Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge

Development

The journey from initial concept to the final unveiling of Galaxy's Edge spanned over six years. The announcement by Disney CEO Robert Iger occurred first at the D23 Expo on August 15, 2015. Iger stated that the company would be constructing a Star Wars–themed area within Disneyland Park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, and also at Disney's Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. The announcement specified that these areas would encompass fourteen acres, marking them as the most expansive single-land additions in the company's history. During The Walt Disney Company's Q1 FY17 Earnings call on February 7, 2017, Iger declared that the new areas were slated to open in 2019.

According to J. Daniel Jenkins, a former Disney Imagineer who contributed to the design of Galaxy's Edge, an initial concept envisioned the park being situated in various locations from Episodes I–VI. This concept evolved into the creation of the original planet Batuu after Iger viewed the initial footage from The Force Awakens and gained confidence in the potential of the sequel trilogy. Fellow Imagineer Scott Trowbridge explained the rationale behind this decision: "The core reason is that we know these places and the stories that unfold there, and we recognize that we are not a part of them. Black Spire Outpost is intentionally designed to be a place that encourages exploration and discovery, inviting us to become characters within the Star Wars universe and, if we choose, to engage in the narratives of Star Wars." At one stage, the Imagineers also entertained the idea of constructing two completely distinct Star Wars areas instead of replicating the same concept.

During the "Star Wars and Disney Parks: A Galaxy in the Making" panel at Celebration Orlando, Imagineer Asa Kalama affirmed that their creation would be canonical. Promotional material for the book series Flight of the Falcon later revealed that the setting takes place after The Last Jedi. During the development phase, the attraction involved as many as 1,100 Disney employees. By the beginning of 2019, this number had decreased to 600.

Leading up to the annual D23 Expo, the Disney Parks Blog revealed a logo for the event "Walt Disney Parks and Resorts: A Galaxy of Stories," scheduled for July 14–16. The event provided attendees with a preview of the locations, starships, creatures, and droids that would populate the outpost serving as the park's setting. A detailed model of the 14-acre theme park, set to debut in 2019, was unveiled, accompanied by artwork and media showcasing its development. On December 16, 2017, during the parks' Galactic Nights event, more information about the ride and its development process was revealed to the public by Lucasfilm vice president Doug Chiang, along with Imagineers Chris Beatty, Robin Reardon, and Scott Trowbridge. Notably, construction photos revealed that development had recently "topped out" after the highest construction point was in place. It was also revealed that there would be a toy shop with unveiled concept art, with Beatty explaining that the inspiration for its design was from marketplaces in Morocco, and that, fitting with its design inspiration, all the wares are handmade arts and crafts similar to those found in Moroccan marketplaces. Furthermore, the water fountains would feature a unique design. (He later revealed that the overall look of the park was inspired by Petrified Forest National Park.) The same Pinewood Studios artists who worked on the films handled much of the production work.

Chiang also disclosed the construction of X-wing models for the theme park, distinguishing them from the movie models. Some concept art showcased the Millennium Falcon portion of the attraction, including an entirely new location composed of overgrowth in a sewer-like area. A set of trading cards was also revealed to the public, confirming the presence of BB-8 and Kylo Ren in the ride, and hinting at a droid character called "R3X," later identified as RX-24 from the original Star Tours ride. The same cards included map pieces revealing locations on Batuu, including the Surabat River Valley, Docking Bay 9, Merchant Row, and Black Spire Station, and provided details about the location and a translation key for an Aurebesh poem on the borders of some cards. Some of the props designed for the land were subsequently used in other Star Wars media, including Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and The Mandalorian,

On January 11, 2018, the Star Wars Launch Bay attraction at Disneyland incorporated a piece of the full model of the upcoming attraction that was unveiled at D23, marking it the second Disney theme park to include part of the scale model, the first being Disney's Hollywood Studios. A short preview video was released on May 22. On May 24, 2019 the Disneyland website and mobile app updated park maps to include, and confirm, the layout of Galaxy's Edge. The Disney Parks Blog revealed new park guide books including the new land.

Music

John Williams composed a five-minute symphonic piece specifically for Galaxy's Edge. In preparation, Williams met with Disney Imagineers, who presented him with artwork, models, and an animatic. They also provided him with descriptions of Black Spire Outpost, Smuggler's Run, and Rise of the Resistance. William Ross conducted the piece, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. Ross conducted a total of one hour of music, encompassing the full piece, a two-minute version, and various musical segments inspired by the piece. The two-minute version was released online in November 2018, while the full track was released in May 2019. At the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, the suite earned Williams the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition.

