormtrooper to protect Lumpy. The stormtrooper points his gun at both of them. Secretly, Han is backing against the wall, ready to attack. The stormtrooper does not see him, and Han sneaks up and hits him. The two get ready to fight, but Han suddenly trips the stormtrooper, who breaks the railing and lets out the Wilhelm scream as he falls to his death in forests below. Relieved, Han picks up Lumpy and hands him to his father.

They go inside, where Malla and Itchy are waiting. Han explains that he has taken care of the threat. Chewbacca and Han hug everyone. Malla askes Han to stay, but he says he has to get back to the Falcon before someone finds it. After saying his goodbyes, he wishes everyone a happy Life Day and leaves. The family then hears yet another knock at the door. It is Saun Dann with bags in his hands, which he sets them down. The same Imperial officer as before appears on a viewscreen appears, asking if anyone in the area has seen a missing stormtrooper. Saun Dann replies to the request and claims that the stormtrooper was left by the others, and after they had left, had stolen a lot of food from his house and left without a trace. The excuse works, and the officer says he will send out a search party to find the missing trooper. Everyone is relieved after he disappears from the viewscreen. Before he goes, Saun Dann wishes the entire family a happy Life Day. The family then prepares to go the festival at the Tree of Life. They gather take a crystal and gather them together above their heads.

The entire family&mdash;along with many other Wookiees&mdash;are next in space dressed in red robes, and are traveling toward a bright star. They arrive at the Tree of Life, where a group of Wookiees have gathered at the tree's base. Chewbacca, C-3PO and R2-D2 stand before the other Wookiees, and Luke, Leia and Han soon join them. To begin the ceremony, Leia gives a short speech on the meaning of Life Day and sings a song in celebration. At the conclusion of the ceremony, Chewbacca remembers several of the group's adventures: when he first met Luke and Leia, when they all escaped the Death Star, when he played dejarik with R2-D2, and attending the award ceremony on Yavin IV after he and Han had helped Luke destroy the Death Star. As he finishes reminiscing, the Wookiees begin to file out of the ceremony.

That night, Chewbacca, Malla, Lumpy and Itchy sit at the family table, where they pray and prepare to eat a Life Day meal.

Cast

 * Mark Hamill .... Luke Skywalker
 * Harrison Ford .... Han Solo
 * Carrie Fisher .... Princess Leia
 * Anthony Daniels .... C-3PO
 * Peter Mayhew .... Chewbacca
 * James Earl Jones .... Darth Vader (voice)
 * Beatrice Arthur .... Ackmena
 * Art Carney .... Saun Dann
 * Diahann Carroll .... Mermeia Holographic Wow
 * Marty Balin .... Holographic Band Singer (as The Jefferson Starship)
 * Craig Chaquico .... Holographic Band Member (as The Jefferson Starship)
 * Paul Kantner .... Holographic Band Member (as The Jefferson Starship)
 * Harvey Korman .... Krelman/Chef Gormaanda/Amorphian instructor
 * Mickey Morton .... Malla
 * Paul Gale .... Itchy
 * Patty Maloney .... Lumpy
 * Jack Rader .... Imperial Guard Officer
 * Stephanie Stromer .... The Great Zorbak (Holographic Gymnast)
 * Michael Potter .... Imperial Guard Officer
 * Wazzan Troupe .... Holographic Tumblers
 * Yûichi Sugiyama .... Ringleader
 * Mum Brothers .... The Reeko Brothers
 * Claude Woolman .... Imperial Officer (wallscreen)
 * Lev Mailer .... Imperial Guard #1
 * John McLaughlin .... Imperial Stormtrooper
 * Alec Guinness .... Obi-Wan Kenobi (archive footage) (uncredited)
 * David Prowse .... Darth Vader (archive footage) (uncredited)
 * Arthur Rowton .... Zutmore (uncredited)
 * Leslie Schofield .... Chief Bast look-alike (archive footage) (uncredited)

Production


There are two official accounts as to who had the idea for The Star Wars Holiday Special. Co-executive producer Gary Smith believed 20th Century Fox had the idea (which is supported by statements by former Lucasfilm VIPs Charles Lippincott and Sid Ganis ), while co-writer Lenny Ripps thought the idea came directly from Lucasfilm. Either way, 20th Century Fox hired Smith-Hemion Production to produce the special, as they were known for making high quality television specials. After the project was given the greenlight, Ripps and Pat Proft spent a day discussing Star Wars with George Lucas, and Lucas provided them with a basic story to work from. After the meeting with Lucas, Ripps and Proft created an outline and first draft based on his notes. The script was then given to producers Ken and Mitzie Welch, who made major changes, including adding much of the variety aspects of the special.

