Stuff You Should Know – Selects: Star Wars Holiday Spectacular

Hosts: Josh Clark, Chuck Bryant, Jerry Roland
Release Date: December 13, 2025

Episode Overview

This fan-favorite "Stuff You Should Know" rerun dives deep into the infamous 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special—a two-hour television variety show regarded as a legendary disaster by Star Wars fans and pop culture historians alike. Hosts Josh, Chuck, and Jerry unravel how it happened, what made it so uniquely awful (yet fascinating), and why it has persisted in internet legend.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Holiday Special: Why Did This Happen?

• The special was created as a way to keep Star Wars in the public's mind between A New Hope (1977) and The Empire Strikes Back.
• TV executives at CBS pitched the idea to George Lucas, who was interested in highlighting the Wookiees and "Life Day," a newly invented holiday in the Star Wars universe (04:21).
• George Lucas provided a "Wookiee Bible" to the writers but remained largely hands-off—a decision he came to regret (14:18).

[Notable Quote]

"It's basically the one demand me, George Lucas has. I'll be totally hands off from this point on, which he kind of was." — Jerry Roland (14:18)

Variety Show Format and Misguided Choices

• Variety shows were waning in popularity by 1978, but the producers assembled a "dream team" from the variety show world—including Bruce Vilanch and Lenny Rips (15:10).
• Lucas trusted TV insiders, not realizing the variety format was stale, leading to awkward musical numbers, comedy skits, and an overall confused tone.

[Notable Quote]

"There were probably no bad welders on the Titanic either." — Lenny Rips, as recounted by Jerry Roland (19:24)

The Plot (Such as It Is)

• The plot is almost nonexistent: Han Solo is trying to get Chewbacca home to his family for Life Day. Most of the special shows Chewbacca's family waiting for him with various distractions (25:17).
• The first 10 minutes feature nothing but Wookiee grunting—unsubtitled and incomprehensible (26:18).

[Notable Moment]

"It's 10 minutes of Wookiees talking to each other with no subtitles." — Jerry Roland (26:27)

The Cast: Original Stars in a Bizarre Setting

• Original cast members (Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew) were contractually obliged to participate. Most visibly phoned in their performances.
• Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher look particularly unhappy; Mark Hamill at least fakes enthusiasm for his scenes (23:26, 23:54).

[Notable Quote]

"Princess Leia is clearly on drugs...If you watch it, she's on drugs. Especially the ending scene." — Jerry Roland (23:47, 23:54)

Variety Sketches & Musical Performances

• Harvey Korman appears in three roles: a Julia Child-style cooking show host, a robot in a bizarre instructional video, and a bar patron who drinks through a hole in his head (37:42-39:15).
• Bea Arthur improbably plays the Mos Eisley Cantina owner and delivers a full song to close her bar (39:18-40:04).
• Art Carney plays a cheerful human trader (not traitor!) who brings gifts to Chewbacca’s family—including a virtual reality headset delivering what could only be described as softcore VR porn to Grandpa Itchy (41:41-42:20).

[Notable Quote]

"Diane Carroll...shows up and starts basically tantalizing Grandpa Itchy, who, again—this is Chewbacca's elderly father, who now engages in some sort of...virtual reality pornography." — Jerry Roland (42:11)

Mindless Padding and Incomprehensible Segments

• The special features surreal time-wasters: hologram circus acts, a full Jefferson Starship music video, and lengthy instructional shorts (43:37-45:38).
• A trippy cartoon segment is considered the highlight—and debuts Boba Fett for the first time in Star Wars (46:00-46:24).

[Notable Quote]

"The cartoon...is the best part of the whole special—generally agreed upon as such." — Chuck Bryant (46:24)

Reception: Infamy from Day One

• Aired November 17, 1978, to 13 million U.S. viewers, but ratings plummeted after the first hour—right after the now-famous cartoon segment (32:12-32:59).
• Universally panned by critics, fans— even the creators. George Lucas, actors, and writers have all tried to distance themselves from it.

[Memorable Critic Quote]

"I'm not convinced the special wasn't ultimately written and directed by a sentient bag of cocaine."
— Nathan Rabin, The A.V. Club, as quoted by Josh (48:36-48:44)

The End and Its Aftermath

• The special concludes with Han Solo and Chewbacca finally arriving home; a Stormtrooper dies by tripping over a log (50:02-50:21).
• All the Wookiees assemble in red robes; Princess Leia sings a song set to the Star Wars theme about "The Tree of Life" (51:23-52:13).

[Notable Quote]

"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..." — Carrie Fisher’s (Princess Leia) closing monologue (51:23)

Legacy and Lessons Learned

• The disaster shaped Lucasfilm’s attitude toward licensing and creative control—with Lucas becoming famously hands-on thereafter (53:07).
• The Holiday Special has become a kitschy cult artifact, pirated on YouTube and celebrated for its weirdness rather than merit.
• RiffTrax and others have produced comedic commentary tracks; even a website (starwarsholidayspecial.com) is dedicated to chronicling its infamy (58:58-59:44).

[Notable Quote]

"It does not taint my Star Wars experience...I'm glad it is out there because it's a fun little stain that shouldn't be taken too seriously." — Chuck Bryant (56:40)

Memorable Quotes and Moments (with Timestamps)

• "It's one of those things that you start watching it and you want to turn it off, but you want to see just how absurd it can get." — Chuck Bryant (06:20)
• "That's what they do. It's people hanging out, waiting for Chewbacca, worrying about him, and then killing time while they wait for him to come back." — Jerry Roland (25:58)
• "There's something about it. It's mesmerizing." — Jerry Roland (06:19)
• "Had there been a laugh track, it might have been less bizarre. But the fact that it's missing just agitates. So it's this whole additional element that is weird." — Jerry Roland (58:16)
• “If you want me to do DVD extras...then I want a clean, original copy of the Holiday Special—so I can play it at parties when I want people to leave.” — Carrie Fisher’s condition retold (55:47)

Important Segment Timestamps

• [04:21] — Birth of the Holiday Special and Life Day
• [14:18] — George Lucas’s "hands-off" approach
• [19:24] — Dream team of variety show producers; Lenny Rips quote
• [25:17] — Han Solo’s mission to bring Chewie home and the non-plot
• [26:18] — Ten minutes of undubbed Wookiee dialogue
• [37:42] — Guest stars and their musical/comedy segments
• [41:41] — Grandpa Itchy’s infamous VR headset scene
• [46:00] — The animated Boba Fett debut
• [51:23] — Princess Leia’s speech and song
• [53:07] — The dreadful reception and legacy
• [58:16] — Discussion of missing laugh track and its impact
• [59:44] — Resources for learning more; further reading

Final Takeaways

• The Star Wars Holiday Special remains a legendary curiosity: a mashup of misplaced 70s trends, kitsch, bad decisions, and reluctant Star Wars stars.
• It’s best watched with a sense of humor—both as a cautionary tale and as a celebration of pop culture absurdity.
• The hosts advise: Don’t take things too seriously. That’s the lesson of Life Day! (58:50)

For further deep-diving, check out:

• Han Solo Comedy Hour (Vanity Fair)
• How Star Wars Conquered the Universe (book)
• starwarsholidayspecial.com
• RiffTrax commentary

May the cringe be with you!