In this episode of Daps Magic - Disney and positive stuff, we discuss Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge and its expanded timeline at Disneyland. If you’re a Star Wars enthusiast like Mr. Daps, you know how thrilling it is to see favorite characters come to life in the parks. In this podcast, we’ll explore the exciting developments coming to Galaxy's Edge, including new characters, immersive experiences, and much more!
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE EXPANDED TIMELINE
The upcoming expansion of the timeline at Galaxy's Edge marks a pivotal shift in how fans experience this unique land. Since its opening in 2019, Batuu has been a fixed point in time within the Star Wars universe. However, the introduction of characters from various timelines will unlock a living, breathing world that evolves with the stories we love.
WHY THIS MATTERS
This expansion will allow guests to encounter iconic characters from different eras of Star Wars, enriching the narrative experience and providing fans with more opportunities to interact with the galaxy they adore. It’s not just about nostalgia; it’s about bringing the Star Wars saga to life in an engaging and immersive way.
A SNEAK PEEK AT THE NEW CHARACTERS
DARTH VADER AND HIS STORMTROOPERS
One of the most exciting announcements is the arrival of Darth Vader and his stormtroopers to Galaxy's Edge. They will be actively searching for Luke Skywalker, allowing guests to witness this iconic villain in action. Imagine the thrill of seeing Vader interact with guests, not just as a character, but as part of an unfolding story that you can be a part of!
ORIGINAL TRILOGY CHARACTERS
Fans can also look forward to meeting beloved characters from the original trilogy, including Han Solo, Princess Leia, and Luke Skywalker. Each character will be placed strategically around the Millennium Falcon, creating an atmosphere that feels true to the films. The chance to meet these heroes in a setting designed to replicate the Star Wars universe is an experience every fan dreams of.
MANDOVERSE CHARACTERS AND THEIR IMPACT
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0:12
Welcome to Daps Magic, Disney and
0:14
positive stuff. I'm Mr. Daps and I am so
0:17
excited for today's episode because it's
0:20
all about Star Wars. That's right. We
0:22
are talking about Star Wars Galaxy's
0:24
Edge and its expanded timeline. And
0:26
anybody who knows me knows that I have
0:28
been a fan of Star Wars since I was a
0:30
little kid back then. We had to watch it
0:33
on TV or record it with VHS players and
0:38
all of that fun stuff. But before we get
0:40
into all of the Star Wars stuff for this
0:42
week, I'm going to take a moment to
0:44
invite you to subscribe to this channel
0:48
wherever you're listening to it or
0:49
watching it. Also, if you'd leave me a
0:51
rating, I would absolutely love that as
0:53
well. And then most importantly, share
0:55
this with anybody who you think would
0:57
enjoy it as well. And uh then head on
1:00
over to DAPS HQ and we'll have more
1:01
conversation about Star Wars Galaxy's
1:04
Edge and the expansion of the timeline
1:07
because I think there's a lot to talk
1:09
about. In fact, more than we can talk
1:11
about in just one podcast. But that is
1:13
okay cuz we're going to give it a shot
1:15
anyway. So here is what's happening.
1:17
Should we get into it? I think we
1:19
should. On April 29th, Star Wars
1:22
Galaxy's Edge will see its timeline
1:24
expanded. Unless you happen to be going
1:28
to Disneyland After Dark, Star Wars
1:30
night the night before, in which case
1:32
you will get to experience this a few
1:34
hours early. And I will say just a few
1:36
hours because this thing starts at 9:00,
1:38
goes to like 1:00 if I recall correctly.
1:41
And technically, that means you'll have
1:44
three hours before everybody else, four
1:46
if you count the hour that's actually on
1:48
the 29th. But when it does, we are going
1:51
to see a lot more Star Wars stories
1:54
coming to Star Wars Galaxy's Edge at
1:56
Disneyland, I should stipulate. So, what
1:59
are we going to see? We are going to see
2:01
original series characters at Star Wars
2:04
Galaxy's Edge. We're going to see the
2:05
Mandoversee characters in Star Wars
2:07
Galaxy's Edge. And we'll continue to see
2:10
the most recent uh sequel trilogy, I
2:13
guess we could call it, characters also
2:15
in Star Wars Galaxy's Edge. They're all
2:18
going to be in different places. They're
2:19
all going to represent different
2:20
timelines, but I think it's going to be
2:22
a very, very cool thing. So, what are we
2:27
going to see when this happens? We're
2:29
going to see the timeline for Batu that
2:32
we've had since it opened in 2019
2:34
basically be unlocked. And because of
2:38
this, you won't have that fixed moment
2:41
in time when you go to Star Wars
2:42
Galaxy's Edge. really this has already
2:44
been unlocked the moment they started
2:46
bringing in characters from different
2:47
movie or really different uh shows I
2:51
guess you could say on Disney Plus they
2:53
started unlocking this timeline when we
2:55
saw you know Boba Fett and Mando and
2:57
Ahsoka we've had a lot of really fun
3:00
characters come especially at Disneyland
3:02
to Star Wars Galaxy's Edge. What this
3:05
will also do is this land will continue
3:08
to live but in a different way. Okay.
