Although May 4th is known the world over as Star Wars Day, many also choose to celebrate the popular, generation-spanning science-fiction saga on May 5th as a play on the word “Sith”, thereby extending Star Wars Day into three day celebration of the influential science-fiction franchise.
Air Date: 17 November 1978
Director: Steve Binder
Original Network: CBS
Stars: Mark Hamill, Don Francks (allegedly), Anthony Daniels, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford
The Background:
Inspired by the Flash Gordon serials that captivated him as a youth, George Lucas sought to create his own “space opera”, a timeless futuristic fantasy that was infused with multiple influences across reality and media. Star Wars (later retitled to Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope) wowed audiences and critics upon release in 1977, becoming one of the most successful films ever made. Although it was followed by a polarising sequel in 1980 that is now regarded as one of the best in the franchise, Star Wars actually received a little known made-for-television special just one year later. Reportedly, it was CBS who pushed for the development of the Star Wars Holiday Special, a variety show that featured the main cast but very little input from Lucas beyond wanting it to heavily feature the Wookiee race. Unlike its feature-film predecessor, the Star Wars Holiday Special was universally panned at the time, with both Lucas and the cast dismissing the oddball production. Since its broadcast, the Star Wars Holiday Special has become something of a “white whale” for the franchise; it was never broadcast again and never released on home media, and is notable only for its obscurity and for introducing fan favourite bounty hunter Boba Fett in this animated segment. With animation inspired by the surreal artwork of Jean Henri Gaston Giraud/Mœbius,, The Story of the Faithful Wookiee is the only part of the Star Wars Holiday Special to receive a wide release as of this writing, being included in the Complete Saga Blu-ray set and even releasing on Disney+ in 2021.
The Plot:
While attempting to recover a mystical talisman, Luke Skywalker (Hamill), Han Solo (Ford), Princess Leia Organa (Fisher) and the droids C-3PO (Daniels) and R2-D2 crash-land on Panna, a hostile alien world where they are aided by mysterious bounty hunter Boba Fett (Francks).
The Review:
Being a big Star Wars fan, I was aware of the Star Wars Holiday Special, though I couldn’t tell you exactly when, where, or how it came to my attention. I’ve seen a lot of talk about how awful it is and, from what I’ve seen, it really does seem to be one of the cheesiest, most unfitting misfires to befall the entire franchise (and that’s saying something). The bulk of the special revolves around Han Solo bringing his Wookiee friend and co-pilot, Chewbacca/Chewie (Peter Mayhew), back to his home planet of Kashyyyk for “Life Day”, a traditional Wookiee celebration somewhat akin to Thanksgiving. With the two delayed by Imperial Star Destroyers, Chewbacca’s family – wife Mallatobuck/Malla (Mickey Morton), father Attichitcuk/Itchy (Paul Gale), and son Lumpawaroo/Lumpy (Patty Maloney) – and other characters distract themselves with various television programs, broadcasts, and song numbers providing a variety of “entertainment” that we, the viewers, watch alongside them. The Story of the Faithful Wookiee is one of these segments, an animated feature that Malla has Lumpy watch to keep him from worrying about his father’s troubles to get home for Life Day, immediately making one ask just why there is a cartoon detailing the adventures of the upstart Rebellion being so freely broadcast in the galaxy. In the cartoon, Han and Chewie have gone off looking for a sacred talisman that would be of great use to the Rebellion since it’s believed to make things invisible. Right away, this is an interesting departure from the usual Star Wars fare, where mystical artifacts tend to be associated with the Jedi or Sith, and it’s interesting that the mission wasn’t to recover a piece of invisibility technology rather than a magical ruin. Luke and Leia get a bit antsy when the duo take longer than expected to return with the artifact, and even more so when the Rebellion receives a transmission from the Millennium Falcon that depicts the two in trouble. Concerned, Luke hops into a Y-Wing with Threepio and Artoo to go after his friends, navigating an asteroid field and being startled when the Falcon fires warning shots at him before ditching onto one of the Panna system’s gloopy water planets.
With his communications systems damaged in his own less than graceful landing, Luke ventures out of his ship to search for Han and Chewie, much to Threepio’s chagrin, and is attacked by one of the dinosaur-like inhabitants of the world. Though resistant to Luke’s blaster, the Nessie-like creature is content to feast upon one of the Y-Wing’s thrusters while Luke and the others flee to safety in the cockpit section, though it is soon chased away by a blast from a helmeted stranger’s two-pronged lance. Sitting astride another gargantuan beast, the armoured saviour greets Luke and offers him assistance, identifying himself as Boba Fett and appearing to be warm and helpful, even if he takes a dim view towards showing kindness to “lower lifeforms” such as the planet’s voracious inhabitants. Although Threepio questions the soft-spoken Boba Fett’s kindness, Luke readily accepts his help in locating the crashed Falcon not just because of their shared dislike of the Empire but also because they don’t have any other choice if they want to rescue their friends. Luke’s faith seems to be rewarded as Boba Fett leads them to the Falcon, but he’s stunned when he boards the ship and finds Chewie, seemingly possessed, in the process of destroying the talisman. Luke collapses before he can stop the Wookiee, and it’s only through Threepio’s plea that Boba Fett doesn’t use deadly force on Chewie, believing that he caused Luke’s abrupt blackout.
