The Star Wars Holiday Special

Chewbacca and Han Solo are en route to Kashyyyk aboard the Millennium Falcon to celebrate the Wookiee holiday, Life Day, with Chewbacca's family. After their departure from Tatooine, the duo is pursued by a pair of Star Destroyers. Han suggests turning back, but Chewbacca persuades him to press onward, leading them to enter hyperspace.

On Kashyyyk, Chewbacca's family is eagerly anticipating his arrival and making preparations. Itchy is crafting a toy X-wing for Lumpy, Malla is busy in the kitchen, and Lumpy is playing with a completed X-wing toy. Malla has prepared a bowl of Wookiee-ookiees on the table. Lumpy attempts to sneak one before the meal, but Malla stops him and asks him to take out the day's trash. Lumpy places the trash outside and climbs onto the railing to walk along it.

Back inside, Malla and Itchy are concerned about Chewbacca's delayed arrival. Malla retrieves a photo of Chewbacca, and Itchy notices her worry. He assures her of Chewbacca's safety, after which she returns the picture. Lumpy re-enters the house, and Itchy retrieves an activity capsule from a cabinet, showing it to Lumpy. Malla objects, but Itchy convinces her otherwise and inserts the capsule into a table-mounted device. After Itchy activates the device, Lumpy watches a computer-generated performance by a group of circus performers. Following the performance, Lumpy applauds and turns off the machine. Malla then asks Lumpy to assist with washing the dishes.

Malla and Itchy's worry returns. Malla uses a computer to search for starships in the vicinity, but the computer yields no results. She activates a concealed viewscreen and contacts Luke Skywalker, who is working on his X-wing starfighter with the assistance of the droid R2-D2. Luke is unaware of the situation and suggests that Han and Chewbacca likely made a stop elsewhere and will arrive soon. He encounters some issues when the part he is working on begins to emit steam. Seeing that he is occupied, Malla terminates the communication.

Subsequently, Malla contacts Saun Dann, a local Human trader on the planet. He is in the midst of a transaction with an Imperial Navy trooper when Malla contacts him, requiring him to attend to the trooper first. Saun Dann proposes several items, none of which interest the guard. While the guard is distracted, Saun Dann communicates with Malla through a carefully worded message, indicating that Han and Chewbacca are en route and should arrive shortly. However, he is also unaware of their current location. He shuts off the viewscreen and suggests a multi-functional groomer. The guard takes the item without offering anything in return. Saun Dann reluctantly allows him to take it, sarcastically remarking that he considers it a gift.

Meanwhile, aboard a Star Destroyer, an Imperial officer informs Darth Vader that a blockade has been established around Kashyyyk and a search for the Rebels has commenced. Vader instructs him to continue the search, even if it necessitates searching every household in the system.

Back on Kashyyyk, Malla is preparing dinner for the evening's feast. She turns on a viewscreen to watch a cooking program featuring Gormaanda, a four-armed chef. Gormaanda provides instructions on preparing Bantha rump. When she accelerates the process, Malla struggles to keep up and turns off the viewscreen.

In space, the Millennium Falcon approaches Kashyyyk. Unaware of the blockade, Chewbacca and Han are attacked by four TIE/LN starfighters. After eliminating several using the cockpit's remote controls, Han resorts to using the quad cannons manually, while Chewbacca takes control of the main controls.

On Kashyyyk, Itchy is resting in his chair while Malla is walking around. Suddenly, an Imperial officer announces on the viewscreen that a blockade has been established around the planet and that the Empire has declared martial law. Immediately after the announcement, there is a knock at the door. Frightened, Itchy opens it. To their relief, it is Saun Dann, who has brought Life Day gifts for everyone. He gives Malla and Lumpy their presents first, and they go off to open them. Saun Dann then gives Itchy his present—a memory chip—which he inserts into Itchy's mind evaporator. Itchy watches with delight as a human female sings a song.

