Yesterworld: The Troubled History of the Star Wars Holiday Special - Why & How It Failed

Exploring the little known History behind the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special, how it came to be and why it's one of the Star Wars Franchises most infamous blunders. The idea by George Lucas began with promise, but ultimately became "so bad it's good" of the Star Wars universe.
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Special thanks to:
Disney Dan - / @distorydan
SOURCES:
www.starwarsholidayspecial.co...
starwars.wikia.com/wiki/The_St...
www.starwarsholidayspecial.co...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wa...
www.businessinsider.com/steven...
www.platypuscomix.net/videos/l...
www.battlegrip.com/starlog-19-...
laughingsquid.com/original-co...
galacticacademy.wordpress.com...
mentalfloss.com/article/72863/...
Film Clips Used:
Star Wars: A New Hope - Available at Amazon, iTunes, and major retailers
Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back - Available at Amazon, iTunes, and major retailers
Star Wars Bluray BTS - Available at Amazon, iTunes, and major retailers
Star Wars Holiday Special - Available through Ebay.
Harrison Ford Interview - www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...
Carrie Fischer Interview - www.yahoo.com/entertainment/h...

[@francois928]

Carrie Fisher apparently used to play this at her house every Christmas to make people leave.

[@craigusselman546]

hee-hee silly Leia rip.

[@FrancisMaxino]

Ha ha ha ha ha ha...so funny...

[@joehayes9933]

If true, she's more passive aggressive than I am

[@madisonmallman]

That’s such a power move

[@MrDavidh4]

My brother-in-law used to play "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" super-LOUD to make people leave. LOL

[@laurenstockstill2078]

Harrison Ford's comments at the end 😆 "I didn't need to see it, I was there man." 😂😂😂

[@YesterworldEntertainment]

I honestly don't blame him one bit.

[@laurenstockstill2078]

Yesterworld Entertainment lol me either, he was probably shaking his head the entire time 🤣

[@YesterworldEntertainment]

I was originally going to include his interview with CONAN instead of this, but the quality of the clip was so awful and I couldn't find anything better...then I stumbled upon this beauty :)

[@Allisonmarie567]

Lauren Stockstill lol! I thought that too! Made me laugh.

[@DaleESkywalker]

@@YesterworldEntertainment 16:15 as Han seemingly knows about the future: "One day, my son will kill me and it'll be all over."

[@happyfacefries]

You can tell Carrie, Mark, and Harrison are trying to get through it but their own levels of give-a-damn is gone.

[@angelbait5]

you can straight up see the pain behind their eyes😭

[@arricammarques1955]

@@angelbait5 Contractual obligation turned into a piss take.

[@Number4lead]

I'm sure the cast, especially Carrie, had to snort a lot of coke just to stay enthused.

[@Copperthefox]

Mark looks so dead inside during his first cameo lmao

[@patrickhutchison6465]

My brother was 11 when this aired, and though I wouldn’t be born until 81, I’m told that he was totally obsessed with Star Wars after the first movie came out. He was extremely excited about this special. By the end, he was in tears. It was so bad that he tells me that in his little boy’s minds, he thought that there would never be any Star Wars content made ever again. Because, he felt, they wouldn’t make and then show something that looked so bad with such a terrible script and nonsensical plot if they ever intended to continue the story. My dad had to actually go out and buy trade mags that talked about “Empire” already being in production. Only then did my brother start to feel better.

[@juliusmaloney]

I saw this on television as a very small kid...I honestly thought I’d imagined it because in a world before the interwebs it was never discussed. And as a very little kid, I remember enjoying it, but had little memory of what it entailed. I finally got to rewatch it a couple of years ago and I’ll never be able to unsee it, to quote LP Hartley, “the past is a foreign country, they do things differently there”. 😳

[@pppfan103]

The Star Wars Holiday Special is a blast to watch in a crowd. When you have a crowd that claps when commercials come on and quote along with "Stir Whip Stir Whip Whip Whip Stir!".

[@archenema6792]

That's Harvey Korman's homage to Christopher Hewett's role as Roger De Bris from "The Producers".

[@Lanwarder]

I love how The Mandalorian has made Cartoon Boba Fett's weapon and life day canon :D

[@maddinpictures3102]

And the Farmer talked about his ancestors riding the big *Something* Saurus

[@andrewharris4094]

No disintegrations.

[@Lanwarder]

Maddin Pictures I showed my mom the mandalorian and she refers to that farmer character has "the guy who looks like Sam Elliott"...Now I only see little Sam Elliotts lol

[@maddinpictures3102]

@@Lanwarder thats course and Blessings if no character has a name in the series, we give them our own ;)

[@V-grandraccoon]

Fun fact! The holiday special is the only canon Star Wars media.

[@johndebernard3747]

Now I know what the Nazis saw when they looked into the Ark of the Covenant.

[@deathstrike]

So you're saying it wasn't Chewbacca's wife's cooking after all that killed them? I bet that really sobered up Harrison Ford as he closed his eyes when the Ark was opened.

[@thephantomoftheparadise5666]

Now that's just a cruel way of killing someone.

