Stars Wars Holiday Special

Summary

Podcast Summary: Office Ladies – "Star Wars Holiday Special"
Release Date: December 4, 2024

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Introduction to the Episode

In this special episode of Office Ladies, hosts Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey embark on an unconventional journey by delving into one of the most infamous and perplexing entries in the Star Wars franchise—the "Star Wars Holiday Special." Responding to listener suggestions, particularly from Cassie Jerkins, Jenna and Angela tackle the complexities and oddities of this 1978 television event, offering their unique insights and humorous perspectives.

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Background of the Star Wars Holiday Special

The Star Wars Holiday Special premiered on November 17, 1978, a strategic move by CBS to capitalize on the massive success of the original Star Wars film released the previous year. George Lucas, initially reluctant, was persuaded to produce the special to maintain fan engagement and boost merchandise sales until the release of The Empire Strikes Back two years later.

Jenna Fischer [04:35]: "The Star Wars Holiday Special was a television special originally broadcast by CBS... George Lucas was convinced by people to do this as a way of keeping fans interested in the franchise."

Production Challenges

The special faced significant production hurdles from the outset. Initially directed by David Acomba, only a few segments made it to the final cut before Steve Binder was brought in to steer the troubled project. Binder was provided with a "Wookiee bible," a comprehensive backstory of Chewbacca's family, as his primary guide due to George Lucas's limited availability.

Notably, the main cast—Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Peter Mayhew—were hesitant to participate. Convincing them required negotiation, especially with Mark Hamill, who saw the special as an opportunity to enhance toy sales, aligning with his lucrative merchandise deals.

Angela Kinsey [12:08]: "Mark Hamill famously negotiated a very good deal on merchandise... He made so much effing money on merchandise."

Reception and Legacy

Upon its release, the Star Wars Holiday Special garnered approximately 13 million viewers, finishing second against competitive programs like ABC's Love Boat. Critically, it was panned universally. David Hofstede labeled it "the worst two hours of television ever," and reviewers like Alex Carter and Alan French expressed extreme dissatisfaction.

Carrie Fisher herself sought out a copy to use it as a party deterrent, highlighting the special's notorious reputation. George Lucas has infamously disowned the project, expressing a desire to eradicate all its copies.

Jenna Fischer [15:22]: "David Hofstede... called it the worst two hours of television ever."

Detailed Breakdown of the Special

Jenna and Angela meticulously dissect the special's content, highlighting its disjointed narrative and questionable comedic choices. They explore various segments, including:

1. Chewbacca's Family Introduction:

   • The special centers around Chewbacca's family celebrating Life Day, a Wookiee equivalent of Christmas.
   • Characters include Mala (Chewbacca's wife), Lumpy (their son), and Itchy (Chewbacca's father).
   • The portrayal of Wookiee family dynamics is presented humorously yet awkwardly, with Heinz lacking linguistic clarity.

2. Guest Appearances and Cameos:

   • Harvey Korman reprises his role as Chef Gormanda, delivering over-the-top culinary instructions that devolve into chaos.
   • Bea Arthur appears as Ackmina, managing an Imperial-run bar with sharp wit and star power, often cited as one of the special's few redeeming qualities.

3. Musical Numbers and Cartoons:

   • Features original songs and sketch performances that failed to resonate with the audience.
   • Includes a cartoon segment titled "The Faithful Wookiee," which introduced Boba Fett to the Star Wars universe before his official film debut.

4. Imperial Intrusion:

   • The narrative is frequently interrupted by Imperial announcements, creating a disjointed viewing experience.
   • These interruptions serve as comedic relief but also highlight the special's lack of coherent storytelling.

Angela Kinsey [14:38]: "Alex Carter from Den of Geek said, 'words have not been invented to describe how bad it is.'"

Hosts' Personal Reflections and Engagement

Throughout the episode, Jenna and Angela intersperse their analysis with personal anecdotes and humorous interactions. They share their first impressions of the special, express their bewilderment at certain plot points, and rate the special with a critical yet affectionate lens.

Jenna Fischer [87:03]: "0. 0 stars. Maybe one star for Bea Arthur."

They also engage with their guest, Ainsley Bubico, discussing the oddities of the special and even attempt to recreate elements like the "Joe Blasto Punch," adding a layer of interactive fun to their critique.

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Conclusion and Final Thoughts

In wrapping up, Jenna and Angela reaffirm the Star Wars Holiday Special's place as a cult classic of sorts—more for its notoriety than its quality. They acknowledge the special's failure to meet fan expectations but celebrate the memorable performances of guest stars like Bea Arthur and Harvey Korman. The hosts encourage listeners to share their thoughts and suggest future topics, maintaining the podcast's interactive and fan-driven spirit.

Angela Kinsey [89:06]: "Bea Arthur gets a star for me, and so does that first stormtrooper that says, 'I hate fish.'"

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Jenna Fischer [04:35]: "The Star Wars Holiday Special was a television special originally broadcast by CBS... George Lucas was convinced by people to do this as a way of keeping fans interested in the franchise."

• Angela Kinsey [12:08]: "Mark Hamill famously negotiated a very good deal on merchandise... He made so much effing money on merchandise."

• Jenna Fischer [15:22]: "David Hofstede... called it the worst two hours of television ever."

• Angela Kinsey [14:38]: "Alex Carter from Den of Geek said, 'words have not been invented to describe how bad it is.'"

• Jenna Fischer [87:03]: "0. 0 stars. Maybe one star for Bea Arthur."

• Angela Kinsey [89:06]: "Bea Arthur gets a star for me, and so does that first stormtrooper that says, 'I hate fish.'"

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Final Rating

After thorough analysis and a blend of humor and critical insight, Jenna and Angela rate the Star Wars Holiday Special 2.5 out of 10 stars, acknowledging its entertainment shortcomings while giving credit to standout performances.

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Looking Ahead

The episode concludes with the hosts teasing their next installment featuring an interview with Kathy Bates, promising continued insightful and entertaining content for their listeners.

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This summary captures the essence and key discussions from the Office Ladies podcast episode on the Star Wars Holiday Special, providing an engaging overview for both fans and newcomers alike.

Transcript

[Jenna Fischer]

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[Angela Kinsey]

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[Angela Kinsey]

Well, the holidays are upon us and Whole Foods Market is your holiday headquarters. Whether you're hosting or if you're a guest, impress everyone at your table with exceptional flavors and enchanting host gifts for all of your holiday gatherings.

[Jenna Fischer]

This is where you want to go for cheese Ang.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, I know. I love their cheese. There's such a huge selection.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes, and not just that. They also have all the best, like little extras that go on your cheese board. The nuts and the dried fruit and the little jams and the fig stuff.

[Angela Kinsey]

Chocolate. You can put chocolate on a cheese board.

[Jenna Fischer]

It's just the way you said it. And they have it at Whole Foods. And don't forget about the 365 by Whole Foods Market, seasonal cookies and baking mixes or go to the bakery department for some timeless classics.

[Angela Kinsey]

Whole Foods Market has everything you need. Whether you're hosting the big meal and planning to cook up a feast or if you're simply a guest who wants to impress with a thoughtful gift. Need help in the kitchen? Let Whole Foods Market cater your meal with ease, including savory appetizers, irresistible mains and crowd pleasing desserts.

[Jenna Fischer]

[e-mail] Make Whole Foods Market your holiday headquarters. I'm Jenna Fisher.

[Angela Kinsey]

And I'm Angela Kinsey.

[Jenna Fischer]

We were on the Office together and we're best friends. And now we're doing the ultimate Office Lovers podcast just for you.

[Angela Kinsey]

Each week we will dive deeper into the world of the Office with exclusive interviews, behind the scenes details and lots of BFF stories.

[Jenna Fischer]

We're the office lady 6.0. Hello.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well hello to you you guys. We showed up today. We had not spoken to one another this morning. We are both in black and white striped sweater things. We just look at us.

[Jenna Fischer]

I know.

[Angela Kinsey]

We dressed almost the same today.

[Jenna Fischer]

Should we talk about what we're doing today?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, you know, everyone, from time to time, we are going to be dipping into our dear office ladies mailbag and doing episodes based on your suggestions.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, you heard us right. Your suggestions will become an episode.

[Jenna Fischer]

These episode suggestions can be office related or not office related. Which brings us to today. To kick things off, we had our very own Cassie Jerkins make the first recommendation. Cassie, would you like to share with everyone what you wanted us to do an episode about?

[Cassie Jerkins]

So I was in the office lady's mailbag and a lot of people were requesting Star wars or like a fantasy movie breakdown.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Cassie Jerkins]

So I was thinking like, okay, it's the start of December, it's the holiday season. So I think you all should break down one of the strangest things in the Star wars universe. The Star Wars Holiday Special.

[Angela Kinsey]

Holy crap sticks. Where do we begin?

[Jenna Fischer]

I mean, I had never seen this before. I'd never heard of it. I just watched Star wars for the first time last year.

[Angela Kinsey]

I had never seen it either. I had heard not so great things.

[Jenna Fischer]

When we were recording our second drink for this week, Sam insisted that it was quote, unquote great. Sam, it is.

[Sam Kiefer]

It is really great.

[Jenna Fischer]

You know, we had to ask Ainsley to do an outline of this for us. And we felt like she needed to be here because, Ainsley, what do you have to say?

[Ainsley Bubico]

Well, I thought I was on drugs while I was watching it. I wasn't.

[Angela Kinsey]

Ainsley, when we got your outline and we started reading it, it was so funny. You were clearly so like, what the hell is this?

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, should we get into it?

[Angela Kinsey]

Lady, we better.

[Jenna Fischer]

Here it is. The Star Wars Holiday Special, 1978. This was a story by George Lucas. It was written by Bruce Phalanche, Rod Warren, Pat Prophet and Leonard Rips with original songs by Mitzi and Kenny Welch and costumes by Bob Mackie. Fast fact number one is titled, what is this?

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't know what it is. I don't know.

[Jenna Fischer]

The Star Wars Holiday Special was a television special originally broadcast by CBS on November 17, 1978. That was the weekend before Thanksgiving. This was prime placement. Star wars the movie had been released the year prior and had become the highest grossing movie in history. As well as a cultural phenomenon, the sequel, the Empire Strikes Back, was still two years away. So George Lucas was convinced by people to do this Star wars holiday television special as a way of keeping fans interested in the franchise.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes, he has been quoted many times saying that he got Talked into this.

