How Did This Get Made?

The Star Wars Holiday Special w/ Matt Gourley & Eden Sher

Released: December 16, 2025

Episode Overview

This special matinee episode of How Did This Get Made? dives into the notorious Star Wars Holiday Special (1978), widely considered one of the strangest, most derided artifacts in both Star Wars and television history. Paul Scheer, Jason Mantzoukas, Matt Gourley, and guest Eden Sher assemble to dissect every baffling creative choice, supremely awkward moment, and accidental gem lurking within this legendary disaster. Their goal isn't just to hate-watch; it's to celebrate and interrogate the weirdness, lament the missed opportunities, and laugh at everything that makes the special so unforgettable for all the wrong reasons.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Bizarre Genesis of the Holiday Special

• Lucas’s “No Involvement” Myth Debunked
  • Paul notes that while George Lucas claims disavowal, he was "hands on," reviewing dailies and pushing for a Wookiee-centric plot.

    "He had asked for this to be about Wookiees on the planet of Kashyyyk because he wanted to get into this in the Star Wars world. So he was a little hands on." (Paul, 04:46)

• Writers Hadn’t Seen Star Wars!
  • Writers like Pat Proft and Bruce Vilanch were assigned despite their unfamiliarity with the franchise, resulting in a total tonal misfire.
  • "None of them seem to have watched Star Wars at this point that this was being made." (Paul, 05:30)
• Lucas’s Regret and Attempted Erasure
  • The special aired once; Lucas purportedly bought all copies and wishes he could destroy them.
  • "George Lucas has gone around and said if he had a sledgehammer in the time, he would go around and destroy every single existing copy of this." (Paul, 05:30)

The Central Premise: Wookiees, Family & Insanity

• Main Characters Don’t Speak English
  • The first 10-15 minutes are pure, subtitled Wookiee grunting, which baffled everyone.
    • "Your main characters are Wookiees who don't speak English and are not subtitled." (Paul, 06:28)
    • "I started to lose my mind...Is this what we're doing? Is this the whole thing?" (Jason, 18:51)
• Everything Is Broken Into TV Segments
  • Most of the special is the family watching various forms of entertainment or instruction—circus acts, music videos, virtual reality, cartoons, and more.
  • “The whole special is really basically people watching—or Wookiees watching—TV.” (Paul, 14:35)

WTF Moments & Core Segments

The Diane Carroll "Virtual Reality Porno" [15:10–16:57]

• Grandpa Itchy dons a headset and is serenaded in a deeply sensual number by Diane Carroll.
• “It is the single most baffling moment of television history that I have ever seen.” (Matt, 15:20)
• Sample dialogue from the sequence:

  "I am here. My voice is for you alone. I exist for you. I am in your mind as you create me." (Diane Carroll, 16:22)

• “He's watching this porno in the middle of the living room.” (Jason, 17:02)
• “I did not understand what was happening...I was pretty sure that was part of my dream.” (Eden, 17:12)

The Cantina Sequence & Bea Arthur’s Song [29:19–31:21]

• Bea Arthur tries to clear the Mos Eisley cantina, singing a dirge-like song to the tune of the classic cantina theme—a dizzying mash of melancholy and camp.
• “The whole special is upsettingly sad...A family's being tortured, this woman is being shut down by Nazis…There’s no joy.” (Paul, 30:58)
• The celebrity cameos (Art Carney, Bea Arthur, Harvey Korman) are stunningly out of place.
  “All of the Star Wars jargon and names felt so unnatural coming out of their mouths.” (Jason, 28:56)

The Animated Boba Fett Cartoon [32:37–34:29, 67:31–68:24]

• First appearance of Boba Fett; notable for its 70s heavy-metal/psychedelic animation style.
• “The cartoon is solely to get the action figure marketed.” (Matt, 67:49)
• “I almost would have preferred if the whole holiday special were these like little vignettes.” (Paul, 68:09)

Stormtrooper Antics, Imperial Home Invasion [22:52–23:51]

• The special’s tone takes a weirdly dark Nazi-ish turn as stormtroopers ransack the Wookiee home.
• “It scared me. It actually scared me when they started...Oh my God, when he tore apart the stuffed animal.” (Eden, 22:56)
• “The thing that's more unsettling to me though is that you have Nazis, but then you have the 70s aesthetic…Imperial Guard Nazi with a whisk broom mustache.” (Matt, 23:39)

Harvey Korman’s Sketches & The Surreal Cooking Segment [36:08–38:24]

• Korman plays multiple characters, including an android cooking-show host with extra arms, and an ineffective robot in an “instructional video.”
• “He has in his voice the fear of a man who knows this is not funny and just will not stop for fear of hearing the silence.” (Matt, 37:28)
• “Cooking can fun!” (Eden, 37:13)

