LEGO Star Wars Releases New Holiday-Themed Short
In honor of the holidays, LEGO Star Wars has crafted an all-new short, "New Year's Hothin' Eve," which was unveiled on the Star Wars Kids YouTube channel. The galaxy far, far away has an infamous connection to holiday festivities dating back to the franchise's infancy, thanks to 1978's The Star Wars Holiday Special, an event which studio Lucasfilm has largely banished to the furthest reaches of the franchise. Luckily, the irreverent nature of LEGO Star Wars and its various specials allow for much sillier antics for the iconic characters and locations, with this new short helping fans transition into the new year. You can check out the all-new short below.
The new short is described, "Luke Skywalker zooms into battle to take on stomping AT-ATs on snowy Hoth as the clock counts down to a celebration."
Back in 1977, no one could anticipate how successful Star Wars would be, with every brand, studio, and network scrambling to get a piece of the galaxy far, far away. In 1978, George Lucas allowed CBS to produce the Holiday Special, which served as a typical variety show of the era, featuring comedy sketches and musical numbers, all themed after the iconography of Star Wars.
The Holiday Special only aired once, subsequently only existing in the form of fans who made their own VHS recordings. Lucas would go on to express his regret and embarrassment over the event, with its notoriety only spreading as bootleg copies were spread around the world. Despite Lucasfilm doing its best to erase the event from history, the internet has allowed its legacy to spread even further, while Star Wars storytellers also began finding ways to incorporate elements from the Holiday Special and its "Life Day" celebrations into the official canon.
Even with its embarrassing origins, Lucasfilm has begun embracing the Holiday Special in more official ways, including books and comics books centering around Life Day celebrations across the galaxy. Last year even saw the debut of The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special, which featured Rey traveling through time to collide with a number of iconic figures throughout the saga's history. Earlier this year, fans were also given LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales, which featured various vignettes that embraced the more horrifying and hilarious corners of the series.
Stay tuned for details on future LEGO Star Wars stories.
What did you think of the short? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!