3:10
And if you've watched some of the
3:11
animated series, you can come up with
3:14
some unique ways that this is working.
3:16
Um, I won't get into all of that because
3:18
that would be an entire podcast of its
3:21
own. But there are ways you could
3:23
rationalize this still fits within the
3:25
Star Wars galaxy. There will also be
3:27
questions on, hey, is is this all canon
3:30
still more questions to be asked and
3:33
answered by somebody who's probably much
3:36
more well situated than me? I would tend
3:39
to guess somebody at Lucasfilm or Walt
3:41
Disney Imagineering can make that um
3:45
call. I guess I don't know who would
3:46
make that. Dave Fona. Dave Fona would be
3:48
the guy to make that call now. But what
3:51
we are going to see is these different
3:54
eras all living within this living land
3:56
that Star Wars Galaxy's Edge and it will
3:58
be a lot of fun. So with this unlocked
4:03
version of Batu, we actually have seen
4:05
in books and stuff a lot of these
4:07
characters visit Batu. But here is what
4:10
we're going to see now. The one that
4:13
they led with really was Darth Vader and
4:15
his stormtroopers. He will be coming to
4:17
search for Luke Skywalker on Batu. He's
4:20
going to be in the place right where
4:22
really most of us would expect him by
4:24
the tie echelon coming in where
4:26
previously the resistance or not the
4:29
resistance the first order was coming to
4:32
Batu in Blackspire Outpost. If you've
4:36
been watching TV at all lately they're
4:37
already teasing this. There's an ad for
4:40
u this kids summer deal that they have
4:42
for $50 a day for kids uh to go to the
4:45
Disneyland Resort. And this this
4:48
advertisement actually shows Darth Vader
4:51
in Star Wars Galaxy's Edge with his
4:53
Stormtroopers. And if you look closely,
4:56
I believe you can still see the First
4:58
Order banners in the background. You
5:00
can't see the logo, which I think is the
5:02
way they got around this. But um I was
5:04
amused when I noticed it on during a
5:06
baseball game earlier today, actually.
5:08
But he will be in that area. Not a huge
5:11
surprise. It's kind of keeping that
5:13
corner of Star Wars Galaxy's Edge. the
5:16
villain's corner, if you will. Um, I
5:19
wouldn't be surprised if we see him also
5:21
kind of go into the areas that currently
5:24
Kylo Ren can be seen uh looking for
5:28
resistance spies. And that would not be
5:31
a surprise at all. I would also not be
5:33
surprised if he's has something similar
5:36
that he's doing where he's looking for
5:38
um rebel spies or something, you know,
5:40
like I think there will be something
5:42
happening, something immersive,
5:44
something simple. Hopefully there will
5:46
be a a moment of arrival for Darth Vader
5:48
because I think that would be super cool
5:50
too. And uh little kid Mr. Daps would
5:53
just geek out about that because ever
5:56
since I first saw him doing uh well
5:59
showing up for Jedi Training Academy, he
6:01
was kind of the foil for the whole
6:02
training. Uh I have thought seeing him
6:07
interacting and living in in in the
6:10
story would always be a really really
6:12
cool thing. So, I'm very much looking
6:14
forward to that. I think it's going to
6:15
be absolutely fantastic. Um, it might be
6:18
one of my favorite things that will be
6:20
part of Star Wars Galaxy's Edge once it
6:23
finally gets this this expanded
6:26
timeline. Then head on up. Imagine
6:30
you're walking into Star Wars Galaxy's
6:31
Edge. If you've been on a tour, if
6:33
you've actually been to Disneyland Star
6:35
Wars Galaxy's Edge, imagine you're
6:36
walking up and you're going past the
6:38
cantina and there it is, the Millennium
6:40
Falcon. It's that thing that we all
6:43
dreamed we would never see and all
6:44
wished that someday we would and then
6:47
Disney made it possible with Star Wars
6:49
Galaxy's Edge. So we see the Millennium
6:50
Falcon and there right around the
6:53
Millennium Falcon we will find in in
6:56
these general areas we will find the
6:59
original trilogy characters mainly Han
7:02
Solo and Princess Leia. Luke could be
7:04
around that area too. He might be a
7:06
little bit over by the uh by where u uh
7:10
by Sabbis, you know, we will see. We
7:12
will find out. But the big three,
7:15
they're going to be there. The ones that
7:16
you know from the original three movies.
