In just a few months time, Disney will officially open
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge and guests of Disney's Hollywood Studios will be able to step through the gates and into a galaxy far, far away.
Galaxy's Edge will bring to life the
Star Wars franchise like never before seen, transporting visitors to the remote planet of Batuu. It is here where visitors will explore Black Spire Outpost, the infamous stop for traders, adventurers, and smugglers around the Outer Rim.
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge won't open for a few months (Summer for Disneyland, late Fall for Disney World), but Disney continues to build hype by slowly revealing new details about the eagerly awaited land. This week, Disney invited media to a special preview of
Galaxy's Edge, revealing everything from the characters you'll meet to the food and drinks you'll consume to the toys you'll inevitably buy. Scroll through the pages below for a look at what you can expect when you travel to
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.
Set Between The Last Jedi and Star Wars: Episode IX
The background story of
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge will be set
"somewhere after the events of The Last Jedi and shortly before Episode IX." The story will focus on the Resistance/First Order conflict but
Galaxy's Edge is designed to be "somewhat future-proof."
“The place and the attractions have been built,” Carrie Beck, vice president, animation and live-action series at Lucasfilm said,
“but everything that you can populate it with can be refreshed, can be updated, can be changed, can be integrated.”
This will allow Disney to breathe new life into the park and keep it up-to-date with any future
Star Wars stories that are told.
BB-8, Finn, Poe, and Rey
Given the period of time that Black Spire's Edge is set, it's only natural that some of the sequel trilogy's biggest stars appear. John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, and Daisy Ridley have all reprised their roles, respectively, and will appear in the Rise of the Resistance attraction. We don't know in what form, however. This could mean animatronics or appearing on-screen in pre-captured footage. BB-8 will also be present "live and in-person."
Rise of the Resistance Attraction Details
One of two attractions in
Galaxy's Edge,
Rise of the Resistance throws guests in the middle of a battle between the First Order and the Resistance. Much of the ride is being kept a mystery, but it was revealed that guests will make their way into a Star Destroyer and come face-to-face with Kylo Ren.
Scott Trowbridge,
Star Wars portfolio creative executive/studio leader at Walt Disney Imagineering, called
Rise of the Resistance,
"This is one of the most epic attraction experiences we have ever built." There were rumors the entire attraction experience could last upwards of 45 minutes.
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
The second attraction,
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run allows for a group of six visitors to pilot the iconic ship. The ride will put guests in the Falcon's cockpit where they can fly it, fire its cannons, and manage its controls.
“They really are in control of the ship. It’s a completely interactive experience,” said Trowbridge.
“So if you don’t fire and hit that TIE fighter that’s coming after you, it may get some shots and create some damage on the ship that then you have to fix. If you don’t fly right to avoid that oncoming whatever, you smash into a wall, your ship is going to fly right and smash into that wall. You’re truly in control of what happens on your mission.”
Making a guest appearance in the attraction is Hondo Ohnaka, the fan-favorite space pirate from the animated series
Star Wars: The Clone Wars and
Star Wars Rebels. Hondo will be brought to life using one of Disney Parks' "most complex Audio-Animatronics figures ever created." He'll be found waiting in the control tower of a Black Spire Outpost spaceport in the attraction.
Disney teases,
"He’s teamed up with Chewbacca and needs you to transport some cargo on the iconic bucket of bolts," which sounds like it could be the premise for the ride.
Original voice actor Jim Cummings returned to voice the smuggler, who is heard telling guests:
“Remember, the more you work together, the more you earn. Your lives — and my profit — depend on it!”
Blue Milk and Other Food and Drinks
Disney will be recreating some of the franchise's most iconic dishes and drinks for
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. This includes "Blue Milk," that we first saw served by Aunt Beru in A New Hope.
Thankfully, it's not actually milk (because that would be disgusting to drink while walking arou100-degree heat). Instead, it's made from plant-based dairy and is said to be "cool, refreshing, and gloriously blue." A green variety will also be available "for those who prefer their milk to come form thala-sirens." That's a reference to The Last Jedi, in which Luke takes a swig from freshly squeezed milk.
