What was the original release date of the Star Wars Holiday Special?

The original release date of the Star Wars Holiday Special was November 17, 1978. CBS broadcast the 98-minute television special in the United States, making it the first Star Wars spin-off film and the franchise’s earliest major television production.

The story follows Han Solo and Chewbacca as they try to reach Chewbacca’s family on Kashyyyk for Life Day while Imperial forces search the planet. Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew, and other original-film cast members appeared. The special also introduced Chewbacca’s family and featured music, comedy sketches, celebrity guests, and an animated segment.

That cartoon, produced by Nelvana, is especially important to Star Wars history because it marked Boba Fett’s first onscreen appearance. The broadcast was widely criticized and was never rebroadcast or released in full on official home video, although fan recordings circulated for decades. Its unusual mixture of variety-show entertainment and space opera eventually made it a notorious cult classic rather than a forgotten television one-off.