[@geetadhumane5793]

Brilliant

[@davidjames579]

No you're getting confused with The Indiana Jones Holiday Special.

[@stonehobson2487]

@@davidjames579 Also funny.

[@Account_Not_Applicable]

i'm glad the Star Wars Holiday Special is given so much attention because it's probably one of the few times we can hear Carrie sing. And while the segment sucks, I thought Bea Arthur did fine trying to make do with what she's given, as she still manages to be a delight to watch, but that could be because I love Bea Arthur.

[@josephrowe849]

I was more interested in the story of them losing the bar than the other plot.

[@acelibrarian]

Her song, while anachronistic to Star Wars, was one of the best parts, Imho.

[@erinloveswendy]

@@acelibrarian 17:04 This is a Part of Robot Chicken!

[@andrewjenkins9965]

It's honestly my favorite part of the special. Probably because of Bea Arthur.

[@anabanana6890]

“I am your pleasure”. ... (me - running out of the room screaming in horror at that entire scene)

[@PorchPotatoMike]

I remember watching it when it originally aired and at the end asking “what the hell was that?” It was friggen’ terrible!

[@jamesanthony8438]

No, it was a nice way to cram a lot of Kenner Star Wars toy commercials into one 2 hour slot with a guaranteed mass audience of 5-12 year olds. _BRILLIANT!_ =)

[@quinnokeefe4684]

No kidding. I was eight years old and we had about a dozen kids all fired up to watch. Half of them drifted off before the end. The rest of us were like “what the frickin hell was that??!?” Made a few of us consider going back to playing with Micronauts. 😀

[@jimeagle1155]

I remember being all excited for it but lost interest within the first hour.

[@Double-R-Nothing]

Script: A device that taps into a Wookiee's inner desires and displays what they find the most important, leading to Itchy discovering that his son is missing. Film: *porn*

[@adrianserra3745]

Because that's the origin of the sons. :)

[@laylagardner8728]

Carrie is clearly doped up as hell in that last scene. She's leaning on Chewey because she can barely stand. She admitted it later.

[@rdfox76]

She also admitted that part of the reason she demanded a copy of it from Lucas was that she was so coked out of her mind that she *didn't remember filming any of it*. Lucas, for his part, has publicly stated, "If I had the time, and a hammer, I'd track down every last copy of that thing and destroy it."

[@PDXguitarfreak]

When she waltz onto the stage at 15:47 in this video, it appears she went bra-less too..... NICE

[@DrFunk-rk6yl]

@@PDXguitarfreak according to George Lucas there are no bras in space.

[@PhillyMotoXTS]

@@PDXguitarfreak Same as episode 4. I vaguely remember her saying Lucas told her there were no bras in space or something like that lol

[@ImpetuouslyInsane]

That's what I was saying through the whole review: this woman was high off her ass. Look at the woman's eyes for fuck sake, they're staring off in separate directions!

[@richardfuchs3690]

I remember watching this in 1978. After all the build-up and excitement, with memories of seeing Star Wars multiple times on the big screen, and playing endlessly with the toys, we sat down and were presented with...this. Interesting to note that on the day this debuted, nearly 1000 Americans in Guyana were getting ready to die by murder/cyanide poisoning in a settlement called Jonestown.

[@Squiglypig]

It's still up for debate which of these events were the real tragedy.

[@acelibrarian]

They say correlation is not causation, but...

[@Yakkymania]

I believe the 2 events were only 10 days apart, which makes it even funnier, despite the fact that as far as i know they didn’t have any TVs in the settlement

[@richardfuchs3690]

@@Yakkymania No. The Special aired the evening of November 17, 1978 and the final massacre at Jonestown happened literally the following day: November 18.

[@steveweinstein3222]

@@richardfuchs3690 Which must mean that they got US TV channels in Guyana.

[@brianoconnell6459]

That text crawl in the opening was added only recently, it didn't show in the original (I watched it live 40 years ago when I was 9).

[@Frenchnostalgique]

Right, same with the "Episode IV 1/2" title. If they couldn't get the title font right, they sure couldn't manage the text crawl.

[@davidjames579]

The fact The Golden Girls didn't start till 1985 is a bit of a giveaway.

[@randomperson-fl6yg]

A local theater plays this every December and its a blast. Pretty much everyone's clapping and singing along to Bea Arthur's bit. Also makes for a great drinking game.

[@arricammarques1955]

No amount of alcohol could make this enjoyable.

[@orlendatube]

You cant call yourself a star wars fan without sitting through this at least once!

[@thosebandkids4425]

Oh but I think you can

[@josephrowe849]

No self-respecting Star Wars fan would ever sit through that nonsense.

[@jamesanthony8438]

... And sitting through it multiple times (if you're stuck with the option of Holiday Special or the new Di$ney Star Wars movies). They've really given me a new appreciation for the classics like this and the Ewok adventure movies. =)

[@MrBlue3rd]

I watch it every holiday season.

