A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, before myriad animated series and Disney+ shows, another “Star Wars” spinoff existed. But the “Star Wars Holiday Special” wasn’t like “The Mandalorian” or “Star Wars Rebels.” If fans missed its single airing on CBS in 1978, they missed out on it forever. The special aired only once but lived in infamy in the minds of “Star Wars” fans ever since.
Now 45 years later, a new documentary explores the “Star Wars Holiday Special” in all its facets. What was the special about? Why was it televised only once? And why did its creators bury it as “Star Wars” became an increasingly lucrative cultural phenomenon? “A Disturbance In The Force” answers all these questions, and more.
Here’s the film’s official synopsis:
In 1977, “Star Wars” became a cultural phenomenon that single-handedly revitalized a stagnant film industry, and forever changed how films were sold, made, and marketed. Movies would never be the same again.
A year later, neither would television.
In 1978, CBS aired the two-hour “Star Wars Holiday Special” during the week of Thanksgiving and was watched by 13 million people. It never re-aired.
While some fans of the franchise are aware of this dark secret, this bizarre two hours of television still remains relatively unknown among the general public. Simply put, we will answer how and why did the “Holiday Special” get made.
Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak write and direct “A Disturbance In The Force.” The doc features interviews with various celebrities, including Seth Green, Weird Al Yankovich, Paul Scheer, Taran Killam, Danny Osmond, Gilbert Gottfried, Bonnie Burton, Bruce Vilanch, and Steve Binder.
Explore the bygone era of event television, and one of the oddest bits of the “Star Wars” galaxy, when “A Disturbance In The Force” has its world premiere at SXSW in Austin on March 11. Watch a trailer for the doc below.