Mark Hamill Has Never Seen Complete ‘Star Wars Holiday Special’

Saturday, Nov. 17 marked the 40th anniversary of the “Star Wars Holiday Special,” but many people have never seen the 1978 program. Even Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill didn’t watch it from start to finish.

“Not all the way through,” Hamill responded to a tweet asking readers if they’ve seen it.

It isn’t surprising considering how often the “Star Wars” special airs. According to the Los Angeles Times, CBS only aired it once and Lucasfilm never officially released it (though bootlegs are pretty easy to find online). The special clocked in at two hours (including commercials) and featured Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) trying to get home for “Wookiee Life Day.”

The special didn’t have much to offer in the way of action sequences, but it had plenty of musical numbers. Diahann Carroll, Jefferson Starship, Bea Arthur and Princess Leia actress Carrie Fisher all performed songs. There was also an animated Boba Fett sequence that appears as an Easter egg on the 2011 “Star Wars: The Complete Saga” Blu-ray.

George Lucas has admitted that he didn’t have much involvement with the holiday special as he was busy writing “The Empire Strikes Back.” It was essentially a bunch of variety TV writers who were allowed to use the “Star Wars” characters to create a special designed to sell toys as “Star Wars” merchandise lines were first being launched. Still, the wacky program likely holds a special place in the hearts of many “Star Wars” fans.