[Jenna Fischer]

He wants you to know. Yeah, but they said we could sell more toys this holiday season, and maybe this was one of their pitches. Maybe we could make some new fans who didn't see Star wars in theaters.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, there's like, three of them left. Maybe they'll get on board. Everyone had seen this movie at this time except for you.

[Jenna Fischer]

Except for me.

[Angela Kinsey]

This was for you, Jenna. This holiday special was for you.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, boy. Well, wow. This movie special stars the main cast of the original Star wars.

[Angela Kinsey]

Everyone has a cameo.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. And like traditional holiday specials of the time, it is a type of variety show. So it has cameos by comedic actors. It has musical numbers. Angela, take us back to 1978 when this special aired. You said you wanted to talk a little bit about it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, I just wanted to get you in the mood for 1978. Okay, first of all, the bestselling album of 1978 was Saturday Night fever. The soundtrack by the bee gees. It's spent 24 weeks at number one on the billboard 224 weeks.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's a long time.

[Angela Kinsey]

I think we need to hear it to set the mood.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

Uh huh. Where are my roller skates? Come on.

[Jenna Fischer]

So this is what people were grooving out to.

[Angela Kinsey]

Uh huh. Are you feeling it? Are you feeling 1978?

[Jenna Fischer]

I'm feeling it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. All right.

[Jenna Fischer]

I can feel my landline phone in my hand.

[Angela Kinsey]

How happy are you?

[Jenna Fischer]

I love it.

[Angela Kinsey]

I'm feeling my roller skates.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

And you might be curious what the most popular toys were. I'm gonna give you the top three. The first one, you guessed it, were the star wars figurines that came out. Now, they came out in 1977. The toy manufacturer, kenner, ran out of them almost immediately. They had to give out certificates. Like, you could pay $9, and you got, like, a piece of cardboard that you could then mail into the manufacturer, and then they would, when they finally got back in stock, mail you a figurine.

[Jenna Fischer]

Wow.

[Angela Kinsey]

They were called the early bird figurines. They now go for thousands of dollars. For example, the 1978 Luke Skywalker Early Bird 12. A figurine is a huge ticket item, but guess which one has sold for the most. It set a world's most valuable toy record.

[Jenna Fischer]

I actually weirdly think I know this because I feel like Mark hamill did an interview about it once. Is it a Luke Skywalker something?

[Angela Kinsey]

No.

[Jenna Fischer]

I thought there was, like, some batch of him that was made incorrectly and someone has one.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, those always go for a lot. And you're on the right track here. But the extremely rare Star wars action figure that sold for $525,000. Half a million dollars for a little figurine. Was a hand painted missile firing model of the bounty hunter Boba Fett. Oh, yeah. It was never released to the public because it was deemed a choking hazard. In the 1970s, the toy, one of only two still in existence, beat all other of the world's priciest toy. This is the one everyone wanted. I thought it was pretty crazy. It features a rocket firing backpack. It's not available in stores, and it's a hot commodity.

[Jenna Fischer]

Wow.

[Angela Kinsey]

But don't choke on it. I guess you could possibly choke on it.

[Jenna Fischer]

It would be a real shame to spend like $500,000 on something and then choke on it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Be really bad.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

The other two top seller toys at the time were Hungry Hungry Hippos.

[Jenna Fischer]

Had it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Had it. I think we still have it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Also maybe a choking hazard.

[Angela Kinsey]

Also maybe. And a pogo stick.

[Jenna Fischer]

Hmm.

[Angela Kinsey]

Tried one. Painful.

[Jenna Fischer]

Had it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Painful.

[Jenna Fischer]

Toys were very mean to you back in the 70s, huh? They posed a lot of.

[Angela Kinsey]

They were a roll of dice.

[Jenna Fischer]

Is this when the lawn darts came out as well? Feels like maybe lawn dart time. Okay, well, thank you for that, Angela. I feel like I'm in 1978.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Are you ready for fast fact number two?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

I titled this one. This was a show from the beginning. I found an amazing Vanity fair article from 2008. They did a whole write up on this movie. It was like a look back. They interviewed a bunch of people from the article. And writer Bruce Valanch said that it was George Lucas intent on building the Star wars holiday special around the family of Chewbacca and Life Day. That is the Wookiee equivalent of like Christmas.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, Big holiday.

[Jenna Fischer]

Bruce Valanche said the writers really struggled, which I think is clear if you.

[Angela Kinsey]

Watch it by the dialogue, by the.

[Jenna Fischer]

By the whole thing. They also went through two different directors on this project.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, no. That's never a good sign.

[Jenna Fischer]

No. First there was David Acomba. He was around for all of the pre production, but he only shot a handful of segments. Most notably the one starring Bea Arthur and also the Jefferson Starship musical number. They brought in Steve Binder mid shoot to take over directing. And Binder's only contact with George Lucas was that they gave him a Wookiee bible. Oh, like our show bible. And it was a brochure that was a backstory of the entire Chewbacca family.

[Angela Kinsey]

But if he had a question outside of that Chewbacca Bible. Lucas was, like, not available. Not taking a phone call.

[Jenna Fischer]

He was super available from my research.

[Angela Kinsey]

Got it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Steve Bender's primary job was to try to bring this production, which was over budget and behind schedule, to a close. He also had to shoot the scenes that involve the members of the original cast. There was Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca. Guess what? None of them wanted to be in the special. They all had to be begged to participate.

[Angela Kinsey]

I read that, too.

[Jenna Fischer]

Mark Hamill was asked about the holiday special at a fan convention, and he said he didn't want to do it, but George Lucas convinced him to do it to help sell toys. And you might know that Mark Hamill famously negotiated a very good deal on merchandise. And he made so much effing money on merchandise.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, I have read that Mark Hamill's deal with Star wars because he made so much money that now studios, they took note in all these big action movies like Marvel and where they have action figures, actors don't get the same deal because Mark Hamill kind of broke it. He was.

[Jenna Fischer]

No, I mean, listen, we know that with the Office, we are everywhere on calendars and mugs and sweaters and all that sort of stuff.

[Angela Kinsey]

We don't see money from that.

[Jenna Fischer]

What do we get? I think in 2018, I got a check for $700 for all that merchandise. Something like that.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. Like eight years ago, I think I got a check for 173 bucks.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

My face is on a shot glass.

[Jenna Fischer]

Right, Right. Thanks, Mark Hamill.

[Angela Kinsey]

But Mark Hamill. Good for you, buddy.

[Jenna Fischer]

Good for you. Yeah. Well, I don't know if it helps sell more toys, but that's why Mark Hamill did it. Harrison Ford was especially reluctant to do it. Remember when Allison Jones was on the podcast and she talked about how, like, to a film star, doing tv, especially TV comedy, was kind of bottom of the barrel?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

I mean, these were the biggest film stars. They were in the highest grossing movie of all time.

[Angela Kinsey]

I watched Harrison ford on Conan O'Brien.

[Jenna Fischer]

I did, too. Did you? When he asked him about it, he.

[Angela Kinsey]

Was like, what about the Star wars cr? And he was. He just kept shaking his head. And then he said, it doesn't exist. And Conan was like, I do have a tape. And then Harrison Ford pretended to strangle Conan.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. Carrie Fisher said she would do it, but only if she got to sing, and she did. All right, time for fast fact number three. I'm calling this one. How was it received? How'd people respond?

[Angela Kinsey]

How'd it go over?

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, it was seen by close to 13 million television households.

[Angela Kinsey]

That seems like a lot.

[Jenna Fischer]

But it finished second. ABC's Love Boat.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh.

[Jenna Fischer]

And the ABC miniseries Pearl Beat it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Hmm. Yeah, I did love Love Boat.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, well, yeah. You might have watched Love Boat instead. Here are some things that critics have said over the years about this special. David Hofstede, author of what Were They? The Hundred Dumbest Events in Television History, ranked the Star Wars Holiday Special as number one, calling it, quote, the worst two hours of television ever.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh.

[Jenna Fischer]

Alex Carter from Den of Greek said, quote, words have not been invented to describe how bad it is. Alan French from Sunshine State Cineplex wrote, quote, you will curse God for this show's mere existence. Like we said, the Castle hates it. They barely speak of it. Carrie Fisher revealed that she asked for a copy of it so that she could play it at parties to make people leave.

[Angela Kinsey]

I read that too. And I guess the reason she got a copy. George Lucas would not give any copies out. In fact, supposedly this is the only copy he gave out. All the ones you see on YouTube were bootleg copies, right?

[Jenna Fischer]

Mm.

[Angela Kinsey]

But Lucas wanted Carrie to do a DVD commentary, and she said, I will only do it if you give me a copy of the Star Wars Holiday Special.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. I mean, everybody, this was the time when, like, if you didn't see it live on tv, that was it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. I just think it's hilarious that if you went to a party at Carrie Fisher's house and she was ready for you to go, she put this on.

[Jenna Fischer]

I know.

[Angela Kinsey]

This makes me laugh. Speaking of George Lucas not wanting to give out any copies of this, I also read that in Star Wars Episode 3 Revenge of the Sith, they had to show the Wookiee planet for the first time in the movie. So the artists to portray Kashyyyk had to go to the holiday special because.

[Jenna Fischer]

It had been established.

[Angela Kinsey]

Because it had been established, it was already in the world. Right. So they had to go to George Lucas and ask for a copy. And I guess he was super annoyed about it. That's what I read. George Lucas is famously quoted about the Star Wars Holiday Special. He has said, quote, if I had the time and a sledgehammer, I would track down every copy of that show and smash it. That's what George Lucas has to say about it. But, Ainsley, you found some comments on the YouTube page where we all watch this. What are folks saying there?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. What's the fan response?

[Ainsley Bubico]

Well, it's pretty unanimously bad. One user said Three seconds in, and I'm already upset. The Incredible Hulk will not be presented this evening.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, yeah, that was the ad before it.

[Ainsley Bubico]

Another said, imagine setting your VCR for the Incredible Hulk and coming home to this one is a spoiler. So I won't say that right now.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's probably okay.

[Ainsley Bubico]

Oh, love how all the comments are related to the first 10 minutes of the movie, because no one could clearly make it any further. Yes, this special is the reason Ben gave up during his battle with Vader. He foresaw this and thought, if I don't die now, I'll have to star in it as well. My favorite, because I relate to it is this is what Star wars looks like to people who don't like Star Wars.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh.