[@syxepop]

orlendatube, I JUST DID IN ITS' ENTIRETY LAST NIGHT (it's available on YT, you know...) and I now I can call myself "a true SW-TOT fan".

[@rjkral]

Back in the day my parents hadn’t seen Star Wars so when this came on TV I was sure to make them watch it to see how great Star Wars was. Oh boy. How infuriatingly frustrating and shocking this whole thing was!!

[@erinthesystem9608]

"Too many cooks.." is exactly right. It's really the only way you could cobble together something so breathtakingly incoherent.

[@schianiledo6230]

The crawl mentions "Watch one of the Golden Girls argue with Greedo". The first episode of the Golden Girls was in 1985. SWHS was released in 1978.

[@blupunk01]

Yeah, I think he meant Maude.

[@richarddoan9172]

I wondered about that, too. I think the crawl must be part of bootleg reissue. It also says "Witness the first appearance of Boba Fett." But that wouldn't have made any sense to say, because nobody would have known who that is.

[@chriswhite8717]

There was no crawl. This guy has no idea how to research. It predates the “Episode” subtitle and even without research should be obvious that it’s not original. It was in fact added by a fan for a bootleg release.

[@bonorbitz]

That crawl was definitely not there when it aired in 78.

[@happyfacefries]

I bet you're real fun at parties.

[@edthedread3096]

Saundan is played by Art Carney who played Norton on The Honeymooners along with Jackie Gleason. When the imperial guy tells Saundan to get on with it, that's a Honeymooner's reference. Norton would always take forever to actually do something, like take a shot in billiards, and Ralph would yell at him for it.

[@SimmerRose]

I KNEW I RECOGNIZED HIM OMG I grew up on the honeymooners!!

[@sammylane21]

To this day,I think the U.S. Government back in the '80's,should spared VAN HALEN's song Panama and instead used THE STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL as a means of torturing soldiers outta hiding.

[@prismstudios001]

Geneva convention considered too over the top.

[@Willpower-74205]

There is such a thing as cruel and unusual punishment, after all. Waterboarding would be a refreshing mountain hike by comparison.

[@syxepop]

Sammy Lane, well... I've read there was a song the US and / or British military did use for that in the '80s and '90s: The Clash's "Rock The Kashba" (at least it's THUNDERING BEAT help there, since the Special would've felt "WTF???").

[@rolfstamenov9914]

They did Panama and waco!

[@levigifford3871]

The Wookie family scenes, kind of remind me of an episode of Teletubbies! Lol

[@glowinggold9488]

Lol.

[@GraveyBones]

7:02 Its kinda funny hearing Hamill say that as he would later voice the Joker

[@seatspud]

With all that makeup on, he nearly resembles a proto-Joker.

[@ashknoecklein]

It's so very hard to believe they spent one million in 1978 dollars on this pile of garbage lol.

[@marcusroele]

They spent $20 on the Special and the rest on coke. They were all flying to get through this.

[@johnarkady9545]

Yeah, a million back then would've been what, four million now? Still can't believe that they managed to screw it up!

[@shonc8338]

You have to just to watch it. Believe me its the worst thing ever filned

[@ShamrockParticle]

That's nothing. Each star trek discovery episode costs up to $10 million. More than twice double the holiday special after inflation.

[@psalm37v4]

I remember watching it when it aired. I was only 13, but I remember thinking how bizarre it was!

[@YesterworldEntertainment]

NOTES: 1: For anyone who wishes to skip Part 2 (the overview of the show itself) and just see the history aspects of the Star Wars Holiday Special, here is my holiday gift to you: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZOUmpqAqrB6pZY 2:It has been brought to my attention that the opening crawl was later added in the various copies floating around as a joke and not included in the original airing. Apologies for my blunder or any confusion. 3: I accidentally used the term "film/print" in my original script, and while I made a mental note to correct this for future recordings as the special was NOT shot on film but on video tape, I didn't realize I kept this blunder in until after a viewer pointed it out in the finalized video. Hey all! I hope you enjoy my exploration of the infamous “Star Wars Holiday Special”. It was fun digging into the history, and equally as fun breaking the special itself down for those who’ve yet (or refuse) to subject themselves to the 2 hour…errr, experience (1 hour 1/2 without commercials). Would love to do more of these in the future, so I’d love any suggestions from you fine people. Also, as I mention in the video, I’m working on “Yesterworld Expanded”, essentially article-ized versions of my videos with some extra bits of information or details that didn’t make the video. You can check it out at www.squarespace.yesterworld.com. It’s a work in progress, so I’m open to your feedback! Thanks for watching! Mark aka Yesterworld

[@thisinhumanplace2037]

Your videos are amazing man I seriously cant think of anything for you to do you always come up with wildly original ideas

[@shawnmulligan2894]

Can you do a ride video about The Great Movie Ride?

[@pppfan103]

You do realize the opening text crawl was added later as a joke by whoever uploaded it to the internet. It was not part of the original broadcast.

[@thetruthchannel349]

Good timing. This was better than The Last Jedi!

