Disneyland's Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is turning back the clock.
In a change from its original ambitions, the land will no longer be set primarily in the period of the recent “Star Wars” sequels. That means modern villain Kylo Ren will be out, at least as a walking character, while so-called “classic” characters like Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia Organa will arrive in the fictional galactic city of Black Spire Outpost.
The changes, for now, are specific to Disneyland and are not currently planned to come to the Walt Disney World version, according to Disney. They also mark a significant shift in the intent of the land, which was designed as an active, play-focused area that broke free from traditional theme park trappings: character meet-and-greets, passive attractions and Mickey-shaped balloons. Instead of music, guests listened to radio broadcasts and chatter, as the goal was to make Black Spire Outpost seem robust and lived-in.
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It was to be a place of living theatre, where events would unfold in real time. That tone will now change, as while the inland radio station won't disappear, Disneyland will soon broadcast composer John Williams' “Star Wars” orchestrations throughout the area. The changes will take full effect on April 29, although Disney has stated that some adjustments could be implemented sooner.
The character Rey, introduced in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” will still appear on land, although she will now be relegated to the forest-like area near the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance attraction. While the latter is due to be remodeled starting Jan. 20, park representatives said this is routine maintenance and no changes are planned for the land's exhibit attraction, which will still feature Kylo Ren and the First Order.
Guests will also soon be able to encounter the Kylo Ren character at an encounter in Tomorrowland. Other personalities previously introduced in Galaxy's Edge, including Chewbacca, Ahsoka Tano, the Mandolorian, Grogu, and the droid R2-D2, will continue to appear on Earth.
Together, the moves turn Galaxy's Edge into something more akin to a “Star Wars” greatest hits land. When the area opened in 2019, the hope was that visitors would feel like protagonists capable of choosing their own adventure. Galaxy's Edge came with its own vernacular and an elaborate game on the Play Disney mobile app that was designed to track a guest's reputation and be used in the country. It was once said, for example, that Disney cast members (staff, in park parlance) would be able to recognize whether someone's personality leaned toward resistance, First Order, or rogue. Those aspirations never materialized.
When Galaxy's Edge opened in 2019, it was designed to feel rugged and livable.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Galaxy's Edge was a theme park experiment that asked to what extent guests would want to participate in physical spaces. But it came with challenges, namely that as these lands evolve to look more like places where the action unfolds in real time, the level of activity needed to maintain the illusion increases. And Galaxy's Edge always lacked some of its much-mocked and advertised elements: there were no smugglers, for example, tapping you on the shoulder in the cantina. When a land is designed to speak to us, we notice when it is silent.
Theme parks are also evolving spaces, responding to changes in creative direction as well as guest feedback. In an online press conference announcing the move, Disney did not allow for deep questioning, but a reworking of the terrain to incorporate the franchise's classic (and arguably most popular) characters seems in part an acknowledgment that theme park guests likely long to be familiar with ongoing narratives designed for fantasy play. Or at least make that direction easier to maintain.
“Since the inception of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, we always envisioned it as a platform for storytelling,” Asa Kalama, creative executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, the company's arm dedicated to theme park experiences, said at the press conference. “That's part of the reason we designed this neutral, Wild West space city, because it allowed us to be a frame in which we could project different stories.”
Galaxy's Edge on April 29 will abandon its fixed timeline and will soon add more characters, including Darth Vader.
(Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resort)
Kalama noted that next year will be the 50th anniversary of the initial “Star Wars” film and May's theatrical film, “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” and explained why this was the right time to change the country's direction. Coinciding with the release of the latter, the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run attraction will receive a new mission on May 22, which will also mean that the two land-based attractions will soon be set in different “Star Wars” time frames.
The renovation of the attraction will include three new locations from the “Star Wars” films: planets such as urban Coruscant or the gas kingdom of Bespin, as well as the remains of the second Death Star near Endor. Each flight crew will determine the destination. Additionally, those seated in the attraction's “engineer” positions will be able to communicate with Grogu, known colloquially as “baby Yoda.”
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge was meticulously designed to take place between episodes eight and nine of the main saga, with its ships modeled after the most recent films. When guests encountered characters, for example, they spoke to them as if they were visitors to the fictional planet, often trying to figure out someone's loyalty. Michael Serna, executive creative director of Disney Live Entertainment, indicated that level of joy would continue.
Darth Vader, for example, is said to be on the planet Batuu looking to hunt down Luke Skywalker. Luke, for his part, is described as wandering the earth in search of Force artifacts, while Leia and Han will be seen in areas near the Millennium Falcon and Oga's Cantina, the latter tempting Han, while Leia will play the role of recruiter. The timelines for the country's bars and shops will also be shortened to better reflect the classic characters, although “Star Wars” fans perhaps shouldn't think too much about it, since an animatronic figure like Oga's robotic DJ “Rex” is better known for a different role during that era.
The Rey character, introduced in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” will still meet guests at Galaxy's Edge, although she will be parked near the Star Rise: Rise of the Resistance attraction.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
Galaxy's Edge had been moving in a more populist direction for some time. The reworking of the Smugglers Run attraction was the first major indication that Disney would change the land's initial design intent. Meanwhile, Luke was introduced to Earth for limited appearances in 2025, and that character followed the arrival of the Mandalorian and Grogu. And Williams' lack of scoring in the country has long been a common guest complaint. The film's “Main Title,” as well as “Han Solo and the Princess,” “The Desert and the Robot Auction,” “The Emperor,” and other Williams selections will now be heard in the country.
While the vibe and tenor of Galaxy's Edge will change, Serna emphasized that it is still designed as a venue for guest engagement. “It's still an active, living land, so to speak,” he said.
And if Galaxy's Edge is now a mesh of timelines and characters, that simply makes it more in line with what already exists at the resort. To put it another way: no one has been confused that in New Orleans Square there are ghosts and pirates next to a cozy place to eat donuts. Likewise, we don't wonder why “Cars” character Doc Hudson is dead in the movies' current timeline but alive on the ride, and then memorialized through a offering during the land's Halloween makeover.
Theme parks continue to be a place where imagination reigns.
