Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland was always doomed

Have you ever heard the one about how Luke Skywalker saved the galaxy? Well, get ready for one more retelling, but this time at a theme park. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is getting an original trilogy makeover at Disneyland, tossing the bespoke story the attraction launched with in 2019 in favor of characters and moments from the first three movies. The version of the land at Walt Disney World will remain the same — for now, at least. And while I’m sad to be losing the Batuu that Disneyland attendees have come to know and love, this change feels inevitable considering how Walt Disney Parks and Resorts has mishandled the franchise.

Beginning on April 29, Disneyland’s Galaxy’s Edge will introduce walkaround characters for Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Han Solo, Darth Vader, and Imperial stormtroopers. There are also new missions being added to Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run ride. Another major change is that John Williams’ iconic Star Wars score will play throughout the land. Currently, there’s an original Williams composition that plays as you enter Galaxy’s Edge, but once inside, the music is replaced with environmental sound — primarily the sound of ships flying by, landing, and taking off. While this is certainly exciting for fans of the original Star Wars trilogy, it’s an unfortunate admission by Disney that its immersive play just didn’t work out.

Galaxy’s Edge was supposed to be a game changer for theme parks around the world: a truly immersive experience that lets you live out your own Star Wars story. It was set on a tiny outer-rim planet, sometime between the events of The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. The land was to be filled with aliens, droids, and original characters to interact with. There was the promise of bounty hunters and smugglers approaching you in the cantina, and a reputation to build in the Black Spire Outpost settlement, to choose a side in the never-ending war between the Jedi and whatever version of the Empire is currently in charge.

“The attractions, the entertainment, everything we create will be part of our storytelling,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said when announcing the land back in 2015. “Nothing will be out of character or stray from the mythology.”

None of that happened. By the time Galaxy’s Edge opened at Disneyland in 2019, many financial cuts had been made. The wandering aliens and droids were nowhere to be seen. There was exactly one original character — Vi Moradi, a Resistance spy that was always fun to interact with — and you would sometimes find Rey, Chewbacca, or Kylo Ren with a couple of stormtroopers. Other than that, the only aliens you saw were in line for the underwhelming Smugglers Run ride or when shopping at the pricey Dok Ondar’s Den of Antiquities. Galaxy’s Edge felt busy, for sure, but tt didn’t feel alive.

Image: Joshua Sudock/Disney Parks

Instead of being immersed in Star Wars, you see cool stuff when standing in line or shopping — and there are plenty of chances for both. Whenever I’ve been asked to describe what Galaxy’s Edge is like, I say it’s the coolest shopping mall you’ll ever visit. There are only two rides, but there are shops that sell everything from expensive replica lightsabers to Star Wars-themed popcorn.

You could make the argument that all of Disney’s theme parks are basically shopping malls, and you wouldn’t be wrong. It never feels like it, though. Even Tomorrowland, which is in desperate need of an upgrade, feels like a more fully visualized vision of the future than just a future-themed mall. Disney is usually pretty good at hiding the shopping-centric nature of its theme parks.

I’m an easy mark for theme parks and genuinely enjoy every visit I have to Galaxy’s Edge, having spent countless hours wandering around the land, having a Ronto Roaster, and waiting for Kylo Ren’s next appearance. Still, it never feels like I’m in my own Star Wars story. Even the now-shutered Star Wars hotel, Galactic Starcruiser, couldn’t capture that feeling when I stayed there. It’s near-impossible to create hundreds of unique stories at a time when there’s only a handful of walkaround characters to interact with.

So while I’m sad Disney is finally throwing in the towel on these elements to instead embrace the original trilogy, I’m not surprised. It’s the final step in a slow burn that began in 2022 when The Mandalorian characters Din Djarin and Grogu were added as walkaround characters, throwing any sort of timeline into a blender.

Image: Disney Parks

It does feel like a long-term loss, though. With the original Star Wars turning 50 next year, continuing to rely on these relics can’t work forever. And with Lucasfilm’s new leadership stewarding a slate of films that do not feature Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, or Leia Organa, Galaxy’s Edge is going to feel more and more disconnected from whatever Star Wars will become in the decades ahead.

Then again, if they’re just throwing out the idea of Galaxy’s Edge as a storytelling space, you could add whatever characters you want. We already know they’re keeping Rey wandering around the Resistance base, so anything is possible.

Hopefully, that means we get a Disneyland version of whoever Ryan Gosling is playing in Star Wars: Starfighter battling Darth Vader in front of Kat Saka’s Kettle, the tiny stall that sells the aforementioned themed popcorn. What could be more appropriately Star Wars than selling you merchandise while you watch characters fight in space?