[@SciFiFan2012]

Thanks for this! This special is a guilty pleasure for me, I bought it years ago at a Trek con, and I've watched it and the 1st Die Hard film every Christmas since. Q: I went to one of the few sites about the HS, and I cannot find any mention of subtitles at all, anyone know why they didn't do them? Chewie is a different story as he doesn't say much, and the other characters seem to understand him. How did the people involved not notice the music video Chewie's dad/grandad was watching was so soft core no nudity phone sex? Why didn't it get noticed in a "family" special?

[@mrmustang61j37]

Me: sees the stir whip scene Also me: **vietnam flashbacks**

[@davidjames579]

Whadda you think Harrison Ford has?

[@KenoshiAkai]

It's basically a Seventies variety show with a Star Wars theme.

[@Emper0rH0rde]

And it's not even a good variety show. Variety shows are supposed to be entertaining. There is nothing about TSWHS that is likable.

[@KenoshiAkai]

@@Emper0rH0rde Your mileage may vary. I liked the bit with Bea Arthur...always loved her. And the cartoon was pretty cool. It's kind of a surreal experience overall.

[@trawlins396]

Variety shows were so painfully corny.

[@KenoshiAkai]

@@trawlins396 They were. And that was part of the charm. I'll take corny variety shows over reality shows any day of the week.

[@davidjames579]

It was made by old school comedy writers who had very little knowledge or interest in Star Wars

[@DizneyCTC]

I've had a copy of that special for many years now and have never made it all the way through. It's unbearable. Thanks for watching it all so that I finally know how it ends. Haha!

[@jfernsten]

Dizney Coast To Coast gotta do it at least once, it's a rite of passage. Scotch helps......a bit.

[@stevenjohnson7442]

Dizney Coast To Coast I watched the Hol. Special, all the way through and i absolutely loved it! One of the best shows ever made. It's better than Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back.

[@attiasprouse682]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJKWfKSfZrKaqbc To help. And there’s more videos to help.

[@DaleESkywalker]

The end is the best part, Carrie singing and the reminiscent scenes of ANH. Second best is the cartoon scene.

[@josephconnelly7939]

I made it as far as the first musical number before I changed the channel when it was aired. This is the first time I've seen some of the rest.

[@BfDelano]

This special is actually one of my guilty pleasures. I try to watch it every "Life Day", especially with the Rifftrax audio. Some people have uploaded the special to KZbin without the commercials, but I prefer it with. Fun fact: Bea Arthur's character is canon in the Disney reboot of the expanded universe and is married with a wife.

[@Madlax99]

The Rifftrax version is the only way to watch this thing.

[@DemonicRemption]

@Madlax99 Even with Rifftrax I only got through ten minutes... Not even they can make this thing watchable...

[@delaunfifield3490]

I was 12 years old and remember watching this live on TV, as a 12 year old Star Wars fan...............I am STILL in therapy as we speak!

[@wstine79]

I actually bought this tape at a sci-fi convention in 1998. I hated it, then loved it years later.

[@andyvasquez8337]

I saw it when it aired,and for yrs I thought it was a fever dream until I saw it on the 'tube

[@Allisonmarie567]

Andy Vasquez hahaha awww lol

[@jimjiminy1929]

I heard rumours of it in England for years. I thought I’d never see it. Then came the internet and KZbin...

[@eily_b]

:D :D :D

[@deeprose4]

Why does Mark Hamill look like he’s wearing a really bad wig?

[@zyourzgrandzmaz]

He also looks like a little lesbian.

[@RoverIAC]

@@zyourzgrandzmaz he sure does

[@Emper0rH0rde]

He looks like an abominable imitation of Mark Hamill. Just a collection of organs wrapped in skin, held up by a collection of bones, and animated by black magic. It is pure nightmare fuel.

[@everythingphil9376]

@@zyourzgrandzmaz LMAO

[@mr_h831]

deeprose4 he was

[@dharvell]

I was 4 years old, when this came out... and it was the first time I ever swore in front of my parents. After the show, I yelled, "What the fuck was that?!?". Incidentally, it was also the first time I ever tasted soap. Thanks, mom. Lesson learned.

[@dharvell]

@Matt McEntyre Bwahahaha!!! If only I would have been so clever, back then. Or currently!

[@benignasiak3015]

What the hell did I just witness

[@chadryan9900]

I may have been 2 and thank god I don’t remember this.

[@AliFinNoble]

I Miss Carrie fisher

[@dannybright8708]

Ali Effing Noble we all do. :,(

[@YesterworldEntertainment]

I think we all do :(

[@thehumancrayon3264]

SA: A lot fans feel like Ali. I do too. It may seem, or even be, silly to miss someone you never even knew. But Carrie Fisher was an interesting and likable person whose role as Princess Leia made an undeniable impact on the lives of many Star Wars fans. The world doesn't revolve around me, so the fact that I personally never knew Carrie Fisher makes no difference on the poignancy of her passing. Sadness is an appropriate reaction to sad events.

