I didn't think the Star Wars Holiday Special was THAAAAT BADDDD...

I finally downloaded a free torrent of "The Star Wars Holiday Special" burned it to a DVD and watched it on a big screen TV and I have to say that the Star Wars Holiday Special was not as bad as I expected.

I had seen clips of it throughout the time it has been spread on the internet. I agreed from short clips that I saw that it looked terrible and never took much interest to sit through it. Well I finally did and I have to say if you follow the story from start to finish it is not as bad as you might think, in fact I think they had some good ideas.

I don't know why George Lucas hates it so much, it seems like just his kind of material. I'd rather sit through that again than any one of his prequels. There were obviously elements about this TV airing that were the inspiration for future characters/projects of Star Wars. For example, the Wookiee planet shown was very similar to how they portrayed it in episode III. Why would George Lucas have the exact same name and have it look just like it did in the Holiday Special if he doesn't consider it canon and wants to avoid it?

The Empire having a blockade on the planet idea was somewhat reproduced in Episode I. The idea of Han and Chewiee trying to make it home in time for "Life Day" while the Empire chases them and searches their relatives is Star Wars classic story telling and had great potential, but need better pacing and more suspense. Less diddle daddle time (if you know what I mean).

I don't know the story behind the Boba Fett segment, like who wrote it, who created it, what say George Lucas had in it, but I thought it was classic.

Back then TV was like that. I wasn't around at the time, but based on the commercials shown, I think the TV show fit right in. It was a more laid back time when people didn't get so meticulous about everything. They would just let the cameras roll and go with the flow. 

-The Terminator

I only saw the Holiday Special once, and that was a couple of years ago, so my memories aren't fresh on the subject, but I remember it alternated between being amusingly stupid and incredibly boring. In any case, it was nowhere near as abominable as the prequels were. 

I actually saw the Holiday Special live in 1978, and even as a 6 year old kid I thought it was horrendous and forgettable. 

The Prequels atleast had SOME memorable moments, but were just overall bad movies.  The Holiday Special is awful from the minute it starts.  I bought a copy on ebay a few years ago, just to see it again 30 years later, and good lord it was just as bad as I remembered. 

It still should be out on DVD or BluRay, simply because it is a part of SW history, and everyone should see it once. 

When the Holiday Special isn't boring, it's so bad that it's good.  If I could measure the number of laughs and good times I've had with my friends watching it on bad movie nights, It would easily blow the PT away.  I definitely find myself in the mood to watch it more frequently than any of the movies in the PT.

!

I never thought about it until I wrote it down just now, but I think that probably means I like the Holiday Special more than the PT.  :o

I think I found the best version of The Star Wars Holiday Special. It is the: The Star Wars Holiday Special - Zion Hybrid Edition: ***LINK DELETED***

I noticed it discussed on the OT forum and it sounds even better than the previous best known version: The WHIO version. Here is a comparison: http://www.thestarwarstrilogy.com/starwars/post/2013/10/04/Star-Wars-Holiday-Special-New-Recording.

Is this correct? The Zion Hybrid Edition is the best known version easily available on the internet and the WHOI version is the second best?

I can't find a torrent for the WHIO version? Does anyone know where one is? When I google: "The Star Wars Holiday Special WHIO version torrent" or variations of that I can't find anything downloadable. 

Oh sorry about the pirated link. I did skim read the forum rules, but I thought it was only for pirated links that were trying to sell that were illegal.

My Mistake

I have been reading about the version you linked: http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/SWHS-WHIO-1st-Gen-VHS-Preservation/topic/15917/

It sounds like I need a MySpleen acoount to download it, which I am currently waiting for at the MySpleen forum.

Has anyone else downloaded it from MySpleen? What do I need to do in order to download it?

The Terminator said:

I have been reading about the version you linked: http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/SWHS-WHIO-1st-Gen-VHS-Preservation/topic/15917/

It sounds like I need a MySpleen acoount to download it, which I am currently waiting for at the MySpleen forum.

Has anyone else downloaded it from MySpleen? What do I need to do in order to download it?

Tack said:

I didn't think Superman IV was that bad.

*semi-off-topic commentary engaged*

While I do think Superman IV is a poor movie, I actually really like Superman III. Hell, it's the only Superman film in the Chris Reeve series that I actually like all that much.

Yes, the villains are rather lame and Richard Pryor isn't at all convincing as a computer genius. On the other hand, though, I love how Clark was portrayed as an actual character this time around rather than as a mere mask of Superman's, and I think Annette O'Toole's Lana is a far better and more believable (not to mention better looking) love interest than Margot Kidder's Lois.

*semi-off-topic commentary disengaged*

SilverWook said:

The movie does have it's moments. Has anyone tried to fanedit it?

 http://www.fanedit.org/ifdb/component/content/article/79-fanedit-listings/fanfix/893-superman-iii-dangermouse-cut

http://www.fanedit.org/ifdb/component/content/article/79-fanedit-listings/fanfix/600-superman-iii-the-definitive-smallville-cut

Tack said:

I didn't think Superman IV was that bad.

 Superman III & IV were horrendous, as I put them right up there with the SW Holiday Special.  These are movies that are so bad I refuse to ever watch them again, except for years later just to see how bad they still are.

I would also put Rocky V in that horrendous sequel group that I hate with a passion.

Sorry to get off topic with my rant!