Tangents and Running Jokes

• Chewbacca is labeled a “deadbeat dad” for missing Life Day and being more involved with Han than his family.
  • “Chewbacca is a bad dad. I mean, that's what I'm learning right away. He's a deadbeat dad.” (Paul, 12:04)
  • “The first person the kid jumps into the arms of is Han…proving Chewbacca’s a bad dad.” (Paul, 64:41)
• The disturbing “romantic tension” between Art Carney’s character and Mala, Chewie’s wife.
  • “How weird was it when Art Carney arrived at the house and made Mala give him a kiss?” (Jason, 47:06)
• The repeated observation that nobody appears to actually enjoy making the special, except perhaps Harvey Korman, who “commits completely” (28:28).

Cultural Impact and Unintentional Innovation

• Star Wars canon: Despite Lucas' disavowal, the Holiday Special officially remains canon ("technically, if you were to build something you can reference that this all happened."—Paul, 38:45).
• Prediction of future tech: VR headsets, iPads, streaming entertainment ("the Jules Verne of specials"—Paul, 16:57).
• Unintentional artistic achievement: "In some ways, this is like so David Lynchian in an absurdly brilliant way." (Matt, 33:08)

The Group’s Final Assessment

• The special is a train wreck, but reveals fascinating insights about 70s TV, franchise branding, and the nature of failure.
• “It's unique. You'll never make anything this wrong and this awesome off ever again.” (Paul, 71:07)
• Recommendation: “Oh, yes, 100% [recommend watching it].” (Eden, 67:16)
  • “Over a week at least.” (Matt, 67:18)
  • “Especially right now. Holiday season!” (Jason, 67:19)

Memorable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

Opening Riffing

• “As the listeners of the show know, June does not celebrate Life Day and is very anti Life Day. So she is not here. Is June part of the Empire?” (Paul & Jason, 02:52–03:09)

On George Lucas’s Regret

• “If he had a sledgehammer, he would go around and destroy every single existing copy of this.” (Paul, 05:30)

Diane Carroll’s VR Seduction [16:22]

“I exist for you. I am in your mind as you create me. Oh, yes. I can feel my creation.” (Diane Carroll, as played during commentary)

The Cantina Scene

• “That cantina scene is part cabaret. All cabaret. Which was so conflicting for me as a child, going, I know this is Star Wars and I'm drawn to it, but I can't stand this.” (Matt, 29:45)

Stormtroopers’ Nazi Vibes

• “There’s something more unsettling…the 70s aesthetic. Imperial Guard Nazi with a whisk broom mustache…so off-putting when he tears up Lumpy's room.” (Matt, 23:39)

On Chewbacca’s Parenting

• “Chewbacca is a bad dad…he only recently has really stepped it up.” (Paul, 12:04)
• “That's only something a new dad would notice.” (Jason, 64:47)

On the Special’s Downer Tone

• “The whole special is upsettingly sad…No joy. Even the end, when they get to Life Day, it seems like a somber holiday as well.” (Paul, 30:58)

On Watchability

• “It's impossible to sit through it all at one time.” (Matt, 04:37)
• “Would you recommend watching this at all?” — “Yes, 100%.” (Paul, Eden, 67:16)

Notable Deep Dives (w/ Timestamps)

• The Diane Carroll VR Experience: 15:10–16:57
• The Animated Boba Fett Debut: 32:37–34:29, and again at 67:31–68:24
• Bea Arthur’s Cantina Song: 29:19–31:21
• Harvey Korman’s Cooking Show (“Stir, whip, stir, whip, whip, whip, stir!”): 36:59–37:21
• Stormtrooper Ransacking, Nazi Parallels: 22:52–23:51
• Chewbacca as Deadbeat Dad & Family Dynamics: 12:04–12:36, 64:41–64:55

Episode Wrap-Up

The group agrees: The Star Wars Holiday Special is an excruciating but compelling cultural artifact. More than a misfire, it’s a fascinating window into the excess, ambition, and utter cluelessness of 1970s network television. It’s also the stuff of comedy gold—if you have the patience to endure it and the willingness to see its flaws as features.

Final word:

"You'll never make anything this wrong and this awesome off ever again." (Paul, 71:07)

Listen-Again Guide

For specific bits of interest, jump to:

• 15:10 — Diane Carroll’s infamous VR scene
• 22:52 — Stormtroopers trash Lumpy’s room
• 29:19 — The Bea Arthur cantina cabaret
• 36:08 — Harvey Korman’s cooking chaos
• 32:37 & 67:31 — Boba Fett’s animated debut

Happy Life Day from the HDTGM crew!