Though we’re still about a year out from the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Disney has recently been dropping a few more nuggets of information as to when the lands at Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios will open and what we’ll get to experience inside. Here’s a roundup of everything we know so far.
When is it opening?
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will open in summer 2019 at Disneyland and in late fall at Walt Disney World. So what exactly does that mean? We’re expecting an opening at Disneyland around Memorial Day weekend, but it could definitely be later. It was said at D23 Expo last year that the land would be open by the time the next expo rolls around, and that’s scheduled for August 23-25, 2019. As for Disney World’s “late fall” estimation, I’m personally reading that to mean sometime around Halloween or Thanksgiving. Based on opening date announcements for past lands, we should know an exact date about four months out from each land’s opening.
Where in the galaxy is it set?
Both park’s lands have most of their major details in common, or at least we haven’t been told otherwise by Disney. Each land will sit on 14 acres and is set on the planet Batuu, a remote outpost planet at the edge of the galaxy’s Outer Rim Territories. The planet is new to fans of the Star Wars universe, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t already a well-developed backstory.
According to Wookiepedia:
“Batuu was a prominent trade post in the time before the invention of hyperspace travel. It was used as a busy crossroads for those who traveled on sub-lightspeed trade routes. However, after hyperspace routes became the dominant form of transportation, the planet was bypassed by most travelers.”
Disney recently shared some more information about the land’s setting, which has been developed by Walt Disney Imagineering and the Lucasfilm Story Group.
“The largest settlement on the planet Batuu, Black Spire Outpost is an infamous stop for traders, adventurers, and smugglers traveling around the Outer Rim and Wild Space. Off the beaten path, this outpost has become a haven for the galaxy’s most colorful — and notorious — characters. Widely known for the petrified remains of its once towering ancient trees, the spires now stand guard across the river valleys and plains and have long captured the imagination of travelers to this planet. To the first settlers, these petrified spires became more than just landmarks; they became the heart of the outpost itself.”
What can you do there?
The lands will feature two signature attractions, yet to be named. In the first, riders can control the Millennium Falcon on a “customized secret mission.” How well you perform will impact your interactions elsewhere in the land.
“Perform with skill and you may earn extra galactic credits, while bringing the ship back banged up could put you on the list of a bounty hunter. End up on Harkos’s list and you may face a problem if you show up at the local cantina.”
The second attraction will put you on a star destroyer in the middle of a battle between the First Order and the Resistance and is “built on a scale we’ve never done before,” according to Disney. Events in Galaxy’s Edge are set during the time between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, which we’re sure will color the events here and throughout the land.
Other locations within the land will include a cantina where, yes, you can drink blue milk, and a marketplace with a toy stall run by a Toydarian (a species introduced in The Phantom Menace), and a creature stall.
But wait, there’s more!
Disney hasn’t made any differentiations between the versions of Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, so as far as we know both lands will be more or less identical and contain the same elements. Except, of course, for the immersive hotel that is also under construction at Disney World.
Announced by Bob Chapek at D23 Expo last year, the Star Wars hotel will be a “100 percent immersive” experience that will “culminate in a unique journey for every person who visits.” Not only that, but the hotel is being built adjacent to Galaxy’s Edge, so guests will be able to experience a seamless transition between the hotel and land.
Aerial view of Star Wars hotel site at right, Star Wars Galaxy's Edge at top. At center is path where a raised conveyor belt transferred dirt from staging on West side of World Drive. pic.twitter.com/nl4yd6o8sp
— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) June 1, 2018
There’s been plenty of speculation about how much a stay at this hotel might cost and what experiences would be included. Here’s what we know so far, officially:
Families visiting this destination will board a starship that comes alive with characters and stories that unfold all around them during their voyage through the galaxy – and every cabin window has views of space! Guests visiting the multi-day adventure will also be welcome to participate as a resident of the Galaxy by dressing in Star Wars-inspired attire.
There’s no opening date yet set for the immersive hotel but 2021 is likely a safe estimation.
