May 27, 2018 Star Wars: Galactic Nights

Another Star Wars: Galactic Nights has wrapped up at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Warwick Davis was the host, and Joonas Suotamo (the new Chewbacca) and Ashley Eckstein (the founder of Her Universe and the voice of Ahsoka Tano) attended as well. Here are a few of the highlights.

Inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

This panel featured several Imagineers who are working on the new land. We already knew that the planet that we’ll visit is Batuu, we learned that the name of the village is Black Spire Outpost. There will be two full sized AT-ATs, pictures were shown of the progress and the size. The Millennium Falcon will not be the only ship that you’ll be able to enter, there will also be a full sized Resistance Troop Transport. That could be part of the First Order ride. The character of Nien Nunb will be part of the new land, and he’ll once again be voiced by Kipsang Rotich. We were treated to a video featuring Rotich. He voiced the character in Return of the Jedi when he was a student in California, then returned to his native Kenya. He was brought back for The Force Awakens, and was thrilled to continue to provide the voice. We also learned that in the Market area there will be a Creature Stall. You’ll be able to interact with various creatures from the Star Wars universe, and some of them will be available for sale.

Stars of the Saga

This was a question and answer session with actor and former Finnish basketball player Joonas Suotamo, who has taken over the role of Chewbacca. He obviously takes the responsibility of the role seriously, and he is a huge Star Wars fan himself. He talked about working with Peter Mayhew (the original Chewbacca), his first meeting with Harrison Ford, and the differences between playing Chewbacca in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi and a much younger Wookiee in Solo: A Star Wars Story. He showed off the walk that Peter Mayhew taught him, and also used his Wookiee growl several times. He said that he used the growl while filming, but that they replaced it for the final cuts.

Star Wars: Galactic Destinations

Walt Disney World has perfected projection shows, and at Galactic Nights guests were in for a special treat. Star Wars: Galactic Destinations turns the Hollywood Tower Hotel into a screen for different scenes from the Star Wars movies. Added for this edition of Galactic Nights was a scene from Solo: A Star Wars Story. The show lasted ten minutes or so, and ran continuously once it was dark enough.

Characters and Photo Opportunities

There were extra characters on hand for Galactic Nights, but not really all that many. There were also places around the park where you could insert yourself into a Star Wars location. At the entrance to those locations you could also pick up a sticker for a scavenger hunt, those stickers went on the back of the event lanyard. There were also plenty of droids on hand, courtesy of DroidBuilders.

Food and Merchandise

There were special food offerings throughout the park with a Star Wars theme. They included Grilled Wagyu Beef Slider, C-3PO Charcuterie, and Vegan Blue Milk Curry. There was also an event cupcake that was topped with a light up Millennium Falcon. There were specialty beverages such as Solar Explosion and Lightspeed Margarita. For merchandise there were T-shirts, pins, and water bottles. A new pin and lanyard featuring Black Spire Outpost was released during the event.

Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular

The evening ended with Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular. Scenes from Solo: A Star Wars Story have been added into the show. This end of the night show features projections, lasers, fireworks, and scenes from the ten(!) Star Wars films. It’s set to the music of the legendary John Williams. This should be a must-do on your Walt Disney World vacation, even if you’re not a Star Wars fan. It was a great way to end a nearly perfect evening.