[Jenna Fischer]

Amazing.

[Angela Kinsey]

I did see an interview with Mark Hamill where he said, at this point, we should just celebrate it. You know, we should just lean into it, which I think is really, really fun. And now, I guess there's even a documentary about this holiday special. It's called A Disturbance in the Force. It came out in 2023, and it kind of shares how this whole thing came about.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, I told Lee that we were breaking this down this week, and this is what he said. Lee went like this. He went, oh. When I was a little kid, my parents said, do you want to go to a hockey game, or do you want to stay home and watch the Star Wars Holiday Special?

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, man, he loves hockey.

[Jenna Fischer]

And he said, I want to stay home, and I want to watch the Star Wars Holiday Special.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, no.

[Jenna Fischer]

So Lee's dad took his brothers to the hockey game, and Lee stayed home. And he said about four minutes in, he so greatly regretted his decision, and he's remembered it all these years.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, my gosh. It's a core memory.

[Jenna Fischer]

So, everyone, we're gonna break it down.

[Angela Kinsey]

So sit back, relax, because here it comes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, crap.

[Angela Kinsey]

I forgot something. Okay, wait, let me get it. Let me get it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

This is part of my bit. I didn't really forget. Oh, I'm doing a bit. Oh, did I sell it? Did you really think I forgot something?

[Jenna Fischer]

Of course.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, before we go to break, I just had one thing I really needed to say to you.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay. I just need one thing to help me say it to you.

[Jenna Fischer]

Angela has gotten underneath the podcasting table, and I don't know what she's doing. I don't know what's happening. What is that?

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, my gosh. Angela has a.

[Jenna Fischer]

Has a Chewbacca mask on that makes noises.

[Angela Kinsey]

I love it so much. It's brought. I'm so tickled by it. I bought it special. And listen, the Chewbacca people speak Shairiwook. And this is how they say hello.

[Cassie Jerkins]

Angela. I think the rest of the podcast could just be Jenna talking and you speaking Wookiee. And that would be the movie.

[Jenna Fischer]

That would be the movie. And I'll just sing from time to time as well and maybe do a cartwheel and then you will have the full experience.

[Angela Kinsey]

I looked up the language Wookiees speak because I wanted to greet you with their hello and it just says wait. So then I bought the mask because I thought maybe it sounded better than my interpretation.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, boy.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh boy.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, let's go to break.

[Jenna Fischer]

We'll be back.

[Angela Kinsey]

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[Jenna Fischer]

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[Angela Kinsey]

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[Angela Kinsey]

Okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

I wake up. I do not shower. I don't even have to brush my teeth. I just throw on a robe and I walk to the little kitchen and I pour myself a cup of coffee. The point is, I can start my day in private. I don't have to go to a lobby. I don't have to go to a diner next door.

[Angela Kinsey]

There's no chit chat in the elevator.

[Jenna Fischer]

No. My favorite thing are those slow, lazy, cozy mornings when I'm on vacation. I can take my time.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, I also love it, too. If you stay somewhere and it has, like, a hot tub, you know, it's just going to be you and your family. You're not going to be, like, trying to squeeze in there with a bunch of people.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. Or any kind of outdoor space is such a treat. Consider Airbnb for your next travel adventure. All right, we are back. And the special opens up on the Millennium Falcon. Chewbacca and Han Solo are racing through space.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

I mean, it opens in a somewhat promising way. You have no idea what lies ahead at this point.

[Angela Kinsey]

At this point, you're hopeful it's another Star wars movie. Oh, my gosh. The Imperial Forces. What's going to happen?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. This is when we're going to find out the plot of the whole thing, which is that it is Life Day and Chewbacca is trying to get home. Life Day is a holiday that is a combination of Christmas and Thanksgiving. And Han Solo says, I will get you home in time to celebrate with your family.

[Angela Kinsey]

You don't worry.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's it, everybody. That's the plot. Will they get home in time? Well, after that opening sequence, we've got a real healthy bunch of opening credits.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Where we introduce all of the actors and their characters and blah, blah, blah. And now we're gonna get into the meat of this story. We open on an exterior shot of a wooden home. It's built around a tree.

[Angela Kinsey]

Let's just say it's not a real structure. This is clearly like a drawing that they're using. It's fakey.

[Jenna Fischer]

I mean, it looks like it was made out of matchsticks, maybe. Or it's a drawing. I couldn't tell.

[Angela Kinsey]

It has a little bit of, like, a Ewok treehouse vibe, but nowhere near, like, as cool looking.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, we're gonna now Push inside. And it is Chewbacca's family home. And I wrote this. I'm four minutes into this movie and I'm already wondering if I can finish it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, we meet the family. We meet Chewbacca's wife, Mala, his son Lumpy, and his father, Itchy. And the opening shot here, it looks like, you know, Itchy is maybe whittling. He's whittling a wooden starfighter, maybe the T65X wing, maybe. And Lumpy keeps flying his wooden X wing by his grandfather's head. And Itchy's getting really ticked off. He, like, growls at him. He's like, argh. Itchy has a severe underbite and no teeth. No teeth.

[Jenna Fischer]

I found it upsetting.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's a little unsettling.

[Jenna Fischer]

He's hard to look at.

[Angela Kinsey]

He's a little unsettling to look at. At 4 minutes and 7 seconds. It cuts over to Mala in the kitchen. She's wearing an apron. Looks like she's starting to take out the trash. Little side note here. I really love the light in her kitchen. She gets great light in her tree house. She had some plants, but that was.

[Jenna Fischer]

Your takeaway from this scene.

[Angela Kinsey]

She has.

[Jenna Fischer]

Good for her.

[Angela Kinsey]

Good for her. Good for you. Mala, you've got some plants. It looked like she has a nice stovetop with a hood, maybe a kitchen island. The living room has a potbelly fireplace. I mean, this is a pretty nice tree house.

[Jenna Fischer]

They have turf for carpeting, which I thought was a strange choice.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, they're in a treehouse, but why.

[Jenna Fischer]

Bring the outside in?

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't know, Lumpy. Now guys really wants a snack. There's a bowl of something. Maybe worms. It's hard to tell. And his mom was like, uh, you take out the dang trash.

[Jenna Fischer]

But hold on. I just need us to note that no one is speaking anything but Wookie language.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, yeah. It's all just like. But this is my interpretation. Lumpy takes the trash out to their porch. Then he looks over the banister. You guys, they are high, high up in a tree. You can hear birds. Lumpy is, like, peering over, and guess what he decides to do? Walk on the top of the railing.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

What the heck? It's super high.

[Jenna Fischer]

It's very dangerous.

[Angela Kinsey]

I was very stressed out during this time.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Meanwhile, back inside, oblivious that Lumpy is, like, doing a tightrope walk, Itchy is still whittling, and Mala goes over to her bookshelf. She gets a photo of Chewbacca in a frame. She's really looking worried. And I did notice a few things on the bookshelf. They have very nice speakers, so great light, good speakers. Yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay, I want to tell you a little bit about what Bruce Vilanch had to say. Now, he was quoted as saying, quote, you've chosen to build a story around characters who don't speak. He went on to say, this was George Lucas vision, and he could not be moved. He said, and of course, Star wars was so gigantic that he had been validated a hundred times over. So he had what a director needs to have, which is this insane belief in their personal vision, and he was somehow gonna make it work. He also shared that it was George Lucas who named Chewbacca's father and son Itchy and Lumpy. But I guess the names are actually abbreviations of Attachikuk and Lumpawarrump.

[Angela Kinsey]

This sounds like when you have to make up a name, lady. This is like Belly. What was your name?

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, Betsy Bellywelly.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

You could come up with Star wars names.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. They also remind me of the names that Michael named his children a little bit.

[Angela Kinsey]

Or when you ask your kids to name the family pet, you get Lumpy and Itchy.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, those are their nicknames.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, well, Lumpy is back from, you know, walking on the balance beam thing, and he runs in, very excited. He's got this little gray square. Guess what? It's like a cassette tape. They have an enormous tape player, but it's not just any kind of tape player. It plays music in, like, a little tiny hologram pops up, and different aliens parade out, and they dance in these colorful outfits. They juggle. They do acrobatics. Imagine a tiny Cirque du Soleil.

[Jenna Fischer]

It was Cirque du Soleil. Cirque du Soleil had just hit the scene, and this was Cirque du Soleil.

[Angela Kinsey]

Lady, that is crazy.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, there's one dude in a really big, green, leafy leotard. He's kind of in charge of things. Imagine, like, a genie in a bottle vibe. But then he becomes bigger.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. Yeah. Mm. There still has been no talking outside of the Wookiee language.

[Angela Kinsey]

No, there hasn't been.

[Jenna Fischer]

We're a good, like, 10 minutes deep now.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. And, you know, Lumpy wants to keep watching his hologram tape, but his mom really wants him to do chores, and she keeps pointing to something in the kitchen, and then he has to go dry the dishes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, now, Mala is going to attempt a scan for any incoming ships. You know, is Chewbacca on his way? And initially, she has no success, but she eventually contacts Luke Skywalker and R2. D2.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. Here's the thing. They have so many computer screens in their house. I think they have too much computer.

[Jenna Fischer]

Screens, too much technology.

[Angela Kinsey]

Too much technology because she goes to the big family computer, and it doesn't work. Then she has a secret compartment in the bookshelf that she slides the doors open, and there's another, smaller computer. And they video call Luke Skywalker. He answers. He's with R2D2. And I think we need to hear their phone call.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right.

[Harvey Korman]

Hello, Mala.

[Angela Kinsey]

Bitchy, how you love me?

[Harvey Korman]

Where's Chewbacca?

[Angela Kinsey]

Wait a minute. One at a time.

[Harvey Korman]

Not now, R2. Oh, wait a minute. I don't like the looks of this.

[Angela Kinsey]

Let me get this fixed. That's their phone call.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's it.

[Angela Kinsey]

If you want to know what the first 10 minutes of this movie are like, that's it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, Luke is going to assure her that Han and Chewbacca are on their way, despite the lack of communication, because, come on, he's never missed a life day before, and he's not going to miss it this time.

[Angela Kinsey]

He tells her to smile.

