ICYMI: The Anniversary Of The First “Life Day” In The Star Wars Galaxy
I was reminded of “Life Day” by a line in the first episode of The Mandalorian, a moment when the Mando’s quarry stated his hopes for “Life Day.”
The Star Wars Holiday Special
Slight spoilers ahead, as Movieweb’s Kevin Burwick writes:
The Mandalorian just made a huge part of Star Wars history canon. The Star Wars Holiday Special is either loved or hated by fans, with hardly anything in between. Jon Favreau is a man that happens to love the campy holiday special, which originally aired on CBS in 1978. It featured characters and actors from A New Hope and even introduced some new ones, like Chewbacca’s family and the villainous bounty hunter Boba Fett. Favreau decided to go all-in with his love of the special and has made it an official part of the Star Wars canon in the first episode of The Mandalorian.
In the premiere episode of The Mandalorian, we see the bounty hunter doing what he does best. His first acquisition is a fast-talking alien named Mythrol, played by former SNL cast member Horatio Sanz. In the episode, Mythrol says he needs to use the restroom (or rather Vac Tube, as toilets are now known in the Star Wars galaxy), while onboard Dyn Jarren’s ship, though he really wants to scope out an escape route. As he discovers the bodies in Carbonite below, we get the big Mandalorian Star Wars Holiday Special reference. He talks about how he’s probably going to miss Life Day…
Mythrol is definitely missing out on Life Day. But that’s not the important part here. The important fact is that Life Day was brought up at all since it’s the main event of the Star Wars Holiday Special. Per the special, it’s a Wookiee holiday celebrated on the forested planet Kashyyyk, which involves feasts and journeys to the Tree of Life. And now, it’s official canon. The Star Wars Holiday Special was only aired once and it was never available commercially, though bootlegs have existed for decades now. Even George Lucas has spoken out about the special over the years, allegedly wishing that every copy was burned, smashed and obliterated.
A Walk Down Memory Lane
So, after decades, it seems visual Lucasfilm is finally acknowledging something unique in the Star Wars universe (although I am pretty certain the Holiday Special is not canon):
#OTD in 1978, CBS aired the heavily-promoted and much-anticipated Star Wars HOLIDAY SPECIAL.
It was an unmitigated disaster—but a valuable lesson for George Lucas.
Walk with me a bit, won’t you? /1 pic.twitter.com/JUodzXZ0nN
— Brian Jay Jones (@brianjayjones) November 17, 2019
Mr. Jones was the author of George Lucas: A Life – a lauded biography of the auteur.
And he took OG’s like me on a reminiscence to 1978 and a TV-special I actually remember (notable because I was three, almost four).
Attentive viewers of THE MANDALORIAN likely caught the reference to Life Day in the first episode. Does that make the Holiday Special canon? Discuss. And HAPPY LIFE DAY! /end
— Brian Jay Jones (@brianjayjones) November 17, 2019
Life Day Song?
So, here are a few of the tweets I felt very relevant to the present epoch of Star Wars.
The only segment that sparked any real interest was an 11 minute animated feature from the Canadian company Nelvana, Ltd, giving audiences their first (albeit animated) look at a character who would become a fan favorite.
Boba Fett. /11 pic.twitter.com/4C0PnxZ7ni
— Brian Jay Jones (@brianjayjones) November 17, 2019
Heavily promoted by CBS and eagerly awaited by fans — hey, this was #StarWars on TV! — the special aired on November 17, 1978, and saw its viewership plunge dramatically over the course of the show, tanking in the ratings. /13 pic.twitter.com/0txbuBfjbo
— Brian Jay Jones (@brianjayjones) November 17, 2019
Can I See It?
FYI, dear reader, many of the clips referenced above are readily available by searching on YouTube (but I don’t want to link to them here for obvious reasons).
In any case, Happy Life Day!