At a Rebel base, Leia and the droid C-3PO are working on something. Malla contacts them via viewscreen to inform them that Chewbacca and Han have not arrived. Leia asks if Malla is alone and is relieved to learn that Saun Dann is there to protect her. Malla turns off the viewscreen. Saun Dann says he smells "Wookiee-ookiees," and he and Malla go into the kitchen.

Back on the Millennium Falcon, Chewbacca and Han are nearing Kashyyyk. Han notices the high Imperial presence in the area, so they decide to land on the north side of the planet, in a safe zone. He notes that this is far from the Wookiee household, entailing a long walk. Despite Chewbacca's protest, they proceed with the planned landing. As they enter Kashyyyk's atmosphere, Lumpy hears the roar of a ship. Everyone in the house becomes excited and rushes to the door. Malla opens the door to find two stormtroopers pointing their blaster pistols at her, with two Imperial officers behind them.

Malla roars, but the Imperials force their way inside. The lead officer checks the house for all residents and discovers that a male Wookiee is missing. He orders his men to conduct a thorough search of the house. The officers proceed to search the house, nearly discovering Malla's hidden communication device used to contact Luke. To divert the Imperials' attention, Saun Dann suggests that he and Malla prepare food for everyone. Saun Dann turns on Malla's gift—a music box—for one of the officers, and watches with the officer while Malla cooks.

A holographic band appears on the box and sings a song. After the video concludes, the lead officer orders the search to continue and instructs the officer who watched the music band to return to work. Saun Dann departs, believing he can no longer assist. The lead officer tells Malla to keep Lumpy occupied while they search, so Lumpy sits down to watch a program on a viewscreen.

During a quest for a talisman, the Millennium Falcon—piloted by Chewbacca and Han—crash-lands on a moon in the Panna system. At a rebel base, Leia, Luke, C-3PO, and R2-D2 are anxious about Han and Chewbacca's delayed return, so Luke and the droids take a Y-Wing to the Panna moon. Upon landing, they are attacked by a giant creature that begins consuming part of the Y-wing, prompting Luke to eject the cockpit from his craft. An armored figure appears riding a larger creature and strikes the other creature with a blaster bolt from his staff, causing it to flee. He identifies himself as Boba Fett and offers his assistance. Luke drives toward the Millennium Falcon's crash site, during which C-3PO advises him to be cautious about trusting Fett. Aboard the Millennium Falcon, Han has been infected by a sleeping virus caused by the talisman. Luke also immediately contracts the virus. Fett and Chewbacca head toward Panna City, which is occupied by Imperials, so Fett instructs Chewbacca to stay behind while he obtains the serum. Once he is away from Chewbacca, Fett contacts Darth Vader to inform him of the situation. Vader reveals that Fett is a renowned bounty hunter working for Vader in a scheme to uncover the location of the Rebels.

Lumpy cries out in horror at the events in the program, alerting the lead Imperial officer, who comes over to investigate. Lumpy pretends that nothing is amiss and shuts off the cartoon as the officer approaches. He then resumes the program with C-3PO tending to Han and Luke. He and R2-D2 intercept the message between Vader and Fett on their viewscreen, and C-3PO states that they must inform Luke. After evading the Imperials, Fett and Chewbacca return to the ship with the serum. After administering the serum to Han and Luke, they recover, and everyone learns of Fett's true allegiance. Boba activates his jet pack and blasts off, promising a future encounter. Everyone departs the planet aboard the Millennium Falcon. Lumpy turns off the monitor and applauds.

Upstairs, the Imperials search and ransack Lumpy's room. One tears the head off of Lumpy's stuffed bantha. Lumpy comes up after they have gone back downstairs. He is saddened by the damage to his cherished toy and attempts to reattach its head. He lays it on his bed and covers it with a blanket. Lumpy then opens the present Saun Dann gave him and inserts the instruction video, which teaches him how to assemble the device—a mini-transmitter. A humanoid described as an "Amorphiian Being from the system Amorphiia" appears on the video. The video's announcer explains that Amorphiian beings have bodies that will often temporarily stop functioning. Throughout the program, this Amorphiian does just that. After instructing Lumpy on the basics of the product, the Amorphiian shuts down completely and falls onto the floor. Lumpy turns off the video.

