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This past weekend, we had the chance to visit Disneyland’s Galaxy’s Edge to experience the arrival of the Original Trilogy Timeline to the land, and we discovered it to be an emotional and exciting new chapter for the planet of Batuu with such legendary characters as Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia.
For those unfamiliar, Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland (no word on the changes arriving at Walt Disney World yet!) has now expanded to include not only original trilogy era characters, but also musical selections from John Williams’ iconic Star Wars film score, updates to Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities and Black Spire Surplus, and more.
This isn’t a radical change – it still very much feels like Galaxy’s Edge – but the addition of these Original Trilogy characters hit me in the heart much more than I thought it would. Sure, it was great seeing them in the land, and one moment that I’ll never forget was a young girl dressed as Leia meeting Leia with tears of joy in her eyes, but it was the reunions that took me by surprise.
There are many of us who know how the events of the sequel trilogy turned out, and there is something very special about seeing Luke, Han, and Leia (and Chewie, who was already there!) back together again. While they aren’t on set schedules and there aren’t lines to meet these characters as they are free-roaming, you may catch Luke giving Leia a hug or Chewie and Han arguing over a problem with the Millennium Falcon, or all of them posing together for a picture, and it just feels right.
I’m personally happy the Sequel Trilogy is still in this land and beyond – Rey can be found in the Resistance Camp near Rise of the Resistance, and Kylo is now the Disney Visa Cardmember Meet-and-Greet at Star Wars Launch Bay – but it’s hard to deny the pure joy that seeing these characters brings people. It was almost as much fun watching the guests as it was the characters, especially one woman who was bounding as Chewbacca, who also got the greatest hug from the Wookiee himself.
And we have to talk about Darth Vader. His entrance was also one of the highlights, especially at night time. He comes out of the TIE Echelon Kylo Ren used to, and there really is nothing like seeing a bright red light and smoke appearing before the Dark Lord of the Sith walks down and makes his presence felt.
He is in Batuu looking for Luke Skywalker, and he demands your help. He will then wander around the land with two Stormtroopers, and you’ll be able to interact and take photos with him as he is doing so.
Having John Williams’ Imperial March play as Vader enters is also just fantastic, as is the use of the score around the land. Having those beloved moments of ‘Binary Sunset’ or ‘Princess Leia’s Theme’ play as you walk around is another emotional beat I really enjoyed. However, I will say that I really loved the natual and “lived in” sounds of Batuu in its original form. It really felt as though you were entering a new world, and that is lost a little with this.
As for the shops, you may not really notice Dok-Ondar’s had changed, but it does now feature protest flags from Ghorman as seen in Andor, Aki-Aki musical instruments as seen in The Rise of Skywalker, and more.
Black Spire Surplus, formerly known as First Order Cargo, looks a lot different, as it is now run by two retired clones and features “artifacts from across the history of the galaxy, including Imperial and Rebel items from the Galactic Civil War.” I particularly like all the helmets used as decoration from across Star Wars history, including one that looks very much like Boushh’s from Return of the Jedi that Leia wore to disguise herself.
All in all, I think these are positive changes to Galaxy’s Edge, even if it doesn’t quite feel as much that I’m leaving our world and entering a new one. The immersiveness took a bit of a hit, but the emotional connection and joy were both there in spades. I think this was a very smart move that will encourage fans of that galaxy far, far away to come back and relive those feelings some have held close for nearly 49 years. I know I can’t wait to get back.
Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst, Instagram, and TikTok, and listen to his show, Talking Disney Magic.
