On the one hand, I get it, both from a “good business” perspective and a “give the people what they want” perspective. On the other hand, it’s a bummer that this feels like Disneyland throwing in the towel on the “immersive storytelling world” concept behind Galaxy’s Edge, an approach that had already been eroding at GE over the years.
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I feel similarly. Pros and cons to this approach, but after 6 years I think it’s time to try some new things. I like that they are testing it out at Disneyland first.
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Here’s the Disney Parks Blog article I saw this morning. It says it starts April 29th. The timing fits more with DL’s usual Season of the Force. WDW doesn’t do anything like that on that scale.
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I’m excited to hear the classic Star Wars music within the land. Especially walking through the entry tunnels to the opening scene music! This is something that should have been done from the beginning!
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I can’t believe this is after our visit. I consider it a positive. That’s “my” SW age and I’d LOVE to meet Leia!!!
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I am personally bummed they aren’t doing this at WDW. Even though April 29 is after our trip.
But we have been toying with trying Disneyland next…
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I’m probably the weird one about this, but I actually wish they would drop using movie characters at all in the lands, but instead give us more “reality” to a Star Wars universe. It is, after all, unlikely that Darth Vader, Kylo Ren, or pretty much any of the characters would just HAPPEN to be in Batuu. But an Imperial presence (storm troopers), and roaming droids, and perhaps some wandering creatures we would expect to find in the Star Wars universe…INCLUDING to having them in shops, or even buying/eating a meal, etc. That would be immersive!
I don’t know about anyone else, but it would be hard to see anyone but Mark Hamill as Luke, or Carrie Fisher as Leia, so having them as characters in SWGE would actually NOT be immersive. (Honestly, even the costume for Chewie doesn’t seem authentic, so the attempt to have him there actually takes me OUT of the immersion…but at least as a non-face character, he’s easier to suspend disbelief for.)
I have to disagree after doing the halcyon cruise that movie face characters can’t be mimicked well. They pulled off Rey. But some other additional characters like they did on the halcyon would also be very immersive and they could make that part of the interactive games which would make me want to play them.
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I’ve been seeing lots of videos from Galaxy’s Edge and it looks amazing! I especially love the John Williams score being used. Makes such a big difference.
Ambient music:
Darth Vader arriving:
This twitter page has more if you scroll through.
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Haters gonna hate, but sign me up. THAT is awesome. I am thrilled by this! TY for sharing!
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Maybe if they get a good response on the west coast we will see it in WDW?
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I’m very curious about this experience.
So, having John Williams music playing in the background means they are stepping away from the immersion of supposedly actually being at this location, where is about hearing the sounds, and seeing the sights as if actually living there. Having the music there means it becomes more like stepping into the movies…except, of course, Batuu was never part of the movies. So, it isn’t quite like WWOHP at Universal, because there is about stepping into the movies.
I would guess that if they do this at DL and guests like it, they will do the same at WDW eventually as well.
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I hope. 
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Would you call that an old hope, or a new hope?
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ISWYDT. It’s another new hope much like the old hope.
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This is why the changes are such a bummer to me. I like the OT characters and John Williams’ score too. But now you’re making Galaxy’s Edge into just another theme park land, one with a hodgepodge of characters and the familiar music piped in. The concept of trying to make the Black Spire Outpost feel like a real living breathing place was so ambitious and so cool. Even if the execution wasn’t perfect, it’s still a bummer to see Disney throw in the towel like this.
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I really do appreciate what they tried to do with the immersion. But I also welcome trying something new after 7 years, especially at Disneyland, where it’s a different feel to begin with. It was getting a little neglected back there.
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Yeah, I’ll confess that the last time I was there, the CMs seemed to have pretty well given up on the immersion thing, so I may be mourning something that was already gone. I don’t mind change, I just wish that it furthered the vision and possibility for the land.
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Todd Martens puts it better than I could: Star Wars Land was revolutionary. If only Disney would have let it soar
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I love Imagineering originals and think Disney needs more of them, but Star Wars was the wrong theme for an Imagineering original. Too many fans have been waiting decades for a theme park land featuring the original trilogy. Star Wars with the original trilogy characters and themes is not force feeding IP (like Disney often does) … it’s giving the people what they want.
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