News Star Wars Galaxy's Edge opening day reports - Disney's Hollywood Studios

Kram Sacul

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
Yes
First just a quick correction to your list - Yoda plays a major part in Savi's.

Second, there are other major elements that are in the land:

Storm Troopers
Tie Fighters
Cantina
Blue Milk
Droids
X-Wings
The Millennium Falcon
Chewie
Light Sabers
Various other ships

And yes, I think it was a very wise creative decision to base the land on an unknown planet that evoked Star Wars, but isn't as desolate as Hoth, oppressive as Tatooine, or as primitive as Endor - frankly, they used design elements from Tatooine and Endor here, and mixed it in with the elements from the Roger One marketplace.

Setting it in a specific area is also a good creative decision IMO - and setting it during the ST makes the most sense, as over time they can include elements from all trilogies. And despite what you may think, there are those who consider the ST their "Star Wars". (Hell, there are those who consider the prequels their Star Wars). That demographic is growing, your own preferences notwithstanding.

Now, can they add more elements in to make the land better? Absolutely. I'm firmly in the camp that they need to add a lot more - stunt shows; aliens wandering around the land and in the Cantina; have some OT characters that make sense (R2 and C-3PO come to mind). But that has more to do with idiotic budget cuts than it does the creative decisions regarding the land.

Hey, what do you think you’re doing? You can’t say anything positive or constructive about GE. You’ll ruin this whole thread and people might actually enjoy talking about the various things in the land. Get back in line, citizen!
 

erasure fan1

Well-Known Member
I don’t think that’s really a concern. Vader’s been dead and redeemed for decades if you consider the latest movies to be the *current* part of the timeline, but the Star Tours sequences he appears in are set before Episode IV, so it works just fine.

Even outside of Star Wars, that’s always been one of the weird anachronisms of theme parks when it comes to IP. The Evil Queen walks around Disneyland, but the Snow White ride ends with her trying to kill you as the Old Hag. The only difference here is that instead of setting the timeline from the moment you enter the queue, they’re just doing it from the moment you enter the land now.
Oh I agree. It was more pointing out that unless Disney decides to constantly update the land, "canon" doesn't matter. And at that point it doesn't matter if you set things in the OT, prequels, sequels... The vast majority of guests want to see what has meaning to them. And the only way to do that is by representing all eras of star wars.
 

RobWDW1971

Well-Known Member
First just a quick correction to your list - Yoda plays a major part in Savi's.

Second, there are other major elements that are in the land:

Storm Troopers
Tie Fighters
Cantina
Blue Milk
Droids
X-Wings
The Millennium Falcon
Chewie
Light Sabers
Various other ships

And yes, I think it was a very wise creative decision to base the land on an unknown planet that evoked Star Wars, but isn't as desolate as Hoth, oppressive as Tatooine, or as primitive as Endor - frankly, they used design elements from Tatooine and Endor here, and mixed it in with the elements from the Roger One marketplace.

Setting it in a specific area is also a good creative decision IMO - and setting it during the ST makes the most sense, as over time they can include elements from all trilogies. And despite what you may think, there are those who consider the ST their "Star Wars". (Hell, there are those who consider the prequels their Star Wars). That demographic is growing, your own preferences notwithstanding.

Now, can they add more elements in to make the land better? Absolutely. I'm firmly in the camp that they need to add a lot more - stunt shows; aliens wandering around the land and in the Cantina; have some OT characters that make sense (R2 and C-3PO come to mind). But that has more to do with idiotic budget cuts than it does the creative decisions regarding the land.

Thank you! It's great to see someone actually acknowledging and defending the absence of that long list of iconic Star Wars elements. I obviously fundamentally disagree as I think they were disastrous creative and financial decisions, but I respect someone actually saying they agree with none of that being in the land vs just criticizing those complaining.

And yes, Yoda's voice is used in the $200 per person experience so I'll update my post, but I think the point was made.

Stepping back, I think if you told the average Star Wars and Disneyland fan that Disney was spending a billion dollars to build the world's first Star Wars Land, you'd get a hugely excited response. Now tell that same person, none of the things on that long list are going to be in the land and after they get the confused look off their face, their reaction would be....well, what we've seen from the million plus visitors so far.
 