[@ginauccelatore3002]

admit she has a beautiful singing voice everybody in that show did the best they could with the material given to them I like lumpy's wooden toys ' (very similar to those belonging to young jyn erso) it did have a few good idea I like the han solo/lumpy relationship harrison always so nice to children on and off screen it s one of my christmas traditions, it brings back such memories remember, no dvds at the time, no vhs, no internet, nothing anything star wars on TV was welcome

[@FireMinstrel]

Me too. She was the one who would actually dare to TALK about the holiday special, usually with a hilarious joke and singing a couple bars from the "Life Day" song.

[@DistoryDan]

Yesss! I came for Bea Arthur and I learned so much more!!! What was everyone’s favorite Wookiee???

[@YesterworldEntertainment]

Lumpy ;)

[@SciFiFan2012]

Yesterworld Entertainment I didn't have a fav wookie, Harvey Korman's Julia Child type cook with the "stir whip, whip whip stir" was good, Art Carney was decent in the show, and Carrie Fisher RIP looked high af in it!

[@somepeoplearesooostupid.4933]

Bea Arthur is my favorite Wookiee

[@ShootStyleZombie]

Bea Arthur's character is also now officially canon to Star Wars

[@SciFiFan2012]

ShootStyleZombie is she really? Is Chewie's family?

[@dcb1138]

I didn't know the word "Cringe" when I was 9 years old...But I sure FELT it when I watched this air live in 1978

[@mosespray4510]

I was amazed watching this how many great actors were in this. They did what they could.

[@taylorkirkland62]

Jefferson Starship’s performance is the best thing about this film to be honest

[@josephrowe849]

I'd say so too.

[@HunterSlayer2727]

... The Writers were Gungans weren't they.

[@nicksmith522]

You cracked the case

[@klankfanclub3152]

LMAO good goooooood

[@crackmanson6428]

Mesa thinks so. Ha ha ha!

[@prismstudios001]

Nope, Vogons! The Empire outsourced.

[@MrMmnngghh]

Bruce Vilanch does resemble a Gungan, so...yes. You would be right about that.

[@Mark_o_Helm]

For years i only heard terrible things about the Christmas special. So when i experienced it for the first time myself, I found it hilarious. I laughed a lot and i loved the songs. 🤣🤣🤣 That scene with Bea Arthur and the creepy customer felt very real. 😱

[@katemaloney4296]

I was 9 when this came on TV, and though I was a HUGE STAR WARS fan, I have absolutely NO memory of watching this when it aired! I consider myself blessed!

[@sammylane21]

A Million was spent on that crap!!??

[@tomservo5007]

in 70's bucks: $ 4 million in today's money

[@TheBestComicKing]

The catering during the production must’ve been kick ass

[@Guilefpv]

@@TheBestComicKing mostly spent on booze and drugs...

[@davidjames579]

The same amount as the first James Bond film.

[@deathbylife3sAnD7s]

Mostly went for drugs probably

[@diggingattycho7908]

I remember watching it when it aired. The place I was living had very poor reception, but I could see it if I turned around a set of binoculars. I didn't care, I was 11 years old and wanted more Star Wars. That's something to keep in mind, even with the popularity of Star Wars. At that time there wasn't much available. People were blindsided by it's success, plus it took time to create merchandise. So promotion by other means was necessary. There was something else, such subjects had a very negative stigma. Or "it's just kids stuff". It was ok to like sci-fi as a kid, but when you got older. You left that kind of interest behind, grow up and be an adult, they like other stuff. When you look at the holiday special through that perspective a lot of things become very clear. Besides people not really knowing what to do with it. The execs saw dollar signs and told their talent to ride the wave, but don't take it all that seriously. It will pass soon enough. At least that was the assumption at the time(who knew). The holiday special wasn't anything all that unique, the variety show was standard fare at the time. If someone or something reached a certain level of popularity they got one. Yes, most of them were just as cringy. But at least the people involved were pros about it, do the job get the check and move on.

[@robzilla730]

I was 7 when this came out and you're right. I was hungry for anything Star Wars. You put star?wars on something and I'd try to pester my parents to get it for me. I read the big Marvel Comic of the movie endlessly!

[@mr_h831]

Digging at Tycho that's all you can do with something as terrible as this. You're stuck because you already signed a contract. So may aswell get it done.

[@robzilla730]

@@mr_h831 when Ford takes a job he always sees it through

[@April2058]

Watched it back in 1978 and almost died of embarrassment. For years thought that I had only imagined that I had seen such a TV program. As a 10 year old then did enjoy the animation with the first appearance of Boba Fett. Its something to remember, how could one forget!

[@articakennedy4822]

Thanks for the full summary! I really didn’t want to submerge myself to this special!

[@twostupidforks]

Please make more videos like this! About "bad" films/tv shows/specials/tv films

[@jack2breeze]

I remember when it came on I thought it was ok and my friends were raving about it the next day. But then again we were 9.

[@jodiemcleod475]

I actually own a full vhs copy of this - commercials included. And boy, bizarre doesn't even begin to cover it. 😂

[@DreamwalkerFilms]

My friends and I watched this as a rite of passage one holiday several years ago. We all swore that we needed to make it to the end. About 25 minutes in, one of my buddies starts screaming, "BAGGINSSSSS!!!! SHIIIIRREEEEE!!!!" and then promptly ran out of the room. We've talked about trying to do it again one Christmas, but so far it hasn't happened.

