Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Series References The Holiday Special

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Series References The Holiday Special

Key Takeaways

  • Star Wars: Skeleton Crew will feature a reference to the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special.
  • The series will also include elements from Star Wars Legends, encouraged by Lucasfilm.
  • The team put significant effort into recreating the Holiday Special reference for fans’ enjoyment.

As a seasoned Star Wars enthusiast who has witnessed the highs and lows of this beloved saga, I can’t help but feel a sense of nostalgic excitement about the upcoming release of “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew”. The fact that it will pay tribute to the infamous Holiday Special, a project Lucasfilm has largely tried to bury, is nothing short of fascinating.


In slightly more than a week, “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” is set to premiere, and this highly anticipated Disney Plus series includes a mention of a venture that Lucasfilm has mostly kept under wraps.

Skeleton Crew” follows a group of four kids who become lost in space and have to navigate their way back home after stumbling upon a significant discovery on their native planet. This narrative unfolds between the happenings of “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” and “The Force Awakens,” making it intriguing for fans as they will notice references and callbacks to earlier times in the Star Wars universe. The placement of “Skeleton Crew” during this phase of the Star Wars timeline enables the creative team to honor one of the franchise’s most memorable installments – “The Star Wars Holiday Special.

In an interview with The HoloFiles, Jon Watts, co-creator and writer of 6 episodes for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, discussed the extensive effort put into incorporating a nod to the notorious Star Wars Holiday Special. Although specifics about the reference weren’t disclosed, Watts shared that they initially considered using pre-existing footage from the Star Wars Holiday Special. However, the footage turned out to be of insufficient resolution and lacked necessary angles, prompting the team behind Star Wars: Skeleton Crew to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions instead.

To capture this scene from different perspectives since it appeared in multiple areas of the set, we decided to reconstruct the entire setting anew. This meant retrieving the initial costume designs from the Lucasfilm archive and getting all the original blueprints. As there was no existing version of the original score, we had to compose new music from scratch. The project turned out to be twenty times more labor-intensive than expected, but our stunt coordinator, who is also the main actor in it, managed to redesign the acrobatic choreography as well. In hindsight, I must admit that despite the immense effort required, it was absolutely worth it. My highlight from this project would be…[without disclosing what exactly it is, given its current visibility].

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Series References The Holiday Special

The movie “Skeleton Crew” will incorporate elements from the “Star Wars Legends” series, a term used for the franchise’s books, games, and other media that Disney deemed non-canon after acquiring Lucasfilm. These references were added to enrich the story with nods to “Legends,” and Lucasfilm supported this effort. Watts elaborated on how they went about it:

Collaborating with Lucasfilm’s brilliant design team, led by Doug Chiang, was a continuous dialogue. Once they understood we were open to using lesser-known or deep-cut references, it sparked an influx of ideas for the question, ‘Which character could potentially be included?’

Enthusiasts are bound to rejoice as they’ll find references from the Star Wars Legends series incorporated into the upcoming book, Skeleton Crew. These Star Wars Legends titles, which were widely acclaimed when initially launched, left fans disheartened after Disney invalidated their canonicity. Conversely, the Star Wars Holiday Special was met with such unfavorable reviews that it was never re-aired or released on video. Although Disney Plus included the Boba Fett segment from the Star Wars Holiday Special in 2021, fans have to resort to bootleg copies or unauthorized online resources to view the full production.

The creative team behind Watts likely believed that fans would find the nod to the Star Wars Holiday Special amusing, given the effort put into recreating this reference in Skeleton Crew. While it probably won’t improve the Star Wars Holiday Special’s standing, at least this franchise’s most infamous installment isn’t being completely forgotten or discarded.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew premieres on December 3, 2023, on Disney Plus.

Read More

2024-11-22 20:53