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mikejs78

Premium Member
We are going to build a new Star Wars based theme park ride, the first of its kind. It will not have:

People saying "May the Force be with you"
Darth Vader
Yoda
Chewbacca
Luke Skywalker
Princess Leia
Han Solo
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Boba Fett
The Emperor
Jabba the Hutt
Admiral Ackbar
Darth Maul
Mace Windu
The Millennium Falcon
Tatooine
Hoth
Mustafar
Naboo
Aliens
Bounty hunters
Jedi
Ewoks
Jawa
Lightsaber fights
Or that darn Cantina Band!!!

It's called Star Tours, and it was still insanely popular, despite missing all of those elements.
 

mikejs78

Premium Member
You and the dozens of customers that have shown up for it.
1600 pph x 16 hrs x 14 days = A minimum of 358,400 people who have ridden Falcon. Doesn't account for people who visited the land and didn't ride, which does happen more than you'd think.

That's not including passholders previews, not including the additional 2 hours on opening day, and not including the remainder of the line after park close. Roughly 30,000 dozen people, so I guess that is some definition of "dozens".
 

LukeS7

Well-Known Member
Is it true they use regular Disney Parks bags inside?

Seems odd that they would go to the trouble of making themed bottles of water, but then just put merch in a Disney bag.
This is 100% true. Went opening day and every shop had the standard Disney bags. I found it very weird since they went to all the trouble to theme everything else
 

Surferboy567

Well-Known Member
I've been defending Disney a lot regarding GE, but I won't defend this.... Come on.

I loved almost everything about Galaxy's Edge...but you are 100% correct on this. I even used Spira to purchase my merch in Galaxy's Edge but seeing a generic Disney bag can really take you out of the experience for a little bit. Not going to act like it's a huge deal but it is something I would like them to change.
 

Sirwalterraleigh

Premium Member
Or the same 2 1/2 people agreeing with each other over and over how everything is a failure? So not fatiguing.

Or the middle road...acknowledging the good things about the place while acknowledging it hasn’t been a smash hit on any level.

We continue to now have the revisionist stance that nobody here expected mobs.

Just LOOK at the threads 1,2,3 years ago...this stance folds like toilet paper.

Discussing a lukewarm reception won’t get Disney to revoke your vacation club or AP (If you were dumb enough to pay the current prices)...so its ok to discuss the possibilities.
It's appealing to a lot of people here. That invalidates your statement on its face.
You are trying to disprove an opinion with completely “impossible to prove” evidence. Attendance has been light at both parks...we can see it and Disney has even acknowledged it. Let’s see how it plays out.
It's appealing to Disney fans. The same people who keep going to the parks on a regular basis. I'll give you that. But don't expect a boost in attendance. It won't happen!

There's a reason AP holders saw a nearly 20% price increase last year, why a 'lightsaber' cost $200, and why some alcoholic beverages are near $75 in SWGE. Got to milk the same cow.

Agree...and the fact there isn’t a larger crowd with the total captive wdw audience is again a “problem”...I don’t think anyone in Disney ops will dispute that.
I've been a star wars fan long before I've been a Disney/Parks fan. And I highly enjoy the new Trilogy. I know I'm not alone in that.
Not alone...but is that sequence doing enough?
You can always find people to like it...but Disney parks and Star Wars are both mass market products. How has the franchise been trending? I can only imagine how much box office loss rian johnson has caused for Episode 9 already?? I bet Disney has an idea though.
I do. My two brothers do. A bunch of my Star Wars nerd friends do. A bunch of our kids do. And according to this recent article on upcoming films' social media engagement it's likely that a bunch of people online do.

Star Wars is Star Wars. A Stormtrooper is a Stormtrooper, an X-Wing is an X-Wing. The core elements and design language are all there. The land being set in the ST vs the OT has zero impact on the average park goers impression of the land.

Based on wait times park attendance is down across the board. That's indicative of a problem outside of the scope of Galaxy's Edge.
It’s not all the same...and i notice you are prequel age.

Nobody argues it’s “all the same”. There are highlights and lowlights, good and bad. With anything in life.

It is what it is. Opinions vary. I don’t think the argument can be made the new movies are resonating anywhere near the originals. Things change.

