Nearly four decades ago, George Lucas followed up his Star Wars success with the Star Wars Holiday Special, a decision that he has since come to regret. Lucas not only disavowed the special and had his name removed from the credits, he also reportedly expressed his desire to destroy every last copy of it. However, bootleg recordings have kept the special circulating among fans. And now Vox has released a video about the making of the Holiday Special that sheds some light on how it came together and why Lucas despises it.
In many ways, the Holiday Special was the beginning of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, as it introduced Boba Fett in the first ever Star Wars cartoon, in addition to debuting Chewbacca’s family. But this special came at a time when the rules of the EU were ill-defined at best, and there wasn’t much effort made to keep the tone consistent with the film.
The video argues that the Holiday Special still has value for fans because it offers a glimpse of what the franchise looked like before it was a franchise. Make no mistake, no one is arguing that the Holiday Special is a hidden masterpiece—it is terrible on an epic scale, and it represents the first time that the Star Wars universe fell completely out of Lucas’ control. That may have played a large role in the way that he oversaw the theatrical sequels and the spin-off material.
What do you think about Vox’s Star Wars Holiday Special documentary? Feel the Force in the comment section below!
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Images: Lucasfilm