Downstairs, while the Imperials are still searching, a video appears on the living room viewscreen. Its narrator describes it as "Life on Tatooine" and states that it is "required viewing by all Imperial personnel," so all the Imperials in the house focus their attention on the viewscreen. Initially, individuals are seen walking the streets of Mos Eisley. The focus then shifts to inside a cantina, where a band is playing, and the patrons are drinking and conversing. The bartender—Ackmena—is serving drinks when a humanoid named Krelman enters. He appears very interested in and attracted to her. Krelman offers her flowers, and they begin to talk but are interrupted by an Imperial announcement on the viewscreen: as part of their search for the Rebels, Tatooine is being placed under curfew by the Empire. The Imperial agent orders everyone to return home immediately. Ackmena is shocked and asks her customers to leave. When they all refuse, she suggests one more round of drinks for everyone, which she pays for herself. She then proceeds to usher them out by singing a song and dancing. Everyone eventually leaves except for Krelman, who again offers her flowers.

After the video finishes, Lumpy's plan goes into effect. The Imperials repeatedly receive a call to "return to base." They decide to leave, but the lead officer instructs one of the stormtroopers to remain behind. After the other Imperials leave, the stormtrooper continues to hear the radio call to "return to base." He immediately realizes that something is wrong because there are no more comlinks around. He determines that the sound is coming from Lumpy's room upstairs. He runs upstairs, where he finds Lumpy speaking into the mini-transmitter he had constructed earlier. The stormtrooper startles Lumpy, who jumps up. The stormtrooper grabs the box and smashes it on the ground. Lumpy runs down the stairs and out onto the deck, closely followed by the stormtrooper.

Lumpy and the stormtrooper arrive outside simultaneously, just as Chewbacca and Han approach the door. Chewbacca growls and runs around the stormtrooper to protect Lumpy. The stormtrooper points his blaster at both of them. Secretly, Han is backing against the wall, ready to attack. The stormtrooper does not see him, and Han sneaks up and hits him. The two prepare to fight, but Han suddenly trips the stormtrooper, who breaks the railing and lets out the Wilhelm scream as he falls to his death in the trees below. Relieved, Han picks up Lumpy and hands him to his father.

They go inside, where Malla and Itchy are waiting. Han explains that he has taken care of the threat. Chewbacca and Han hug everyone. Malla asks Han to stay, but he says he has to get back to the Millennium Falcon before someone finds it. After saying his goodbyes, Han wishes everyone a happy Life Day and leaves. The family then hears yet another knock at the door. With his bowcaster ready to fire, Chewbacca opens the door to find Saun Dann with a bag in his hand. The same Imperial officer as before appears on a viewscreen, searching for the missing stormtrooper B4711. Saun Dann responds to the request, claiming that B4711 was left by the other officers; after they had left, B4711 had stolen a lot of food from his house and left without a trace. The story works, and the officer says he will send out a search party to find the missing stormtrooper. The officer disappears from the viewscreen, to everyone's relief. Before he leaves, Saun Dann wishes the entire family a happy Life Day. The family then prepares to go the festival at the Tree of Life. They each take a crystal and gather them together above their heads.

The entire family—along with many other Wookiees—are next in space dressed in red robes and are traveling toward a bright star. They arrive at the Tree of Life, where a group of Wookiees have gathered at the tree's base. Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2 stand before the other Wookiees, and Luke, Leia, and Han soon join them. To begin the ceremony, Leia gives a short speech on the meaning of Life Day and sings a song in celebration, to the tune of the Star Wars theme. At the conclusion of the ceremony, Chewbacca remembers several of the group's adventures: when he first met Luke and Leia, when they all escaped the Death Star, when he played dejarik with R2-D2, and attending the award ceremony on Yavin 4 after he and Han had helped Luke destroy the Death Star. As he finishes reminiscing, the Wookiees begin to file out of the ceremony.