Ronto Roasters and Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo will feature other intergalactic delicacies. The menu for Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo includes Fried Endorian Tip-Yip (rectangle shaped fried chicken) and Kaadu Ribs (smoked country sticky pork ribs with a blueberry corn muffin and cabbage slaw), Felucian Garden Spread (a plant-based kefta “meatball” dish with herb hummus and tomato-cucumber relish with pita bread).
“The flavors in Galaxy’s Edge and Docking Bay 7 are going to be very bold. A lot of spice-forward,” said Brian Piasecki, culinary director of concept development at Walt Disney World Resort.
Ronto Roasters is all about "meat and heat." The menu offers "drier options," like turkey jerky and the signature Ronto Wrap (a handheld sandwich, filled with Portuguese sausage, roasted pork, and cabbage slaw on top, all in a grilled pita). The Ronto Wrap comes with a spicy "clutch sauce" named for Darth Vader's Force Grip.
For the adults, Oga's Cantina will act as a walk-up bar. Unique specialty drinks will be available at all three restaurants as well as select stands. There will be an assortment of alcoholic and non-alcoholic options available. This includes the non-alcoholic Tatooine Sunset, a reddish pink, tea-based drink; Moof Juice, a pinkish fruit juice. Oga's Cantina will also be home to R-3X, aka Rex, the beloved droid captain of the original
Star Tours attraction (before it was redone). It was confirmed if original Rex voice actor Paul Reubens returned to record lines for the droid, but apparently, it does sound similar regardless.
For
Star Wars Rebels fans, Meiloorun Juice, a non-alcoholic drink based on a fruit introduced in the animated series, will be available at Ronto Roasters.
There's also the unique-sounding Oga's Obsession which is described as a beverage and snack combo. Served in "what looks like a petri dish, you scoop your serving, and the garnish pops in your mouth."
Alcoholic offerings include a mix of frothy, sometimes steamy, and sometimes bubbly drinks like The Fuzzy Tauntaun, The Bespin Fizz, and The Outer Rim. The Bloody Rancor comes with an edible bone. Beer will also be offered.
Merchandise: Lightsabers, Plushies, Droids and more!
Merchandising is a huge aspect of Disney's business and they are pulling out all the stops with
Galaxy's Edge. Numerous shops will line the streets allowing visitors to buy stuffed plushies, purchase musical instruments, build their own lightsabers, or construct their own droids.
Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities is home to "rare Jedi artifacts and more." the shop will be "filled with treasures ranging from holocrons to ancient Jedi stone carvings." The shop is actually named after Dok Ondar, who was mentioned in
Solo: A Star Wars Story. The Ithorian will appear within the shop as an animatronic.
The Creature Stall, owned by Bina, will sell all sorts of stuffed animals inspired by the creatures seen in various Star Wars movies and shows, including porgs, tauntauns, and more. Black Spire Outfitters will sell galactic apparel ranging from First Order uniforms to Jedi attire. There's an artisan-style shop run by Zabaka, a female Toydarian, that will sell items like wooden Convor whistles, musical instruments that are playable and come pre-loaded with tunes, and plushies of your favorite heroes and aliens.
Guests will also be able to construct their very own lightsabers and droids at Savi's Workshop and the Droid Depot, respectively. Furthering the interactive nature of
Galaxy's Edge, the lightsaber will come with a kyber crystal that contains a special message that's only unlocked when paired with a holocron. Additionally, the droid will offer more details about Black Spire Outpost and will be able to interact with a guest's experience.
An Interactive Experience
Disney is hoping to fully immerse guests within
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge so that it feels like guests are actually on this remote planet. Specially-dressed Disney Cast Members will roam the streets, acting as villagers - each with their own individual stories. Guests will be able to interact with these actors and learn more about the history of Batuu and become a part of the adventure as they'll meet Resistance sympathizers and First Order loyalists.
“The land itself is a massive e-ticket experience,” said Trowbridge,
“filled with story and characters and ways to explore and experience this galaxy far, far away like never before.”
When guests first enter
Galaxy's Edge, the Play Disney Parks App will automatically switch to
Star Wars mode, unlocking new missions, stories, and ways to interact with the land. This includes the ability to translate languages and signs, hack droids, and message characters like the Hondo Ohnaka animatronic.
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is slated to open in California's Disneyland Resort in summer 2019 and in Florida's Walt Disney World Resort in fall 2019.