[@abbyiswatching2046]

Download the Rifftrax version. (Audio commentary tracks by most of the original Mystery Science Theater guys.) Trust me. It's the only way.

[@quinnzyker6521]

Stir whip, stir whip WHIP WHIP STIR *AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH*

[@josephrowe849]

@MonkeeJuice How about dead to none? No one in their right mind would find that entertaining. Even a video game loading screen is more entertaining than that.

[@annasoriano3984]

HAVING FUN! 2X Okay? So now, step 3 we also have to Beat! So it's Beat 3x Stir whip Stir whip whip stir beat stir whip whip stir BEAT!!!! BABABABABABAAA!mmmmmmm.

[@BrendenPragasam]

Ah... Back when that guy wasn't an absolute monster... Good times

[@starwarsrebel2006]

That was Harvey Korman. Seems a lot of these videos are uploaded by people who don't know who the people in the video are.

[@scandiescot3]

Oh, OH! We *are* excited, aren't we?

[@AdventureBlur]

No matter how bad the Special is, I can't help but laugh every time I see the Stormtrooper break the device at 14:32

[@tobiwalker7145]

Thank you for your condensed version. Every so often I get the itch to watch this special again, but you've scratched the itch plenty and saved me much time.

[@vanxanax933]

The Darth Vader scene was a deleted scene from episode, and was dubbed over.

[@kenziemac130]

I watched the whole special for a class project and wrote a report on it... And watching this I am still nervously laughing, wincing and feeling uncomfortable.

[@YesterworldEntertainment]

I don't think it's possible to watch The Star Wars Holiday Special and not feel uncomfortable during at least one point or another...

[@gamephreak5]

The Rifftrax version does help a bit, though.

[@ginauccelatore3002]

george wants to find and burn every copy of that show ! he won t have mine, no way I also like the clips from the film at the end

[@josephrowe849]

@@YesterworldEntertainment The only part that was uncomfortable was when the grandpa wookie got a little too excited when he was watching what is essentially intergalactic space porn.

[@drewgehringer7813]

yeah I mean the blackface drag Harvey korman bit is uh, deeply uncomfortable to a 21st century audience

[@richarda4020]

Great video. That makes the Holiday special that much more intriguing and hilarious! I want to watch it on a big movie theater screen packed with star wars lovers, all drunk!

[@Handington]

I love the snide remarks thrown in to describe what's happening, this was a great overview/review!

[@mikeyp2277]

This is such a solid channel, great content. Thank you for the hard work, I hope it pays off you guys, you deserve it.

[@YesterworldEntertainment]

Thanks! It's only me at the moment, but hopefully in the future it will grow into a team to produce more content without sacrificing quality over quantity!

[@SimplyStatistical]

The highlight of the Christmas special was the guy falling off the balcony and that's just sad.

[@MasterJediDude]

And that was due to terrible Wookiee engineering. Who makes handrails out of balsa wood? 🤣

[@EsperantoVarietyShow]

Thank you so much for this. I'd forgotten about the Holiday Special till someone brought it up years later. I then remembered watching it as a kid. As best as I can recall, my memories were fond, but when I finally found it on KZbin I found it painful to watch and I couldn't get through it. Your video helped me re-live some fond memories with a lot less pain.

[@thorndust5329]

That scene where Vader orders search efforts seems to be unused footage from the original cut of A New Hope.

[@ZacharyLedbetter]

The opening crawl was never a part of the original broadcast. It was fan added years later when shared copies of the special were digitized. The original airing simply started with Han and Chewie in the Falcon

[@barryguff6893]

This! It's so obvious the commentator has never seen the original product.

[@amberstotelmyer2151]

Thank you for making this video. I've never seen the special, and always wondered why it was so reviled. I had the Wookie storybook as a kid, and it makes a lot more sense to me now.

[@maxordman4100]

I have seen lots of videos on the production of the Holiday special but I really like how you scrolled through the whole story and broke it down into different sections and discussed each scene carefully. You have come a long way with your videos over time but it’s fun to revisit these older videos as well. This is one of the best videos on the Star Wars Holiday Special! I first saw the story online myself, truly strange and whacky. I Certainly respect Carrie Fisher though and really a shame that she didn’t get to sing for us more! Fantastic work on this review though and behind the scenes journey!

[@annegallagher3075]

I actually watched this on the night it premiered. Even then I cringed. That said, it was typical of the variety shows of the time.

[@lepterfirefall]

This is totally canon. I love lumpy fat headed Han in the animation.

[@Rebel_Friend]

waaat happene

[@MkeKen67]

More like stretched taffy headed Han.

[@jamestheredguy5406]

Looks like Han didn’t make it out of the trash compactor in time.

[@Jeremy-ql1or]

If you like that animation, check out the Droids cartoon. Whoever did that weird head animation in the SWHS did the animation for Droids.

