What’s So Special About Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge? Your Complete Guide

Ever since they were announced in 2014, Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge has been one of the hottest topics regarding Disney theme parks online but what makes Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge so special? Read on to find out what’s so special about Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge and why you should care about it even if you have no interest in the saga.

What is Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge And Where Can I Visit It?

In short, Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge is a 14-acre addition to both Disneyland in California and Hollywood Studios in Orlando. Due to local infrastructure, the layout of each version will be very different from the other but both will cover roughly 14 acres of land.

Star Wars has also been announced as one of the new lands coming to Disneyland Paris as part of it’s $2.5B expansion. The Paris verison will be much further down the line and quite possibly not until 2021 at the earliest. Whether it will be a clone of Galaxies Edge or not hasn’t been revealed. If you want to visit Galaxy’s Edge sooner rather than later you’re going to have to head stateside.

Set on the fictional planet of Batuu, Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, is not based on any particular movie. To truly immerse us, Galaxy’s Edge must be more than the movies. It needs to be a living, breathing entity. Batuu has featured in the saga but only in the 2018 novel Star Wars: Thrawn: Alliances. The area depicted by the land is called Black Spire Outpost.

What’s Disney’s Spin On This New Addition?

When Universal opened The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter at Universals Islands Of Adventure, Disney had nothing comparable in their parks. People loved being immersed in the world of Harry, his friends and enemies. Harry has been very, very good to Universal. Disney moved to catch up. Pandora – World Of Avatar opened at Animal Kingdom in 2017 to much publicity, fanfare and queues.

Disney billed Pandora as their most immersive land to date but before it even opened Disney had announced another addition. Star Wars was finally coming to life. Not just a sparse attraction but a whole land where fans can be immersed in the world of Star Wars. Pandora – World Of Avatar is impressive in its scope and detail. In a lot of ways it is equally as impressive as Wizarding World Of Harry Potter but with Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, Disney are looking to truly redefine what immersion is. It’s this level of detail and storytelling that will set the bar lightyears (sorry, couldn’t resist) ahead of anything that is currently open.

If Star Wars is as popular as it is expected to be you can be sure it will shape the theme parks of tomorrow.

Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge Attractions

There are 2 new main attractions. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and Star Wars: Rise Of The Resistance. Complementing the new attractions there will be various shopping and dining outlets. The immersion extends into even the rides. Your actions on either Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run or Star Wars: Rise Of The Resistance can affect how characters interact with you based on the result of the ride. Don’t fret if you’re not a fan of being that immersed you will be allowed to opt in or out.

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run

Guests will pilot the Millennium Falcon on behalf of a pirate called Hondo Ohnaka (one of Disney’s most complicated animatronics) who has made a deal with Chewbacca for use of the ship. Instead of merely being a simulator reacting to the movie on screen, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run will instead render the action as it happens so what you do can be seen in real time such as knocking a spire upon take off. It is a natural evolution of Star Tours, the perennially popular Hollywood Studios simulator attraction. Real-time actions based on user input rendered onto the screen in front of you.

Star Wars: Rise Of The Resistence

Much of the finer details of this attraction have been kept under wraps while the enormous trackless ride system is perfected. Unlike so many attractions over the past few years that like to give the illusion of large by using false perspective, or the use of 3d glasses and screens, Rise Of The Resistance is physically huge and much of what is inside is 1:1 scale like AT-ATs and X-Wing Fighters .

All we really know at the moment is that guests take on the role of new recruits into the Resistance and will join a climactic battle against the First Order.

In an article to D23, Disney’s official fan club, John Larena, executive creative director of Walt Disney Imagineering has quoted Rise Of The Resistence as “more than just a ride,” and, “It’s a cinematic immersive experience.” It’s also likely to be Disney’s longest ride ever. No official timings have been made public but rumours circulating put it at up to 28 minutes long. It’s quite possible Star Wars: Rise Of The Resistance will be the benchmark of E-Ticket rides for years to come.

Shopping On Batuu

The Shopping in Galaxy’s Edge will mainly be around the central portion of the land which will resemble a bustling marketplace full of stalls and “streetmosphere“. You really will feel you have been transported to another planet just by walking around.

In keeping with the immersion that Disney is aiming for, don’t expect for any of the merchandise within Galaxy’s Edge to specifically say Disney, or even Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge for that matter. Part of what makes shopping in Wizarding World Of Harry Potter so special, that people will queue to spend money, is the show. The feeling that you are the only person that matters. Universal turned shopping into an elaboarte show. A show that can charge a premium for its products that people will happily pay. Expect Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge to take that notion one step further.

Thanks to the recent press day, new details have been released. Everything and everyone is part of the story. This extends to Disney Cast members who will have some leeway to create their own characters, albeit within very specific guidelines. They will be wandering the streets, interacting with visitors dressed as native Batuuans.

Savi’s Workshop aims to be the Ollivanders of Star Wars. Guests can come and create their very own lightsabre. How many of us wished for that as kids?! According to io9 who was present at the press event, “Savi is a scrapper who has been collecting little pieces of lightsabers throughout the galaxy for years in hopes that one day, a true hero would come to his shop with the ability to actually put them together. Spoiler alert, that hero is you (and 13 other people who can do the experience at the same time).”

