The Star Wars Holiday Special aired on CBS television on the 17th of November 1978. The broadcast ran from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm Eastern Standard Time and preempted popular shows like Wonder Woman and The Incredible Hulk.
David Acomba started directing the project but left after filming only a few scenes including the cantina sequence. Steve Binder took over as director and received a document called the Wookiee bible from Lucasfilm before completing the final broadcast.
Han and Chewie crash on the water moon of Panna while searching for a talisman and discover Han has been infected by a mysterious sleeping virus. Boba Fett saves Luke Skywalker from a giant monster and later returns with the cure after contacting Darth Vader.
Jerry Buck reviewed the program as bubble gum for the brain in November 1978 for the Associated Press and Rotten Tomatoes holds a 25% approval rating based on sixteen reviews averaging low scores. Anthony Daniels called the production a turd in his 2019 autobiography while George Lucas reportedly said he believed it would be released on videotape but was unsure about reruns.
Disney+ released the animation as The Story of the Faithful Wookiee on the 2nd of April 2021. International broadcasts occurred in Canada Australia New Zealand France Sweden Ireland Honduras and Brazil between 1978 and 1984 including a shortened French version that aired on TF1 on the 1st of January 1980.