That night, Chewbacca, Malla, Lumpy, and Itchy sit at the family table, where they bow their heads and prepare to eat a Life Day meal.

Near the close of 1977, the presence of Star Wars-themed segments on variety shows like Donny and Marie and The Richard Pryor Show had notably increased ticket sales for the original Star Wars film, which was still playing in theaters. In tandem with this, Lucasfilm was being pressured by licensees, including CBS, who were pitching product ideas, one of which was a full-length variety special. Given this environment, George Lucas became convinced that such an endeavor would maintain audience interest in the Star Wars universe until the theatrical debut of The Empire Strikes Back in 1980. As publicity director Charles Lippincott explained to Vanity Fair in 2008, "We aimed to create a variety show experience unlike any other. We wanted to avoid the typical, run-of-the-mill format."

Gary Smith and Dwight Hemion were brought in to produce the special. Due to their commitments to several other projects in development, they enlisted additional producers, including Ken and Mitzie Welch, to assist them. Writers Leonard Ripps and Pat Proft, both of whom had previously collaborated with Smith-Hemion, spent a day with Lucas, during which they developed the story centered around Chewbacca's journey to reunite with his family for the Wookiee holiday known as Life Day. Lucas had previously considered opening A New Hope with a scene inside a Wookiee home, where the film's narrative would be presented as a story told to a Wookiee child by its parents. During this period, he also contemplated creating films separate from the main saga, one of which would have focused on Wookiees. Lucas provided the team with extensive notes on Wookiee culture, which he had developed for the original Star Wars film.

David Acomba, the director, introduced Lucas to A Cosmic Christmas, a 1976 film by Nelvana. Impressed by Nelvana's animation style, Lucas commissioned them to create a segment for the special. Clive A. Smith developed an eleven-minute story concept, which he presented to Lucas in early 1978. Lucas then collaborated with Smith to refine the story, which introduced the character Boba Fett, designed using Joe Johnston's sketches and Ben Burtt's VHS costume test as references. Similar to Smith-Hemon, Lucas attended a few production meetings but was primarily occupied with The Empire Strikes Back and other projects. In 2014, Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz reflected on the situation: "Initially, the project had potential, but as we became increasingly involved in promoting Star Wars and developing the next film, we realized we lacked the time to dedicate to it. Consequently, we delegated the responsibility to the TV company, providing them with props, access to the actors, and occasional input."

Ripps and Proft drafted an outline and initial script based on Lucas's notes. Given the show's target audience of families, they made an effort to minimize violence in the writing. The script was then handed to Bruce Vilanch, who expressed uncertainty about writing for characters who do not speak a human language, fearing it would resemble "one long episode of Lassie." To address this, Vilanch introduced many of the variety elements into the special, although music was always intended to be included in some capacity. The character of Saun Dann was also conceived as a connection to the audience, drawing inspiration from Lucas's early concept of Lando Calrissian as a trader on Kashyyyk. Ken and Mitzie Welch, the final writers to contribute to the script, implemented significant changes. Lucas later commented, "The script underwent numerous revisions, evolving into something quite unusual. They were aiming for one type of product, while I had a different vision, resulting in a strange hybrid. I'm unsure if either approach would have succeeded independently, but the combination…" The initial story treatment was finalized in May 1978, and the teleplay reached its fourth draft by September of that year. The only known footage that was filmed but ultimately cut from the final product was a cartoon commercial within the animated segment. Additionally, a scene was planned, but never filmed, in which Luke Skywalker sings a song; Hamill has stated that he rejected the idea.

