The Star Wars Holiday Special was the first piece of Star Wars media I saw. It is an important piece in the saga. The appeal of The Empire Strikes Back partly stems from the perceived flaws of the Holiday Special. The Library of Congress has begun a push to get the Holiday Special in their collection. Focusing on those upset about it seems like a missed opportunity.
In the last 5+ years a university student had started work on a SWHS documentary, have you spoken with them? Bruce Vilanch in some podcasts/blogs has talked about it.