Lucas chose former USC classmate David Acomba to direct. However, due to creative differences between Acomba and Ken and Mitzie Welch, Acomba left the project after directing only three sequences (including the cantina and Jefferson Starship scenes). He was replaced by Steve Binder, who had worked previously with executive producers Gary Smith and Dwight Hemion. The film was shot over the course of a month on a budget of over $1 million.

Ben Burtt created the Wookiee family sounds, of which a full hour were required. For the Malla and Itchy sounds, Burtt recorded at the Olympic Game Farm in Sequim, Washington, where he spent days trying to get the animals to vocalize. Malla's "voice" was based on recordings of black bears and Itchy's on grizzly bears. One of these sounds&mdash;a recording of a lion eating a cow's head&mdash;was later used for the 1979 film Alien. For the sounds of Lumpy, Burtt recorded a baby bear named Tarik at the San Jose Zoo.

Stan Winston was brought in to work on Stuart Freeborn's Wookiee costumes. Winston helped to improve the Wookiee mask facial abilities.

Director(s)
 * Steve Binder
 * David Acomba (uncredited)
 * George Lucas (stock footage, uncredited)

Writer(s)
 * Rod Warren (teleplay)
 * Bruce Vilanch (teleplay)
 * Pat Proft (teleplay)
 * Leonard Ripps (teleplay)
 * Mitzie Welch (teleplay)
 * George Lucas (story)

Produced by:
 * Monroe E. Carol .... associate producer
 * Dwight Hemion .... executive producer
 * Joe Layton .... producer
 * Rita Scott .... associate producer
 * Gary Smith .... executive producer
 * Jeff Starsh .... producer
 * Ken Welch .... producer
 * Mitzie Welch .... producer

Original Music by:
 * Ian Fraser

Cinematography by:
 * John B. Field

Film Editing by:
 * Jerry Bixman
 * Vince Humphrey

Art Direction by:
 * Brian Bartholomew

Set Decoration by:
 * Garrett Lewis

Costume Design by:
 * Bob Mackie

Makeup Department: Art Department:
 * Keith Crary .... makeup artist
 * Verne Langdon .... makeup artist
 * Michael Lorenz .... makeup artist
 * Jim Nielsen .... makeup artist
 * Evelyn Trimmer .... hair stylist
 * C.B. Chisam .... props
 * Ralph McQuarrie .... illustrator
 * Leslie Parsons .... assistant art director

Sound Department:
 * Ed Greene .... sound

Visual Effects by:
 * Jenn de Joux .... video animation
 * Elizabeth Savel .... video animation
 * Tom Tcimpidis .... ultimatte operator

Camera and Electrical Department:
 * Peter Lomprakis .... key grip
 * Howard Smith .... gaffer

Animation Department:
 * Ken Stephenson .... animation director (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department:
 * Ellis Burman Jr. .... costumes: "Wookie family"
 * Thomas R. Burman .... costumes: "Wookie family"
 * Stuart Freeborn .... costume: "Chewbacca"
 * Robert Turturice .... assistant costume designer
 * Stan Winston .... costumes: "Wookie family"

Transportation Department:
 * Frank Khoury .... transportation coordinator

Other crew:
 * Rick Baker .... cantina masks
 * Peter Barth .... stage manager
 * Ray Brannigan .... supervisor
 * Craig Chaquico .... composer: song "Cigar-Shaped Object"
 * Mike Erwin .... stage manager
 * Stuart Freeborn .... cantina masks
 * Miki Herman .... consultant: "Star Wars"
 * Charkie Phillips .... assistant choreographer
 * David Winters .... choreographer

Television
Prior to its airing, CBS aired commercials advertising both the special and the television show Flying High. It aired in the United States on on November 17, 1978 and was seen by an estimated 13 million viewers, second to the ABC TV series The Love Boat and miniseries Pearl.

The special reportedly aired in:


 * Canada in 1978 on November 17, 1978 (the same day of the US airing, most likely on the CTV Television Network, since a black and white still from the show has that network's logo on it). CED later showed clips from the special in 2004.
 * United Kingdom in 1978 on BBC One
 * Mexico in December 1978 on Televisa XHGC Channel 5
 * Argentina around Christmas 1978
 * France (dubbed in French, under the name "Au Temps de la Guerre des Etoiles" which means "In the Time of Star Wars")
 * New Zealand sometime in 1979
 * Belgium in 1979 and/or 1980 (in English, with Dutch subtitles); the French dubbed version was aired in the French-speaking part of the country
 * Australia in 1980 or 1981 (possibly also in 1982 or 1983 on the WIN Network), and again in 1983 & 1984 on Channel Ten Victoria (reportedly). It was reportedly broadcast once again in the late 1990s as part of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth series, Recovery.
 * Malaysia in late January/early February 1981 or 1982 (in English, with no subtitles)
 * Norway as Stjernekrigens helligdags-spesial, a direct translation of the English title.
 * Sweden (Sweden's public television) on May 31, 1979 on SVT TV 2 in English, under the name "Stjärnornas krig och fred" (Star Wars and Peace), with Swedish subtitles.
 * The special was screened at the Library of Congress in the 1990s.
 * In the early 1990's the special was shown to TV cable station SAT 1 to get a possible broadcast along with the trilogy.

