George Lucas may have tried to bury the Star Wars Holiday Special but it’s endured with fans in the years since. Probably partially from Lucas trying to act like it never happened (which is fair), but Life Day is also largely responsible. Perhaps one of the best examples of something truly wholesome emerging from mediocrity, Life Day is a Wookiee holiday that celebrates family, joy, and harmony. It may have started as a Wookiee holiday but it eventually spread throughout the galaxy as a more general celebration of family and existing together, especially after the Empire was defeated by the Rebel Alliance.
If the theme sounds familiar it’s because it’s basically a Star Wars version of Thanksgiving/Christmas, which when it was introduced by the Star Wars Holiday Special. It premiered on CBS about a week before Thanksgiving on November 17, 1978, and it hasn’t been officially shown or released since. It was intended to be a fun little holiday special but it ended up being fun for entirely different reasons.
The Star Wars Holiday Special was almost doomed to be bizarre and bad from the start though since George Lucas reportedly insisted on it not only starring Chewbacca’s family but he also wouldn’t allow the use of subtitles, which obviously made things pretty difficult for both plot and character development. It’s pretty difficult to communicate the thoughts and feelings of characters to an audience if there aren’t subtitles and the language doesn’t actually exist. This means that the audience barely has any idea what most of the cast is saying and so there’s little chance to relate with or empathize with them as they celebrate a family focused holiday. It’s also difficult to create a good TV special based on a big property with no involvement from the creator, other than ridiculous conditions that restrict the creation process of the writers and remove the audience’s ability to understand what’s happening.
It’s just an absolute mess that barely makes sense, which is a shame because it could have been a really special celebration and even provided the audience with a glimpse into the lives of Wookiees. Most of the film is just random variety acts and Wookiees talking to each other with the audience only able to guess what’s being said. Adding to the chaos is a string of musical numbers and performance acts (including skits and even juggling) before it eventually ends with Carrie Fisher singing a song in celebration of Life Day. Fans have enjoyed it and joked about how ridiculous it is over the years though and it’s even become a sort of cult classic since it was never rebroadcast or officially released. It’s kind of weird that it was basically shunned by Lucas though since it was considered canon (taking place between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back) until Disney acquired Star Wars in 2012.
Thankfully Life Day has been given new life by being referenced in The Mandalorian and Disneyland’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. It’s even the focus once again in LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special, which may not be canon but it is much better than the original special and even has Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, and Kelly Marie Tran. Chewbacca’s family is once again at the heart of the Life Day celebration, but this time they’re surrounded by speaking characters who move the plot along, and Bea Arthur is nowhere to be found. (Unfortunately.)
The Star Wars Holiday Special is a strange relic of the mania Star Wars created when it the original trilogy were being released. Audiences were hungry for any Star Wars entertainment they could get, even if it included a Wookiee watching pornography during a family holiday. Track down the original for a truly baffling evening, or watch the LEGO version on Disney+. Either way, happy Life Day!
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