7:20
And you know, I wouldn't be at all
7:22
surprised if occasionally you see
7:23
Chewbacca there cuz one great thing
7:25
about Chewbacca is he's been just about
7:27
in every timeline. So, you can kind of
7:29
throw him anywhere. But you are going to
7:32
get to see Han Solo somewhere near the
7:34
Millennium Falcon. And I think that's
7:38
if there wasn't anything else happening
7:41
with this expansion, that might be the
7:43
coolest thing that's coming. And and I
7:45
can't wait to see that. You also see
7:47
Princess Leia and you will also see uh
7:50
the Luke Skywalker. This will be the
7:52
Luke Skywalker that is more I guess you
7:56
could say mature and a little bit I kind
7:59
of think this is taking place right
8:00
after the original trilogy. So like
8:02
they've they've had their big adventures
8:04
together and now they're on Batu. Yes,
8:07
there's a little bit of that weird how
8:09
does a timeline all fit, but that's
8:11
where you know use your imagination.
8:13
That's that's half of the fun of
8:14
Disneyland anyway, right? And and so
8:16
that will be in that area already. The
8:20
cantina Oga's cantina has been updated
8:22
to kind of make it more timeless and
8:26
there were some references to the first
8:28
order that have been dropped and I think
8:30
the houseian references were also
8:32
dropped and I would not be surprised at
8:34
all if we see some updates to the music
8:36
that that uh fit into the story lines
8:38
that are being added to Star Wars
8:41
Galaxy's Edge as well. So then we keep
8:43
moving along. We're heading over to the
8:45
marketplace in that kind of middle area
8:48
of Star Wars Galaxy's Edge and Batu and
8:50
that is where we're gonna start finding
8:52
the Mandoversee characters and and that
8:55
might be Ahsokotano, that might be the
8:57
Mandalorian and Grou. Uh, we might even
9:00
get something else just because we do
9:02
have a new movie coming out with the
9:03
Mandalorian and Grou and and so there
9:06
could be, you know, these these surprise
9:08
and delight characters that pop up at
9:11
Disneyland in Star Wars Galaxy's Edge as
9:13
time moves forward and as we get to see
9:17
what this kind of flexible land you can
9:20
really do. It's it's kind of taking
9:22
almost a play
9:24
or a page out of the playbook for
9:25
Avengers Campus where I would love to
9:28
see, you know, maybe it'll rotate
9:29
characters in even more, keep some core
9:32
characters always, whether it's Darth
9:34
Vader, Han, Luke, Leia, and um Chewbacca
9:39
and and Ray probably. But I think you
9:41
could see some some moving around of
9:44
other characters, you know. Maybe it's
9:46
Mando and Grou. Uh maybe it's uh Boba
9:49
Fett. you, you know, I would tend to
9:51
guess Mando is going to stick around.
9:53
Um, but I could see, you know, Ahsoka
9:56
could be here for a while and then maybe
9:58
somebody else. I don't know. Or maybe
10:00
they add somebody to the all of those as
10:02
well. Um, they haven't officially
10:03
announced that yet, but um, the ones
10:06
they have announced currently are the
10:07
ones that we're we're talking about with
10:09
Mando and Grou and and Ahsoka in that
10:12
middle section. And then you head on
10:14
over to the resistance camp and that is
10:15
where you'll find Rey. That's you'll
10:17
probably find Chewbacca over there, I
10:19
would assume, as well. Just looking at
10:21
how it would all balance out. Um because
10:23
then you have a couple of characters in
10:26
each part of the land. And I think that
10:28
just adds to the immersion and the it
10:32
brings the land to life that much more.
