From Wikipedia:
The Star Wars Holiday Special was a two-hour television special (including commercials) set in the Star Wars galaxy. It was broadcast in its entirety in the United States only once on Friday, November 17, 1978 on CBS-TV from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (EST). In it, Chewbacca and Han Solo visit Kashyyyk, Chewbacca's home world, to celebrate Life Day. Along the way, they are pursued by agents of the Galactic Empire who are searching for rebels on the planet. The special introduces three members of Chewbacca's family: his father Attichitcuk, his wife Mallatobuck, and his son Lumpawarrump.
The main storyline of the film, which is set in 2 ABY, transpires on Kashyyyk. During the film, scenes also take place in outer space and in such spacecraft as the famous Millennium Falcon and an Imperial Star Destroyer. The variety-show segments and cartoon introduce a few other locales, such as a cantina on the desert planet of Tatooine and a gooey, reddish water planet known as Panna.
The program also features some cameos (although the cameo actors are listed as stars) by other Star Wars characters, including Luke Skywalker, C-3PO, R2-D2, Darth Vader, Han Solo and Princess Leia (who sings the film's "theme song", set to the music of John Williams's Star Wars theme, near the end). The program is probably best known for an animated cartoon produced by Toronto-based Nelvana that officially introduces the bounty hunter Boba Fett. It was the first film produced of three official Star Wars spinoff films.
The film is notorious for its negative reception. George Lucas had limited involvement with the film's production, and he was unhappy with the results. It has never been re-aired or officially released on video, but has been widely bootlegged by fans, many of whom consider it ironically hilarious or kitschy.
For years I've read about this Holiday Special but have never actually seen it. Somebody recently emailed me this five-minute, abridged version and it lives up to everything I've ever heard:
If you want more, here is the originally included Boba Fett cartoon (marking the bounty hunter's first appearance in the Star Wars saga):