[@Cydonia2020]

It should be shot out of a cannon.

[@bigredjanie]

Wasn't that tongue-in-cheek title crawl added later by fans? It looks pretty damn digital to me, plus most other copies don't actually have that

[@YesterworldEntertainment]

To my knowledge, it wasn't, but then again I honestly wouldn't be surprised. I found several versions that had it and others that did not. At the very least, consider the fact that the special is so...interesting...that I actually believed this could be the crawl. Btw, this is NOT the rifftrax version.

[@bigredjanie]

Another nitpick: It would be more accurate to call the Holiday Special the first FILMED spin-off, since there was also the Marvel Comics and the incest-y Splinter of the Mind's Eye

[@bigredjanie]

And on the title crawl: I suspect it's fake because it says it's "Episode IV and a half", but the idea of the first Star Wars being "Episode IV" wasn't established until the 1981 re-release, long after the Holiday Special.

[@YesterworldEntertainment]

I wondered that myself, but thought maybe good ol' George gave them a sneak into the future. Aw well.

[@bigredjanie]

It's okay, we all make mistakes! I'm just a SUPER geek when it comes to these kinda things

[@thevoid99]

i finally saw it a few years ago and... i still haven't recovered from it.

[@Chalor.]

Hey! The early concept of Darth Vader as a bounty hunter ended up becoming Captain Phasma! Not to mention the early idea of Boba Fett being some sort of elite Stormtrooper, which really tied in with Jango Fett and the clone army. It's pretty need help things come full circle with all of these early ideas..even when Kathleen Kennedy and Disney has their nasty, greasy mitts on this beloved saga.

[@JigglyFeeh]

I get so happy every time you upload! Thank you!

[@YesterworldEntertainment]

Thank YOU for watching!! Truly appreciate it!

[@Rebel_Friend]

Fun Fact: The scene with Vader was a deleted scene from ANH they just dubbed over. Also this was probably the reason why Carrie began to do drugs

[@JeffreyPiatt]

She was high while doing this production.

[@robzilla730]

I think this is what made Ford hate Wars. But at least he was professional about his work.

[@chewbaccassecretlover1244]

Just Carrie on

[@kitzilmasked7374]

¿ Whats "ANH" ?

[@Gunh3d1]

A New Hope

[@Hallandoatesmeal]

That Benny Hill moment KILLED me 😭

[@metalgrinch]

I always thought that cooking lady was the scariest part. Imagine waking up in the middle of the night and seeing her do those motions in your dark kitchen.

[@dorisfromage2349]

Caption: "...penile code" instead of "penal code" LOL

[@gamewizardks]

I saw this the night it was aired. It confused me, I was just 7 years-old. I am glad that I got to experience it back then now that it's basically a meme these days.

[@mr_h831]

Game Wizard oh it certainly is a meme. xD

[@barryguff6893]

I was also 7 but understood it perfectly, including the Wookiee's speech. People say there's no subtitles but you know what they're saying.

[@gallery7596]

When this aired I don't think I even watched the whole show. I just remember Han saying to Chewie "Don't worry, we'll getcha home in time for Life Day," and I thought "Life Day is the best holiday name they could come up with?"

[@sagefoole]

I remember when this came out. You know, the only thing it lacks is Tommy Wiseau screaming "you're tearing me apart, Leia! Oh! Hi Darth!"

[@bustedknucks2280]

I just tried to watch it again yesterday. I couldn’t do it.

[@ladistar]

Bahahahahahahahah damn

[@Rocketfoot7]

Wow I honestly had no idea this existed! So bizarre!! Thanks for researching and sharing Mark :)

[@destinykummet338]

I can't imagine trying to sit through the special on your own, but I've had a very good time watching it with friends. We all got together at a local comic book shop in December one year to take the piss out of it together. There's nothing like roasting things to bring you closer during the holiday season.

[@ScholRLea]

"I was there, man." That might explain the famous sauce pot story about Ford. If I had been handed that script, I would be desperate to have as much grass as I possibly could before getting to the sound stage, too.

[@g00gleminus96]

We interrupt this mandatory Imperial broadcast to being you a mandatory Imperial Broadcast that will be interrupted by a mandatory Imperial Broadcast.

[@juliusmaloney]

For years I thought I’d imagined seeing it as a kid. Then the internet came along and proved it was real!

[@andrewharris4094]

Same here. My parents were out for the night & didn't know anything about the Special. When they came home I told them about it, & they blew me off like it was my imagination. For 25 years that was a thorn in my side,....