Complementing Savi will be Dok-Ondar, an animatronic Ithorian. His Den of Antiquities shop promises to be filled with treasures ranging from holocrons to ancient Jedi stone carvings. Zabaka is a female Toydarian. Her Toydarian Toymaker Stall will sell artisan-style items such as wooden Convor whistles, musical instruments (that are playable and come pre-loaded with tunes), and plushies of aliens and galactic heroes.

The Droid Depot, meanwhile, will let you build your own droid pal by mixing and matching parts. Ever wanted your own BB or R2 friend? Now you can.

Bina owns The Creature Stall which will sell puffer pigs, writhing rathtars, and chirping porgs. Black Spire Outfitters will be your go to place for all things apparel related. First Order Uniforms and Jedi attire will all be here.

With Blue Milk, Disney are hoping to ape the success of Butterbeer at Universal. Blue Milk is the most famous drink in Star Wars and you will finally get a chance to taste it in person when the lands open to the public. It won’t be milk based but Scott Trowbridge says “it will be made of plant-based dairy and promises it will be cool, refreshing and gloriously blue.”

The story of Oga’s Cantina, according to Scott Trowbridge, Portfolio Creative Executive for Disney Imagineering on the official Disney Blog is, “Visitors come to this notorious local watering hole to unwind, conduct shady business, and maybe even encounter a friend…or a foe.”

Entertainment in Oga’s will come in the form of an old friend, says Scott, “Musical entertainment is provided courtesy of RX-24, the former StarSpeeder 3000 pilot droid we first met in Star Tours, who has re-envisioned himself as the cantina’s DJ. As quirky and talkative as ever, he’s still trying to do his best on the job.”

Along with Oga’s Cantina, Docking Bay 7 will feature numerous vendors is looked over by Stronto Tuggs, best known as the chef at Maz Kanata’s castle which didn’t make it intact to the end of The Force Awakens. His transport ship will be parked on the roof and will be easily visible around the land. It could be a good spot to arrange to meet up if any of your party get lost amongst the crowds. Docking Bay 7 will be the only sit-down restaurant currently in Hollywood Studios.

Ronto Roasters meanwhile will be an open-air stall near the marketplace where its proprietor, Bakkar, is a big fan of sports. The concept art released by Disney shows spit-roasted meats being cooked under a pod-racing engine like Anakin used in The Phantom Menace.

The guys at www.starwars.com got an invite to test some of the food and beverage options coming to Galaxy’s Edge at a press event in Disneyland recently. If you would like more info and pictures please check out their article.

The Disney World Difference

With 2 lands based on the same concept with very different layouts, thanks to Disneyland’s notoriously penned in position, there will be one key addition coming to Disney World that fans of Star Wars have been getting very excited over.

The Star Wars Hotel

Yes, you will be able to stay in a boutique hotel themed to the same universe as the land. Very little details have been released about this currently but you can expect the price will be quite the premium even compared to Disney’s usual hotel costs. Staying here the guests will have their immersion in the land taken to a whole new level. Guests at the hotel are even welcome to participate as residents of the galaxy in Star Wars inspired attire according to the official Disney Blog post on the new hotel. Prices for this all inclusive addition havent been made official but $1000 per person per night have been bandied about on various message boards.

The hotel is set in space so ‘windows’ will be high definition LCD screens displaying views out to space according to concept art while guests will be submerged in a full 2-day storyline that will play out throughout the land. In keeping with the storyline, stays may be limited to just 2 nights even if you could afford to stay for longer. Cast members will know who you have interacted with, your results on either of the rides and can tailor their interactions to you. Disney has already announced that this will be the first of its kind and will offer Westworld-esque levels of immersion. The hotel is very close to the action, just over the highway, but not in the land itself.

The awesome guys at Coaster Kings have even uncovered blueprints thanks to Disney patent filings for the hotel’s first floor. They break down what you can expect for your stay based on these blueprints. If you would like to know more about the hotel experience click their link to read the article.

There’s An App For Everything and Star Wars Is No Different

The popular in-park Disney app, Play Disney Parks will also receive an update specifically for Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge and upon entering the land will automatically switch to a Star Wars mode. According to Scott Trowbridge the app, “will unlock a whole bunch of new missions, stories, and ways to interact with the land, that for the very first time, is built into the land from the very beginning.”

The App will let you translate signs and languages, hack driods and message with characters like Hondo Ohnaka, and so much more.

Star Wars galaxy’s Edge Is Truly Redefining The Theme Park Experience

Built from the ground up to immerse visitors in the Star Wars world we will see Disney doing what it does best. Even with all the hype and details released so far, you can bet Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge holds more than a few surprises for everyone.

Tailoring your immersion level really is unique and can only be done with a fresh take on the theme park experience. It needs to be built in from the start to be seamless not bolted on as a second thought. With Galaxy’s Edge we truly are looking at a whole new world. A world where once fictional locations and characters can come to life in front of us. We can touch, taste, interact with and be consumed by the world as we stand in it. We can tailor our level as we see fit.

It is this foresight, attention to detail and planning that will make Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge so special. How special? We will have to wait until the autumn this year to find out. 3 years of construction finally comes to an end and Galaxy’s Edge will open to the public and it will absolutely be worth the wait.