[Jenna Fischer]

What did I soapbox about, honey?

[Angela Kinsey]

I know, I know, I know.

[Jenna Fischer]

There's another one coming up, too, I'm going to point out.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's that kiss. Oh, yeah, I know. Okay, yeah. He tells her to smile.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, now Mala is going to reach out to Sean Dan.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. But again, she's on the computer for a long time. She has to type a bunch of stuff. Finally, it flashes up on the screen. It says, Trading Post Wookie, Planet C.

[Jenna Fischer]

And Sean Dan is played by Art Carney. Art Carney was an actor and a comedian. He was one of the stars of the Honeymooners. He played Ed Norton opposite Jackie Gleason. He was nominated for seven Emmy Awards, and he won six. He also won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe in 1974. So right before this, he won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for this movie, Harry and Tonto. It's about an elderly man who goes on a road trip with his pet cat. I want you to hear the people he beat, okay? Albert Finney, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Nicholson, and Al Pacino.

[Angela Kinsey]

Wow.

[Jenna Fischer]

I just want everyone to understand the gravity of the actor that we got to play this role of Sean Dan.

[Angela Kinsey]

Mm. And his first line of dialogue, get ready for the beautiful writing here. He says, oh, Imperial Officer, I guess you'll want to see my identification.

[Jenna Fischer]

Mm.

[Angela Kinsey]

And then, in a very deep voice, this Imperial officer, whose helmet kind of looks like a bonnet and he has a really big mustache. He says, no, I'm off duty. I've come to look at your shop. He's got this really deep voice. Yeah, it cracked me up.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. And Mala is going to call him while this officer is there. So they're gonna have to kind of talk in code now. Yeah, because you know why? Why are they talking in code? This I did not understand. Why are they here? Why are they on this Wookiee planet? Why don't they want Chewbacca to come home for life day? Why are we sneaking? I don't get it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, Chewbacca is part of the resistance, so maybe there's that.

[Jenna Fischer]

At the end of Star wars, didn't we get rid of all this Imperial business? Didn't that happen? Did we blow. They blew up a whole planet, right? Yeah. Am I remembering this correctly?

[Sam Kiefer]

No, you're remembering it correctly.

[Angela Kinsey]

No, no, you're right.

[Jenna Fischer]

It doesn't make sense after Star wars and the happy ending of blowing up this planet. Now in this Christmas special, I'm learning that we're under the thumb of the Imperial forces again. But they blew up the Death Star.

[Sam Kiefer]

But they didn't obliterate the entire.

[Angela Kinsey]

They didn't get rid of the Imperial army, but they got rid of like.

[Jenna Fischer]

Almost everyone in it.

[Angela Kinsey]

They got rid of like death threats.

[Sam Kiefer]

They got rid of their death threatening death ray machine.

[Jenna Fischer]

Reorganized so quickly and have everyone under control again. Like what was even the point of blowing up the Death Star, like four seconds later where all everyone's scared of the officers again.

[Sam Kiefer]

Yep.

[Jenna Fischer]

By the way, who's in charge and.

[Angela Kinsey]

Why do we need to see this Imperial officer in a gadget shop? He doesn't really like anything. My favorite moment. I think we need to hear it when we learn that you can buy a pocket aquarium. Listen to his reaction to this gadget.

[Harvey Korman]

Oh, here we are. Here it is. A pocket size aquarium. Wonderful, isn't it? And you could take it with you anyway. And the tank is a snap clean. I hate fish.

[Angela Kinsey]

I'm telling you, I live for this guy. His voice, his reaction to everything. This scene is bonkers.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, at the end of the scene, Shondan is going to convince the officer that he needs this special groomer. And he's going to discuss the multiple uses of the groomer with the officer. He's going to make a sale and I'd like us to hear it.

[Harvey Korman]

Just a Grummel, you say? Evidently you haven't read the instructions of the warranty and the guarantee besides shaving and hair trimming, it's guaranteed to lift stains off clothing, faces, and hands, cleans teeth, fingers, and toenails, washes eyes, pierces ears, calculates, modulates and syncopates life rhythms, and can repeat the entire imperial penal code, all 17 in half the time of the old XP21. Just the thing to keep you squeaky clean.

[Jenna Fischer]

Mm.

[Angela Kinsey]

And you guys, if you see it.

[Jenna Fischer]

It'S like a stick with a brush on the end.

[Angela Kinsey]

Capulet modulate.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, after this, we are going to cut to Darth Vader.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

How exciting.

[Angela Kinsey]

Very exciting.

[Jenna Fischer]

Darth Vader tells his henchmen that he wants to find and identify the rebels, even if it means searching every every home in the system.

[Angela Kinsey]

Mm.

[Jenna Fischer]

I have a fun fact for you.

[Angela Kinsey]

What?

[Jenna Fischer]

James Earl Jones is the voice of Darth Vader, but he was originally uncredited in the Star wars movie. So this special marks the first time he was actually credited as the voice of Darth Vader.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, I have a tidbit for you.

[Jenna Fischer]

What is it?

[Angela Kinsey]

Apparently, George Lucas is not in the credits.

[Jenna Fischer]

He's not?

[Angela Kinsey]

That's what I read.

[Jenna Fischer]

Hmm. I didn't notice. We're gonna go back to the Wookiee home because that's where most of this special is set.

[Angela Kinsey]

Mala is busy cooking.

[Jenna Fischer]

She's watching a cooking show.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

She is watching Gormanda, who is played by Harvey Corman. Sort of a take on Julia Child. I think this is one of his.

[Angela Kinsey]

Three characters he plays.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. Harvey Korman rose to fame thanks to his role on the Carol Burnett show. During his 10 year run on the show, he received six Emmy nominations and he won four. He also starred in the Mel Brooks films Blazing Saddles and High Anxiety and the Disney film Herbie Goes Bananas. And I was relieved when this bit came up. I did appreciate this comedy bit.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, that's what he's there for.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Angela Kinsey]

He is wearing a gray sort of pompadour wig with a pink dress and a cape. His hands have these big gloves that come up. There might be more hands coming.

[Jenna Fischer]

There will be. Chef Gormanda is teaching you how to make bantha Surprise. This is a traditional dish served on life day, and Mala is following the instructions.

[Angela Kinsey]

It seems like the way you make it is you just kind of whip things into a frenzy.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. Here's an audio clip.

[Harvey Korman]

Cooking step one, we stir the mixture. Stir, stir, stir, stir, stir, stir, stir, stir, stir, stir. So very nice. Now step two, while we're stirring, we also whip. So it's stir, whip, stir, whip, whip, whip, stir, stir, whip, stir, whip, whip, whip, stir. Let's try it again together at an increased tempo. Because precision is very important in this recipe, and we do want to have a fine consistency, don't we? So. And on the count of one. Stir, whip, stir, whip, whip, whip, stir, stir, whip, stir, whip, whip, whip, stir. Come on, faster. Altogether now. Cooking can be fun, sir. Whip, stir, whip, whip, whip, stir, stir, whip, stir, whip, whip, whip.

[Angela Kinsey]

Chee wa.

[Jenna Fischer]

There you go.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

And during all the stirring and whipping, Gormanda gets a third arm and then a fourth arm.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. Well, here's what happens after that segment. Gormanda's like, you also gotta beat it. So then another arm comes out to beat it, and then you've gotta taste it, and another comes out to taste it, and then there's forearms going. This is comedy gold, you guys. I mean, Harvey is trying to keep up that one of the arms is. The other one's whipping, the other one's stirring, one's beating. His wig starts to fall apart. I mean, hilarious.

[Jenna Fischer]

Angela, did you know what banthas were? They serve as mounts for Tuscan raiders, and the two share a close, almost mystical bond. But Wookiees eat them.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, yeah.

[Sam Kiefer]

They have big, big horns. They're like giant sheep.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh, that's right.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's what they are. And they ride them.

[Jenna Fischer]

They look like a giant sheep. Wooly mammoth.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know what they are, Combo. I just didn't know the name. But you know what, what is this? Kind of like eating a horse, then?

[Jenna Fischer]

I mean, it feels like it's eating a unicorn because the thing has a mystical bond with its rider or eating a dragon or something. I mean, I don't know. But the Wookiees love it. I'll have you all know that if you would like, you can purchase the Star Wars Life Day Cookbook. I'm holding it in my hands right now. It contains, quote, official holiday recipes from a galaxy far, far away. And this was released after the holiday special. And there is a recipe for bantha surprise, which I thought maybe Josh could make for us.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

And he did.

[Angela Kinsey]

Jenna emailed Josh. Josh was like, ang, I just got a really weird email from Jenna. I was like, what do you mean? She was like, she wants me to make a type of stew for the podcast.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. If you look at the recipe, it is basically a recipe for beef stew.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. It's got carrots and onions, celery, and.

[Jenna Fischer]

So I'm excited to try it.

[Angela Kinsey]

I brought it today.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, the human version, the recipe calls for beef rather than bantha. And, Cassie, I know you're a vegetarian and you won't Be able to partake. So I did make us a special punch according to the Life Day cookbook that you can call. It's called Joe Blasto Punch.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh.

[Jenna Fischer]

Do you know who Joe Blasto is? I guess Joe Blasto is a classic. Husty's Life Day jingle.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's a song. Joe Blasto is a song, not a person.

[Jenna Fischer]

I guess it's a song. It's not in the special. The song is not in the special.

[Angela Kinsey]

You sing it on Life Day.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. And then here are the words in the cookbook.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh. Sing it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

Make up your own tune.

[Jenna Fischer]

It's written in both Wookiee and English.

[Angela Kinsey]

Do you want me to do the Wookiee part with my mask and you do the English part?

[Jenna Fischer]

Sure.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

I don't know the melody. Rumor has it that R3X, the DJ droid over at Oga's Cantina, has a collection of Joe Blasto remixes so extensive that it could play all Life day without ever repeating. So here's the Wookiee. I love that you're standing over my shoulder, as if this means anything to you. And I'll sing this part in a melody that I make up on the spot.

[Angela Kinsey]

And then I'll sing the Wookie part.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, sure. Over my shoulder.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

Are you ready? Joe Blasto. Joe Blasto Blasto mulira o ta panway bo eopi chopa g ba la kaya tup. I can't. I can't. That's all I can do. That's all I can do. No one wants to hear that. No one wants to hear us do that. I apologize.

