Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Tidbits From Early Previews

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is close to its official opening at Disneyland and tidbits from early previews are slowly beginning to spread online.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens to the public on May 31st, but if you don’t have a reservation you should probably wait until  June 24th.  Guests who stay at one of the Disneyland Resort hotels get a reservation as part of their stay, but the rest of the open reservation system is closed.  However, cast members, certain media influencers, and a few other special guests have had a chance to explore the new land and we’ve learned a lot about what to expect through their reactions to Galaxy’s Edge.  There’s a lot of good, a bit of bad, and some just weird tidbits to dig into.

Attractions at Galaxy’s Edge

Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run

Smuggler’s run will be opening on May 31st with most other parts of the Galaxy’s Edge.  Riders will be sorted into small groups and given the role of engineer, gunner, or pilot. Each role has a part to play in the mission, which seems to be pressing a button or pulling on something when the time comes.

It sounds fairly interactive and people involved with the early previews indicate that it’s worth your time.  The word “fun” has been posted and said to me, like, five different times from various preview experiences, so that’s the general consensus from those who have experienced it so far.

The engines rumble as the Millennium Falcon blasts off, pushing you and your crew back into your seats when you jump into hyperspace towards adventure. Along the way you’ll face danger at every turn.

Will your mission succeed or fail? It’s up to you—find out if you have what it takes to outmaneuver the odds aboard the Millennium Falcon.

Get ready to punch it!

The queue also sounds like it’ll be filled with things to keep your attention, which is good because I expect the line will be many hours long.  The queue starts to the left of the actual Falcon model, winding up behind it for some supposedly excellent views through large glass windows, then into a separate room where you wait for your turn to board the actual ride itself.  Apparently there are porg nests involved in the waiting room somewhere.  Sounds like, well, fun!

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance 

Rise of the Resistance will open “later this year.” Chatter on forums seems to lean towards a fall release, but nothing official has been announced yet.  According to one source, it seems to be having technical problems.  So really, nobody is quite sure yet and we probably won’t be sure until the bugs are worked out.  Even the page on the Disneyland website is super sparse with information.

I’ll be at the park on July 15th, which seems like a bit of a stretch as far as the expected opening of the attraction is concerned.  I hope I’m wrong, but don’t expect a first person break down of this particular attraction any time soon.

Merchandise at Galaxy’s Edge

Savi’s Workshop (Custom Lightsabers)

For $199.99 you can create your own custom lightsaber!  You can choose your own hilt, sleeve, emitters, pommel caps, and plates and switches.  And, most importantly, you get to select your Kyber crystal.  This snippet from the Disney website breaks it down:

Travel to Black Spire Outpost, where a group known as the “Gatherers” ushers you into a covert workshop packed with unusual parts, whimsical pieces and miscellaneous memorabilia collected from the far reaches of the galaxy.

You are guided through the process one at a time, with each person able to bring one non-building guest with them.  So expect the lines to be long for this one, guys.  They’ve even indicated that reservations may play a part in managing the crowd. Late reservations won’t be honored and cast members at the preview night said that there were always a lot of people waiting in the courtyard.  Seems like even with these precautions in place it sounds like it’s going to be hard to get into.

Some cast members have reported that they are less than impressed with the quality of the lightsabers themselves, and indicate that it’s really the fun experience of building it that you’re paying for.  I totally get that, but I’m a tad disappointed to hear the quality of the product itself seems to be a bit on the cheap side.  But who knows.  Keep an eye on social media for pictures of the devices themselves and make up your own mind on that bit.

Droid Depot

For $99.99 you can create your own droid!  Like the lightsaber experience, there’s a lot of customization involved.

Visit a workshop stocked with parts, chips, manuals and other tech items useful for constructing your very own droid, one of the galaxy’s most indispensable sidekicks.

You can select from either the BB series or the R series.  Unlike the lightsaber building, which is incredibly involved and interactive with the cast members, it sounds like this is something you do on your own.  This brings the point home that you’re really paying for the experience more than anything at Savi’s Workshop.  Still, it sounds super fun and I’ll most likely opt for this when I visit the park.  It’s cheaper, the line will likely move faster, and I haven’t heard any bad gossip about product quality.

Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities

Dok-Ondar’s didn’t get much chatter prior to the preview night.  But several cast members seem to be labeling it as a “can’t miss” attraction/shop.  It sounds like way more than just a shop to me.  There are apparently some kickin rad animatronics involved.  But it’s supposedly not super easy to find, so even trying to get to the shop is a bit of a mysterious adventure.  (It’s across from Ronto’s Roasters near a ‘giant’ statue).

Hidden inside the den, you’ll encounter a rotating collection of unique items that include everything from jewelry, to ancient tools, to rare kyber crystals, to statues—and even a collection of famous lightsabers. The eclectic assortment of goods comes from many different planets and eras.

You’ll want to explore every nook and cranny of the shop—who knows what priceless riches you’ll uncover.