They had a box office flop and sales of Star Wars stuff is down big time. Adult collectors appear to be keeping them Afloat.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe there is a problem...Disney does
I don't quite get the people who are so vehemently against the new Star Wars trilogy.
Oven
Do I personally think it's good? Not really, no... it's not that it's BAD, it's just sort of boring. I think I'm a huge outlier, though, in that I believe Force Awakens was the problem rather than the Last Jedi. From a film making standpoint the whole Canto Bight scene was a huge misfire that felt like it belonged in a separate movie, but generally the movie was fine for what it was. I wasn't a fan of most of the plot decisions made by Rian Johnson, but almost all of those issues are directly a result of the Force Awakens plot and he at least tried to shake things up. JJ Abrams put the galaxy in the worst possible place; almost anything would have been more interesting than his choice to reset everything back to a small rebellion against a big evil menace.

Regardless, I don't understand why people trash it everywhere. Just because I don't like it doesn't mean it's objectively bad or that other people are wrong to like it.
You posed your entire question in the first sentence. Simple answer: the “trilogy” has been a reboot...followed by nonsense...killing the old characters while tinkering with canon not needed to be tinkering with and flat, unmemorable characters.

Much closer to prequel than OT.

Star Wars fans will defend the honor of their emotional attachment. It’s what created the entire franchise...to be succinct.
Try 15 Minutes, with everything else in the park 5. I love your enthusiasm for SWGE, but in its current form the launch has been a bomb. Not as bad as DLR, but no where near expectations. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Boarding groups were expected to be in place till the end of September, they lasted less than 10 hours. Hotel bookings were to be sold out through 2020, they aren’t, all those price increases they expected people to suck up aren’t being tolerated. And all I hear is excuses and apologies for why SWGE underperforming.

My ire is not directed at SW, it’s directed at incompetent leadership at P&R. Their missteps never wind up hurting anyone but guests through cuts and price increases and now they are reaping the rewards of their incompetence.

Things may get better or they may not, but whatever winds up happening with SWGE doesn’t change where it is now.

Just don’t go around towing the Disney line that everything is awesome (sorry wrong brand) because it’s STAR WARS! This failure should be a mechanism to clear out execs in P&R and WDI complacent with mediocrity and stupidity.
I don’t decree the land a failure by any stretch. But the Launch still has been a bomb. Iger has all but admitted it. I am surprised they didn’t get an uptick in Florida...even in September. I think the market is in correction...finally
 
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Sirwalterraleigh

Premium Member
Hey, what do you think you’re doing? You can’t say anything positive or constructive about GE. You’ll ruin this whole thread and people might actually enjoy talking about the various things in the land. Get back in line, citizen!
I think I get it...you don’t want to talk about it?
We are going to build a new Star Wars based theme park ride, the first of its kind. It will not have:

People saying "May the Force be with you"
Darth Vader
Yoda
Chewbacca
Luke Skywalker
Princess Leia
Han Solo
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Boba Fett
The Emperor
Jabba the Hutt
Admiral Ackbar
Darth Maul
Mace Windu
The Millennium Falcon
Tatooine
Hoth
Mustafar
Naboo
Aliens
Bounty hunters
Jedi
Ewoks
Jawa
Lightsaber fights
Or that darn Cantina Band!!!

It's called Star Tours, and it was still insanely popular, despite missing all of those elements.

You mean the star tours that was near walk-on for 15 years before fast pass plus???

And often still is close to that? I guess it depends on your definition of “insanely popular”??
 

THE 1HAPPY HAUNT

Well-Known Member
We are going to build a new Star Wars based theme park ride, the first of its kind. It will not have:

People saying "May the Force be with you"
Darth Vader
Yoda
Chewbacca
Luke Skywalker
Princess Leia
Han Solo
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Boba Fett
The Emperor
Jabba the Hutt
Admiral Ackbar
Darth Maul
Mace Windu
The Millennium Falcon
Tatooine
Hoth
Mustafar
Naboo
Aliens
Bounty hunters
Jedi
Ewoks
Jawa
Lightsaber fights
Or that darn Cantina Band!!!