Stan Winston assisted Stuart Freeborn with the Wookiee costumes, focusing on improving the facial expressions of the masks. The actors wearing these suits could only remain in them for 20 minutes at a time. Ben Burtt created the Wookiee family's vocalizations, requiring a full hour's worth of sounds. To create the sounds for Malla and Itchy, Burtt recorded at the Olympic Game Farm in Sequim, Washington, spending several days attempting to elicit vocalizations from the animals. Malla's "voice" was based on recordings of black bears, while Itchy's was based on grizzly bears. One of these recordings—a lion consuming a cow's head—was later used in the 1979 film Alien. For Lumpy's sounds, Burtt recorded a baby bear named Tarik at the San Jose Zoo. One of Chewbacca's vocalizations from the Holiday Special was later reused in The Empire Strikes Back during the scene where Han Solo is frozen in carbonite.

The R2-D2 model created for the special was designed with a hollow shell and operated via remote control. Given that Empire was still in production when the special was set to air, George Lucas chose not to include any of the new alien characters from the upcoming film. Instead, they utilized costumes from a warehouse containing designs that had been rejected from the film, providing a quick and cost-effective way to populate the special with a diverse array of aliens.

The sets were built on Stage 2 of the Burbank Studios. Early in the pre-production phase, the special was considered as a potential pilot for a TV series. As a result, the art department developed more intricate designs than typically required for a TV special. Brian Bartholomew, the department head, believed that the Wookiee household set, which was based on drawings by Ralph McQuarrie, was of Emmy-worthy quality, but he never requested that Lucas submit it for consideration.

Filming commenced in August 1978 under the direction of David Acomba, a friend of Lippincott's and a fellow USC alumnus of Lucas. The special was primarily shot on videotape with a budget exceeding $1 million. Acomba directed three of the special's segments, including the cantina sequence and the scene featuring Jefferson Starship. The cantina sequence required a full 24 hours to film, from 6 a.m. one day to 6 a.m. the next. The actors in costume endured heat, claustrophobia, and, in some cases, low oxygen levels. Daniel Saks, Bea Arthur's son, visited the set and witnessed "a nurse administering oxygen to the various aliens to prevent them from fainting." Rick Baker, who had contributed to the original Star Wars, returned as the creature supervisor for the scene. While many of the cantina creatures were recycled from Star Wars, "Lion Man" and "Baboon Man" were specifically created for the special, requiring two and a half hours for the application of their intricate makeup. Harvey Korman reportedly entertained the cast and crew during his scenes, bringing a sense of levity to the set. Acomba suggested Robin Williams, then an unknown comedian, for a role, but the Welches preferred to cast established stars. Cher was initially considered for the role of Mermeia, but Diahann Carroll ultimately secured the part.

Acomba's lack of experience in television directing, coupled with his difficulties collaborating with Ken and Mitzie Welch, led to his departure from the project midway through production. Compounding the issue, a significant portion of the budget had been expended, and, according to Gary Smith, the production was at risk of cancellation. As a consequence of these challenges, production was halted to find a replacement director. Gary Smith then approached Steve Binder, a former colleague, to take over as director. Upon commencing shooting in September, Binder found himself on a project that was behind schedule and over budget: "When I was brought in, production had already started and then stopped because they had spent all their money and only filmed a quarter of the show. I was essentially a troubleshooter. I received the script on a Friday and began filming on a Monday. When I read the script, I realized that the first 10 minutes with the Chewbacca family were entirely subtitled. I thought, 'This is going to be a problem.' But I had no authority to make any changes at that point—I simply had to film it." Lucas provided Binder with a "Wookiee bible," containing all the information he had developed about the species.

While Acomba had primarily focused on the variety segments, Binder became more involved with the scenes in the Wookiee household, as well as all the scenes featuring the original cast—many of whom were hesitant to participate. The Wookiee household was initially constructed as a complete set. Upon Binder's hiring, he removed a section of the set in an effort to expedite production. As with the actors in the cantina sequence, those in Wookiee suits were required to take hourly breaks to receive oxygen. Patty Maloney, the actress playing Lumpy, experienced significant weight loss due to her heavy costume and the heat. The concluding celebration was filmed in an aircraft hangar. By this stage of production, the project had exhausted its funds. Consequently, the crew had to rely on relatively inexpensive materials to create the Life Day ceremony. Store-bought candles were used for lighting, and extras wore red robes and Don Post Studios Chewbacca masks in place of full Wookiee costumes. According to Vilanch, Fisher was enthusiastic about singing in this scene because "She was in her Joni Mitchell phase. She was eager to showcase this aspect of her talent." After filming for over a month, production finally concluded. Binder has stated that, unlike his other productions, he was unable to edit the film due to a scheduling conflict. As a result, the producers, who lacked prior editing experience, handled the editing of the special.

