Who the HECK is Hondo?!?!?!

[Sharon&Susan]

I haven't been keeping up with SW:GE news, so to my shock when I found out that Chewie won't be the only major character in this attraction, but also some guy named Hondo! "Who is this Hondo fellow," I asked myself, "He must've appeared in one Star Wars movie to make such a major appearance!" Wrong. He appeared in the Clone Wars and Rebels according to Wookipedia and not in any of the beloved theatrical Star Wars movies.What's next referencing Star Wars: the tabletop board game? Will the entire land be filled with these obtuse references to Star Wars that only the most diehard fan will understand? Will they sell Star Wars: The Flametrower inside the land? Is this post serious or just a joke? Will any of these questions ever be answered? Find out after this fine programming:

 

[MisterPenguin]

I haven't been keeping up with SW:GE news, so to my shock when I found out that Chewie won't be the only major character in this attraction, but also some guy named Hondo! "Who is this Hondo fellow," I asked myself, "He must've appeared in one Star Wars movie to make such a major appearance!" Wrong. He appeared in the Clone Wars and Rebels according to Wookipedia and not in any of the beloved theatrical Star Wars movies.What's next referencing Star Wars: the tabletop board game? Will the entire land be filled with these obtuse references to Star Wars that only the most diehard fan will understand? Will they sell Star Wars: The Flametrower inside the land? Is this post serious or just a joke? Will any of these questions ever be answered? Find out after this fine programming:

If you don't know Hondo then you're not a true Star Wars fan and don't deserve to go to Batuu!

Can I have your Maxpass?

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

It's a John Wayne movie.

 

[D.Silentu]

If it helps, I had no idea either. I'm assuming the show is popular if a character is being featured in the attraction, as opposed to the multitude of characters from the films.

 

[TwilightZone]

Hondo does sound like a star wars name. I bet I can make up any name on the dot and it will be a character.

Like ummm.... California...do

 

[socalifornian]

Hondo is a pretty cool space pirate and originates from pre-Disney Star Wars canon. It was nice seeing him in the Rebels tv show, this should be a welcome addition too

 

[Anjin]

I think it's pretty rad that Hondo rode the Clone Wars escape pod into the new Disney canon. But then again, I'm a nerd.

For most people, Hondo is to Smuggler's Run as Patrick Warburton is to Soarin'. Nobody has to know his backstory to enjoy the ride.

 

[Darkbeer1]

We need to have a Dog as part of Galaxy Edge!

 

[socalifornian]

We need to have a Dog as part of Galaxy Edge!

Does Carrie Fishers dog work?

 

[zooey]

I don’t get this criticism. You can get to know Hondo through the attraction just as much as any other original character in any other attraction. You don’t need to know his entire history for the story to work.

 

[Phroobar]

Alien space pirate.

 

[TROR]

Hondo sponsors Autopia

 

[Darkbeer1]

I thought it was Hondo the Kung Fu Panda...

 

[Phroobar]

I thought it was Hondo the Kung Fu Panda...

 

[Model3 McQueen]

Will my favorite character Jar-Jar Binks make an appearance?

 

[Sharon&Susan]

Will my favorite character Jar-Jar Binks make an appearance?

 

[Stevek]

Here's his story. Probably most well known for his appearances in The Clone Wars and Rebels animated series.

Hondo Ohnaka

Hondo Ohnaka was a male Weequay pirate and outlaw whose varied exploits garnered him notoriety and infamy throughout the galaxy. Over the course of Ohnaka's storied and decades-long career as the head of self-styled operations such as the Ohnaka Gang and Ohnaka Transport Solutions, he often...

starwars.fandom.com

 

[Model3 McQueen]

No complicated backstory required.

Seems to be the norm with Disney's newest offerings. Shoot for the lowest hanging fruit in storytelling.

 

[SSG]

Seems to be the norm with Disney's newest offerings. Shoot for the lowest hanging fruit in storytelling.

Well to be fair, most attractions don't require much backstory knowledge. For Indy, you explore a cursed temple and things go wrong. In Star Tours, you take a trip in space and things go wrong. For Smuggler's Run you'll be on a smuggling mission....and things will go wrong. But being familiar with the Star Wars or Indiana Jones universes doesn't (IMO) impact how you enjoy the ride.

 

[Model3 McQueen]

Well to be fair, most attractions don't require much backstory knowledge. For Indy, you explore a cursed temple and things go wrong. In Star Tours, you take a trip in space and things go wrong. For Smuggler's Run you'll be on a smuggling mission....and things will go wrong. But being familiar with the Star Wars or Indiana Jones universes doesn't (IMO) impact how you enjoy the ride.

Definitely, I agree that using an IP doesn't necessarily impact the enjoyment of an attraction. I'm just saying that I personally feel the days of ToT, Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Pirates are unfortunately over. I'd argue that the examples I just provided use story elements without heavily relying on an IP (for ToT, Splash - they're based on an IP but the IP only compliments their stories, i'd argue it doesn't dictate them). You have to know GotG to enjoy M:B's story, you have to know Incredibles to understand what Incredicoaster even is.

idk am I making sense? I don't doubt Smuggler's Run and Battle Escape will be peak Disney imagineering. But it sounds to me that SWGE relies heavily on the public's knowledge of Star Wars to be a full experience (and i'll give it a pass, seeing SW movies have been around since the 70's). You don't need to know Songs of the South to understand Splash, or Indiana Jones to understanding Indiana Jones Adventure. Just my two cents.