It's called Star Tours, and it was still insanely popular, despite missing all of those elements.
INCORRECT: In the original star tours many characthers from the series appeared in the pre flight video. the ride had John Williams' music throughout and the main theme at the end. it perfectly captured the spirit of the original trilogy and the queue made references to other planets like Hoth and had AA C3p0 and R2D2. i will defend the original star tours all day. that ride is better than all of batuu
 
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Disneyfanman

Well-Known Member
My biggest travel regret was that I never experienced the experience. I could have had Romulan ale at Quark's Bar with a Klingon!!!! :arghh:
I did and every time I read about ROTR I think of Star Trek the experience. That was, for its time, pretty cool but not worth repeat visits. I’m hoping that because ROTR has an actual ride that it will be worth repeating.
 

drod1985

Well-Known Member
It’s not all the same...and i notice you are prequel age.

The prequels are my least favorite Star Wars films. I appreciate the lore they introduced, but the execution is extremely poor.

I think the only thing being “prequel age” did for me was normalize the idea that each trilogy would have its own set of primary heroes. It seems most who are “original age” expected a trio of senior citizens to be the face of new Star Wars. 😁
 

Joesixtoe

Well-Known Member
The prequels are my least favorite Star Wars films. I appreciate the lore they introduced, but the execution is extremely poor.

I think the only thing being “prequel age” did for me was normalize the idea that each trilogy would have its own set of primary heroes. It seems most who are “original age” expected a trio of senior citizens to be the face of new Star Wars. 😁
No I think people just wanted the senior citizens to be respected... everyone was cool with the new faces, but when you try and essentially replace the old with the new(example hot rod for optimus prime-transformers the movie) things then don't go over so well. We want happily ever after... it is Disney right?
 

mikejs78

Premium Member
INCORRECT: In the original star tours many characthers from the series appeared in the pre flight video. the ride had john williams music through out and the main theme at the end. it pefectly captured the spirit of the original trilogy and the queue made references to other planets like hot and had AA c3p0 and r2d2. i will defend the original star tours all day. that ride is better than all of batuu
The ride had R2D2 and C3P0. It did not have "many characters from the series". Batuu also has many references to the original trilogy, and has Chewie.

Don't get me wrong - I love Star Tours - but the same complaints that can be said about Batuu can be said about Star Wars, with maybe the exception of the music. Sub in Chewie for C3P0, and you have basically the same character representation of characters from the original trilogy - more on Batuu actually, as you have Yoda playing a large role in Savi's.
 

Sirwalterraleigh

Premium Member
The prequels are my least favorite Star Wars films. I appreciate the lore they introduced, but the execution is extremely poor.

I think the only thing being “prequel age” did for me was normalize the idea that each trilogy would have its own set of primary heroes. It seems most who are “original age” expected a trio of senior citizens to be the face of new Star Wars. 😁
I wouldn’t expect that...but they could have had them “fade” as respected elders.

The solo portrayal was “ok”...though the fact it was put in just to set up a death scene was underwhelming

Luke Skywalker was the key to the entire story...he was the backbone and the glue that held the whole thing together. Do you want to hear my opinion on how they handled that so far??

And Leia is not a Jedi ninja master. No need for it. It doesn’t work. And Fisher didn’t work at all.

I think the longterm mistake was not doing the sequels when the prequels were made. YouTube a clip of those 3 actors circa 1999 and look at what they were then. They looked like their characters. So instead of doing an aftermath story that could have worked and introduced new characters to build on...we have afterthought with 3 nobodies that makes no sense now. Hindsight.
No I think people just wanted the senior citizens to be respected... everyone was cool with the new faces, but when you try and essentially replace the old with the new(example hot rod for optimus prime-transformers the movie) things then don't go over so well. We want happily ever after... it is Disney right?
...touchdown!
 

Sirwalterraleigh

Premium Member
The ride had R2D2 and C3P0. It did not have "many characters from the series". Batuu also has many references to the original trilogy, and has Chewie.

Don't get me wrong - I love Star Tours - but the same complaints that can be said about Batuu can be said about Star Wars, with maybe the exception of the music. Sub in Chewie for C3P0, and you have basically the same character representation of characters from the original trilogy - more on Batuu actually, as you have Yoda playing a large role in Savi's.
You’re putting star tours on a pedestal it honestly never was.

The fact they took Star Wars and put it in a simple motion simulator was a punt by George and Disney from the start.

So if the bar is there...what are we even saying?
 

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