By Michael McHugh
Welcome to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
I think Han Solo just walked past me? It really is like walking onto a Star Wars film set, as the accuracy and detail of every nook and cranny has even the less than well versed Star Wars fan impressed. As a kid I watched the very first Star Wars movie and over time have watched most if not all incarnations of the movie franchise. Now, walking into Galaxy Edge where US$1 billion has been spent in bringing the Star Wars experience to life at Disneyland in Anaheim, I am transported to the planet Batuu. According to StarWars.com, Batuu is “home to those who prefer to stay out of the mainstream, and is a thriving port for smugglers, rogue traders, and adventurers traveling between the frontier and uncharted space” and “a safe haven for those looking to avoid the attention of the First Order.” Disney says the new attractions are “the largest and most technologically advanced single-themed land expansions ever in a Disney park.”
The scale of planet Batuu and its Black Spire Outpost is impressive as the design is built down into the ground so when you are walking around you actually don’t see any of the other rides or parts of Disneyland. The scale is impressive, particularly the Millennium Falcon craft with the nearby rock face towering above it. The Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run recreates the flying of the famous spacecraft piloted by Hans Solo and Chewbacca, who I walked past as I entered the spacecraft. The ride is interactive as you can control the ship defending the craft alongside five other ‘engineers’. It is very cool, and having never been in a Star Wars space ship before it makes me want to return to the galaxy for more. At Savi’s Workshop you can build your own lightsabre, the glistening weapon used by Jedi fighters including Luke Skywalker, and at Droid Depot you can create your own droid just like an R2-D2. Later in the year, a second ride ‘Rise of the Resistance’ will open.
With lots of characters strolling around I got talking with Vi Moradi, dressed in appropriate spy costume, she is apparently a spy for General Leia who as she bid goodbye said ‘May the Force be with you’ which made me smile.
Galaxy Edge is part of Disneyland Anaheim California.