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't even want to hear us.

[Jenna Fischer]

I. Everyone.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, that was special. We've now just made our own show Holiday special.

[Jenna Fischer]

Everybody, we are going to take a break. We're going to get out the bantha supposedly prize. I'm gonna get out the Joe Blasto punch and we'll be right back.

[Angela Kinsey]

You know, when you're traveling during the holiday season, it can be stressful. Especially if you're traveling and you lose an item of luggage or a person. Oh my gosh.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, there's that if you get separated.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. Like at an airport. Well, you can stress less this holiday by stocking up on Life360's tile trackers.

[Jenna Fischer]

You can easily find your family's lost or stolen stuff by just ringing your tile when something goes missing and then track down its location on the map. And LifeTracker360 is the first and only tracker with an SOS button. So if you triple press the button in the center of the tile. It will discreetly send an SOS alert to everyone in your life 360 circle.

[Angela Kinsey]

It is family friendly. You can add your tile Tracker to your Life360 and see your family and all your family stuff in one spot.

[Jenna Fischer]

Family Proof your family with Life360's Tile tracker. Visit tile.com today and use code officeladies to get 15% off.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's tile.com officeladies so I want to share with you something that I have started doing every year. I take a picture from our year like a special family memory and I make it into an ornament.

[Jenna Fischer]

I do that.

[Angela Kinsey]

Ah, you do?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes, I've been doing it for years.

[Angela Kinsey]

How have we never talked about this?

[Jenna Fischer]

I don't know. I have always used Shutterfly to do my Christmas cards. Same, but I also use Shutterfly to do my photo GIFs. Yes, especially during the holidays.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, it couldn't be easier. You upload photos from your phone to the Shutterfly app and you can start making your personalized item right then and there.

[Jenna Fischer]

You can design a Shutterfly calendar for your extended family or friend group. You can add in all the birthdays, all the anniversaries and other special holidays.

[Angela Kinsey]

I made my mom a calendar. All her grandkids are each month.

[Jenna Fischer]

Explore gifts like blankets, mugs, photo books and [e-mail] all easy to customize in minutes with your favorite photos.

[Angela Kinsey]

Enjoy 40% off your Shutterfly order with code officeladies and make something meaningful this year. Get free shipping on qualified orders C site for more details. You know it's that time of year where you reflect and you look back and sometimes you want to just mark what you've been through with something beautiful, something just for yourself, something maybe even sparkly. So if you're thinking of celebrating your past year with something sparkly, there's no better place to do it than at.

[Jenna Fischer]

Bluenile.Com Blue Nile offers some of the highest quality standards in the industry at prices that are significantly below traditional retail.

[Angela Kinsey]

Here's something that's great as well. If you have questions about what to get Blue Niles jewelry Experts are on hand 247 via phone or chat. From technical questions to budget suggestions, they're there to help you feel confident about every purchase.

[Jenna Fischer]

We each got a pair of earrings from Blue Nile and I actually used that service. I chatted with someone because I had a question about the prongs, like the.

[Angela Kinsey]

Setting that go on the back, and.

[Jenna Fischer]

They were very helpful. You also get 30 day returns and a diamond price match guarantee.

[Angela Kinsey]

Go to bluenile.com to shop. Blue Nile, the original online jeweler since 1999. That's bluenile.com bluenile.com they really have such beautiful things.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay, everyone, we're back. We've got our bantha surprise, our stew, and we have our punch. Ainsley is also a vegetarian, so Sam, Angela, let's try our bantha surprise. Okay, here I go. I mean, great. It's a beef stew.

[Sam Kiefer]

This is great.

[Jenna Fischer]

Highly recommend.

[Sam Kiefer]

If you base the movie off of this. This movie's great.

[Jenna Fischer]

The movie is terrific.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. We'll put the recipe in our stories. Josh will show you how to make it.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right, now let me try my punch. By the way, the punch, I should tell you what's in it, right? Let's see.

[Sam Kiefer]

This punch is insane, by the way.

[Jenna Fischer]

Insane in a good way.

[Angela Kinsey]

I need a sip of water. I don't think I can go from beef stew to this. It looks like. It looks like a rainbow ice cream in a cup.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, here's what it is. It is cranberry juice, pineapple juice, 7Up. And then you mix that together and you top it with a scoop of rainbow sherbet.

[Angela Kinsey]

Woo hoo.

[Jenna Fischer]

Here we go. Okay, everybody. And Ainsley, Cassie, you've got some.

[Sam Kiefer]

Oh, I told you this isn't a game.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay, here we go.

[Jenna Fischer]

It was more tart than I expected. The combination of.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, my Lord.

[Jenna Fischer]

Of like rich beef stew.

[Angela Kinsey]

I can't believe you didn't take a.

[Jenna Fischer]

Sip of water between the two chased with this punch. Okay, let me take another sip.

[Sam Kiefer]

All areas of the tongue.

[Jenna Fischer]

It makes my mouth want to expel it. I want to.

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't know if it's because I've had the mayonnaise and olives, but I'm like, this ain't so bad.

[Sam Kiefer]

Yeah, this is fine.

[Angela Kinsey]

Nothing can ever be as bad as that.

[Jenna Fischer]

Aynsley, Cassie, how did you like the punch?

[Ainsley Bubico]

It tastes exactly the way it looks and kind of like what I imagine unicorn droppings to taste like.

[Cassie Jerkins]

Yeah, it's way too tart. But it's close. But not as good as this punch my grandma makes for the holidays, which is just hi, C. Ginger ale and sherbet. Ooh, and that's really sweet and yummy and highly recommend. Like, so much sugar.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, Ainsley, you saw me make it. I measured it per the instructions.

[Ainsley Bubico]

You did.

[Angela Kinsey]

It looks like something like when our kids were young and we played potion. You know, like make your own potion. And it was like, what do we got in the kitchen that I'll let them pour into a cup?

[Ainsley Bubico]

Oh, you know what it looks like when you get one of those lush bath bombs?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Ainsley Bubico]

And it gets all frothy and rainbowy.

[Angela Kinsey]

And stains your bathtub.

[Ainsley Bubico]

Exactly.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, I guess Wookiees really like a tart drink the holidays, but. Okay, so I recommend the Bantha Surprise. I would pass on the Joe Blasto punch.

[Angela Kinsey]

I'm not hating the punch.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay. All right, everybody. Well, let's keep going with our breakdown. But I want to say I haven't hated this experience. I feel like maybe my tone so far is communicating a type of grumpiness.

[Sam Kiefer]

That's the highest compliment Jenna Fisher can give.

[Angela Kinsey]

I didn't hate it. I.

[Jenna Fischer]

You know, it's this experience. I look back on it with fondness. In a way. Anyway. All right, we're gonna get back on the Millennium Falcon again. And Han Solo is still having a hard time getting Chewie to his home planet.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, lady, the coordinates weren't the best. And they came out of hyperspace into an Imperial convoy.

[Jenna Fischer]

I've got some gems from Han Solo. How about this line? This is one Life Day we won't soon forget. And this one. Why do I always think taking you home for Life Day is gonna be easy? Why does he always think that?

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't know. But guess what? I just lost control of the remote cannons. I gotta go to the back and operate them manually. How do you operate them manually?

[Jenna Fischer]

I don't know. We're never going to see. We don't spend too much time.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, now the Empire is going to declare martial law. No ships are going to be permitted in or out without further notice. I have one thing to say.

[Jenna Fischer]

One thing. Go ahead.

[Angela Kinsey]

The number of times the Empire has to pop on your TV screen. It's constant. They're popping up all the time to tell you something. I'm like, can you turn it off? Do you have to have these people just popping up at your bar?

[Jenna Fischer]

At your home also? I guess they can. They can just pop up and they see you. Like, what if you're walking through your house like post shower, and they just pop up on your screen?

[Angela Kinsey]

I didn't think they could see you. I thought you could only see them.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, it's not clear.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's not clear.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, now Sean Dan is going to come over to the Wookie home.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, he's got a toy for Lumpy. And I thought it was a sewing machine for Mala, but it's not. It's a Projector I don't know what.

[Jenna Fischer]

He gives Mala, but before he gives.

[Angela Kinsey]

Her the gift, she gotta give him a little kiss.

[Jenna Fischer]

Give him a kiss on the cheek for a gift she didn't ask for. Why?

[Angela Kinsey]

Why? Why doesn't Sean Dan's shirt have a button or a zipper? It is, like, all the way to his navel. It is open.

[Jenna Fischer]

It's very open.

[Angela Kinsey]

A lot of open real estate there.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. He is going to give Itchy a proton pack so that he can get his mind evaporator working.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. It's like he sits down in, like, an old timey hair salon dryer. And, you know, he kind of leans down to Itchy and kind of smirks and goes, I mean, this is wow. And then, if you know what I mean, happy life day. And I do mean happy life day. I'm like, what's with the creepy dialogue? And then.

[Jenna Fischer]

What's with the creepy dialogue? It's foreshadowing for what we're about to see. Here's what happens. Itchy puts this virtual reality headset on.

[Angela Kinsey]

He sits under it. It's like a hairdryer.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. And then Mermia is this very sexy holographic image played by Diane Carroll.

[Angela Kinsey]

I just want you guys to hear. I want you to hear some of.

[Jenna Fischer]

The things she's saying.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, let's just listen to it. Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

She's wearing a sparkly wig and this off the shoulder gown. So just imagine Diane Carroll looking incredible in Bob Mackie.

[Angela Kinsey]

This is the gift that Sean gives to the grandpa.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. Oh, yes.

[Harvey Korman]

I can feel my creation. I'm getting your message.

[Angela Kinsey]

Are you getting mine?

[Harvey Korman]

Oh. Oh, we are excited, aren't we?

[Angela Kinsey]

We'll just relax. Just relax. Yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

Now we can have a good time, can't we?

[Harvey Korman]

Oh.

[Angela Kinsey]

I'll tell you a secret.

[Jenna Fischer]

I find you adorable.

[Angela Kinsey]

I'll tell you a secret.

[Jenna Fischer]

I find you adorable. I find you adorable.

[Angela Kinsey]

I find you adorable. Yeah. He keeps rewinding it. She says it over and over. This is crazy to me. Grandpa is sitting in the middle of the kitchen getting off. Happy holidays.

