‘Star War’s Galaxy’s Edge’: The Closest You’ll Ever Come To Feeling Like You’re In A LucasFilm Production

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”17271″ img_size=”928×619″ alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]Way back in 92, I went to Orlando Florida for my first Disney World Trip. The highlight of that trip was my introduction to Star Tours. Star Tours was a motion simulator attraction, that was based on the successful Star Wars films created by George Lucas. The ride was set in the Star Wars universe, as the attraction sent guests on an excursion to Endor. Along the way, they get caught in an altercation between the New Republic and an Imperial Remnant. The attraction featured Captain “Rex” RX-24 along with series regulars R2–D2 and C-3PO. The fact that the ride made me motion sick was a small price to pay. I was in Star Wars, and that’s all that mattered to me. I still have some film of that somewhere, trapped in a super 8 tape. Fast forward to the present and Disneyland has blown that experience into planetary dust with its new Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge attraction. While they are still making finishing touches, when the attraction opens sometime in mid-summer, it will surround you with set pieces that will transport you into the worlds of Star Wars, including an opportunity to go aboard the “ship that made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs, the Millennium Falcon.

Recently, The Hollywood Reporter had an opportunity to tour the 14-acre, themed destination at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, CA. It was not finished but they reported enough to make any Star Wars fan ready to make the trip. This included previews of the two main rides for the attraction: Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.  Rise of the Resistance is being reported as the longest ride Disney has ever featured. As the ride unfolds,  guests will be captured and taken aboard a Star Destroyer. This is where park guests will be overwhelmed by the enormity of the set. It will seem like being on the actual hanger on a Star Destroyer in the films. There was also one complete TIE fighter in the bay (which by itself should signify it’s massive size).  Characters featured in the ride include Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega) and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac).

In the other ride, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, there is a full-sized Falcon in the park that guests will be able to see, but not allowed to touch (Dang it!). The line for the ride will take guests higher and higher above that Falcon until it is time to board it. The doors open, and in the time you can say, “Punch it, Chewy!”you are on the Millennium Falcon. Guests, in groups, are allowed to explore the main compartment of the Falcon (and believe me, I would), until it is their turn in the cockpit. That is when the real excitement begins. The cockpit is said to be exact, down to every last detail. There are six seats (for two pilots, two gunners and two flight engineers) and all the buttons and levers work. All of them. Unfortunately, at the time of their visit, the ride was not yet active. The plot involves helping space pirate leader Hondo Ohnaka (who is described as being one of the park’s most advanced animatronics ever…and for Disney that’s SAYING something), who is one of the featured characters in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars series.

When you are not geeking out on the rides, there are restaurants and shops scattered about the attraction. These are all designed to complete the illusion that you are on the Black Spire Outpost on the planet Batuu. In other words, you are IN Star Wars. If the final attraction is anything like the reported preview, it will become a must destination for all Star Wars fans. Does Galaxy’s Edge sound like a galaxy you would like to visit? If things remain on schedule, you only have a few months to wait to make the trip. Share your thoughts about Disneyland’s latest Star Wars event with GVNation.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

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Martin

Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 60 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove headfirst over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 21-year-old young man with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.