News Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge - Historical Construction/Impressions

[mickEblu]

I hear you, but will there be ribbon cutting and a little fanfare on for the media on May 30th or the morning of the 31st? I'd call that a grand opening then.

It’s a public preview in disguise as a grand opening.

 

[BrianLo]

I hear you, but will there be ribbon cutting and a little fanfare on for the media on May 30th or the morning of the 31st? I'd call that a grand opening then.

I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a second ribbon cutting after previews.

Grand openings are odd in that they functionally occur a while after most things are pseudo-opened.

 

[BrianLo]

Ok I caught up... kind of glad I wasn’t part of the discussion.

I again don’t think RoTR has ‘serious issues’, I’m glad Martin supports this. I just straight up don’t think they could reliably say it would be ready for the start of the preview.

I’ve lived through enough Iger legacy projects to know come hell or high water he’ll want it all ready for the actual Public opening end of June. Even for things Martin actually thought were screwed, when Iger’s legacy is on the line money will be siphoned to get it ready. No... DL has not had an Iger legacy project since 2012.

I also wouldn’t be surprised to see RoTR make some soft openings during the preview period, but they’ve at least set expectations accordingly that it won’t be there. So when it sort of is then breaks down they can just shrug their shoulders and be like ‘we said it wasn’t going to be in the previews’.

 

[mickEblu]

I posted this in the “who is Hondo” thread but thought I’d post this here as this thread has more traction. Curious to hear some thoughts of real Star Wars fans...

I feel that Disney using Hondo in the Falcon ride is a nod to a cross section of Millennials and diehard Star Wars fans. Basically the only people who appreciate his existence/ know who he is. It’s a move saying “yes we re Disney, but our portrayal of the Star Wars universe won’t only be ultra commercial and here is an example of us highlighting an obscure character.”

Or I could be totally wrong as I’m a casual Star Wars fan at best. I had no idea who Hondo was before he was announced as being part of the attraction.

 

[Disney Irish]

I posted this in the “who is Hondo” thread but thought I’d post this here as this thread has more traction. Curious to hear some thoughts of real Star Wars fans...

I feel that Disney using Hondo in the Falcon ride is a nod to a cross section of Millennials and diehard Star Wars fans. Basically the only people who appreciate his existence/ know who he is. It’s a move saying “yes we re Disney, but our portrayal of the Star Wars universe won’t only be ultra commercial and here is an example of us highlighting an obscure character.”

Or I could be totally wrong as I’m a casual Star Wars fan at best. I had no idea who Hondo was before he was announced as being part of the attraction.

In my opinion, is it a nod, yes. Although I'm not sure if I agree on your assessment of why they did it. Remember that LucasFilms was directly involved in the project. So it wasn't Disney who chose to have Hondo in the attraction, it was LucasFilms. Disney gave the parameters of the timeline they wanted to build the world in and LucasFilms came up with the stories and characters to fit in those timelines.

But really is it all that critical to know who Hondo is prior to experiencing the attraction, no not at all. Does it make the immersion a little deeper if you do know who Hondo is, yes. The same can be said about PotterLand, the more you know about the stories the deeper the immersion, but doesn't make it any less fun if you don't know a thing.

 

[SuddenStorm]

But really is it all that critical to know who Hondo is prior to experiencing the attraction, no not at all. Does it make the immersion a little deeper if you do know who Hondo is, yes. The same can be said about PotterLand, the more you know about the stories the deeper the immersion, but doesn't make it any less fun if you don't know a thing.

I'd say in the case of Potter and Star Wars... if someone doesn't know a thing about the characters, worlds, and stories- then it definitely would be less fun. That's an inherent issue with IP driven lands.

 

[mickEblu]

In my opinion, is it a nod, yes. Although I'm not sure if I agree on your assessment of why they did it. Remember that LucasFilms was directly involved in the project. So it wasn't Disney who chose to have Hondo in the attraction, it was LucasFilms. Disney gave the parameters of the timeline they wanted to build the world in and LucasFilms came up with the stories and characters to fit in those timelines.

But really is it all that critical to know who Hondo is prior to experiencing the attraction, no not at all. Does it make the immersion a little deeper if you do know who Hondo is, yes. The same can be said about PotterLand, the more you know about the stories the deeper the immersion, but doesn't make it any less fun if you don't know a thing.

Well I think we can kind of use Disney/ Lucasfilm interchangeably no? My point was what they re trying to achieve, not who is calling the shots.

Personally I don’t mind. I mean, I would have rather seen a Chewie AA but I’m ok with it. To me he’s an original character like Rex.

 

[Disney Irish]

I'd say in the case of Potter and Star Wars... if someone doesn't know a thing about the characters, worlds, and stories- then it definitely would be less fun. That's an inherent issue with IP driven lands.

Hmm, if you don't know the stories, characters, or worlds, how is that any different than a non-IP story where you know nothing? I would think it would be exactly the same. You know nothing so you enjoy it for the experience and maybe even make up your own story.

 

[Disney Irish]

Well I think we can kind of use Disney/ Lucasfilm interchangeably no? My point was what they re trying to achieve, not who is calling the shots.

Personally I don’t mind. I mean, I would have rather seen a Chewie AA but I’m ok with it. To me he’s an original character like Rex.

In this case no. Because WDI isn't creating the whole thing on their own. They are working directly with the content creators who are actually in charge of the story within the land.

 

[mickEblu]

Hmm, if you don't know the stories, characters, or worlds, how is that any different than a non-IP story where you know nothing? I would think it would be exactly the same. You know nothing so you enjoy it for the experience and maybe even make up your own story.