[Jenna Fischer]

She's gonna go on to say things like, I am your fantasy. I am your experience. I am your pleasure.

[Angela Kinsey]

Experience me.

[Jenna Fischer]

Then she's gonna perform a song. This was an original song written for the special called this Minute Now. And it is the least melodic song I've ever heard in my life. And I thought we should listen to some of it, really?

[Angela Kinsey]

Because there's one more coming up that's going to give it a run for its money. If we could only bend this Minute.

[Harvey Korman]

Infinitely.

[Jenna Fischer]

Extend this minute.

[Harvey Korman]

Then I could live my whole life right now.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh.

[Harvey Korman]

Reality is sweet.

[Angela Kinsey]

This minute.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay. I can't anymore with it. Okay, that was enough.

[Sam Kiefer]

It sounds like when you sing to your cat or when you sing to your pets.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, it does.

[Jenna Fischer]

It really does. Can I talk to you, though, about Diane Carroll?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes, please.

[Jenna Fischer]

Diane Carroll is such a freaking badass. She was an actress, a singer, a model and an activist. She starred in this television show called Julia. And this role was significant because it was the first American television show to star a black woman in a non stereotypical role. And she won the Golden Globe for her performance. She also received an Emmy nomination. She didn't win, but she was the first black woman nominated for a primetime Emmy award. She was also the first black woman to win the Tony Award for best actress in a musical for her role in the musical no Strings. She's very famous for playing Dominique Devereaux in the primetime soap opera Dynasty. And she has appeared on Grey's Anatomy.

[Angela Kinsey]

She's a badass.

[Jenna Fischer]

She is an absolute powerhouse. And, you know, I'm sort of noting all of the cameo stars, the level of their fame. These were, like, huge gets for this Star wars special.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

And we haven't even gotten to Bea Arthur yet.

[Angela Kinsey]

No. Well, now Princess Leia and C3PO are gonna contact the Wookies. And lady, this conversation was like. I know we keep saying this where you're just kind of like, what? I have to read it to you? Okay, I transcribed it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Oh.

[Angela Kinsey]

They come on the screen and Princess Leia says, tamala, happy life day. And then Mala says a bunch of stuff, right? And then C3PO translates and says. She says, it might seem like a happy life day for you, but personally, she's seen happier ones. Princess Leia doesn't react at all. She goes, I don't want to tie up the channels. Can you put Wookiee or Han on the phone? Like, what? What? She's just told you she's upset. She's like, yeah, can you put someone else on the phone? Then Mala says a bunch more stuff, and basically they find out that they haven't arrived yet. There's been no communication.

[Jenna Fischer]

It's the same information that we started the special with.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes.

[Jenna Fischer]

We have to repeat it over and over again. Everyone who Mala calls or anyone who calls Mala.

[Angela Kinsey]

But guess what Princess Leia's reaction is to this.

[Jenna Fischer]

What?

[Angela Kinsey]

She says, are you alone? And Mala says, no, I have a friend here. And Leah goes, can I talk to him? Like, what?

[Jenna Fischer]

What the.

[Angela Kinsey]

Why? Why? Can't Mala speak for herself? So now Shondan comes to the screen, and Leia asks him to take care of the Wookiees until Chewy's arrival and that she'll be contacting him again soon. She couldn't tell Mala that. She couldn't say hang tight.

[Jenna Fischer]

Exactly. Mala can understand her. She could have just said that, right to Mala. It's not like Sean Dan then translates it into Wookiee.

[Angela Kinsey]

Exactly. It's just hilarious to me that Princess Leia just keeps saying, is there someone else I can talk to?

[Jenna Fischer]

All right, we're back on the Millennium Falcon. We're going to check in. Han Solo decides they need to land on the north side of the planet for safety reasons. There's just too much Imperial traffic.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's gonna be a long walk. Chewbacca's not happy about it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Now there is a commotion in the Wookiee home. Mala and Lumpy assume that it is Chewbacca who has arrived at last. So she opens her front door only to discover two stormtroopers and an Imperial officer.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, they sort of scan the place, and then they say, all right, this unit is occupied by four Wookies. Two males and one adult female and one male child. Where is the other male?

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, where is he?

[Angela Kinsey]

The first thing they're going to do is check out Sean Dan's identification. And it checks out, but Lumpy is upset. He kind of growls at the guard. And Sean is trying to get Molly to come in the kitchen because he has a plan. He's going to try to distract the stormtroopers. And he plays that music video box, which I think is the gift that he gave her for one of the stormtroopers. And he watches Jefferson's starship.

[Jenna Fischer]

I was very confused because what are they distracting them from? They're keeping them in the home by engaging them in this music box. But really, everybody, this is an excuse to get a performance from Jefferson's starship. Taking you back in time. Jefferson Starship was huge. They were originally Jefferson Airplane. And you might know their hit, Somebody to Love. Let's take a listen.

[Angela Kinsey]

When the truth is found to be lies and all the joy within you. Miles. Don't you want somebody to love? Don't you need somebody to love? Wouldn't you love somebody to love? You better find somebody to love.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's right. We love that. Yeah, right. They were a very popular band. They're from San Francisco. In fact, they were one of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock. Two songs from their breakout album, Surrealistic Pillow, were on Rolling Stone's list of 500 greatest songs of all time, one was Somebody to Love, and the other was White Rabbit. Remember that song? But shortly before this special came out, they had broken up, and a few of the original band members created a new band called Jefferson Star Ship. And they.

[Angela Kinsey]

Not an airplane.

[Jenna Fischer]

Nope.

[Angela Kinsey]

Still a flying object.

[Jenna Fischer]

Correct. Still Jefferson.

[Angela Kinsey]

Not Jefferson Submarine.

[Jenna Fischer]

No, no, no. Flying in the air.

[Angela Kinsey]

Flying in the air.

[Jenna Fischer]

Could have been Jefferson Jet, maybe.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. Jefferson Boeing.

[Jenna Fischer]

Jefferson Hot air balloon.

[Angela Kinsey]

Jefferson Kite.

[Jenna Fischer]

All things that are in the sky. They went with Jefferson Big birds.

[Angela Kinsey]

Stop.

[Jenna Fischer]

Jefferson Eagle.

[Angela Kinsey]

This is making us loopy. Breaking this down is making us loopy.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay, well, in this special, they played a song that they wrote called Light the Sky on Fire. During production, though, the song was given a different title. This was the working title of the song.

[Angela Kinsey]

So this is what would have been like on a script. Like, now Jefferson Starship plays this song.

[Jenna Fischer]

They changed it to Light the Sky on Fire when they released it, but the working title was and I can't believe this didn't stick because it's so. This rolls off the tongue. It is. It is. It has parentheses in it. It is Cigar shaped object. Parentheses. Vanished without a trace.

[Angela Kinsey]

What?

[Jenna Fischer]

Can you believe that? That name didn't stick.

[Angela Kinsey]

Cigar shaped object.

[Jenna Fischer]

Cigar shaped object. Vanished without a Trace was the original title of the song. This appearance marked Marty Bailyn's final appearance with Jefferson Starship. He was one of the members who broke off. The lyrics of the song mention a, quote, cigar, great God. I didn't get the cigar. Oh, here, this might be it. They mention a great God named Copakon who, quote, came from the stars and vanished. So is Copakan a cigar? Cigar shaped. Who is Copacon? Do we hear about this person later in Star Wars?

[Sam Kiefer]

Not that it comes from memory.

[Jenna Fischer]

We don't know. Okay, well, the version that they played on the special was never released, but a shortened single was released. But rather than listen to it, Angela, I would like to instead take you back to the late 80s to your middle school mixer.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

So that we can listen to this song by Jefferson Starship. You're welcome. All right. I'll get up and dance with you.

[Angela Kinsey]

The pony.

[Jenna Fischer]

Remember the pony. We're say you don't know me. That's right.

[Angela Kinsey]

Get my high tops with my scrunchie socks. Crimp my hair.

[Jenna Fischer]

We needed this palette cleanser.

[Angela Kinsey]

We did.

[Jenna Fischer]

We really did. We built this city.

[Angela Kinsey]

We did.

[Jenna Fischer]

That was the song that we couldn't wait to come on at the mixers when I was in seventh and Eighth grade.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right, well, we're basically going to go now from a five minute musical performance to a ten minute cartoon.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, here's what happened. You know, Lumpy, he kind of growls at a guard, and the stormtrooper's like, really mean. They shove Itchy to the ground. Lumpy starts freaking out. The General says, keep them quiet or else.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, or else what?

[Angela Kinsey]

So Mala puts on one of Lumpy's favorite cartoons. The stormtrooper walks over, he's like, what's this all about? And then quickly, Lumpy pretends to be playing, like, a video game. And then when he walks away, it cuts to, he's watching this cartoon.

[Jenna Fischer]

Why he couldn't know that he's watching a cartoon, I don't know.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's about the resistance. That's probably why.

[Jenna Fischer]

So maybe it's like, right. But while he's watching the cartoon, the stormtroopers are gonna supposedly search the residence. How big is the residence? I can see the whole bottom floor. And when they go upstairs, it looks like one bedroom.

[Angela Kinsey]

It's just. It's Lumpy's room up there, that large.

[Jenna Fischer]

When the cartoon came on, it's called the Faithful Wookiee, and I didn't watch it.

[Angela Kinsey]

I watched the whole thing.

[Jenna Fischer]

I just. I just. I couldn't watch it.

[Angela Kinsey]

I watched it. It's much better than the holiday special. Truly, if you're gonna watch anything, just watch this.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, according to the Nielsen data, you can see that the ratings for the special fall off after the cartoon. People stayed for the cartoon, and then they were like, I'm out.

[Angela Kinsey]

You can find just the cartoon on YouTube now, and you don't have to watch the special. But basically, I'll sum it up for you. Luke Skywalker, C3PO, and R2D2, they're searching for a talisman, and the Millennium Falcon crashes on the water moon of Pana with the main characters on board. Then they run into Boba Fett, who saves Luke from a giant monster. And he claims to be there to help them, but as it turns out, he's actually working for Darth Vader.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, here's a fun fact. This cartoon introduced the character of Boba Fett to the Star wars universe.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, some might think that, but yes, it introduced everyone to Boba Fett in a television medium, on a screen. But some fans might be surprised to know that the very first proper public appearance of Boba Fett wasn't on the big screen or even on tv. Boba first appeared at a parade for the San Asilmo county fair in September of 1978. He was in a parade. Before he was ever on screen, he was in a parade.

