46 years ago yesterday The Star Wars Holiday Special arrived on CBS, replacing Wonder Woman and The Incredible Hulk for one evening and its one and only official screening, and while 13 million people tuned in that night, history (or time) hasn’t been kind to the TV special. Despite its shortcomings, there’s plenty to love about The Holiday Special, with numerous elements lifted from the show and incorporated into the broader scope of the saga (Kashyyyk, Boba Fett and his Amban rifle, Life Day and more).
One of the worlds foremost collectors, Gus Lopez has amassed incredible items from across the history of the saga including from The Holiday Special, and here’s a closer look at those items over at the Star Wars Collectors Archive.
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As a kid whose life was profoundly changed by Star Wars in theaters in 1977, the anticipation for the Star Wars Holiday Special on television the following year was high. It’s hard to imagine there was a time when there was very little Star Wars content available to us, but no one anticipated the unprecedented success and impact of Star Wars, and we were starved for that content in the early years. We got some of that fix through the Marvel Comics series, but the three year wait for the next movie seemed like an eternity. So the announcement of a live action television program that continued the story and included all the main actors was something to look forward to. I was glued to the television for every second of the broadcast, and even some of the commercials were entertaining, such as the Kenner commercial with C-3PO and R2-D2.
Years later I continued to have fond memories of that broadcast, because I did not see the show again on video until the early 90s. When that happened, it was a bit shocking to say the least, because my nostalgic recollections had left a different impression that the show was high quality. But over the years, the fan community has come around to embrace the Holiday Special for its campy and kitsch value. Although the Holiday Special has never been officially rereleased since 1978, Lucasfilm and Disney have celebrated the Holiday Special with merchandise, content, and annual “Life Day” events.
Exploring the galaxy since 1978, Mark wrote his first fan fiction in 1981 and been a presence online since his first webpage Fanta War in 1996. He currently contributes to Star Wars Insider, ILM.com, SkywalkerSound.com and Starburst Magazine, having previously written for StarWars.com, Star Wars Encyclopedia, Build The Millennium Falcon, Geeky Monkey, TV Film Memorabilia and Model and Collectors Mart.
He is a four-time Star Wars Celebration Stage host, the only podcaster to have appeared on every Celebration podcast stage since it began in 2015, the Daily Content Manager of Fantha Tracks and the co-host of Making Tracks, Canon Fodder and Start Your Engines on Fantha Tracks Radio.
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46 years ago yesterday The Star Wars Holiday Special arrived on CBS, replacing Wonder Woman and The Incredible Hulk for one evening and its one and only official screening, and while 13 million people tuned in that night, history (or time) hasn’t been kind to the TV special. Despite its shortcomings, there’s plenty to love about The Holiday Special, with numerous elements lifted from the show and incorporated into the broader scope of the saga (Kashyyyk, Boba Fett and his Amban rifle, Life Day and more).
One of the worlds foremost collectors, Gus Lopez has amassed incredible items from across the history of the saga including from The Holiday Special, and here’s a closer look at those items over at the Star Wars Collectors Archive.
1 of 3
As a kid whose life was profoundly changed by Star Wars in theaters in 1977, the anticipation for the Star Wars Holiday Special on television the following year was high. It’s hard to imagine there was a time when there was very little Star Wars content available to us, but no one anticipated the unprecedented success and impact of Star Wars, and we were starved for that content in the early years. We got some of that fix through the Marvel Comics series, but the three year wait for the next movie seemed like an eternity. So the announcement of a live action television program that continued the story and included all the main actors was something to look forward to. I was glued to the television for every second of the broadcast, and even some of the commercials were entertaining, such as the Kenner commercial with C-3PO and R2-D2.
Years later I continued to have fond memories of that broadcast, because I did not see the show again on video until the early 90s. When that happened, it was a bit shocking to say the least, because my nostalgic recollections had left a different impression that the show was high quality. But over the years, the fan community has come around to embrace the Holiday Special for its campy and kitsch value. Although the Holiday Special has never been officially rereleased since 1978, Lucasfilm and Disney have celebrated the Holiday Special with merchandise, content, and annual “Life Day” events.
Exploring the galaxy since 1978, Mark wrote his first fan fiction in 1981 and been a presence online since his first webpage Fanta War in 1996. He currently contributes to Star Wars Insider, ILM.com, SkywalkerSound.com and Starburst Magazine, having previously written for StarWars.com, Star Wars Encyclopedia, Build The Millennium Falcon, Geeky Monkey, TV Film Memorabilia and Model and Collectors Mart.
He is a four-time Star Wars Celebration Stage host, the only podcaster to have appeared on every Celebration podcast stage since it began in 2015, the Daily Content Manager of Fantha Tracks and the co-host of Making Tracks, Canon Fodder and Start Your Engines on Fantha Tracks Radio.
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