Warning! Spoilers for LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special follow.
OK, you were warned …
I’d read about the three Obi-Wan Kenobis. That Rey Skywalker was going to fight Darth Vader. That Rey was going to travel through space and time. That she would come across a younger Luke Skywalker.
But there was one aspect of the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special that I didn’t see coming. That was the many scenes from the Star Wars Skywalker saga that Rey (Helen Sadler) visits through her device that allows her to travel through space and time.
The trip down memory lane was enjoyable. Though I’ve seen these scenes dozens of times when watching the films, smiles still came to my face as I saw the scenes be replayed.
The Show Even Got Emotional for Me
I even shed tears when the Death Star trench run was relived. (That’s when Luke uses his targeting computer until he hears Obi-Wan’s voice to use the Force. And then Han Solo flies in to save the day before Luke’s proton torpedos make it into the Death Star and the superstructure explodes.)
The 47-minute production is also full of really funny jokes, including a dig at Palpatine’s return in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. (I’ve always been fine, more or less, with Palpatine’s return, but perhaps Lucasfilm itself is saying I shouldn’t be because the show is a Lucasfilm production.)
It was great to hear familiar voices, such as Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian), Kelly Marie Tran (Rose Tico), Dee Bradley Baker (clone trooper/Max Rebo), James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Matt Lanter (Anakin Skywalker/Rodian), Matthew Wood (D-O/Kylo Ren) and Tom Kane (Yoda/Qui-Gon Jinn). These voices came from both Star Wars films and shows.
It was fitting for Yoda to be the narrator.
It was also satisfying to see Rey use her yellow lightsaber, even in a non-canon setting.
And that setting in mind, I suppose it made sense that Rey was a Jedi Master, given how powerful she is and that she already became a Jedi.
I’m excited to watch the show with my 7-year-old daughter. Of course, she won’t understand the production on the level that I will because she hasn’t seen the films. But the show has plenty of action and is generally entertaining.
The show is better than nearly all of the LEGO Star Wars shows I’ve seen. Also, it gives us Star Wars fans a Star Wars holiday special of which to be proud.
What did you think about the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special? Comment below!
Learn more about the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special at StarWars.com. The production is available on Disney+.