Star Wars Holiday Special; documentary set for something so reviled by the fandom, yet beloved by pop culture

It was considered the death knell of a burgeoning science fiction franchise, but somehow it bounced back (a few times if we consider Episodes I, II and III) to become not only a pop culture but even have a religion dedicated to it. When The Star Wars Holiday Special was released in 1978 on CBS, it was derided by critics, casual fans and die-hard Jedis/Siths - yet somehow has remained an endearing part of popular culture.

Be it frequent references on pop culture time capsule The Simpsons or “Weird” Al Yankovic referencing the bootleg tape trading that saw the Holiday Special get in front of many eyes, despite only one television airing, there is so much myth regarding its creation that something that has been universally panned has also been universally celebrated for how ‘vulgar’ the whole viewing experience was.

A Disturbance In The Force is set to premiere at this year’s SXSW festival, a documentary based on the making of the special and the subsequent furor after its release. The film is directed by Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak as they look to find out just what led to such an abomination making it to air. Coon has had experiences with big movie franchises before, going as far as to create the documentary, Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made.

The documentary will include several interviews featuring Seth Green, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Paul Scheer, Taran Killam, Donny Osmond, the late Gilbert Gottfried, Bonnie Burton, Steve Binder, and Bruce Vilanch, co-writer of the Star Wars Holiday Special.

But why was the Holiday Special so scorned when it originally came out in 1978? That problem lay in both the production of the show itself coupled with how devout the Star Wars fandom was regarding “their” epic space saga - an early indication of what would later be described in other pop culture circles as “toxic fandom.”

From a critical standpoint, reviews at the time were abysmal. Of the choicest reviews regarding the Star Wars Holiday Special, Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club wrote, "I’m not convinced the special wasn’t ultimately written and directed by a sentient bag of cocaine,” while David Hofstede, author of What Were They Thinking?: The 100 Dumbest Events in Television History, ranked the holiday special at number one, calling it "the worst two hours of television ever."

Even Anthony Daniels, who played C3PO, referred to the special as a "turd” in his 2019 autobiography, while Carrie Fisher remarked once that she received a copy from George Lucas after recording commentary for a Star Wars Trilogy box set, stating it was to “have something for parties...when I wanted everyone to leave."

But from a fandom standpoint, it was fever pitch how much their hallowed franchise had been treated in favour of a quick buck for television producers to the point that it started to ruin the Star Wars universe/canon. No one cared too much that Chewbacca had a family and kids in contrast to the lovable, but still mercenary-for-hire character he was introduced as in the films.

It was also touted as a chance to see Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill reprise their beloved characters for audiences without having to travel to the cinema. Instead, through the entire two hours running time, they appeared for around a total of two-to-three minutes throughout the special.

Yet there is still an enduring, tongue-in-cheek love for the special that has frequented popular culture, even with modern directors; ever wondered why there was a Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special? James Gunn, somewhat of an auteur in weird and garish given his history with Troma, probably knew paying homage to the 1978 original would be a nod and wink not only to Star Wars fans but to pop culture enthusiasts on the whole.