Disneyland’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is turning back the clock.
In a shift from its original ambitions, the land will no longer be primarily set in the time period of the recent “Star Wars” sequels. That means modern villain Kylo Ren will be out, at least as a walk-around character, while so-called “classic” characters such as Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa will make their way into the fictional galactic town of Black Spire Outpost.
The changes, for now, are specific to Disneyland and are not currently planned to come to Walt Disney World’s version of the land, according to Disney. They also mark a significant tweak from 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 rides and Mickey-shaped balloons. Instead of music, guests heard radio broadcasts and chatter, as the goal was to make Black Spire Outpost feel rugged and lived-in.
It was to be a place of living theater, where events unfolded in real time. That tone will now shift, as while the in-land radio station won’t go away, Disneyland will soon broadcast composer John Williams’ “Star Wars” orchestrations throughout the area. The changes are set to fully take effect April 29, although Disney has stated some tweaks may roll out earlier.
The character of Rey, introduced in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” will still appear in the land, although she’ll now be relegated to the forest-like area near the attraction Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. While the latter is due for refurbishment beginning Jan. 20, park representatives said it’s routine maintenance and no changes are planned for the land’s showcase ride, which will still feature Kylo Ren and the First Order.
Guests will also soon be able to find the Kylo Ren character at a meet and greet in Tomorrowland. Other personalities previously introduced to Galaxy’s Edge, including Chewbacca, Ahsoka Tano, the Mandolorian, Grogu and droid R2-D2, will still be featured in the land.
Taken as a whole, 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 guests would feel as if they were protagonists able to choose their own adventure. Galaxy’s Edge came with its own vernacular, and an elaborate game in the Play Disney mobile app that was designed to track a guest’s reputation and be used in the land. It was once said, for instance, that Disney’s cast members — staff, in park parlance — would be able to recognize if someone’s personality leaned resistance, First Order or rogue. Such aspirations never materialized.
Galaxy’s Edge was a theme park experiment, asking how deeply guests would want to engage in physical spaces. But it came with challenges, namely that as these lands evolve to feel more like locations where action is unfolding in real time, the level of activity needed to maintain the illusion increases. And Galaxy’s Edge forever lacked some of its teased and hyped elements — there were no smugglers, for instance, tapping you on the shoulder in the cantina. When a land is designed to speak to us, we notice when it’s quiet.
Theme parks are also evolving spaces, responding to shifts in creative direction as well as guest feedback. In an online press conference announcing the move, Disney didn’t allow for deep questioning, but a reworking of the land to incorporate the franchise’s classic (and arguably more popular) characters feels in some part an acknowledgment that theme park visitors likely crave familiarity over ongoing narratives designed to play make-believe. Or at least that such a direction is easier to maintain.
“Since the very inception of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, we really always imagined it as a platform for storytelling,” said Asa Kalama, a creative executive with Walt Disney Imagineering, the company’s arm devoted to theme park experiences, at the media briefing. “That’s part of the reason we designed this neutral Wild West space town because it allowed it to be a framework in which we could project different stories.”
Kalama pointed to next year being the 50th anniversary of the initial “Star Wars” movie and this May’s theatrical film, “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” as to why this was the opportune time to shift the direction of the land. To coincide with the release of the latter, the attraction Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run will receive a new mission May 22, which will also mean the land’s two rides will soon be set in different “Star Wars” time frames.
The ride makeover will feature three new locations from the “Star Wars” films — planets such as the urban Coruscant or gas realm of Bespin, as well as the wreckage of the second Death Star near Endor. Each flight crew will determine the destination. Additionally, those seated in the ride’s “engineer” positions will be able to communicate with Grogu, colloquially referred to as “baby Yoda.”
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was meticulously designed to be set between episodes eight and nine of the core saga, with its ships modeled after the most recent films. When guests encountered characters, for instance, they would speak to them as if they were visitors on the fictional planet, often trying to suss out someone’s allegiance. It was indicated by Michael Serna, executive creative director with Disney Live Entertainment, that such a level of playfulness would continue.
Darth Vader, for instance, is said to be on the planet of Batuu seeking to hunt Luke Skywalker. Luke, for his part, is described as roaming the land looking for Force artifacts, while Leia and Han will be spotted in areas near the Millennium Falcon and Oga’s Cantina, the latter tempting Han while Leia will serve the role of a recruiter. Timelines for the land’s bar and shops will also be dialed back to better reflect the the classic characters, although “Star Wars” die-hards maybe shouldn’t think too hard about it as an animatronic figure such as Oga’s robotic DJ “Rex” is best known for a different role during that era.
Galaxy’s Edge had been moving in a more populist direction for some time. The reframing of the ride Smugglers Run was the first major indication that Disney would pivot from the land’s initial design intent. Luke, meanwhile, was introduced to the land for limited appearances in 2025, and that character followed the arrival of the Mandalorian and Grogu. And the lack of Williams’ score in the land 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 land.
While the vibe and tenor of Galaxy’s Edge will shift, Serna stressed it’s still designed as a place for guest participation. “It’s still an active, living land, if you will,” 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 New Orleans Square has ghosts and pirates next to a cozy place for beignets. Likewise, we don’t wonder why “Cars” character Doc Hudson is dead in the current timeline of the films but alive on the ride — and then memorialized via an ofrenda during the land’s Halloween makeover.
Theme parks remain a place where imagination reigns.
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