A New Star Wars Chapter Begins at Disneyland’s Galaxy’s Edge

Beginning in the present day at Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland, Star Wars followers will have the ability to meet Grasp Luke Skywalker in Batuu. His arrival is the newest evolution within the theme park’s canon, which had as soon as restricted itself to the time interval between Star Wars: The Final Jedi and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

The change to that unique timeline got here step by step these previous couple of years as figures from Disney+ Lucasfilm exhibits have popped up in Batuu, incuding Ahsoka, Boba Fett, Fennec Shand, Sabine Wren, and Hera. And naturally the Mandalorian and Grogu have had an enormous presence on the parks due to fan demand for characters outdoors of the sequel trilogy.

io9 attended in the present day’s opening of Season of the Pressure 2025—Disneyland’s annual Star Wars celebration, operating now by Might 11—and talked to Matt Martin from Lucasfilm and Michael Serna of Disney Reside Leisure to debate how the story of the Black Spire Outpost will evolve from right here.

“We have a look at all of our lands and expertise as an evolution,” Serna shared. “Some issues come and go, exhibits open, points of interest come and go. So in fact Galaxy’s Edge goes by the identical journey; [it] evolves, and after we constructed Galaxy’s Edge, we didn’t even know that a few of these tales can be advised. In order time has grown on, we realized, who doesn’t love the Mandalorian story, who doesn’t love varied completely different tales? So this is a chance for us to kind of lean into these tales we all know our followers love and admire, whereas not pulling away from something we’ve performed earlier than. Typically you’ll see one thing you’re keen on and generally you received’t. Our aim is to succeed in as a lot of our followers as doable and ship all these wonderful characters and experiences that folks anticipate from our parks.”

That shift will turn into extra outlined this yr, and all of it begins with the lore weaver Tohan Lege—a personality created for the Galaxy’s Edge fireworks present final yr. Initially a disembodied voice narrating tales of the heroes and villains which can be actual throughout the land, this yr he joins his trusty R1-series astromech droid Bard in illuminating the spires with projections of their historical past in “Shadows of Reminiscence: A Skywalker Saga,” a present exploring the tragedy and triumphs of the household that connects all of them.

Lucasfilm created him in collaboration with the parks to seem as a telling-stories-around-the-fire kind of determine. “Now we’ve received him because the centerpiece of ‘Shadows of Reminiscence.’ And so it’s so good to have someone to inform the legendary saga of the Skywalker story, as a result of Star Wars is itself type of a contemporary delusion,” Martin stated. “Having an in-universe character to do this storytelling is simply type of an ideal bridge for each of these exhibits that we now have right here. And hopefully we get to proceed utilizing that character as a storyteller for years to return each within the park and in different Star Wars tales.”

That is key in opening up the tales advised throughout the land and the characters who could pop up sooner or later from throughout the Star Wars canon, Serna confirmed. “Star Wars has so many tales to inform. Matt and I had a whole lot of discussions about how will we kind of introduce issues, like Hearth of Reminiscence [in] the fireworks present. We had this concept {that a} storyteller is the common factor that’s occurred at the start of [humankind]. It’s our life-style. We collect round a hearth and inform a narrative. That’s how we’ve handed on histories and mythologies. So why would the galaxy of Star Wars be any completely different? There can be individuals that might need to accumulate these tales and inform them to future generations.”

We will’t wait to see what different tales make their method to the parks—along with Grasp Luke Skywalker, who we received to witness making his first grand entrance this afternoon.

As for any changes coming to the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run trip to coincide with subsequent yr’s big-screen launch of The Mandalorian and Grogu—properly, Disney continues to be very a lot maintaining that beneath wraps. “I imply, we are able to’t speak an excessive amount of about that,” Serna teased. “We don’t have a lot to inform but. As a result of aside from what you discovered at South by Southwest, we are able to’t actually discuss it.”

Martin added, “What I’ll say is that it is going to be one other genuine Mandalorian story, and clearly we shall be within the Millennium Falcon. So we’re going to get to learn the way we find yourself within the Millennium Falcon in a time the place Han Solo owns that ship. In order that needs to be fairly enjoyable. However in any other case, I feel you’ll have to attend and see.”

We additionally requested if any of the standout attracts from Florida’s now-shuttered Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser may be coming to Batuu, such because the lightsaber experiences or our beloved Gaya’s dinner present.

Serna stated, “I might say we’re at all times persevering with to develop and do new issues. You by no means know.”

We requested if we needs to be optimistic, and Martin added, “We discovered so much from that, you realize, from a storytelling perspective. So I feel the teachings that we’ve discovered will at all times inform the long run.”

Season of the Pressure is now underway at Disneyland. Study extra here.

Need extra io9 information? Take a look at when to anticipate the newest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on film and TV, and every little thing you could find out about the way forward for Doctor Who.