10:34
And I think that's something that's
10:35
really exciting. And and if they weren't
10:38
doing anything else with the land,
10:40
that's exciting on its own. And because
10:43
who didn't like who doesn't imagine as a
10:46
Star Wars fan seeing Han Solo with the
10:50
Millennium Falcon? Like that is such a
10:52
bucket list dream. I feel like and I
10:55
can't wait to like of all of the things
10:58
that are coming that might be what I'm
11:00
most excited about just because it's
11:02
kind of one of those things when we
11:04
first heard about Star Wars Galaxy's
11:07
Edge a decade ago, maybe a little bit
11:10
more. I think there were there were
11:12
things that we were all thinking about
11:15
what we would imagine would be in Star
11:17
Wars Galaxy's Edge. we see this this
11:20
image and it, you know, I think this the
11:23
Millennium Falcon was on it. So, in your
11:25
brain, you're automatically going, "Oh,
11:26
well, Han and Chewbacca and maybe Leia
11:29
and Luke, you know, all of these these
11:31
characters are going to be there and and
11:33
they're going to be chased by Darth
11:34
Vader perhaps." And and then when they
11:36
weren't, I don't know that it was a bad
11:39
thing, but I also think it might have
11:41
been a missed opportunity. and and I'll
11:44
get into a little bit more of that in in
11:46
just a minute. But, uh, all of that's
11:49
going to be very fun. And and then
11:51
they're going to update the the
11:53
atmosphere and the land itself. And this
11:56
is, I think, a secondary win on the part
12:00
of Disney and and Lucas Film as they're
12:03
expanding this timeline because along
12:06
with with Dreaming of seeing Han Solo
12:09
and the Millennium Falcon, there's
12:11
another thing that is as much of a
12:14
character as anything else is in Star
12:15
Wars, and that is the music of John
12:17
Williams. And when the New Land opened,
12:23
it did have music of John John Williams.
12:25
In fact, it's a beautiful new score, and
12:27
it's it's absolutely beautiful. Um, but
12:29
you don't really hear it
12:32
flushed out anywhere. Like, you hear it
12:34
a little bit when you're in Millennium
12:35
Falcon, Smuggler's Rung, and there's a
12:37
couple other places where you hear John
12:39
Williams music, but it's not it's not in
12:42
the land as you're going through it, and
12:44
it's not making Star Wars come to life.
12:48
in the way that you would normally
12:49
expect. Like I think we all know that
12:53
the characters in Star Wars aren't
12:54
hearing the Star Wars theme as they're,
12:56
you know, running down the hall facing
12:58
off against Stormtroopers of of the
13:01
Death Star, but we hear it and we kind
13:04
of have that expectation that when we go
13:06
and we experience a Star Wars story that
13:09
we're going to we're going to still hear
13:11
it. I mean, we hear it in Star Tours.
13:13
We've heard it for decades in Star
13:14
Tours. You hear it in uh in Millennium
13:17
Falcon Smugglers Run. You hear it in uh
13:20
Rise of the Resistance. And I think
13:22
there was an u I don't know if it was an
13:24
expectation, but I think some of us
13:26
there was that sense of like this is
13:29
amazing.
13:31
I kind of wish there was John Williams
13:33
music in it. And and I think for some
13:35
people that were, you know, maybe older
13:37
than me and and really like connected
13:40
with it even more, there was that sense
13:42
of like, well, where's the John Williams
13:44
music? And and so I think this is as
13:47
much as bringing Luke and Leia and Han
13:49
into this story and Darth Vader,
13:51
bringing their music in is going to do
13:54
something that's absolutely incredible
13:56
as well. And I I love the thought of
13:59
hearing the themes that John William has
14:01
created over the last what five decades
14:05
into this land and hearing how they do
14:07
that and how it connects with what's
14:09
going on around it and and how they they
14:12
make it in world but also our Star Wars
14:16
world that we know and love. So, that's
14:18
going to be very fun to see. Um, as we
14:21
hear, you know, the Imperial March or we
14:22
hear the the Force theme and um a lot of
14:26
things like that. We'll also have some
14:28
some updates to the the physical, I
14:32
guess you could say, areas of the land.
14:34
Obviously, it's not going to be uh the
14:36
first order area around the Thai echelon
14:39
anymore. And already uh black spire
14:42
surplus is um our first order cargo has
14:47
been turned into black spire surplus.
14:49
And so this is now a kind of a military
14:53
salvage operation where you can buy
14:54
anything from the Galactic Civil War.
14:56
And and it really opens a lot of doors
14:59
for being able to have merchandise from
15:02
a lot of different parts of the Star
15:04
Wars story. And I think that's going to
15:06
play out pretty well. And uh it'll be
15:08
fun to see how that works, too. They're
15:10
also going to update Savi's workshop a
15:12
little bit and connect uh Luke
15:14
Skywalker's interest in um the gatherers
15:18
from Savi's and the history of
15:19
lightsabers. So, I would expect to see
15:21
the story tweaked with that a little
15:23
bit. And um and I wouldn't be that's
15:26
another place I would not be surprised
15:27
if we see Luke Skywalker
15:30
out in that um that area outside of
15:34
Sabis, you know, and and that's where
15:36
actually I met him for the first time
15:38
for season of the Force and uh during a
15:41
media event. So I would not be surprised
15:43
if that happens there as well. And I
15:46
think that could be a very exciting
15:48
thing uh to see and experience as well.
