Last week, almost seven years later Galaxy Edge opened at Disneyland, Lucasfilm and Disney Parks heralded major changes in the world that came to one conclusion: Disney was throwing up their hands and saying, “Okay, star Wars you know.”
It marks the final drop in what has literally died of a thousand wounds since then Galaxy Edge makes big promises to deliver more than just star Wars we knew: every theme park that tries out storytelling ideas and themes to make the audience feel like they’ve been transported to a galaxy far, far away, instead of just star Wars The world. Some of these cuts came through a thought process, planned ideas and collaborations that never made it to opening day. Others come in drips and drabs, such as agreeing to provide food and drink to the country on relatively simple terms star Wars the words they used, or the less use of them star Wars terms of interaction between cast members and the public.
Then came the characters that appeared The Mandalorian again The Book of Boba Fettonly for things to get distinctly weird when i The Mandalorian a version of Luke Skywalker first appeared. Over time, too Galaxy Edge‘s setting between The Last Jedi again Rise of Skywalker it was a short time, how the continuation of the story of the world—and the planet Batuu was created for, created in comics, novels, and games—began to be treated as its own thing and as a snapshot in time that could unfold. Galaxy Edge to have different periods of star Wars they exist in the middle of a certain time, because of the unique story and world building Galaxy Edge put it in its core.
In many ways, this was always inevitable. When I first visited it in late 2019, I was impressed by both how beautiful it was Galaxy Edge it felt like it created something that was like entering a different world with its heady mix of sound design, architectural tricks, and commitment to theme, and how unsustainable that commitment was, given the expectations that the average visitor to the Disney parks would have. star Wars theme park location. If anything, it’s a wonder that it took Disney nearly seven years to hold back from pushing Darth Vader out there, that it held onto the original worldview for so long, as that idea was slowly carved out and thinned out over time.
But the inevitable can still be absorbing when it finally happens, and it’s nice to see the edge of experimentation Galaxy Edge turn on a broad nostalgia of one kind star Wars. And it especially it sucks that Disneyland does that process in a way that feels so small-minded.
Although still important for what they stand for, much is being done to change it Galaxy Edge in celebrating the original movies it’s great. Only Rey will remain out of the current crop of serial-era characters roaming around Galaxy Edge; although Chewbacca and R2-D2 appear with him now, they will now be transferred to the original characters of the trilogy, including the aforementioned Vader and the Imperial Stormtroopers, and Luke, Leia, and Han, who will roam. Galaxy Edgemain paths—leaving Rey alone at the edge of the area near the line The Rise of Resistance. Many of the original world and ambience songs, which include a new work composed by John Williams and are focused around the country to feel like a place where they live, will be replaced by Williams’ classic songs from the original trilogy.
Only one of the Galaxy EdgeThe storefront—a depressing First Order Cargo hub that’s home to Disney’s iconic playable characters—will get a makeover, rebranded as “Black Spire Surplus,” a military store selling items from the Galactic Civil War. The TIE Echelon is parked next to it, unique to the park and developed by the original teams working on what will be Rise of Skywalker? That’s now hand-waving as suddenly as an Imperial-era ship, which is part of his grandfather’s legacy that Kylo Ren was focused on, so now it’s best if Darth Vader stands next to it instead.
There will be no significant changes in the world itself when the revolution begins at the end of April; and there won’t be any immediate changes to any of its rides, which will remain central to the next trilogy (for a while, at least—Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run you will finally find a new inspired riding story The Mandalorian and the Grogu which will replace the original theme, which expired with the release of the film on May 22). It’s equal parts an almost complete demolition of that Galaxy Edge it was its own place, unique in the area star Wars universe as it was originally conceived, however it is also somewhat lacking, as Disney simply ignores the purpose of what came before it and shoves the first letters of the trilogy into it and calls it a day.
Of course, it’s completely unreasonable to expect Disney to shut down Galaxy Edge so it could break a bunch of stuff and bring some designs from the original trilogy (although it wouldn’t be surprising if they made some changes in the end, like swapping The Falcon‘s radar dish back or replacing Resistance-era starfighters with their Alliance counterparts) now that it’s been open to humans for years. And at the very least, if we speak according to the word of God, having the first three characters on the move will establish a new comic book series from Marvel, Echoes of the Empireexploring what brought the Empire and Alliance to Batuu decades before the interest of the Resistance and the First Order in the world.
Even then, what Galaxy Edge it has been lost over the years—and will lose even more significantly when these changes come—not so much to destroy but to paint over, with little concession to original ideas and innovations that were once thought of pushed to the edge. In all the fanfare changes will be seen Galaxy Edge to embrace all seasons star Warsit is clear now that the acceptance will be stronger among the familiar and the nostalgic, rather than new.
Either way leads to a loss of that experimental commitment that made the whole idea so appealing in the first place, and maybe that would have hurt if Disney had just decided to scrap it completely and start over.
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