Can ESPN2’s Star Wars Halloween Special turn out worse than the hated Holiday Special?

By Rick Marshall October 30, 2014

disney announces star wars halloween special espn2 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

In Star Wars lore, there are few projects as universally ridiculed as the 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special, an ill-conceived mess of a themed television feature that even the prequel trilogy’s apologists concede was a low point in the franchise’s history. Almost 40 years later, the Star Wars Halloween Special is coming to television, and it’s premiering in a very unexpected place: ESPN2.

The half-hour show will air Thursday, October 30, on the Disney-owned network and will reportedly feature the cast of ESPN2’s SportsNation in an adventure involving live-action franchise characters Han Solo, Boba Fett, Yoda, Darth Vader, R2D2, Chewbacca, and C-3PO, as well as characters from Disney XD’s animated series Star Wars Rebels. The Hollywood Reporter debuted a teaser for the Star Wars Halloween Special in which host Michelle Beadle goes full Jedi when co-hosts Max Kellerman and Marcellus Wiley are taken captive by Darth Vader and the Empire.

The teaser also features an appearance by NBA great Kareem Abdul Jabbar, who’s apparently a Jedi Master in addition to being one of the greatest professional basketball players of all time — which actually explains a lot.

According to THR’s preview, the special will involve a redesign of the SportsNation set to make it look like the interior of the Millennium Falcon, and will offer a sneak peek at an upcoming episode of Star Wars Rebels.

Disney’s Star Wars Halloween Special airs tonight (October 30) at 7:30pm ET on ESPN2 and will re-air on Halloween (October 31) at 3pm. You can watch the teaser for the episode below:

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