The Star Wars universe is huge. The Star Wars Holiday Special, however, is in a league of its own. Broadcast on November 17, 1978, this made-for-TV movie focused on Chewbacca’s family waiting for him to get home on the Wookiee holiday of Life Day. Chewie and Han Solo ran into an Imperial blockade on their way back to Kashyyyk.
Many aspects of the special are already canon or have become so in recent years. Chewie’s family is canon, along with Gormaanda the chef, and Ackmena the bartender. And then there’s the creation of Boba Fett! But some aspects of the movie have yet to make it out of Legends lore. Here’s what we’d love to see canonized next.
Amorphiia System
Chewie’s son Lumpy is putting together his new mini transmitter. There’s an instructional video that features an Amorphiian from the system Amorphiia. The Amorphiians have bodies that lose function at random intervals. In fact, the Amorphiian shuts down after finishing the instructions.
Bringing the Amorphiia System into canon would open up a whole new avenue of space for the Galaxy Far Far Away to explore. They export products like the transmitter to the galaxy as a whole which makes them an important economic player. The humanoid species, with its unique malfunction, would be interesting to learn more about.
Saun Dann
Saun Dann is a human living on Kashyyyk. He runs the trading post that provides goods to the local Wookiees. He is also a friend of the Rebel Alliance and a friend to Chewie’s family. He acts as a liaison when the Empire comes knocking at the door and works to protect the family.
Dann could be a jackpot of new Rebel stories. Maybe he went on to play a larger role in the Alliance. Maybe he remained close with Chewbacca’s family and served as their protector while Chewie’s off-planet. Or maybe he faded away. Now we’ll never know.
The Groomer
Have you ever wondered how Wookiees get their glorious locks so smooth and luscious? Thanks to the Holiday Special, now we know! Saun Dann sells a groomer to an Imperial trooper in his trading shop. The groomer has many functions. In addition to being sort of an electric comb, it can also store information!
Imagine the world of minutiae the groomer would open up. How do the Talz give their fur such volume? How do Mon Calamari keep their skin so moist? Now you could have the answers to these questions and more!
Mermeia
Despite being one of the more uncomfortable moments of the Holiday Special, Mermeia’s song brings up a lot of questions. She’s a holograph used for erotic entertainment in virtual reality. Itchy, Chewie’s father, watches Mermeia sing a song on his mind evaporator.
There’s a whole digital world in the Star Wars universe that remains largely unexplored. We see hints of it here and there, in holographs and news vids, but what about social media? Does the Star Wars world have television? Is there a comments section in the galaxy far far away?
Panna System
We meet the Panna System in the animated portion of the Holiday Special. It’s here that Luke Skywalker, C3-PO, and R2-D2 meet the bounty hunter Boba Fett for the first time. It’s a system located in the Outer Rim and contains the planet Panna and its moon.
Much like Amorphiia System, canonizing the Panna System would bring more planets into the galaxy. More planets mean more peoples and more stories. It never hurts to have a new place to explore. It might also bring the first meeting of Boba Fett into canon!
The Unnamed Circus Troupe
Early on in the Holiday Special, Lumpy watches a circus performance on his hologram table. Almost nothing is known about this particular circus troupe, but their talent is without equal. There are gymnasts and jugglers and one very talented ringmaster.
The motivation for bringing this circus troupe into canon is less about learning more about them and more about the raw need to see this level of talent in the galaxy. The whole sequence is bizarre but entrancing. The circus is so good, you just can’t drag your eyes away.
Life On Tatooine
While the Imperials are searching Chewie’s house, a television segment comes on the view screen in the living room. The segment is a documentary featuring a live stream from a cantina on Tatooine. It introduces the viewers to Ackmena the bartender played by Bea Arthur. While Ackmena is canon, the segment itself is not.
Much like Mermeia, “Life on Tatooine” opens up a whole world of opportunity. Are there other holodocumentaries? Are there live streams of other planets? Have any of our Rebel friends ever appeared on the segment? If only we knew.
Krelman
A part of “Life on Tatooine,” Krelman is a lonely humanoid who comes into Ackmena’s cantina on Tatooine featured in a viewscreen segment in Chewie’s home. He’s in love with her and needs to be noticed. He harasses her endlessly, demanding her attention. She rebuffs him with ease but ultimately makes peace with his presence after they close for the night.
What’s of interest about Krelman is that he drinks through the top of his head. He asks for a drink and when Ackmena brings it, he pours it straight into the top of his skull. How? Why? We need to know more!
Jefferson Starship
To distract the Imperials, Saun Dann turns on the gift he brought for Chewie’s wife, Malla: a music box. A band appears and plays the song “Light the Sky on Fire” by Jefferson Starship. Neither the band nor the song is canon, but can you imagine the mess if they were?
Imagine Lucasfilm and Disney trying to explain why an Earth band is canon “a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.” Maybe a transmission was sent through time. Maybe an Earth probe carrying to song accidentally traveled back in time. There are a million humorous possibilities.
A Day To Celebrate
The Holiday Special ends with the celebration of Life Day. The Wookiees and their friends gather around the Tree of Life to celebrate family, joy, and harmony. They lite glowing Life Day Orbs to hold and to place on the tree. Princess Leia sings a special Life Day hymn.
Life Day and its accouterments are canon. The song, however, and by default Princess Leia’s singing talent are tragically not. If they were, perhaps we would’ve gotten a very special musical episode that goes even beyond the oddities of the Holiday Special.
