The timeline at Disneyland’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is being expanded. With this timeline expansion, fans will be able to experience characters and stories from three eras of Star Wars. This includes the eras of the Galactic Civil War, the New Republic, and the Age of the Resistance. There will also be the introduction of the iconic music that John Williams has written for a galaxy far, far away, found throughout the land. All of this will be put into place by April 29, 2026. Guests of all ages will be able to experience the Star Wars stories and meet characters that they know and love.
As the land prepares to enter a new chapter in the story of Batuu, Disney is sharing some thoughts behind these changes. These changes come through the close collaboration of Walt Disney Imagineering, Disney Live Entertainment, Disneyland, and Lucasfilm. The process that has been taken to expand the timeline and story for the land has been done very carefully. The goal is to keep the land as engaging and authentic as the films and series are. Asa Kalama, Executive, Creative & Interactive Experiences at Walt Disney Imagineering, explained why this is important, saying, “Your first experience with Star Wars might be a film, but it honestly might also be a theme park experience.”
“Since the very inception of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, we envisioned it as a platform for storytelling,” Kalama continued. Since the land opened at Disneyland in 2019, guests could step right into a living Star Wars story. As anyone who has visited Batuu (the name of the planet that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is on) can attest, a visit to this place is like stepping inside a Star Wars movie. During a visit, they can pilot the Millennium Falcon, evade the First Order, enjoy Blue Milk, visit Oga’s Cantina, shop in the local marketplace, build lightsabers, and interact with the land itself!
One thing that is always true with Disney is the idea that, as Walt Disney said, “We keep moving forward!” Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is no different. “One of the great things about the Star Wars universe and the Star Wars canon is that it is expansive and it continues to grow.”
As Star Wars continues to expand with new stories on big and little screens (like The Mandalorian and Grogu in May!), the idea of expanding the story of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge has also grown.
Kalama shared how Disney has a unique ability to bring stories on screen to life in physical environments, which “allows us to continue to expand the storytelling and the world building.”
With the upcoming celebration of the entire Star Wars saga, “There was this sort of critical mass of more classic leaning characters, and it felt like the right time to celebrate those in the land as well,” Kalama stated.
There is more than just the expanded timeline coming to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland, though. On the day that The Mandalorian and Grogu arrives in theaters, guests will be able to experience new missions on Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at both Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. Guests will get the opportunity to team up with Din Djarin and Grogu aboard this iconic ship with this update to the attraction.
All of these changes showcase the power of collaboration. Each detail, whether it is visual, written, structural, or sonic, comes from a close collaboration between Walt Disney Imagineering, Disney Live Entertainment, Disneyland, and Lucasfilm. “Since the very beginning, we’ve had the most incredible integrated and blended team with Lucasfilm,” Kalama said.
The process isn’t just Imagineering coming up with ideas and sending them to Lucasfilm to be signed off on. Instead, the collaboration led to true co-creation between the different units. “It was the same writing team, the same production design team — everybody was working together,” Kalama explained.
This partnership is crucial to the expansion of the timeline at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. “We spent a lot of time on every last possible detail,” Kalama noted. This was to ensure the meticulously crafted original story remained cohesive as it was expanded. Soon, guests will get to see just how successful that collaboration is.
What do you think about the expansion of the timeline for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland? What are you most looking forward to with it? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
