Star Wars and the words Holiday Special have been a thing of myths since the first and much maligned one released on TV 22 years ago, buried deep by George Lucas. Watching it, through grainy YouTube videos or other means, is like a rite of passage for many fans, despite its bizarre and questionable quality. And now, in the craziest year of all, LEGO decided to try to make Holiday Specials a part of the Star Wars experience again, and much like Yoda always says, they didn’t try, they actually did make Holiday Specials something you’d like to watch again with Star Wars. The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special, bundled with humor, wrapped in fun appearances, and containing a solid little story with characters new and old, is an inoffensive special fans of all ages can find some joy in watching.
Set post-The Rise of Skywalker, Life Day preparations on Kashyyyk are under way for Chewbacca’s family thanks to Poe Dameron, Rose Tico, Finn, Rey Skywalker, R2-D2, and BB-8, but Rey’s struggles with training Finn in the ways of the Force cause her to abandon her friends in her quest to be better. She finds a key that opens doorways to all different eras and places, putting her on a crash course with Star Wars history, while the team back on the Falcon is having troubles with the preparations. The Life Day preparation and party aspect of the Special was my least favorite, but it was still fun and had its share of humorous moments, like everyone agreeing it’s a bad idea that Poe has a plan, the Wookiees wanting to eat the porgs, or all the snow shenanigans at the end. Like most framing stories, it’s enough to keep up the thread-bare excuse to have this new Special, and if that’s what it takes, I’ll take it.
Rey’s adventures through time and space are of course the highlight of the Special, though they have their limitations too. As Rey and Vader tussle for control of the key, we get a few brief delights, like Vader battling Vader, but soon it’s a building collection of characters from scenes across all of the Saga, even The Mandalorian and TROS, but the Special never takes enough time to let these surprise meet-ups marinate; there’s no comment from Obi-Wan and Anakin, pulled from their battle on Mustafar, about clinging to Anakin’s podracer moments before the big finish, but rather we get another take on the “who shot first” joke when two Hans meet. Instead it mainly centers on, you guessed it, Skywalker family drama, from pre-leaving Tatooine Luke (who really chugs that blue milk!), Supreme (shirtless) Leader Kylo Ren, to Return of the Jedi Vader, while Emperor Palpatine’s machinations make it all the more hilarious and convoluted as he pits them against one another. Through it all, we get to see Rey come into her own, in LEGO form, as a slightly better Master for Finn, which is both a delight to see and a sad reminder we couldn’t even get Finn’s Force-sensitivity confirmed in TROS; hopefully they pick up the thread in a more official capacity far sooner than later.
Out of the original actors for the characters, Kelly Marie Tran returned for Rose, Billy Dee Williams for Lando, and Anthony Daniels for Threepio, while The Clone Wars veterans Matt Lanter and James Arnold Taylor returned for Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi appearances, but new voice actors appeared for Finn, Rey, Poe, and more. Finn and Poe, Omar Miller and Jake Green, were mostly harmless in their roles, though Poe’s certainly felt off at times but I loved his emotional breakdowns. Helen Sadler as Rey more often than not almost sounded exactly like Daisy Ridley, but it broke here and there. I wasn’t disappointed in the voice acting, this was a LEGO Special so I didn’t expect all the stars to return, but we’ve not had a lot of time with the Sequel Trilogy characters not having the voices of their actors, unlike how often other voices give us takes on Luke Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine, Vader, and more, so it’s just going to take a while before it’s normal for them to be voiced by any but their original actors.
Here’s one other thing:
- A short but sweet little interview with Anthony Daniels regarding both the LEGO Special and the ’78 one, over at SkywalkingThroughNeverland.
- Unfortunately, there was a promise that Rose was going to save the day, and well…she does as she gets Max Reebo and some more familiar characters to join the party, but that’s about it and it feels like another letdown for Tran and the character Rose, which is a shame because they both deserve far more. Still glad she came back to voice the role!
The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special is what it says on the box, and at 47 minutes, well-worth the investment. Check it out on Disney+ now!
+ Humor of Rey’s adventures through time
+ Palpatine’s machinations
+ Overall story, message, and little glimpses of Rey/Finn training
– Missed some opportunities
– Got to get used to new voices!
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.