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

Consumer

Well-Known Member
Thanks, I'm aware of most the iterations of SW Land ideas in the domestic Disney Parks, specifically DLR, many have been discussed on this side of the boards for years. Personally I would have liked the idea of the Endor speeders in TL. But thanks for the rehash of the history.

As for the lack of music within the land, I actually prefer what we got with the atmosphere sounds rather than music. I think it allows one to let the rest of the Park fade away for a bit and let ones imagination go. If one wants music then do what you've done and put on some headphones. But personally I would be disappointed if one day they decide to add music into the land.
The ambience might work for the stretch near Critter Country, but the market place and space port really should have music. I'm not even going to say it needs to be John Williams, but it at least needs some good old Star Wars j!zz.
 

truecoat

Well-Known Member
Not possible because this iteration of SWL was designed for both DL and Studios. Can't effectively go below grade in scale in Florida. RotR's turntable and drop shafts are about as ambitious as you could get digging below grade and that is just for back of house mechs and not guest areas. Too much risk in flooding.

I've mentioned this before in the lead up to GE; but, SWL went through several iterations on its way to being finalized. The big three were:

- DL Tomorrowland overlay. This was the "greatest hits" hodgepodge of ideas and locations around the SW galaxy thrown over the current land. Nobody working on this project liked this idea at all and everyone was relieved when it was rejected (due to the loss of Tomorrowland and Imagineering and LucasFilm wanted a cohesive land a la Potter). Some diehard fans of the OT may have liked this approach better as it was well underway before the sequel mandate took over.
- DL Toontown overlay and expansion. This is the one where things began taking on a unified approach. It was smaller in scale (due to the size available even with shuffling around many things backstage). It necessitated a lot more covered spaces as there as very serious operational concerns about firework fallout. Around this time, the go big or go home directive changed the location to the existing space and would more easily accommodate both DL and DHS footprints.
- Current Batuu

While I haven't been able to get back to DL since the pandemic, I did get several pre-RotR chances at the land and have been back to DHS for those attractions opening and many times since. Here's the interesting thing, about the streetmosphere vibe. Perception of the two resorts differences plays a huge part in what you take away from both lands.

At Disneyland, strolling through the park on any given day you are likely to encounter multiple characters roaming about, bands playing, Main Street vehicles, watercraft circling the river, and any given motion from the outdoor attractions. On any given day, Disneyland simply feels alive with kinetic energy all with a backdrop of the land's soundtrack. Stepping into GE, you still will encounter some occasional characters (far more than I think people give credit to). Even during my pre-Rise visits, there wasn't a trip into GE where I didn't at least see some Troopers, Ren, Rey Chewie, or R2. Now with Mando and Grogu and Ahsoka, there is likely more opportunities. What is missing are the other elements. There are no street musicians. There are no rides with kinetic motion or noises that you can see. There is also something missing that really makes the biggest difference... I'll get to it in a few moments.

At DHS, the overall experience in GE is similar to DL (although no Mando/Ahsoka and rarely any droids); but, to most of the guests - seeing these characters out is different than most of the rest of the parks at WDW. Rarely will guests bump into a roaming one on property. DHS and AK have the most streetmosphere with the Citizens in DHS or bands in AK; but, unless you catch a character going on break - you just don't see them elsewhere. Also, since the WDW parks are somewhat anemic in attraction per capita compared to the west coast and most of the attractions are indoors or spread apart from each other, the overall parks are more kinetic motion starved than DLR. This is why the perception of GE in Florida skews a bit higher there.

The loss of Beastly Transport really would've helped provide some motion and immersion to the land. It would've added more capacity and allowed those adverse to Falcon and Rise a chance to do something else that may have been more their speed. Unfortunately, the operational (staffing and maintenance) costs were vetoed by TDO.

The restaurant will likely still happen at some point (I haven't asked recently); but, it wouldn't have added anything to the street scene as it would've been another walled off experience behind a queue/reservation.

The 10-ton elephant in the room of what is "missing" in the Galaxy's Edge recipe is the same thing that it has been since the day it opened. The soup is missing one of the most important ingredients of the entire Star Wars experience. The lack of the Maestro's magic - John Williams underlying soundtrack to the experience. Try watching any SW without the soundtrack and the experience is much colder and lifeless compared to when the music is supporting the scene. I'm going to tread lightly on this topic; but, it's kind of an open secret that nobody involved wants to acknowledge and I don't want to single anyone or any group of people out. I was recommended by some friends to put my headphones on and walk through the land back in 2019 and it is a very, very different experience. The playlist contained cues from the Resistance and First Order and some of Johnny's GE suite and it made a huge improvement.

The decision was to go "full immersion" for the land and rely on the background sound effects to tell the story. While that concept can and certainly does work in Pandora, that is also a very busy jungle environment from a franchise that prior to the sequel - I doubt a high percentage of people could name the main characters let alone hum a tune from the film. Imagine either Potterlands without their soundtracks. Those images within the land connect you subconsciously to the soundtrack and vice versa and taking them away would leave the entire land sterile. The same is very much true with Star Wars. Humans are conditioned animals and when we get a stimulus we are accustomed to, we react to it. Missing a good one half of the SW stimulus we are use to having when exposed to the galaxy causes the entire experience to fall into the same uncanny valley that bad CG animation does. Our brains flag the experience as something not quite being right and that sticks with us.

Think of RotR. There is a reason why once you hit that first briefing room to the time you get off the attraction feels like SW. It's because it comes closest to fulfilling our expectations as to what our brains expect SW to be using all of our senses. It shouldn't take Figment from that awful Imagination redo to tell us how important sound is to altering our perception.

#bringjohnwilliamstogalaxysedge

Yep, the music would be a huge upgrade.

Where is the Star Wars land I was promised?

Star Wars.jpg
 

disneyC97

Well-Known Member
I’m still surprised with all the effort to not have soft drink and credit card company names visible they never did custom merchandise bags. Pandora in DAK even has them.

Also, when first announced I pictured the light saber shop as something like the wand shops at HP where everyone can experience though there is an obvious sales component.
Something with an animatronic (or even screen based) Yoda or Obi Wan leading or at least making an appearance.
 

D.Silentu

Well-Known Member
Also, when first announced I pictured the light saber shop as something like the wand shops at HP where everyone can experience though there is an obvious sales component.
I presumed this as well and I have to imagine their saber sales would be higher if the experience weren't so obscured.
 

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