The products advertised during commercial breaks for the Holiday Special include (in order of appearance, on the Baltimore broadcast):


 * General Motors
 * Trailtracker (from Kenner)
 * CBS Sunday Night programming (60 Minutes, All In The Family, Alice, Lucy Comes To Nashville, Dallas)
 * Comtrex (from Bristol-Myers)
 * International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU)
 * Bell Systems
 * CBS Saturday Night Movies (The Bible)
 * Reggie candy bar
 * Local programming (Dolly)
 * General Motors
 * Pillsbury Plus baking mix
 * Hungry Jack biscuits
 * CBS News report
 * Contac
 * CBS Monday programming (Bobby Vinton's Rock 'N Rollers)
 * The Wild Geese in theaters
 * Gladding Chevrolet (a local dealer)
 * The Consumer Information Catalog
 * Local programming (Hot City)
 * Tobor (from Kenner)
 * Revlon Cream-On Blush
 * Whirlpool
 * Anacin
 * Woolite
 * Sheer Indulgence pantyhose
 * McDonald's Egg McMuffin
 * Next on CBS (Flying High)
 * Ford-Mercury-Lincoln dealers
 * The Wiz in theaters
 * Local news teaser
 * FTD Wishing Well Bouquet
 * Fruit Of The Loom
 * Bell Systems
 * No Nonsense pantyhose
 * Twice As Fresh bathroom cleaner
 * The Star Wars Collection (from Kenner)
 * Colony cabernet sauvignon
 * Wonder Woman and The Incredible Hulk returning to regular airtimes on select CBS stations

Some viewers who recorded the show when it premiered began to copy the show and sell illegal bootleg VHS and DVDs at conventions. It soon became a cult classic and a legend among Star Wars fans despite (or perhaps because of) its criticisms. The internet and file sharing technologies have made the special more widely available to curious fans to see for themselves.

There is an isolated version of the Boba Fett cartoon that contains a few extra seconds of material that was either edited or not included in the Holiday Special. At least two scenes were deleted for the final cut: a small unused portion of the cartoon, originally part of the special as an in-cartoon commercial. and a scene taking place immediately following the Imperial invasion of the Wookiee home. An Imperial stormtrooper stops at the table to sample one of Malla's Wookiee-ookiees.

Merchandising
A press kit was released prior to the special to promote its airing. Jefferson Starship, who recorded "Light the Sky on Fire", proclaimed on their "Light the Sky on Fire" album that it was: "as seen and heard on the CBS-Star Wars Holiday Special". In 1979, Lucasfilm released a children's book called Star Wars: The Wookiee Storybook, which reunited the characters from the special. Kenner originally planned to release action figures based on the special, but they didn't go past the prototype stage. In 2002, Hasbro released the first official figure from the special, which was based on the cantina alien Zutton. As part of its 30th anniversary collection, Hasbro released the first official action figure from the special&mdash;Boba Fett. It uses the character's likeness as he appears in the animated segment.

Several other products have been produced based on the Boba Fett character as portrayed in the holiday special. In 1996, Lucasfilm released animation cells from the Holiday Special Boba Fett cartoon segment. These were combined with new artwork to create slightly different images than what is seen in the special. StarWarsShop released a holiday special Boba Fett maquete from Gentle Giant as a Celebration exclusive in 2007. Also Funko is releasing a Star Wars Holiday Special Boba Fett Bobblehead in a special Limited Edition as part of their new Star Wars Bobblehead series. A Bobble Head holiday special Boba Fett was released in November 2007. On December 2007, StarWarsShop released an ACME holiday special Boba Fett character key.

The Celebration IV and Celebration Europe stores offered a 4" x 25" luggage tag with an image from the Cantina scene from the holiday special on it for $5. A pdf released by StarWars.com, as well as the Celebration IV program book, specifically states and shows this. The 2007 book The Star Wars Vault includes the complete audio track of Princess Leia's Life Day song "A Day to Celebrate", along with approximately two pages from the script. On December 10, 2007, RiffTrax released an audio commentary for the special, recorded by former MST3K stars Mike Nelson, Bill Corbet, and Kevin Murphy.