15:52
There will also be some other props and
15:54
stuff changed throughout the land that
15:55
you can expect to see. Um, when you go
15:58
on up to Oga is probably the same. Like
16:01
there'll be changes and there will be
16:02
things that stay the same and that'll be
16:04
fun. Um, I also think the nighttime
16:06
elements of the land are going to
16:09
connect even better. Um, they were
16:11
loosely connected in kind of a
16:17
Here's what I will say. So, we have
16:19
Shadows of Memory: Skywalker Saga, which
16:22
is the projection show over the
16:23
Millennium Falcon. It's beautiful. It's
16:25
fantastic. It connects the most recent
16:28
sequel trilogy with the original trilogy
16:31
and the prequel. Like, it's basically
16:33
the entire Skywalker saga shared
16:37
on the walls with beautiful music. It's
16:40
It's a beautiful show. If you haven't
16:41
seen it, either get there in person or
16:43
check it out on YouTube. But as with all
16:45
things, the videos are never as good as
16:48
experiencing it in person. Uh when
16:51
you're in person, you're hearing and
16:52
feeling that music all around you and
16:54
you're seeing and experiencing the
16:57
lights and the the crowd energy and all
16:59
of that stuff and you just can't beat
17:01
it. But um that will continue on, but I
17:06
do think it won't make you wistful for
17:10
having what they're now going to be
17:12
offering with the expanded timeline. And
17:14
I think that's a really smart move on
17:15
Disney's part. Um because one of the
17:17
things that I think it did very
17:20
effectively is it connected with the
17:22
characters that we know and love. And it
17:26
kind of made me miss them a little bit.
17:28
And that was actually one of those times
17:31
I remember seeing it one of the first
17:33
few times I saw it and thinking, "Oh
17:35
man, I wish you know we had Luke
17:38
Skywalker here." or you know, I just
17:40
started thinking more about these things
17:42
and and the possibilities and the
17:43
whatifs, which I think as Disney fans,
17:46
that's one of our most fun things we do
17:47
is like, well, what if you did that or
17:49
what if like we we talk about this stuff
17:51
all the time. That's half the fun of it.
17:53
But now they are. And so the what if is
17:56
going to be a what is and you're going
17:58
to get to
18:00
basically spend the day with these
18:02
original trilogy characters that you
18:04
know and love and then see the bigger
18:06
picture story up on on the uh cliffs
18:10
above the Millennium Falcon in the
18:12
evening. They will also continue to have
18:15
Fire of the Rising Moons, which if you
18:17
haven't had the chance to see that yet,
18:20
definitely check that out. That is Star
18:23
Wars music put to whatever fireworks
18:25
show is happening in the parks. It's
18:27
fantastic. It's so much fun to hear the
18:31
Star Wars theme blasting out into the
18:34
land as you see, you know, fireworks
18:37
exploding in the sky. It's it's I can't
18:39
say enough good things about it. They've
18:41
really done some great things in ways
18:44
that I think open up the land and make
18:46
it that much more enjoyable in the
18:48
evening. Uh because it is, I will admit,
18:50
it's a little bit hard to find and see
18:52
characters at night because it is a
18:54
darker part of of Disneyland at night.
18:58
That's not a bad thing. It adds to the
18:59
immersiveness. You hear the, you know,
19:02
the area sounds of of big creatures
19:05
walking in the dark and and little
19:07
noises and scattering and crackling of
19:10
of twigs or whatever. But sometimes it
19:13
it is a little bit harder to recognize,
19:16
oh that big shadow is Chewbacca over
19:19
there or that's Ray walking by or you
19:22
know Darth Vader, he's dark so we will
19:24
see how that goes and if he comes out at
19:26
night. Who knows? Um I would think it's
19:28
awesome if he did. And I think there
19:31
could be some really cool pictures and
19:33
video if he is out at night with his
19:35
stormtroopers cuz I think he could do
19:37
some really fun uh things with light and
19:40
and he just he looks scary during the
19:42
day. Imagine what he'll look like at
19:44
night. So it will be absolutely
19:45
fantastic to see that. So
19:49
this is all really cool,
19:53
but I think there's a bigger question
19:55
behind all of this and that is the why
19:57
behind it. And when we look at anytime
19:59
Disney does anything, you have to ask
20:02
the why. So recently, Thomas Masloom,
20:04
the former president of Disneyland
20:05
Resort, now Disney Experiences, talked
20:07
about how they postponed the closure of
20:11
Monsters Inc. Mike and Solely to the
20:13
Rescue. And the why behind it was they
20:15
realized that there wasn't enough in
20:18
Disney California Adventure for kids to
20:20
do as it was. And if they closed one
20:22
more thing, that made it harder for
20:24
families with young kids to be in that
20:26
park. And currently, as you've seen on
20:28
ads, I'm sure, they're really focusing
20:31
at the Disneyland Resort and beyond on
20:33
making it a welcoming and accessible
20:36
place for families with young kids. And
20:39
and so the why behind that is let's make
20:41
it more accessible. Does this change the
20:43
overall plan for what the Disneyland
20:44
Resort's doing? Currently, no. But there
20:47
was a why of this is why we're doing it.