The Holiday Special was broadcasted in the United States on November 17, 1978, attracting approximately 13 million viewers, placing it second in viewership only to the ABC television program The Love Boat and the Pearl miniseries. Notably, its premiere coincided with the sentencing of CIA operative William Kampiles for the theft and sale of a United States KH-11 spy satellite manual to the Soviet Union, and also with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev's admission of violating a nuclear test ban treaty; consequently, the special's commercial breaks featured news coverage related to these events. Leading up to its initial airing, promotional efforts included CBS airing commercials, advertisements in publications like TV Guide and the Los Angeles Times, and an appearance by Anthony Daniels on Captain Cosmic.

In Sweden, the show was broadcast by SVT on May 31, 1979, under the title Stjärnornas krig - och fred, which translates to "Star Wars - and Peace," a play on words related to the Swedish title of the first film.

A press kit was distributed before the airing of the special to generate publicity. Jefferson Starship released "Light the Sky on Fire" as a single, promoting it as "as seen and heard on the CBS-Star Wars Holiday Special." Kenner had plans to produce action figures based on characters from the special, but these never progressed beyond the prototype stage. The Boba Fett mail-away action figure that was released that year included a paper insert mentioning the upcoming special as "A Wookie Holiday." In 2001, Hasbro released the first official figure based on the special, specifically the cantina alien Zutton. In 1979, a children's book titled The Wookiee Storybook, featuring characters from the special, was published by Random House. Numerous items have been created that are inspired by Boba Fett's appearance in the special. In 1996, Lucasfilm released animation cels that combined an original cel with newly created artwork. As part of its 30th anniversary collection, Hasbro released a Boba Fett action figure. Funko produced bobbleheads. StarWarsShop offered a Gentle Giant maquette, available exclusively at Celebration, and an ACME character key. In 2018, Gentle Giant created a mini-bust, while Sideshow Collectibles & Hot Toys released a sixth-scale figure. A lunchbox exclusive was made for Celebration Chicago. A Black Series figure was sold at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con.

A 4" × 2" luggage tag featuring an image from the Holiday Special's cantina scene was available for $5 at the stores for Celebration IV and Celebration Europe. Several cards from Topps' 2007 Star Wars collection showcase elements from the special. The Star Wars Vault, a book released in 2007, contains the complete audio track of Princess Leia's Life Day song, "A Day to Celebrate," along with approximately two pages from the original script.

George Lucas mentioned at the 1987 Star Wars 10th anniversary convention, to Starlog magazine, that he anticipated the Holiday Special being released on VHS sometime in the future. However, Lucasfilm has not released the complete Holiday Special on any home video format, and Stephen J. Sansweet, the former director of fan relations at Lucasfilm, stated that a release is not planned. In 2004, Van Ling, the DVD producer for Star Wars, participated in a Q&A with the Washington Post, where he was asked about the possibility of a DVD release of the special. He responded by saying that he seriously doubted it, because it had never been shown again after its first broadcast, let alone released on home video. He finished by saying "never say never." Kevin Burns, a filmmaker, was granted access to the original print for his documentary, Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy. Despite this, the segment featuring footage from the special was ultimately omitted from the final version. A picture of Bea Arthur in her role as Ackmena was included with other behind-the-scenes images in the 1993 laserdisc "definitive" box set of the original trilogy. Additionally, this set featured a tour of the Lucasfilm Archives, led by Don Bies, where the Lumpy mask was displayed. A few seconds of the Boba Fett animated segment were included in the 2002 web documentary "Bucket Head," which accompanied Attack of the Clones. The complete animated segment was included on the 2011 Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray release, found in the The Empire Strikes Back section of the Episodes IV–VI bonus material disc, and it was added to Disney+ on April 2, 2021, under the title "The Story of the Faithful Wookiee".