Home video
At the 1987 Star Wars 10th anniversary convention, George Lucas told Starlog magazine that he expected the Holiday Special to be released on VHS at some point. However, Lucasfilm has yet to be give the Holiday Special a home video release on any format. Lucasfilm director of fan relationshion Steve Sansweet has said there will not be one. In 2004, Star Wars DVD producer Van Ling held a Q&A session with the Washington Post, in which he was asked about the possibility of a DVD release of the special. He replied "I seriously doubt it, given that it has never even been shown again after its initial broadcast, let alone released on home video... but as I always say, never say never." Several seconds of the animated segment appear in the 2002 Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones web documentary "Bucket Head". Filmmaker Ken Burns was allowed access to the original print for use in his Empire of Dreams documentary. However, the segment using footage from the special was left out of the final cut.

Reception
"I can't imagine anything more boring than sitting there watching a hundred hours of raw footage&mdash;now, I realize that there are some Star Wars fans out there who would say 'No! No! We'd watch it all!'. But, you know, believe me, it's like having to sit down and watch The Star Wars Holiday Special twenty-four times in a row."

- Steve Sansweet on the unused footage from the Star Wars films

The Star Wars Holiday Special has received mostly negative reviews. David Hofstede, author of What Were They Thinking?: The 100 Dumbest Events In Television History, ranked the holiday special at number one, calling it "the worst two hours of television ever". Shepard Smith of the Fox News Channel referred to it as a "'70s train wreck, combining the worst of Star Wars with the utter worst of variety television". Bravo's 2005 television program "Greatest Things about the Holidays" ranked the special #5 out of 100. TV Land ranked it at number 59 on their top 100 Unexpected Television Moments. Star Wars Insider 83 ranks the Holiday Special as one of the 5 strangest moments in the Star Wars expanded universe. It was also rated number 3 in 'The Five Goofiest Moments Of The Star Wars Mythos', in the UKs Star Wars Magazine #62.

The official Star Wars site states that the holiday special "delivered mixed results," but explains that the highlight of the special was the Boba Fett animated segment. Harrison Ford made an appearance on February 8, 2006 episode of Late Night with Conan O'Brien. During his interview, O'Brien brought up the special, and began asking various questions about it, such as whether Ford remembered making it. Ford made no response and looked away, to which the audience responded with laughter and applause. O'Brien then asked Ford what he would think if he played a clip of the special on the show, which he then did. Following the clip (which featured a scene showing Ford as Han Solo telling Chewbacca and his wife that they are "like family" to him), an embarrassed Ford only muttered "thank you". In a commercial for the 2007 Robot Chicken: Star Wars, an animated George Lucas (voiced by Lucas himself) is driven to a therapist's chair over his hatred of the special. On December 20, 2007, ABC's Nightline covered the special on television and on its website.

Throughout the week of November 17, 2008, StarWars.com celebrated the Holiday Special's 30th anniversary by posting a number of Holiday Special-related articles and is offered trading cards based on the special to StarWarsShop customers. Features include interviews, photo galleries, and an animation animatic. The LA Times and NBC respectively ran articles on the special's anniversary. The Paley Center held a poll from November 10 through December 3, for which the top five holiday specials would be screened at the center between December 10 and 24. The Star Wars Holiday Special placed in the top position, with 59% of the vote.

Influence
The Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith art department used the Holiday Special to aid in designing the look of the planet Kashyyyk for the film. For Star Wars: Clone Wars, C-3PO was animated in a style that pays homage to the animation style of Nelvana's animated segment from the special. For "The Mandalore Plot", a 2010 episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the Death Watch members' helmets were based on Boba Fett's helmet design from the Holiday Special and the Droids animated series.

Part of Boba Fett's dialogue during the animated segment was sampled by UNKLE on their 1998 debut album Psyence Fiction. Weird Al Yankovic's 2006 music video for his song "White and Nerdy" (a parody of "Ridin'" by Chammilionaire) features Al (dressed like a nerd) paying for and receiving a paper bag from a "gangster", which gives the viewer a perspective that he is buying drugs. Al opens the paper bag to reveal a videotape of the special.

Among the more widely circulating recordings of the Holiday Special is one made of the broadcast on WCBS-TV (channel 2) in New York City. At several commercial breaks in the show, a "teaser" for the station's 11 p.m. newscast was aired in which news anchor Rolland Smith simply says "Fighting the frizzies, at 11" (other circulating versions of the Holiday Special were originally taped from other CBS affiliates, including WMAR-TV in Baltimore, and lack the frizzies reference, and still others have had all the commercials edited out). On one particular episode of the animated television series South Park, entitled "Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics", during every commercial break an announcer (dressed-up to look exactly like Rolland Smith) would come on as part of the program and say "fighting the frizzies at 11", or a variation of the phrase. South Park similarly spoofed the same broadcast in the episode "Freak Strike" wherein the freak union puts out a commercial promoting the use of real freaks in talkshows. This commercial is almost identical to one shown during the special by the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, complete with song.