Except the stories are told differently when they are not based on IP. Think POTC, HM being non linear with the cocktail party dialogue. The “story” (if you can even say POTC has a story) is delivered using devices that appeal to most human beings on a basic level.

 

[Disney Irish]

Except the stories are told differently when they are not based on IP. Think POTC, HM being non linear with the cocktail party dialogue.

But you're making the assumption that not knowing the IP would make the experience not fun. And that just isn't the case.

PotterLand, its a world of wizards that is all you need to know to enjoy it. You don't need to know who Harry, Ron, Hermione, Snape, or any other character is to enjoy the world.

It'll be the same for SW:GE. You can go in and experience the whole thing without knowing anything about SW and still have a great time. And again I expect that those that don't know the IP will make up their own stories for things in the land they don't understand, just like a non-IP attraction.

 

[chadwpalm]

Well I think we can kind of use Disney/ Lucasfilm interchangeably no? My point was what they re trying to achieve, not who is calling the shots.

Personally I don’t mind. I mean, I would have rather seen a Chewie AA but I’m ok with it. To me he’s an original character like Rex.

I would consider that Hondo was also chosen because they can make him an animatronic and because he was a CGI cartoon character it isn't too difficult to make him look like the original character. Using a human would have been more difficult, even though they have had some pretty great advances with the technology. Since they are trying to keep things in the post-Solo timeline, and keeping the thrill of getting to be a smuggler, Hondo fits the role.

I get that not everyone is as deeply involved in the fandom to watch the periphery shows like Clone Wars (which is an awesome series), but I also think Disney is trying to use this as a means to get people to become curious about the character and to check out the show, especially since new seasons of it will be released when the new streaming service is up and running.

I think having Chewie explain things in Wookie and having a protocol droid interpret would have been funny, but it also would drag out the pre-show too much.

 

[chadwpalm]

Except the stories are told differently when they are not based on IP. Think POTC, HM being non linear with the cocktail party dialogue. The “story” (if you can even say POTC has a story) is delivered using devices that appeal to most human beings on a basic level.

I think as long as you can enjoy the experience without knowing the full backstory of the characters it's fine. If Hondo started spewing out things that only make sense to those who watched Clone Wars and it had an impact on the experience, then maybe that would be a problem, but I doubt that's going to happen.

 

[mickEblu]

I would consider that Hondo was also chosen because they can make him an animatronic and because he was a CGI cartoon character it isn't too difficult to make him look like the original character. Using a human would have been more difficult, even though they have had some pretty great advances with the technology. Since they are trying to keep things in the post-Solo timeline, and keeping the thrill of getting to be a smuggler, Hondo fits the role.

I get that not everyone is as deeply involved in the fandom to watch the periphery shows like Clone Wars (which is an awesome series), but I also think Disney is trying to use this as a means to get people to become curious about the character and to check out the show, especially since new seasons of it will be released when the new streaming service is up and running.

I think having Chewie explain things in Wookie and having a protocol droid interpret would have been funny, but it also would drag out the pre-show too much.

Both good points. I specifically said Chewie because he’s not a human and easy to make a great AA. In addition of course to him making sense and being one of the most lovable characters in the Star Wars universe.

 

[MisterPenguin]

FoP is a great ride despite not previously knowing Dr. Stephens, Dr. Jackie Ogden (who is totally not Sigourney Weaver), or ACE.

You just know Hondo will introduce himself and explain all the exposition you need. Also, there's the in-queue Play Disney stuff to garner more info as you wait.

 

[chadwpalm]

Both good points. I specifically said Chewie because he’s not a human and easy to make a great AA. In addition of course to him making sense and being one of the most lovable characters in the Star Wars universe.

From the EW article (talking about the Falcon):

It’s pocked with blaster burns and its thrusters are gasping to activate. “It’s a little worse for wear,” says Asa Kalama, the Imagineering creative director who is guiding this tour. “You’re going to hear the engines trying to turn over as they try to reactivate some of the systems.”

Occasionally, visitors will see a familiar “walking carpet” on a rooftop or crouching beneath the undercarriage to supervise the restoration. “That battle damage, it buffs right out,” says Scott Trowbridge, the Imagineering creative executive in charge of the whole land.

I wonder if they are referring to a partial animatronic that pokes around, or if they are referring to a character actor occasionally walking around in costume.

 

[britain]

From the EW article (talking about the Falcon):



I wonder if they are referring to a partial animatronic that pokes around, or if they are referring to a character actor occasionally walking around in costume.

I can’t imagine it would be practical to do a Chewie animatronic when a tall cast member in a suit will do just fine.

 

[mickEblu]

I can’t imagine it would be practical to do a Chewie animatronic when a tall cast member in a suit will do just fine.

Yeah I thought about that too. He’s very easy to get right as a meet n Greet character.

 

[mickEblu]

Anyway, my original post was just my explanation of why I think they chose the character Hondo. Not necessarily a commentary on why it was or wasn’t a good choice.

 

[SuddenStorm]

Hmm, if you don't know the stories, characters, or worlds, how is that any different than a non-IP story where you know nothing? I would think it would be exactly the same. You know nothing so you enjoy it for the experience and maybe even make up your own story.

These lands often rely on a number of inside references and cues that are intended to excite fans of the source material. A lot of world building is deemed unncessary because the audience should already be familiar with the material. Imagine riding the Forbidden Journey without knowing anything about Harry Potter. It'd be a weird, cool looking building with a weird, slightly exciting ride.

That's not to say there aren't exceptions. The best one I can think of is Indiana Jones Adventure- but in terms of IP focused lands, they definitely tend to rely on pre existing knowledge and emotional connection for the storytelling aspect.