After the initial airing, some viewers who had recorded the show began making copies and selling them as bootleg VHS and DVD versions at conventions. Despite criticisms, or perhaps because of them, it gained a cult following and became a legend among Star Wars enthusiasts. The Internet and file-sharing technologies have made the special more accessible to fans who are curious to see it for themselves. A recording of a WBBM-TV broadcast is available in its entirety on the website for the Museum of Classic Chicago Television. One of the most widely circulated recordings is from the WCBS-TV (channel 2) broadcast in New York City. During some commercial breaks, a bumper promoting the station's 11 p.m. newscast featured news anchor Rolland Smith simply stating, "Fighting the frizzies, at 11." (Other versions of the Holiday Special that are in circulation were originally taped from other CBS affiliates, including WMAR-TV in Baltimore, and do not include the "frizzies" reference, while others have had all commercials removed.) This is parodied in the South Park episode "Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics" from 1999. Another episode, "Freak Strike" from 2002, similarly spoofed the commercial for the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union.

A newly discovered bootleg of the swedish verison was partly released via YouTube on Christmas Day 2021 by Swedish YouTube Channel, Herring & Chips.

The cast and crew's reactions have generally been unfavorable. The official Star Wars website notes that the Holiday Special "delivered mixed results," but highlights the Boba Fett animated segment as a positive aspect. In 1998, writer Leonard Ripps told Filmfax magazine that the special "didn't come together," stating that the ideas were fine but didn't fit well together. Harrison Ford appeared on the February 8, 2006, episode of Late Night with Conan O'Brien, where Conan O'Brien brought up the special and asked Ford about it. Ford did not respond and looked away, which drew laughter and applause from the audience. O'Brien then asked Ford what he would think if he played a clip from it. In response, Ford pretended to strangle O'Brien before allowing him to play the clip. Following the clip (which showed Ford as Han Solo telling Chewbacca and his wife that they are "like family" to him), an embarrassed Ford only muttered "thank you." Carrie Fisher has jokingly said that, in exchange for recording the audio commentary for the 2004 DVD release of the original trilogy, she asked Lucas for a copy of the special, "so that I could, you know, have something for parties... when I wanted everyone to leave."

In May 2002, Lucas told Maxim that the special was something he just had to live with. In a 2005 interview, he elaborated that the 1978 special wasn't really their project, and that they let the variety TV guys use the characters, which he now sees as a mistake. In 2013, director Steve Binder told Esquire that he never regretted directing the special, loved his time on set, and didn't worry about critics' opinions. Leland Chee of the Lucasfilm Story Group commented in 2024 that the special was "a slog" and sometimes "cringy," reflecting that it made sense why it had not been officially rebroadcast. He recommended the 2023 documentary A Disturbance in the Force to fans who wanted to know more about its background.

The Star Wars Holiday Special was ranked third in "The Five Goofiest Moments Of The Star Wars Mythos" in Star Wars Magazine 62, published in the UK.

