Is The Star Wars Holiday Special Canon? It's Complicated

For a property as expansive and storied as Star Wars, it's only natural that the beloved sci-fi franchise has certain elements that aren't regarded as fondly. Whether it's the infuriatingly cutesy "Ewoks" TV series or the sheer existence of Jar Jar Binks, there are plenty of odd footnotes in the saga's history. However, few can rival the sheer notoriety of 1978's "The Star Wars Holiday Special" — a bizarre Christmas-themed outing for Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker and friends that is almost universally reviled by the fanbase for its nonsensical campiness.

These days, the special is regarded as little more than an in-joke among diehard fans, but those with a burning interest in the tangled web of Star Wars continuity may wonder if "The Star Wars Holiday Special" is technically canon. Has it ever been canon at all? There's a simple answer with a far less simple explanation. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the holiday special is not considered canon. However, its role as part of Star Wars continuity has historically been fluid, and its legacy still impacts the franchise.

Back when it first aired, "The Star Wars Holiday Special" was, for all intents and purposes, a canonical entry. The holiday special fits snugly in the Star Wars timeline, resting between the end of the original "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope" and "Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back." Of course, the special's many odd additions almost immediately jeopardized its canon status as the franchise continued to develop.

For roughly 40 years after its original premiere, "The Star Wars Holiday Special" was still officially acknowledged as canon — though only in the loosest sense possible. Leland Chee, a Star Wars continuity expert who maintained an official database detailing Star Wars continuity across all media known as the Holocron, once clarified the holiday special's status on a forum. He said the special was internally considered S-canon, a classification given to projects that, while technically falling into a secondary level of canon, could be largely ignored by creators and fans if they saw fit.

Despite the unclear canonical status of "The Star Wars Holiday Special," some elements it introduced were nevertheless adhered to in subsequent projects, such as the existence of Chewbacca's family. Chee noted that these particular details that made their way outside the special were considered to be stronger and more prominent fixtures of Star Wars continuity, falling under the C-canon — or Continuity-canon — classification.

While "The Star Wars Holiday Special" spent decades occupying the fringes of franchise canon, its placement in the greater Star Wars story was not to last. Two years after Disney purchased Lucasfilm and the Star Wars IP in 2012, the company declared a soft reboot, placing most of the Expanded Universe outside the canon. The Holocron classification system was retired, with most works, including "The Star Wars Holiday Special," being relegated to the non-canon Star Wars Legends label.

"The Star Wars Holiday Special" may no longer be a canon, but that hasn't stopped it from continuing to be an influential part of the franchise's legacy. Similar to how certain parts of the special made their way into the Holocron's C-canon classification with subsequent references in other projects, a few elements have been essentially re-canonized. For instance, "The Mandalorian" references the concept of Life Day, meaning that the holiday special's Christmas analog still exists within Disney's continuity.

It's tough to deny the dubious legacy of "The Star Wars Holiday Special." However, whether it's a canon fixture, sitting outside of continuity, or teetering somewhere between, it's clear creators will not soon forget it.