The Disneyland Resort has revealed more details about its upcoming Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge land, via local government permit applications obtained by my colleagues over at the Orange County Register.
We've known the broad outlines of Disney's Star Wars land for some time now: Two rides, including one where you pilot the Millennium Falcon and one depicting a battle between the Resistance and the First Order, a cantina-style restaurant, shops, and character encounters, spread across a 14-acre land. At D23 last summer, Disney revealed a scale model of the land and ride vehicles for the First Order battle ride that suggested it would be a motion-base dark ride, in the tradition of Indiana Jones, Spider-Man and Transformers. Then yesterday, Disney confirmed that the name of the new planet in the Star Wars canon where Galaxy's Edge is set will be Batuu.
The Register's blueprints add more detail to the picture. The side of the land closest to Critter Country will be devoted to the Resistance while the far side, nearest Fantasyland, will be occupied by the First Order.
The two rides sit in between, with the First Order ride's show building taking up nearly a fourth of the land's area. "Visitors will weave through projection scenes depicting a major space battle, elaborate props such as AT ATs, gunners, and a possible encounter with Kylo Ren (nicknamed Kylo-Vator in plans) before leaving in an escape pod. There are 18 scenes in total," The Register's Joseph Pimentel wrote.
The Millennium Falcon ride is built on turntable rooms, which look a bit to me like scaled-down versions of Epcot's Mission Space. The Cantina is a U-shaped bar, plus booths and tables. And there is an additional table-service restaurant in the plans, too. Additional locations include Merchants' Row of shops, a landspeeder garage, a droid mechanic shop and droid charging stations throughout the land.
The second installation of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, in Disney's Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, will be identical save for being oriented differently within that park's layout. The new lands will open in 2019.
I think one of the more engaging insights about the land came from lead designer Scott Trowbridge, in a statement describing Batuu released by Disney:
Once a busy crossroads along the old sub-lightspeed trade routes, but its prominence was bypassed by the rise of hyperspace travel. Now home to those who prefer to stay out of the mainstream, it has become a thriving port for smugglers, rogue traders and adventurers traveling between the frontier and uncharted space.
Hmmm? Once a popular travel route, now bypassed and largely forgotten thanks to a faster transportation route elsewhere? Now home to those out of the mainstream? This sounds familiar....
Yep, in its premise, it sounds like Galaxy's Edge, ultimately, will be an outer space version of Cars Land. Actually, I'm good with that. What do you think?
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That's funny, I was thinking exactly the same thing then I read your final 2 paragraphs.
Some people are grumpy that is not at in a known location, I think that's fine. The execution is the important thing.
Screennnnzzz...
Oh how ironic.
I wish they doubled up on the Cantina Bar. It’ll be the most popular place to hang out.
I had a very strong feeling a few months ago after i saw some of the aerial shots for Galaxy’s Edge that the Millennium Falcon attraction was going to be very similar to Mission Space but more of a “Plus” version. I hope Disney delivers!!!
I'm just still wondering how they explain Star Tours remaining in Tomorrowland, across the park from Batuu.
Yea what's happening to Star Tours? I'm sure they're just waiting to turn it into something else. Wouldn't doubt that some misinformed tourists might mistake Star Tours for the actual Star Wars land haha
If it was a bustling outpost along sub-lightspeed trade routes, then it can't be too far out in space...how can it be at the galaxy's edge? I would think that you would need light speed travel to reach that far.
Also how can you fill a merchant's row with place setting specific items? Are you going to sell Star Wars T shirts in a place where you're supposed to be immersed in the story? Are they going to sell Coke?
They'll probably sell lobster nachos in the Cantina, but just call it some weird name. And the most important question, are they going to finally sell alcohol in Disneyland at the Cantina and/or premium restaurant?
So with the placement of Galaxy's Edge outside the berm and close to Toontown, does this mean that the area will close early for the Fireworks shows since those are launched in the area behind Toontown?
Just a thought . . .
It looks like that the First Order Ride will be a trackless version of Spiderman type ride. It would be cool if it had projections on the floor also, to give the impression that the cars are flying.
The Star Wars universe makes absolutely no sense. So this Batuu was once the "crossroads" of galactic trade routes? And it sits on the "Galaxy's Edge"? And it lost its title due to the technology of "lightspeed" travel. WHAT THE WHAT????
Throughout human history the "crossroads" of any trading system has never been the farthest village! That would be like Reykjavik being the "crossroads" of European trade in Medieval times. Lightspeed travel would actually allow an outlying planet to become the "hub" of trade, not make it obsolete! I guess if you're making entire movies from the scraps of other movies, making sense is the least of your worries.
Oh man, I really hope the millennium falcon ride isn't just a plussed mission space. Not a fan of that ride at all. Star Tours on the other hand is my favorite ride currently.
The "once a busy crossroads" would seem to be an elevator pitch which gives the designers an excuse for a milieu that hasn't featured in the movies or other fiction -- but I agree, the worldbuilding (vis-a-vis generic SF tropes and specific Star Wars lore) doesn't make sense. Any serious fan knows that hyperspace travel has been ubiquitous for millennia (similarly, repulsorlifts and droids) -- if a star system is accessible only by something like the _Falcon's_ low-speed backup hyperdrive or worse, slower-than-light, it's gonna fall right out of the galactic community. A more compatible backstory would be that popular hyperspace routes shifted a few centuries earlier (for, um, astrophysical and economic reasons). Either the Imagineers will refine the backstory, or they hope most visitors don't care about the technical minutiae and that the nerds can suspend their disbelief long enough to avoid loudly nitpicking while in the queues.
disney can just say, there used to be a heavily populated and prosperous planet, nearby. Until, vader blew it up, making galaxy's edge, a wilderness of sorts. except, for those who want to keep a low profile
disney can just say, there used to be a heavily populated and prosperous planet, nearby. Until, vader blew it up, making galaxy's edge, a wilderness of sorts. except, for those who want to keep a low profile
disney can just say, there used to be a heavily populated and prosperous planet, nearby. Until, vader blew it up, making galaxy's edge, a wilderness of sorts. except, for those who want to keep a low profile
Robert's right, though. This background is just too similar to the background of Radiator Springs. It would've been easy to get around it, while still making SOME sense:
"Many planets in the middle of the galaxy have had their trade routes negatively affected by those who want to control the galaxy. Some planets on the Galaxy's Edge - once outposts for smugglers and other rogues - have become important hubs for trade that once passed them by. The Resistance has been using outsider planets like Batuu for years, but it seems the First Order has finally discovered it..."
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Hope there is a hotel on this park. we plan to visit when it opens and want to stay
right at Star War's Galaxy's Edge.