Before the establishment of the Lucasfilm Story Group, the special was classified as S-canon. The art department for Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith used the Holiday Special as a reference for designing the planet Kashyyyk in the film. In Star Wars: Clone Wars, C-3PO's animation style was a tribute to Nelvana's animated segment from the special. In a commercial for the 2007 Robot Chicken: Star Wars, an animated George Lucas (voiced by Lucas himself) is shown in therapy, expressing his hatred for the special. According to Brendan Hay, a writer for Star Wars Detours, Lucas later screened the Holiday Special for the show's writing staff. Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III includes a skit similar to the Holiday Special, where Han Solo and Chewbacca visit Chewbacca's family on Kashyyyk. "Menace of the Sith," the second episode of LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles, features a similar scene with Cad Bane interrupting Chewbacca's family under a "Happy Life Day" banner. For "The Mandalore Plot," a 2010 episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the helmets of the Death Watch members were inspired by Boba Fett's helmet design from the Holiday Special and the animated series Droids. The script for Solo: A Star Wars Story included a reference to Itchy, spoken by Chewbacca in Shyriiwook; According to writer Jon Kasdan, he tried to put additional references in the film. Likewise, the special inspired elements of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian; Good Morning America showed a clip of the animated segment while interviewing showrunner Jon Favreau about this; In late 2019, Favreau even expressed interest in making another Holiday Special. The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special premiered on Disney+ on November 17, 2020, featuring a Life Day celebration with characters from the sequel trilogy and elements inspired by the original special.

StarWars.com celebrated the Holiday Special's 30th anniversary throughout the week of November 17, 2008, with articles and trading cards for StarWarsShop customers. The features included interviews, photo galleries, and an animation animatic. The Los Angeles Times and NBC also published articles about the special's anniversary. The Paley Center held a poll from November 10 through December 3, to determine the top five holiday specials to be screened at the center between December 10 and 24. The Star Wars Holiday Special won with 59% of the vote. (The full special—from a WBBM-TV broadcast—is available for viewing at the Museum of Classic Chicago Television at www.fuzzymemories.tv.) On December 10, 2007, RiffTrax released an audio commentary for the special, recorded by former MST3K stars Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett, and Kevin Murphy. On December 20, 2007, ABC's Nightline covered the special on television and on its website. The special's 40th anniversary was also highlighted by StarWars.com, as well as many news outlets such as the Los Angeles Times and USA Today.

The special was screened at the Library of Congress in the 1990s. It was mentioned in the 2005 ABC Family movie Chasing Christmas. In "Weird Al" Yankovic's 2006 music video for his song "White & Nerdy" (parodying "Ridin'" by Chamilionaire), Al, dressed as a nerd, pays a "gangster" for a paper bag that appears to contain drugs. Yankovic opens the bag to reveal a videotape of the special. In 2011, the TV series Glee paid tribute to the Holiday Special in the episode "Extraordinary Merry Christmas." The 2012 Futurama episode "Zapp Dingbat" included a sequence parodying the holographic dancing scene. A 2014 episode of The Simpsons entitled "I Won't Be Home for Christmas" begins with characters watching the Cosmic Wars Holiday Special. In December 2015, Funny or Die released a "new" Holiday Special based on The Force Awakens. Also during this time, the cast and crew of The Force Awakens were interviewed about the Holiday Special. On May 26, 2016, Andrew Lincoln and Norman Reedus of The Walking Dead parodied the Holiday Special in NBC's "The Red Nose Day Special." Episodes of The Goldbergs (2016), Supergirl (2017), and The Big Bang Theory (2018) also referenced the special. On December 14, 2018, "Special" opened at the Theatre of NOTE in Los Angeles; The play was loosely based on the real life making of the special. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special debuted on Disney+ on November 25, 2022; Writer/director James Gunn said that he was inspired by the Star Wars Holiday Special, which he unironically loved as a kid.

In 2023, the creators of Fanboys produced a feature-length documentary on the special, entitled A Disturbance in the Force. The film was also preceded by a book of the same name - written by one of the film's co-director - that also covers the special. For their 2024 series Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, creators Christopher Ford and Jon Watts put considerable effort into recreating the holographic chess scene. They initially hoped to use original footage, but found it unusable due to its low resolution and their need for multiple angles. As a result, they decided to reconstruct the scene; Louise Mingenbach utilized original artwork from Skywalker Ranch to recreate the costumes; Stunt coordinator Colin Follenweider, a former Cirque du Soleil dancer, choreographed the scene and hired a dance team. However, the segment's original music track was also unavailable in a suitable form, as was any documentation of the music. Composer Michael Giacchino was thus tasked with receating the piece for an orchestra.