A dedicated Star Wars fan put together an upscaled 4K trailer for the cult classic Star Wars Holiday Special that aired once in 1978 and never again.
Posted by Nick Acosta on YouTube, the two-minute video features several of the unforgettable moments from the special. From Chewbacca's home on Kashyyyk with his wife Malla, son Lumpy and father Itchy anxiously awaiting his arrival for the in-universe holiday Life Day, to Han and Chewie being hounded by the Empire as they try to get the Wookiee home, the cartoon short that introduced Boba Fett to fans and the seemingly endless parade of bizarre celebrity cameos, it's all there in its stunning 4K 60FPS glory.
Originally airing a few weeks before Thanksgiving in 1978 on CBS, the special gained notoriety for its low production value, questionable writing and the many strange segments included. Essentially a variety show format, it featured musical performances from Jefferson Starship and Bea Arthur, among others, comedy bits featuring Harvey Korman as a four-armed cooking show host and an animated segment called "The Faithful Wookiee" that follows the adventures of the Millenium Falcon and a double-crossing early version of the bounty hunter Boba Fett.
All this is couched in a narrative of Han and Chewie trying to get home for Life Day while hounded by Imperial ships and the family on Kashyyyk dealing with an aggressive garrison of stormtroopers who are searching for rebels. Naturally, the heroes save the day, everyone is reunited around the Tree of Life -- including Luke, Leia and the droids C3-PO and R2-D2 -- and the Wookiee family shares a quiet moment around a table.
While some fans have come to appreciate the low budget and silly nature of the special, the cast and crew have been less kind. Star Wars creator George Lucas was nominally involved in the making of it, Harrison Ford claims to never have seen it, Mark Hamill only admits to having watched part of it and Carrie Fisher once said Lucas gave her a copy of it so she would "have something for parties...when [she] wanted everyone to leave."
While it has never been reissued in any format and largely is watched via bootlegs of the original broadcast, Disney+ has added the animated segment to its streaming library. That was the closest most fans could get to see a restored copy until the trailer's release, which used a machine-learning program to enhance the special.
Source: YouTube