Mahjong123 said:

2) At the opening of the "PBS Special" in the show, the opening credits are EXACTLY IDENTICAL as the SWHS.

4) The Character Rory Flanagan, portrayed by Damian McGinty, played an elf named "Itchy". If this wasn't an intentional reference, I'd be very surprised.

The Itchy reference COMPLETELY slipped by me.

And you're right. In its presentation it does have the necessary feel. I guess I was expecting more, given all the hype. "Chewbacca appears! A magnificent, must-see, completely authorized and extraordinary event!" translated to "Chewbacca appears for ten seconds in a dream sequence". My expectations were too high and focused on the wrong thing.