[Jenna Fischer]

How did anyone know who he was? How'd he end up in the parade?

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, I will tell you. There is a documentary called under the the Legacy of Boba Fett on Disney, and it talks all about it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Huh. Well, there you go. Mm. I have a question about the cartoon, because I did watch a little bit of it, and I am trying to wrap my head around it. So what's happening is Lumpy is watching a cartoon about his actual dad.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. His dad must be famous because his.

[Jenna Fischer]

Dad has been made into a cartoon. Okay. He loved it. Now we're going to cut back and see that the Wookiee home is just being completely destroyed by the troopers and this officer. They found nothing. They've trashed Lumpy's room. And then the officer is like, clean up your room. I think it's hilarious to trash a child's room. So funny.

[Angela Kinsey]

They discover that Lumpy stuffed animal, which was a bantha, had been decapitated.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, they ripped his head off.

[Angela Kinsey]

I know.

[Jenna Fischer]

They're jerks. Lumpy is now going to for a reason I didn't understand.

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't get it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Gonna watch an instructional video on how to rebuild his mini transmitter.

[Angela Kinsey]

You kind of just have to make the jump that the stormtroopers wrecked it, and now he's trying to fix it.

[Jenna Fischer]

I guess this is going to be another comedy bit from Harvey Korman.

[Angela Kinsey]

This is really just a bunch of physical comedy. It's the worst instructional video ever because the person giving it slowly.

[Jenna Fischer]

He's a robot.

[Angela Kinsey]

He's a robot who slowly shuts down.

[Jenna Fischer]

He's, like, malfunctioning. Why would you publish this video if you took this video? It's not live, right? It's not a live video.

[Angela Kinsey]

No.

[Jenna Fischer]

Right. He's watching a video. Like, if we went on YouTube to be like, how do I fix my dishwasher?

[Angela Kinsey]

And the one that you're watching is broken. It shorts out as you watch it.

[Jenna Fischer]

If the robot instructor keeps shorting out, why would you post it? Why wouldn't you get your robot in order before you posted the video?

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't know.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay?

[Angela Kinsey]

But Harvey Korman does some really funny physical comedy here.

[Jenna Fischer]

He does. He does now on the tv.

[Angela Kinsey]

I'm not sure why, but we're transmitted to Tatooine.

[Jenna Fischer]

We're at Bea Arthur's bar, Ackmina. Ackmeena is played by Bea Arthur. She runs this bar. She's Tasked with managing the bar. It's very busy. And now we have another character played by Harvey Korman. His name is Krelman. He has six fingers, and he drinks liquid by pouring liquid into the top of his head. He's gonna come over and he's gonna order a drink. And I just really love Bea Arthur in this scene. And I thought we should hear it. She's not taken any of his bs.

[Harvey Korman]

What'll it be?

[Angela Kinsey]

Hello?

[Harvey Korman]

At Mina. Okay, we'll do it your way. Hello. Now we'll do it my way. What'll it be? Can we talk? Well, of course we can talk. We are talking. You're not ordering. I'm not pouring. We are not drinking. We are talking. I'm moving this to make room for a drink so that next time I say, what'll it be? And you tell me. I can put it right there. It doesn't matter.

[Jenna Fischer]

Give me anything.

[Harvey Korman]

I'll have one of those. I'm sorry I couldn't get back before. Before what? Until. Until now?

[Angela Kinsey]

Until tonight.

[Harvey Korman]

I thought about it a dozen times, but I had to be sure. Excuse me. I have a customer waiting. I'll be right back. Come back soon. I'll be waiting.

[Jenna Fischer]

I just love her. I feel like she's the Jo Bennett of the Star Wars Special.

[Angela Kinsey]

She is.

[Jenna Fischer]

She's like, fine, we'll do it your way. Hello. Now we'll do it my way. What do you have exactly?

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, you know, I read that Bea Arthur's performance by all the critics at the time was singled out as a highlight of this holiday special.

[Jenna Fischer]

It was the highlight for me.

[Angela Kinsey]

Mm.

[Jenna Fischer]

This whole section, and this was all directed. Her whole section. She's about to Sing was directed by the first director. And I guess there are some rumors that the shoot was 24 hours.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, my gosh.

[Jenna Fischer]

It was a crazy, crazy shoot day.

[Angela Kinsey]

I saw in an interview that BE Arthur said she was cast as Acmena thanks to her friendship with Ken and Mitzi Welch, two of the show's producers. They also wrote the song Goodnight But Not Goodbye, which is the song that.

[Jenna Fischer]

She'S going to sing in a second. Bea Arthur's commitment to the reality of the scene is really incredible. She is so fantastic. These Imperial Guards are going to come on the screen and they're going to impose a curfew. Everyone has to leave the bar.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. She said, guys, we're closing. They're closing me down. You got to leave.

[Jenna Fischer]

But everyone saw the Imperial Guard come on the screen and impose this curfew. It's not like she took a phone call in the back.

[Angela Kinsey]

No. They pop up on a screen like.

[Jenna Fischer]

They do, but no one will leave.

[Angela Kinsey]

They don't care.

[Jenna Fischer]

Why? Why won't they leave?

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't know.

[Jenna Fischer]

Why is she the only person afraid of this curfew?

[Angela Kinsey]

She's like, begging them, you guys, you gotta go.

[Jenna Fischer]

She's like, I'll give you one more round of drinks and I'm gonna sing you a song. And then you got to go.

[Angela Kinsey]

You gotta leave. She should have put on the holiday special.

[Jenna Fischer]

You know what? She didn't have it yet.

[Angela Kinsey]

She didn't have it yet.

[Jenna Fischer]

She didn't know. Let me tell you a little bit about Bea Arthur. She was an actress, a comedian, and a singer. She began her career on stage where she won a Tony for playing Vera in Mame. So she was really a famous stage actress, musical theater star. By the time she did this special, she was very well known for being in the comedy series all in the Family and Maude, for which she won an Emmy award. The holiday special was pre Golden Girls. Though. Here's a fun fact about Bea Arthur. She has received the third most Emmy award nominations with nine. Do you know who's received the most?

[Angela Kinsey]

Lucille Ball.

[Jenna Fischer]

No. Julia Louis Dreyfus.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, my goodness.

[Jenna Fischer]

Has been nominated 11 times. Mary Tyler Moore has been nominated 10, and Bea Arthur has been nominated nine. Like, real chops in the special. Everyone.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, like, serious amazing talent showed up for this thing.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, she does eventually get everyone to leave. And one other fun fact about this scene is that some of the same aliens that we saw in the cantina in Star wars are in the cantina again. Including the band.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes, I clocked that.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. Do you know the band's name?

[Angela Kinsey]

No, I don't.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay. Figrin d'an. And the modal nodes.

[Angela Kinsey]

Again, very similar to your. To Billy.

[Jenna Fischer]

What is it? I thought it was Betsy Belly welly or something.

[Angela Kinsey]

I'm telling you. Maybe you and George Lucas, same brain.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, we're really good at naming things.

[Angela Kinsey]

To sound like snowflakers.

[Jenna Fischer]

I know.

[Angela Kinsey]

Flunky Lokies.

[Jenna Fischer]

All right, back at the Wookie House, we hear an announcement. The Imperial Guards are being told to return to base. Return to base. But are they. Are they being told that? Or is it a trick from Lumpy who got his little device working?

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, we don't know. Again, there's just so much keeping up with the Imperial soldiers. There's so many announcements.

[Jenna Fischer]

I know.

[Angela Kinsey]

I would just have announcement fatigue.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, the stormtrooper goes upstairs and catches Lumpy on his device. He takes it and he smashes it. And he chases him downstairs. And all of a sudden, guess who walks in the door? Han and Chewbacca.

[Angela Kinsey]

They made it.

[Jenna Fischer]

But the Imperials are still present. Chewbacca immediately runs to protect Lumpy. Han confronts this whole situation, and he kills the Stormtrooper by tricking him into falling off the balcony. This is probably why.

[Angela Kinsey]

Maybe they established how high up they were.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah, it's a very, very short fight. So all of this has been leading up to possibly one of the shortest fights I've ever seen in a movie. It's like two punches and a fake, and then the guy's off the railing and it's over.

[Angela Kinsey]

Sometimes that's all it takes.

[Jenna Fischer]

I guess that's all it takes. The Wookiees embrace each other. And then there's this ang. What is happening between Chewy and his wife? What was that?

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't know. First of all, it's like they're.

[Jenna Fischer]

They come together like they're gonna kiss.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah, but.

[Jenna Fischer]

But they don't kiss. They just sort of breathe in each other's faces.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Is it. Was I meant to feel that as. What is it? Is it longing? Is it. Is she mad? Is she, like, I'm still kind of grumpy because you.

[Angela Kinsey]

It looked tender. It looked tender. I don't exactly.

[Jenna Fischer]

Anyone back there. Did you. What was your take on the Chewy Mala embrace?

[Angela Kinsey]

We've lost them.

[Jenna Fischer]

Please hold.

[Angela Kinsey]

They've left.

[Harvey Korman]

Yeah.

[Sam Kiefer]

They just kind of breathe in each other's mouths for a minute.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. They don't ever kiss. Or maybe that's. Do Wookiees not kiss?

[Angela Kinsey]

Maybe that's their form of kissing.

[Sam Kiefer]

No, Wookiees kiss.

[Cassie Jerkins]

Wookie's got a kiss. And, like, I don't know. Molly's been making that dinner worried about him, and that's all she gets.

[Angela Kinsey]

I like how quickly you guys were like, no, they kissed. Let me tell you.

[Jenna Fischer]

No, Cassie, my thing was that I thought was, like, giving him, like, a cold shoulder a little bit. Like, he came in to kiss, but, like, he could tell she was still a little pissed.

[Cassie Jerkins]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Or something.

[Cassie Jerkins]

Yeah, I like that.

[Jenna Fischer]

I don't know.

[Cassie Jerkins]

He's got a really, you know, win her back later tonight.

[Jenna Fischer]

I guess he does.

[Sam Kiefer]

I love that you're writing backstory for it.