20:51
So why does this matter? Why are they
20:53
doing this for Star Wars Galaxy's Edge?
20:55
Uh there's there's a a theme that I've
20:59
I've picked up and uh Asa Kalama from
21:02
Walt Disney uh Imagineering and I might
21:04
have just butchered his name, but um
21:06
basically talks about how Star Wars
21:09
Galaxy's Edge is all about deconstructed
21:12
theater and and really it's it's not
21:15
something where you just sit there and
21:16
you watch the stories. It's something
21:18
where you get to be a part of them and
21:20
live in these Star Wars stories and you
21:23
get to be them. you know, you see kids,
21:26
you know, looking for the First Order
21:28
with Ry or avoiding the First Order with
21:30
Ry, I should say. Or maybe it's
21:33
interacting with currently Kylo Ren and
21:36
the Stormtroopers as they're seeking out
21:38
uh the resistance and and the the spies
21:41
that come with it or any sympathizers.
21:44
And and so it's a really interactive
21:46
thing. It's not necessarily a stand and
21:49
wait in line, take your picture, get
21:51
your your uh signature, and then head
21:54
off. And when they do this, it brings
21:58
the land to life quite a bit more
22:01
because then you're getting pulled into
22:03
their story and you're getting to be a
22:05
part of their story and and that story
22:09
now has become part of your story. And
22:12
the bigger picture of that being is
22:14
Disneyland Resort and all the Disney
22:16
parks are really about making memories
22:18
and making those memories with your
22:20
loved ones that will last a long time
22:22
with the business side of this being is
22:24
you make good memories, you have a lot
22:26
of fun, you're coming back and and
22:28
Disney stays in business. Everybody
22:30
wins. And when you start thinking about
22:33
this,
22:35
this is a a thing that could be an
22:39
opportune moment is when you're trying
22:41
to think of engaging everybody in the
22:44
stories of Star Wars and then you don't
22:47
necessarily have the characters that
22:50
connect from Star Wars with all of the
22:52
fans that are in the land, you're not
22:55
reaching the full potential of this
22:58
deconstructed theater premise. And and I
23:01
can tell you from firsthand time after
23:03
time I've watched as you know like
23:05
Harrison Dola comes out with Chopper.
23:08
Love these characters. I think they're
23:09
fantastic. They had when they arrived at
23:12
Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland some of the
23:14
biggest crowds I've ever seen. Like
23:16
people were were cramming in to see them
23:19
and and very excited to see them. But
23:22
one of the things I observed as I
23:23
continued to watch is quite often it was
23:27
the younger fans that were super excited
23:31
to see and meet these newer characters.
23:35
And the older fans were happy to be
23:38
there, were happy that there was Star
23:40
Wars, but weren't necessarily geeking
23:43
out in the same way that, you know, the
23:47
people that that grew up watching these
23:50
newer characters do. And and that's
23:52
completely okay. That's that's natural.
23:55
And um the first clue I got that maybe
23:58
there was something more to this was
24:00
when Boba Fett came to Galaxy's Edge. I
24:04
saw a different demographic suddenly
24:07
wanting to hop up and get in line. It
24:09
was some of the dads, a lot of the dads
24:11
actually, because they're like, "Oh, I
24:12
know that guy." And, you know, some of
24:15
them, and a lot of them also know, you
24:17
know, Mando and Anzok and whatever, but
24:20
they're more of the the
24:23
I'm going to call them educated Star
24:25
Wars fans. I don't know. They're little
24:26
deeper Star Wars fans, but the the
24:29
average casual viewer maybe didn't know
24:32
Mando as well. maybe didn't know Ahsoka
24:34
as well, maybe didn't even know who
24:36
Chopper and Harrison Dola are, but
24:39
they're like, "Oh, I know that guy." And
24:41
and they got super excited about that.
