2019 is set to be a huge year for Star Wars. Not only do we have Episode IX arriving, but there’s also the return of The Clone Wars, the start of The Mandalorian, the video game Jedi Fallen Order and, what might end up proving to be the most exciting of the lot, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
For those who don’t know, this is a new theme park attraction currently under construction in Disney’s California and Florida resorts, which will look to transport visitors to the outer rim planet of Batuu and into the middle of a conflict between the Resistance and the First Order. And by the look of this fascinating behind the scenes video up above, it seems like they’ve pulled it off.
Throughout the footage, the Disney staff tasked with bringing the park to life talk about the emotional impact they want to create when visitors are standing in the middle of the Star Wars universe. It’s a good point, too. I mean, we’ve all seen some kind of Star Wars character or prop in the real world, but being confronted with a life-size replica of the Millennium Falcon? It’s the kind of thing that’ll send shivers down the spine. And then you have the chance of piloting it on Millennium Falcon – Smuggler’s Run, a ride which looks insanely fun.
But perhaps most interesting to true Star Wars fans is the Rise of the Resistance experience, which looks like it’ll task you with infiltrating the First Order and working against it. Even this promotional video of what they’ve got cooked up shows production levels on par with anything we’ve seen in the films, and it seems as though this ride might end up filling in some of the blanks from in between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.
My only fear is that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is going to be so incredibly popular that the magic will be eroded ever so slightly by having to jostle my way through crowds and queue for hours in order to get even a sniff of the Falcon’s cockpit. But hey, if that’s the price to pay for Disney bringing a slice of Star Wars to our reality, I’ll happily pay it.