[Angela Kinsey]

You know, the one thing that really got me is just, you know how Han is like, hey, you know, you guys are like family to me. You know? And then I'm sure in the stage direction it said, mala looks at Han with adoration. Or something like that. But if you zoom in on Mala's face, the look is so crazy. She's like. Like, the look is so crazy.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah.

[Angela Kinsey]

Anyway.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay, well, they don't make a lot of different facial expressions.

[Angela Kinsey]

There's not a lot.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, Han is gonna leave. He's off. He's like, bye.

[Angela Kinsey]

He gotta go.

[Jenna Fischer]

Les killed that guy. Where's he going for life now?

[Angela Kinsey]

I don't know.

[Jenna Fischer]

We don't know. We'll see him later.

[Angela Kinsey]

Harrison Ford just looked happy to exit stage right.

[Jenna Fischer]

But no sooner is the family reunited than another Imperial officer appears on the screen.

[Angela Kinsey]

So many announcements now.

[Jenna Fischer]

This is an alert. There's a missing stormtrooper. They've already discovered that this stormtrooper is missing.

[Angela Kinsey]

And this is why I think that they can't see you. Because then Sean Dan is like, I got this. He puts in his identification. He's like, he robbed me and went off to the forest. And they're like, thank you very much. We'll go send out a search party. Case closed. Done.

[Jenna Fischer]

Is it, though? Are they just leaving this stormtrooper's body at the bottom of this tree thing? Where does that go? Also, how do you get up there? Is there an elevator? How do you get on the front porch of this thing? It's just. It's built around a tree really high up. Like, do you zip line in, lady? How do you get to the balcony? To the front door, lady?

[Angela Kinsey]

You didn't zoom in.

[Jenna Fischer]

No. Is there a bridge?

[Angela Kinsey]

There's an escalator.

[Jenna Fischer]

You're. You're messing with me.

[Angela Kinsey]

Could you imagine that little escalator?

[Jenna Fischer]

What, though? Seriously? Are they gonna bury this? They're just like, oh, they tricked them. Like, what?

[Angela Kinsey]

There's a lot of things you've gotta just make a mental jump for.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay.

[Angela Kinsey]

These are two of them. How do you get into the tree house? What happened to the body?

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay, well, with the danger now past, Chewbacca's family prepares to attend the Life Day festival.

[Angela Kinsey]

There's these gold glowing orbs, and they're wearing red robes that kind of look like they're in a church choir. And somehow they. Are they teleported to this Tree of Life ceremony?

[Jenna Fischer]

I think so. I'll have you know, in the Star the Life Day Cookbook, it's not just food recipes. There are also instructions on how to decorate and dress for the holiday.

[Angela Kinsey]

For Life Day.

[Jenna Fischer]

For Life Day. That's right. So you can make a Life Day orb if you'd like. Here is how you're going to do it. You Are going to buy 12 clear glass ornaments.

[Angela Kinsey]

Okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

White glass paint and 12 balloon lights. And basically pour glass paint into a paper bowl, hold the ornament by the top, dip it in the paint about a third of the way up, let it dry, and then when it's dry, put a balloon light inside the end. Or would you like to make a Life Day robe?

[Angela Kinsey]

Can I just order one from my church?

[Jenna Fischer]

Nope. Here's how you make it. You're going to need two yards of red fabric. Scissors. And two yards of red ribbon end. Cut diagonally.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's important. That's it.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes. Measure the fabric to the desired length of the robe. Cut a hole in the top. Put your mop through it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Come on. This is like.

[Jenna Fischer]

And then tie a ribbon around your waist. I'm not joking. That's it.

[Angela Kinsey]

Come on. This is what you do. Like, if you want to be a ghost at Halloween, but you didn't get your costume in time, so you just cut a hole in a pillowcase for your kid.

[Jenna Fischer]

And this did not need a page in a book. No, this did not.

[Angela Kinsey]

You know what that is?

[Jenna Fischer]

What?

[Angela Kinsey]

Fluff.

[Jenna Fischer]

That's some fluff at the end of the book.

[Angela Kinsey]

That's some fluff.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. Take us to the end of this special ang. Tell us how it ends.

[Angela Kinsey]

Well, I sure will. So everybody pretty much is all gathered together. There's a lot of folks in robes. Han Solo's there.

[Jenna Fischer]

Princess leia, Luke Skywalker, C3PO, R2D2. They're all there.

[Angela Kinsey]

Everybody's there. And Princess Leia has a pretty big speech and then goes into song. I think we should hear it.

[Harvey Korman]

This holiday is yours. But we all share with you the hope that this day brings us closer to freedom and to harmony and to peace. No matter how different we appear, we're all the same in our struggle against the powers of evil and darkness. I hope that this day will always be a day of joy in which we can reconfirm our dedication and our courage, and more than anything else, our love for one another.

[Jenna Fischer]

Here's the song.

[Harvey Korman]

It's called this is the promise of the tree of life.

[Jenna Fischer]

Life Day.

[Harvey Korman]

We celebrate a day of peace.

[Angela Kinsey]

This reminds me so much of how I try to sing good at church. Yeah, I love Carrie Fisher. It's got a little bit of that for me, though.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. This, incidentally, you're hearing it now. This is set to the main title music for Star wars by John Williams.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. It starts to come in there. As she sings this, everyone slowly files out. Everyone in their robes that they Cut a hole in and tied a ribbon around their waist. They're all filing out, and the camera pushes in on Chewbacca's face. He's kind of looking off in the distance, and we see a montage of scenes from the first Star wars movie. And then it comes back to Chewbacca and his family, and they're sitting down for dinner with the gold orbs in the center of their table. They bow their heads as if to pray, and the credits roll.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yeah. There you have it, everybody. The Star Wars Holiday special.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Thank you, Cassie.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah. Cassie, you are no longer allowed to write into. Dear office ladies, I just want you to know you've been banned.

[Cassie Jerkins]

Oh, okay.

[Sam Kiefer]

I want to know what your review of it. How many stars out of 10?

[Jenna Fischer]

0. 0 stars. Maybe one star for Bea Arthur.

[Angela Kinsey]

Bea Arthur? Bea Arthur gets a star.

[Sam Kiefer]

IMDb rates it at 2.2 out of 10.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Mm. Generous.

[Angela Kinsey]

You know what? Bea Arthur gets a star for me, and so does that first stormtrooper that says, I hate fish.

[Sam Kiefer]

So that's two.

[Angela Kinsey]

He gets a one and maybe one and a half star.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, maybe he gets a star. Here's what I think it is. Bea Arthur gets a star. Harvey Korman, three characters.

[Angela Kinsey]

Yes. He gets a star.

[Jenna Fischer]

He gets a star. And then a half a star for the stormtrooper who doesn't like fish.

[Angela Kinsey]

There's our rating.

[Jenna Fischer]

Two and a half stars.

[Cassie Jerkins]

And, Jenna, can I ask, do you still consider yourself a Star wars fan?

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, I never considered myself a fan.

[Sam Kiefer]

I feel like this didn't turn the tides for you.

[Jenna Fischer]

No, did not turn me into a Star wars fan. Ainsley, have you ever seen Star wars ever?

[Ainsley Bubico]

Not until 2019. I think I saw the first two.

[Jenna Fischer]

Okay, so you're like, I have no idea what happened as an adult. Yeah. And I did like them. I liked those three, but I'm. I don't need to see any more of the world. But I really did enjoy Star Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, but that is. I'm done. And now I've seen this.

[Angela Kinsey]

I will watch all of them. This is my least favorite in the fandom, but I will watch them all.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, a big thank you to Ainsley for joining us today for this recording, and thank you so much for your outline for watching it.

[Angela Kinsey]

We're sorry, but we had to have you here with us to bear witness.

[Jenna Fischer]

To this moment, and we feel like, as a gift, you should be the one to take home the Star Wars Life Day cookbook.

[Ainsley Bubico]

I am so honored, and I will take it thank you.

[Angela Kinsey]

Please, please make one of the robes and show it to us someday.

[Jenna Fischer]

Yes.

[Ainsley Bubico]

Okay.

[Jenna Fischer]

Well, everyone, if you have an idea for an upcoming Office Ladies six episode, we'd love to hear from you.

[Angela Kinsey]

And if your name is Cassie, sorry, do not.

[Jenna Fischer]

Angela is going to post a link to our dear Office Ladies mailbag in the Office Ladies pod stories today. And remember, it can really be any topic. Just what do you want to hear us talk about? Please, though, can I have a break from Fantasy Sci Fi? I'm begging you. Can we make Angela watch a horror movie?

[Angela Kinsey]

No, I don't want to watch a horror movie. I hate horror movies.

[Jenna Fischer]

Maybe.

[Angela Kinsey]

No.

[Jenna Fischer]

Write in and let us know. And please join us next Wednesday for our interview with Kathy Bates.

[Angela Kinsey]

Oh, my gosh. We were so excited.

[Jenna Fischer]

We'll see you then.

[Angela Kinsey]

This sherbet and stu are such a disgusting combo. It's coming back on me in a gross, gross way. I drink my whole drink.

[Sam Kiefer]

Yeah, I feel.

[Angela Kinsey]

I feel weird. Gross.

[Jenna Fischer]

I think we should end on that.

[Harvey Korman]

Yeah.

[Jenna Fischer]

Thank you for listening to Office Ladies.

[Angela Kinsey]

Office Ladies is a presentation of Odyssey and is produced by Jenna Fisher and Angela Kinsey.

[Jenna Fischer]

Our executive producer is Cassie Jerkins, our audio engineer is Sam Kiefer, and our associate producer is Ainsley Bubico.

[Angela Kinsey]

Odyssey's executive producer producers are Jenna Weiss Berman and Leah Reese. Dennis.

[Jenna Fischer]

Office Ladies is mixed and mastered by Chris Basil.

[Angela Kinsey]

Our theme song is Rubber Tree by Creed Bratton.

[Harvey Korman]

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Whether you love true crime or comedy, celebrity interviews or news, you call the shots on what's in youn Podcast Cue. And guess what? Now you can call them on your auto insurance, too. With the Name youe Price Tool from Progressive, it works just the way it sounds. You tell Progressive how much you want to pay for car insurance and they'll show you coverage options that fit your budget. Get your quote [e-mail] to join the over 28 million drivers who trust Progressive, Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Price and coverage match limited by state law.