The release of the Disney+ exclusive LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special is almost upon us, and based on its first trailer, it will sprinkle some warmth and lightheartedness on old fandom battles. Taking a cue from 1978's Star Wars Holiday Special, the heroes from the Sequel Trilogy are getting ready to celebrate Life Day when Rey leaves for what she thinks will be a brief mission. Instead, she stumbles upon a triangular crystal that opens a portal to the Galaxy's past, where she relives events from the Prequels, the Original Trilogy and even other tales like Solo: A Star Wars Story and The Mandalorian. Based on the trailer, this will enable the Special to revisit and poke fun at past fan grievances with the franchise.
The original Holiday Special introduced Chewbacca's family: his father Itchy, wife Malla and son Lumpawaroo. But fans were dumbfounded by the way they parodied human stereotypes in long, boring segments, and at one point, how Itchy creepily ogles Diahann Carroll. LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special will reintroduce Chewy's family, seemingly breathing some charm into them as Chewy, Malla and Lumpy make snow angels together. Maybe it will even redeem Itchy.
The trailer also pokes fun at the fan debate over who shot first in A New Hope, Greedo or Han. While Han shot first in the original edit of the film, when George Lucas recut it for the Special Edition, he changed the scene so Greedo shot first because he thought the original version made Han look too cold-blooded. Not only does Han shoot first in the LEGO Special, young Han gladly lets old Han shoot before him.
Meanwhile, Rey's aerial duel with Darth Vader in the trailer parallels fandom battles between those claiming the Original Trilogy is the best and Darth Vader is the ultimate Star Wars character and those fans who were drawn to the franchise by Rey in the The Force Awakens. And when Rey and Darth Vader put their battle on hold to coo over The Child, the Special nods to the fact that one thing all fans can agree on is Baby Yoda.
LEGO Star Wars Holiday special also makes fun of the fan controversy over Kylo Ren's abs, which featured prominently in a scene from The Last Jedi. In the scene, Rey blushes and asks the shirtless Kylo to cover up, which some fans took issue with because they felt it was inappropriate for good guy Rey to feel attracted to the film's villain. The Special repeats the scene, but this time it's the Emperor asking Ren to put a shirt on. Plus, while actor Adam Driver played the scene in Episode VIII quite stoically, the LEGO version of Kylo Ren goes full ham, flamboyantly modeling his pectoral muscles.
Towards the end of the trailer, there's a sneaky reference to the scene in The Last Jedi where Luke takes a long sip of Thala siren milk fresh from the source. Needless to say, some audience members found this a tad distasteful. In the LEGO Special trailer, A New Hope version of LEGO Luke drinks from a blue milk carton, keeping things far more sanitary.
By knowingly making light of these fan grievances, LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special looks to reproduce the same feeling of reuniting with one's extended family for the holidays, equal parts decades-long bickering and shared love. This could lead to each and every Star Wars fan laughing and relaxing -- a worthy goal full of Life Day Spirit.
Directed by Ken Cunningham and written by David Shayne, The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special stars Kelly Marie Tran (Rose Tico), Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian) and Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), as well as Star Wars: The Clone Wars vets Matt Lanter (Anakin Skywalker), Tom Kane (Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn), James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan Kenobi) and Dee Bradley Baker (clone troopers). The film is scheduled to premiere Nov. 17 on Disney+.