Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a huge Star Wars fan. I have been since I first saw it in 1977! The Empire Strikes Back is my all time favorite movie, followed very closely by Star Wars (before A New Hope was added) and then Return of the Jedi. While I enjoy the expanded universe, the first three will always be Star Wars to me.
I also really enjoy Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. It’s not even about the rides, it’s the atmosphere and the sounds. Especially the sounds. Hearing a creature walk through the bushes or an X-Wing fly overhead; it’s been magical to me.
I’ve visited both Batuu East (Disney’s Hollywood Studios) and Batuu West (Disneyland) numerous times. I was lucky enough to be in the first group of guests at Disneyland when it officially opened. While there are slight differences between the two lands, for the most part, they’ve been the same.
A few months ago, Disney decided to make some changes to Batuu West. The timeline changed so that characters from the original trilogy are included. This became one of my top priorities on our recent trip to Disneyland.
There were so many characters! Disney did this right. The Cast Members don’t look anything like the original actors, but that’s okay. We still knew who they were supposed to be. Our interaction with Luke Skywalker was one of the best that I’ve experienced on either coast. We didn’t even have to look too much for the characters. It seemed like someone was always out during the daytime. Sure, the timeline was a bit messed up, but I’ll forgive that to see Darth Vader. Characters are listed in the Disneyland App, but the times were not even close to being accurate.
One thing that has been added to Batuu West is music from the movies. John Williams is brilliant, and I’ve been lucky enough to see him conduct countless times. I love classical music and I love soundtracks. If I’m driving by myself, chances are that I’m listening to something that was written by John Williams.
That said, I didn’t like having his music added to Galaxy’s Edge at all. There were no more subtle sounds because it was so loud! You could hear it outside of the three entrances. To me, the music made no sense. Why would Han be listening to the Star Wars soundtrack while working on the Falcon? It was distracting, and took away from the immersion. At the very least, they need to turn down the volume.
Overall, though, I liked the update. Having characters from the original trilogy in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge just feels right to me. I can put up with the music being too loud if it means seeing some of my favorite characters ever.
If you’re visiting Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you won’t find these changes. The storyline for Batuu East has not been updated, and there are no new characters. There have been times lately when I’ve been to Batuu East and didn’t see any characters at all! And the only music that you’ll hear is when you enter and exit the land. As far as I know, there are no plans for an update to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.