Disney’s Star Wars ride Star Tours has received a fresh coat of paint and brand new The Last Jedi themed content beginning from today. The first visitors have reported that, as expected, the ride now takes us to Crait, the striking white planet with red dust that we’ve seen in several trailers and TV spots. That’d be pretty neat in and of itself, but there’s more surprises in store.
Park guests have reported on social media that after Crait, the ride takes us further into the future of Star Wars, concluding by dropping riders off on the planet Batuu, now confirmed as the name of the location featured in the upcoming Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge mega-attraction.
First announced at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, Galaxy’s Edge is a billion dollar project that aims to immerse visitors in a working replica of the Star Wars universe. Batuu will be home to a trading port that’s “one of the last stops before Wild Space.” Here, guests will get a chance to captain the Millennium Falcon on a secret mission, as well as being secretly recruited to the Resistance or First Order and battle their way through their own tailored Star Wars experience.
It sounds like a dream come true for people who live and breathe that galaxy far, far away, and it’s a sign of Disney’s excitement that they’re teasing it in their rides this early. In the meantime, the Crait addition to Star Tours is already garnering rave reviews, with riders comparing it favourably to the classic ‘crystal cave’ location from the original 1987 ride.
We should get more details on Galaxy’s Edge once construction begins in earnest, but right now our focus is firmly on December 15th’s The Last Jedi, which promises to knock everyone’s socks firmly off.