I actually saw the original telecast of the Star Wars Holiday Special. At that time in my life I was young, was both a Star Wars fan and a Trekkie (yes, Trekkie, not Trekker... that's how deep I was in this stuff)... and I remember thinking even 1/4 of the way in to it, "This is awful". At that time I was not acquainted with the concept of "So bad it's good" and Mystery Science Theater did not yet exist. I was in my early 20s, so I wasn't an enraptured child. I was an adult and I knew schlock when I saw it.
That said, after watching this documentary I almost want to see it again. I now have an appreciation for "so very bad productions". Several Star Wars movies down the line, I think it would be interesting to see these actors while they were still young and vibrant, and watch what they put into the show, no matter how many Rotten Tomatoes it may have received.
Should Disney restore and remaster this and put it on Disney+ and DVDs? Only if they want to make millions of dollars. If they did they should go all the way and make it a collectors boxed set, and include this documentary with it. Because this documentary would definitely make the set shine. Put in great big bold letters, "The worst Star Wars ever produced! So bad it's great!" Make the collector's set as intentionally hokey as the show, and maybe even include collectable figures. ;D
This documentary is really an excellent presentation. They examined this show from all sides, good and bad. They presented its very obvious defects along with its not so obvious benefits later down the line. Seeing the "easter eggs" put in shows years later was very interesting. And the lasting duration of LIFE DAY is something everyone can celebrate, eh?
One part I especially enjoyed was when they presented snippets of other shows that had aired during the same years... and they were equally horrid if not far worse. Bringing in Donnie Osmond was a brilliant bit of insight on the part of the writers and directors. He gave a balanced, sensible viewpoint of the show and even compared it with his own show. Smart documentation.
So overall I really enjoyed this, beginning to end. I'm no longer a Trekkie / Trekker / Star Wars "fan" (ie, fanatic). I still enjoy Star Trek now and then, somewhat enjoy Star Wars (it has gotten quite a bit darker and my tastes these days are a bit more discerning than when I was young). Yet I have enough appreciation for the history and uniqueness of all these things to have watched this documentary.
That very fact is I think, what validates this video, and makes the point they were aiming at all the way through the documentary: good or bad, enjoyable or not, loved or hated, this is a part of Star Wars history. And if someone like me, a few decades down the line, can still appreciate this documentary... that really says something about the impact Star Wars had on the industry.