24:43
And I was like, "Oh, that's kind of fun.
24:44
I like that a lot." But then what really
24:47
influenced my perspective is when Luke
24:49
Skywalker came and I remember standing
24:53
down by the marketplace and I watched a
24:56
little boy walk up and ask asked to, you
24:59
know, meet Luke and take a picture or
25:00
something. And then I saw the dad walk
25:03
up and join him. And then I saw the
25:05
grandfather also looking around for
25:07
someone to take the camera so that
25:09
grandfather, father, and son could all
25:12
get a picture with Luke Skywalker, who
25:14
they were all ridiculously excited to
25:18
meet. And in the moment I saw that, I
25:20
started thinking more about
25:23
who was watching and who was interacting
25:25
with these different characters. And and
25:28
I saw that having Luke Skywalker there
25:31
really opened up the level of passion to
25:34
a whole new demographic of of fans at
25:38
Disneyland. Were they, you know, heavy
25:41
deep in Star Wars fans? I don't know.
25:44
What I do know is I was seeing suddenly
25:47
a much older demographic equally excited
25:50
in the land as the younger demographic.
25:52
And traditionally where I would see that
25:54
is everybody's excited to see the
25:56
Millennium Falcon. No surprise there.
25:59
Where I wouldn't see it necessarily,
26:01
everybody's excited to see Chewbacca and
26:03
R2-D2 as well. Like, but when Luke
26:07
Skywalker showed up, suddenly it went to
26:09
an entirely new level. And I saw the
26:11
entire family ridiculously excited to
26:15
meet this character. And that's where
26:16
you start thinking more of like, oh,
26:18
well, let's add Darth Vader. Let's add
26:20
Han Solo. Let's add Princess Leia. When
26:23
you start adding these characters from
26:25
these different eras, you're also
26:27
connecting with fans from different
26:29
eras. And is that making the timeline of
26:33
the land a little bit more comp
26:35
complicated for the purists that are
26:37
like, well, no, I have this minute, this
26:39
moment in time that's a that's a canon
26:42
moment in time. Yes, it's making it more
26:44
complicated, but is it a gift to these
26:47
families that are making really core
26:49
memories? they're gonna take with them,
26:51
you know, maybe for a lifetime if it's
26:53
that one time they get to go to
26:54
Disneyland in their life. Absolutely.
26:56
And I'm excited to watch the people
26:59
interact and geek out and get to meet
27:02
their favorite Star Wars characters,
27:04
whether it's Rey from the most recent
27:06
trilogy or Mando and Grou for, you know,
27:10
even the next new movie for brand new
27:12
fans or maybe it's and Leia and and
27:15
Luke. It's it's going to be something
27:17
that's very very special, I think. And
27:20
and I hope I encourage you actually as
27:22
you go into Star Wars Galaxy's Edge
27:24
after this change, just watch people
27:27
watch them be excited to see their
27:29
characters, their favorite characters, I
27:31
should say. Watch them excited to see,
27:33
you know, Han next to the Millennium
27:36
Falcon. Watch them excited to see I was
27:38
watching I spent probably 20 minutes on
27:40
Sunday watching Chewbacca work on an
27:43
X-ring X-wing in the resistance camp. It
27:47
was so much fun. Watch people have fun.
27:50
Like that is such a great thing. Like we
27:53
go to Disneyland, yes we go to have fun,
27:56
but I think it adds to the fun when you
27:57
see everybody else having fun as well.
27:59
So, I really think that's what the Y is
28:01
about is creating more memories for more
28:04
people and and really connecting in that
28:07
way that that maybe just didn't quite
28:10
happen the way it was envisioned uh when
28:13
they first opened Star Wars Galaxy's
28:15
Edge. And that's not to say there was
28:16
anything wrong with it because, you
28:18
know, my mind was blown when I walked
28:20
into Star Wars Galaxy's Edge. I loved
28:22
it. I can't tell you how many hours I
28:26
spend just walking around Star Wars
28:28
Galaxy's Edge and just living in the
28:30
Star Wars universe. I I think it's such
28:33
a cool thing. I don't even have to do
28:34
anything. Sometimes I have a camera,
28:36
sometimes I don't. Sometimes I take
28:37
video. Most of the time I don't. Like I
28:40
just like being there and being in the
28:42
world of Star Wars Galaxy's Edge,
28:44
especially when we don't have a lot of
28:46
Star Wars content coming out moviewise
28:49
recently. That's going to change. That's
28:51
exciting. I should note for those of you
28:54
that are going to Star Wars Galaxy's
28:56
Edge in Florida at Disney's Hollywood
28:58
Studios, these changes are not there.