However, Artoo reveals that the talisman was emitting “contamination”, a sleeping virus that only affects humans, which is what caused Luke to drop unconscious and Han to fall asleep. Boba Fett reveals he is always aware of this weird virus, which can only be cured by hanging its victims upside down so the blood rushes to their heads, or with a remedy the Empire possesses in their nearby city. Boba Fett begrudgingly allows the insistent Chewie to accompany him to the city, a sprawling mechanical metropolis protected by bulbous domes, and the two sneak in through waste ducts. Boba Fett demands that Chewie hang back to avoid drawing undue attention, though this is a ruse to give the bounty hunter the chance to contact his employer, Darth Vader (James Earl Jones). When Threepio, anxious about the mission, asks Artoo to locate Chewie using the Falcon’s video system, they intercept this transmission and learn that Vader has tasked Boba Fett with earning the group’s trust so he can locate the new Rebel base. After retrieving the serum, Boba Fett and Chewie flee the city, easily taking out the single Stormtrooper unit sent to intercept them, and Luke and Han make a full recovery. Although Luke is incredibly grateful to this newfound friend, Threepio reveals Boba Fett’s true intentions, and a climactic showdown ensues. Wait…no, it doesn’t. Boba simply bids them farewell and jetpacks away without a fight! Far from feeling any shame or anger at this betrayal, Luke simply joins his friends in laughing the whole thing off and they simply leave Panna without any opposition, bringing the short to an abrupt end.
The Summary:
Well, this was…certainly something. The first thing I want to note is how cool it is that all the film’s cast returned to voice their characters, even James Earl Jones and a very bored-sounding Harrison Ford. The cartoon also includes some musical cues and sound effects from the movie, giving it an air of legitimacy, but all of this is contrasted with its truly bizarre animation style. Walking a weird line between surreal, anime, and realistic, the cartoon is disturbing in its renditions of these characters, with Han looking particularly ugly. How the animators looked at prime Harrison Ford, one of the most ruggedly handsome men of this era, and turned him into this horse-faced abomination is beyond me. Luckily, Han’s barely in this so we don’t have to look at it for long, but Luke doesn’t fare much better, with some angles and movements being beyond surreal and venturing into fever dream territory. Similarly, the droids are much too fluid, losing their rigid, robotic nature, looking as cartoonish and out of place as the planet’s dinosaur wildlife. On the plus side, ships and environments fare much better; the Imperial city, though only briefly seen, is like an amalgamation of Mos Eisley and Neo Tokyo and reminds me of the rundown, futuristic cities we’d see in later Star Wars films. Frankly, I could’ve done with more time being spent in the city, or traversing the bizarre alien world, which barely factors into the plot. I feel this was a wasted opportunity and it would’ve made more sense for the Empire’s presence to merely be a small garrison digging for the mystical talisman on a backwater world, with Boba Fett being there as a neutral third party looking to steal and sell the artifact for this own end and the Falcon being downed by a surprise attack.
Of course, the main reason people know or talk about this cartoon is for the introduction of Boba Fett, who looks and acts completely differently here than in any other media. Presented as a stoic, faceless bounty hunter with an obsession with profiting from Han Solo’s capture in his brief live-action appearances, here he’s a loquacious and deceitful enigma who easily gains Luke’s trust and is said to be Darth Vader’s “right-hand man”. I did enjoy Boba’s depiction, though; he’s affable but also quite vicious, mistreating his monstrous steed and thinking little of other lifeforms, and he’s packing an array of gadgets and weapons, from his aforementioned lance to binding whips, a never-used pistol, and a jetpack. His mission was simply to befriend the Rebels to find their base, though he only partly succeeds in this venture. There’s no battle against him, Han and Chewie have no idea who he is, and he simply leaves without a fuss, making for an anti-climactic finale that does little to flesh out the bounty hunter’s character. In the end, it’s an interesting oddity but one that’s hardly going to shed new light on Star Wars lore. If the animation and poor voice acting doesn’t turn you off, the strange and nonsensical nature of the cartoon will and there’s little reason to go out of your way to watch this one, especially with all the other, far superior Star Wars content that’s now available.
My Rating:
Terrible
Have you ever watched The Story of the Faithful Wookiee? What did you think to the animation style? Were you surprised that the Rebels were looking for a mystical talisman? What did you think to Boba Fett’s characterisation? Were you surprised when he turned out to be a bad guy, and that there was no physical showdown with him? Would you like to see the Star Wars Holiday Special more widely available, or do you think it’s better off dead? How are you celebrating Star Wars this May? Whatever your thoughts on Boba Fett, and Star Wars in general, leave a comment below and check out my other Star Wars content across the site!
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