[@VisiblyJacked]

I watched it in Australia around 1984 not 1978 and thought my vague memory was a hallucination for years

[@splinky9226]

One thing I wish you had the time to mention was the animation company responsible for "The Faithful Wookiee" segment. Their name is Nelvana (named after the superheroine created by Adrian Dingle) and they are a Canadian based studio in Toronto, Ontario that was bought out by Corus sometime in the 2000's. Alongside a few original productions, they provided international distribution for more popular shows like Nickelodeon's "Fairly Odd Parents." One of its founders, Clive A. Smith, began work as an animator for The Beatles TV series and the Yellow Submarine movie (which he wasn't credited for). He along with the other two (Michael Hirsh and Patrick Loubert) founded the company in 1971, but their first production was A Cosmic Christmas: an animated holiday special where three aliens arrive on Earth and meet a young boy who tries to teach them the meaning of Christmas. It first aired on December 4th 1977 ( at least six months after A New Hope came out) and George Lucas caught an airing of the special on TV where he immediately signed off Nelvana to direct the animation sequence for the Holiday Special since the art style looked "sensibly European" and not "commercially American." It's worth noting that the Nelvana crew started production on the "Faithful Wookiee" in spring 1978 right after they finished work on their second television special "The Devil and Daniel Mouse." While the Star Wars Holiday Special is awful by all definitions of the word, it wasn't a complete failure for Nelvana as George still let them produce two of the 80's Star Wars cartoons "Droids" and "Ewoks" (although animation for the former was outsourced to the Korean studio Hanho Heung-Up Co). The segment, along with being Boba's first appearance, would also inspire the main character's design and weapon for "The Mandalorian" series on Disney+. John Celestri, the guy who animated him, was previously an animator for the Richard Williams' Raggedy Ann movie and his original voice actor (Don Francks, father of voice actress Cree Summer) would go on to voice Mok; the Lou Reed/Iggy Pop "singing voiced" villain from the animated cult classic "Rock & Rule." Robin Budd (the animator for Han Solo) would go on to animate Mok along with directing other Nelvana productions (Hotel Transylvania: The Series, the Beetlejuice cartoon, Ruby Gloom), Bill Speers (the animator for R2 and 3PO) would later work for Iggy Arbuckle and The Raccoons, Charles Bonifacio (animator for Luke) would later work on Fern Gully, The Land Before Time, Mulan and et cetera, Ken Stephenson (animator for Chewbacca) would later work on Inspector Gadget and Rescue Heroes, John Halfpenny (animator for incidental creatures) would work on Angela Anaconda and Eek! The Cat. Assistant animators Ralf Palmer and Larry Jacobs have each done work on their own number of productions (Atlantis: The Lost Empire, the 2002 Scooby Doo movie, Johnny Test, Cyberchase, etc.) and Frank Nissen who did the background layout would also write the scripts for Tarzan and Intergalactic Thanksgiving, did assistance animation for "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," and storyboards for Treasure Planet and episodes of Hey Arnold. Several "Star Wars" references can be found in later Nelvana productions (as seen with most post 70's cartoons), though one of my favorite examples is from the 1979 special "Romie-0 and Julie-8" where Darth Vader's TIE Advanced can be seen in traffic during a montage song and the Millennium Falcon which can be seen in the giant junkyard on Gizmo's planet.

[@Yakkymania]

Didn’t they also make The Magic School Bus??

[@SacredMovementJM]

i had never actually "gaped" in the sense of having my mouth drop and stay dropped for longer than a minute until seeing this.

[@dawndunn826]

I watched this in 1978 but I don’t remember anything after the first 10 minutes. Either I’ve blocked it out or have had my mind wiped through a fortunate Jedi mind trick.

[@jehobden]

Carrie Fisher was probably unable to watch this special when it aired on tv, as she in NYC that night rehearsing SNL, which she hosted the following night, Nov. 18, 1978.

[@frozenbinarystudio]

One of my much older cousins brought up Tobor one Christmas as a toy he used to own "Tobor is robot spelled backwards. It can circle" I replied He got excited, and asked how I knew about that. I told him I got it from the Star Wars Holiday Special VHS recording. He was blown away anyone knew about that and we had a long talk about the night he saw it as a kid.

[@da_biggy]

It was quite better than episode 9, thank for the link to that video! May the new year be with us.

[@paulanthonyjohns]

Elen Degeneres does a solid Mark Hamil impression

[@davidmills6721]

I always thought Ellen DeGeneres does a solid sponge Bob.

[@willbrownman47]

I think you might've confused a fan-made jokey title crawl for an actual one. I've seen the version where it cuts directly between commercials and the beginning of the special, it's not there, or in any other version I've seen.

[@MasterJediDude]

Even as an 8 year old, I hated it. I remember the following Monday, every kid at school was talking about how bad it was. Most of us hated the musical numbers, the Wookiee family and the “guest stars.” None of that cute crap worked on us. It’ll go down in history as one of the biggest mistakes ever created.

[@richardkennedy8481]

I remember looking forward to this, and watching it.

[@mongoosecoco]

“another uncomedic sketch revolving around one of the golden girls as a bartender” oh bea, sweetheart, i’m so sorry you were apart of this

[@jimcat68]

She was a true professional. She did it for the paycheck, but dammit, she did it well!

[@cannibalaaron1222]

I remembered being so confused as a child watching this monstrosity

[@bootlegottawa613]

excellent doc. You guys should fanedit it. adding the benny hill music is a great start.

[@PatTheBatmanFan]

I. Really. Appreciate. Your. Enunciating. Every. Word.