Layout ‡

Galaxy's Edge is situated at Black Spire Outpost on Batuu, a planet situated on the fringe of the Outer Rim Territories (adjacent to Wild Space). The timeline aligns with the events occurring between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. The design aimed to evoke the ambiance of a real-world location, seamlessly integrating into the park without conspicuous ride markers. Visitors will encounter three distinct categories of cast members: First Order, Resistance, and villagers. An app named Star Wars: Datapad is available for guests to facilitate navigation within the land; its features encompass "hacking" (enabling interaction with door panels or droids), "scanning" (for inspecting cargo), "translation" (to decipher all Aurebesh signs present throughout the attraction), "tuning" (allowing eavesdropping on secret communications), and "Outpost Control" (a game where visitors align with either the First Order or the Resistance).

The park showcases two attractions: Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run (offering guests the opportunity to pilot the Millennium Falcon) and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (immersing guests in a conflict between the First Order and the Resistance). The formal names of these attractions were revealed on November 17, 2018, during the Destination D event. The Target-exclusive Blu-ray edition of Solo: A Star Wars Story includes a featurette titled "The Millennium Falcon: From Page to Park," providing insights into the development of the Millennium Falcon ride for Galaxy's Edge.

Oga's Cantina is a compact dining venue serving Star Wars–themed culinary and beverage offerings. Coca-Cola products are available at the attraction, featuring distinctive in-universe Aurebesh designs. Various shops within Galaxy's Edge offer in-universe merchandise; in the development of these vendors, Disney Imagineers explored Istanbul and Morocco, and consulted historical concept art from the Lucasfilm Archives. Visitors have the option to construct their own lightsabers at Savi's Workshop, with the choice of either crafting custom lightsabers or selecting pre-established designs.

Opening ‡

Galaxy's Edge garnered significant media attention in February 2019, following exclusive tours of the Disneyland version for select journalists. The cast members' costumes were unveiled during this period. On April 13, Galaxy's Edge was featured in a panel at Celebration Chicago. During the panel, Mark Hamill made a pre-recorded video appearance to announce a Twitter sweepstakes offering a trip to the attraction.

The land opened on May 31, 2019 at Disneyland. This followed opening ceremonies on May 29, in which Disney CEO Bob Iger was accompanied by George Lucas, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Billy Dee Williams, with Ford dedicating Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run to the late Peter Mayhew. Initial attendance fell significantly below expectations, which Iger attributed to an increase of ticket and hotel prices, a fear of overcrowding, and the fact that Rise of the Resistance had yet to open. Senior EVP and CFO Christine McCarthy also cited lower passholders attendance due to crowd control policies. Several Galaxy's Edge-themed panels were held at Disney's D23 Expo on August 23. The land opened on August 29, 2019 at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World. As before, there was an opening ceremony on the previous day.

From September 24-[30](/article/september_30], a plethora of Galaxy's Edge tie-ins aired on Disney's TV programming on ABC, Freeform, Disney Channel, and ESPN—including the two-hour special Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge – Adventure Awaits on September 29. On November 28, ABC's Magical Holiday Celebration included Portugal. The Man performing at Galaxy's Edge—the first musical act to perform at the land. The land was later covered in episodes of Disney+'s The Imagineering Story and One Day At Disney.

Rise of the Resistance opened on December 5, 2019 at Walt Disney World, accompanied by another press tour. It opened on January 17, 2020 at Disneyland. A smaller version of Galaxy's Edge will also open sometime after 2021 at Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris Resort. However, as of August 2022, this is now uncertain following the COVID-19 pandemic.

On May 27, 2022, it was revealed that characters from different timelines will appear as well, such as Boba Fett and Fennec Shand. Characters from different stories and timelines won't intersect with other characters or stories that would not be appropriate for them in their given timeline.

On July 27, 2022, the Batuu Bounty Hunters game debuted at Walt Disney World. Using the newly introduced MagicBand+ and the Datapad app, guests take jobs locating bounties for the Bounty Hunters' Guild and Batuu's guildmaster Raga Bua.

Merchandise and tie-ins ‡

In April 2019, Lucasfilm initiated a Galaxy's Edge publishing campaign, encompassing a Marvel comic series and the novels Galaxy's Edge: Black Spire, A Crash of Fate, and Myths & Fables. Galaxy's Edge has been showcased in three episodes of Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures: "Millennium Falcon - Smugglers Run," "Black Spire Outpost," "Rise of the Resistance." A Galaxy's Edge-themed content pack was launched for The Sims in September 2020. The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge was released in Spring 2021. A Hasbro toy line was produced. A LEGO set of the Intersystem Transport Ship was also released; A special code will allow you to use the ship in LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.

Originally, certain merchandise was meant to be sold exclusively inside Galaxy's Edge. However, due to a drop in attendance as a result of park closures and travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Disney parks began releasing Galaxy's Edge merchandise outside of the land itself. A variety of merchandise became available at Target stores beginning August 30, 2020. That September, merchandise also became available at Disneyland's WonderGround Gallery and at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom Emporium, as well as online and internationally via shopDisney.com.