How Dok-Ondar acquired all of these treasures, no one knows. Some secrets are better off kept that way. Other secrets are better off kept for sale on the shelves of Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities.

Yes, you read that right. You can buy additional kyber crystals for your $200 lightsabers! And possibly some accessories for your droids, too.

I’ll probably get lost in this shop.  I may not buy much, but it seems more of an attraction than an actual retail store.

Black Spire Outfitters

From the sound of it, Black Spire Outfitters is a series of tiny shops with a variety of goods.  The official website describes it as follows:

Shopping for your next scouting mission through the Outer Rim? Need a new robe to greet the ambassador of your home planet, or just want to pick up some casual garb to blend in with the locals? Browse through an eclectic selection of stylish, functional clothing suitable for a variety of occasions and worlds.

I suspect I’ll hemorrhage money here.  I’ll already be decked out in my Poe Dameron jacket, so just load me up on more Star Wars themed clothes, alright?  Let’s do it.

Food & Drink at Galaxy’s Edge

Oga’s Cantina

Booze? At Disneyland?  It’s here, folks.  It’s here and it’s pricey.  A Porg mug is $32 and an Endor mug is $42.  There seem to be other cocktail options without the specialty mugs for a bit less, but don’t expect to get a cocktail for anything less than $14.  And they are apparently fairly weak, too.  But, like the lightsaber, it’s more about the experience, I guess.

At the moment there is a two drink maximum and you can only stay in the Cantina for 45 minutes (chug those weak drinks, guys!).  Whether either of these limits will hold long term has yet to be determined.  This may just be a preview thing.  Either way, you likely won’t be getting completely sloshed at the Happiest Place on Earth.  Too bad.

Also? Expect a line.  During the preview night’s for cast members, some reported that it took them over an hour to just get in the door.

All that said, yes, I will be trying to get into the Cantina.  I just can’t not, you know?

Docking Bay 7

There seems to be a wide variety of ‘weird’ themed food in Docking Bay 7.  And once you’ve grabbed your food, you are shuffled to an outdoor seating area to eat.

At this restaurant housed in a working hangar bay, choose from a variety of dishes prepared with ingredients from across the galaxy—all of it delicious, but none of it familiar. Chef Strono “Cookie” Tuggs has docked a food freighter loaded with fresh supplies and he’s ready to satisfy the appetites of visitors and locals alike with an array of exotic offerings. His planet-hopping travels allow him to prepare fare with unusual flavors that delight customers.

I haven’t heard much first hand from the previews about Docking Bay 7 yet.  But the official promo material on the website seems pretty neat.

Milk Stand

The weird slushie milk drink is about $8 for a small cup of colored slush.  And I’m definitely going to be spending $8 on this weird colored slush.  Because it’s hilarious.

Disney is definitely counting on people like me to wait in line and throw cash at them so I can drink this weird slushy drink just like Luke Skywalker did.  Let’s get weird with this green and blue milk.

Ronto’s Roasters and Kat Saka’s Kettle

Not much has been said about either of these two food options yet.  Might be because they just don’t stand out much.  I’ve heard the generic ‘portions are small and prices are large’ type criticism, but that’s about it.  Ronto’s is also apparently ‘tasty.’  Guess we’ll just have to go and experience these ones for ourselves!

Disney Play App Games

The Disney Play app will have several puzzles you can work on throughout the land that can lead to prizes like pins and “other junk” (my source here wasn’t super specific).  In addition to the puzzles, you can ‘tap in’ to communications and interact with various control panels and droids.

Don’t go poking around on the app for it yet, though.  It’ll be loaded up on May 31st and it sounds like there’s a test version available for those who are attending the land previews.  This may be causing some confusion as some cast members assume it’s an entirely separate app, but all official sources indicate this will be part of the existing Play app.

General Atmosphere

The cast members seem to be incredibly into it.  They’ll even have specific Batuuese phrases.  Be prepared to be completely immersed in everything Batuu.  There will be Stormtroopers, as well as face characters from the new trilogy.  Besides the giant Millennium Falcon (which cast members will refer to as a ‘hunk of junk’), there will be a ton of other familiar displays scattered about such as speeders and various droids.

This is some of the best theming I’ve seen and I haven’t even stepped foot in the land yet.  Then again, I’m a huge Star Wars nerd so my bias might be slipping through a bit here. The atmosphere of the land itself sounds beyond incredible and I’ll probably have a hard time dragging myself out of it to see the rest of the park.  Remember? This is just one land in friggin Disneyland, you guys.  I don’t suspect I’ll see much of the rest of Disneyland during my time here.  And honestly? I’m okay with this.

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Was your experience at Galaxy’s Edge different than what my sources experienced? Let me know down below and I’ll be happy to update accordingly!

Author: Angel Wilson

Angel is the admin of The Geekiary and a geek culture commentator. They earned a BA in Film & Digital Media from UC Santa Cruz. They have contributed to various podcasts and webcasts including An Englishman in San Diego, Free to Be Radio, and Genre TV for All. They identify as queer.

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