My Trip to a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Yesterday I got home from both California and Batuu. I was lucky enough to cover the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. My daughter and I also had reservations to visit the land first thing when it opened on May 31. I was able to then see things from a different perspective, since it was now open to the public.

I am a lifelong Star Wars fan. I fell in love with all of it back in 1977, and have spent more of my life than I care to admit dreaming about the Star Wars universe. My expectations were high. Disney blew me away.

There is nothing quite like actually seeing the Millennium Falcon for the first time. It is suddenly right there in front of you! There’s a fence so that you can’t get too close, but it doesn’t matter. There are plenty of places where you can take pictures with the Falcon in the background.

Disney decided to not have their Star Wars land on a planet that everyone knows from the movies. That was a good idea. There are no preconceived notions of what should be where or what something is supposed to look like. It just all has a Star Wars feel.

There are Stormtroopers out and about, and signs of both the Resistance and the First Order. There are no meet and greets (because this isn’t supposed to be a theme park, it’s a village) but I saw Rey, Chewbacca, and Kylo Ren. The Villagers (Cast Members) are all also playing a role. It was fun to play along. One Villager warned me that there were Stormtroopers in the area, so I asked which way to the Marketplace so I could hide. I could have just asked for directions, but it was more fun to have a “reason” to go there.

Speaking of the Marketplace, I think that the area is brilliant. There are several small shops, and an open area in the middle. While there isn’t really a roof overhead, there is shade, and there are spots to sit down.

I never made it inside Savi’s Workshop because the line was so long. That’s where you can make your own lightsaber. It’s more than picking up a few pieces and screwing them together. Savi’s Workshop is an attraction as much as it is a store.

The other area with the line was Oga’s Cantina. I saw the inside during the media preview. It’s a much smaller cantina than what you’ll see in A New Hope, but it does have the same feel. Rex from the original Star Tours ride is the DJ, it was good to see him active again. He’s a better DJ than he was a pilot.

There are several places to eat at Galaxy’s Edge. The item that I was looking forward to the most was served only at dinner, so I didn’t get to try it. I did try both the blue and green milks. They are frozen, so they aren’t exactly what you would expect from the movies. I enjoyed the flavors, my personal preference was the blue.

The main question that I’ve been asked is how is Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. It is fantastic! The queue itself is part of the fun, especially once you get to the Dejarik table. The problem is that you aren’t in that room for long, so not everyone gets the pictures that they want.

There are three positions on the Millennium Falcon; pilot, gunner, and engineer. There are two of each. A Villager will hand out cards before the ride and that will be your role. You’re not supposed to ask for a certain role (everyone wants pilot) but one Villager did tell us that we could switch if we wanted. The pilots do all the hard work, the other roles press buttons when they light up. The ride does change, depending on how your group does. One time when I rode my group did very well and we were promised a large payout. My first ride we owed credits. I was lucky enough to ride four times while we were there, and it got better each time. There is so much to take in that it needs to be ridden more than once.

There is something to see around each corner in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The land is beautiful, and you really do feel as if you have been transported elsewhere. Disney did a great job at crowd control while I was there. Here’s hoping that they are able to do the same when the land opens here in Florida. I am sure that they have a plan.