29:01
I'm going to say yet, I would tend to
29:03
guess they will be there at some point,
29:05
but that has not been announced. There's
29:07
no rumors about that. Like, that is not
29:09
something you can expect anytime soon,
29:12
you know. But D23 is coming up. So,
29:14
maybe D23, the ultimate Disney fan
29:16
event, there will be announcements and I
29:18
will be like, "Hey, guess what? It's
29:20
coming, but we will we will report on
29:22
that on dapsmagic.com
29:24
if and when that ever were to happen.
29:27
But that's okay. For what it is right
29:31
now, this gives the opportunity, at
29:34
least at Disneyland, for fans of all
29:36
ages, to come together as a family,
29:38
enjoy Star Wars Galaxy's Edge together.
29:41
Everybody gets to see some of their
29:42
favorites. Maybe not all of their
29:44
favorites yet, but you know, there's
29:46
lots of time in the future. We will see
29:47
what happens. So, what comes next? Well,
29:51
I'm assuming we will probably have more
29:53
tie-ins coming in with the Mandalorian
29:55
and Grou when it comes in May. We
29:57
already know we're getting the updated
29:59
version of Millennium Falcon Smugglers
30:01
rung with that. I would not be surprised
30:03
if we had a character from the movie pop
30:05
up and show up for a limited time in
30:08
Star Wars Galaxy's Edge as well. I would
30:10
also expect that to be in that middle
30:12
area of the of the land, but you never
30:16
know. like they could swap it or
30:18
something just because they're like,
30:19
"Hey, we've got the new version of the
30:21
ride. So, let's let's put Mando and Grou
30:24
and that era over by the Millennium
30:26
Falcon for a little while and we'll move
30:28
Han and Luke and Leia into the middle."
30:30
I don't know. Like that's just me
30:32
spitballing and and anything could
30:34
happen. But I wouldn't be surprised if
30:37
we do see more offerings from The
30:39
Mandalorian and Grou when it comes to uh
30:42
movies and when we also get the new
30:44
update for Millennium Falcon Smugglers
30:46
Run. I think that's going to be super
30:48
exciting. I also think that's going to
30:50
really reinvigorate reinvigorate let
30:53
excuse me uh that attraction and and I
30:56
will I will be very curious to see what
30:59
the wait times are for that what the
31:01
repeatability is for that like I think
31:03
this breathes a lot of new life into
31:06
this attraction and I think it really is
31:09
kind of what we all hoped it would be
31:11
from the very start and I hope this is a
31:15
I don't know first step or a first
31:17
chapter or something for this attraction
31:19
in that or second step and second
31:20
chapter that they can build on cuz it
31:23
would be very cool in the future if just
31:25
like they do with Star Tours when new
31:28
things come out they update the
31:29
attraction. I would love to see
31:31
something similar happen with Millennium
31:34
Falcon Smugglers Run. Um I also think in
31:36
the future there's a lot of
31:38
possibilities for robotic characters
31:41
coming to the land. We just had Olaf
31:45
debut at Disney Adventure World at
31:47
Disneyland Paris. And if you haven't
31:50
seen him, go look it up on YouTube or
31:52
just go over to Disneyland Paris and
31:53
check it out. But this this character is
31:56
ridiculous. Like he looks like exactly
31:59
what you would expect Olaf to look like
32:01
if he were to hop out of the animated
32:04
movies or specials and walk up to you in
32:06
World of Frozen. And
32:09
Kyle Laughlin, who's running R&D for uh
32:13
Walt Disney Imagineering, has said now a
32:15
couple times in an interview and then
32:17
also in a panel in uh Disneyland Paris,
32:20
that he's not the end of the story.
32:23
There's more characters on the way.
32:25
They'll be coming to more locations. And
32:27
that's an exciting thing to think about
32:29
because you start dreaming of
32:33
possibilities of what could come to
32:36
different parks and which characters
32:37
could be made from this robotic
32:40
technology. And and there's a lot of
32:42
robots in the realm of Star Wars that
32:46
could come to life and be in Galaxy's
32:50
Edge. And I don't know what that looks
32:52
like. I'm not making any predictions
32:54
other than I think it would be very cool
32:57
to see more robotics brought into the
33:00
land. We currently have R2-D2 on a
33:02
fairly regular basis, but you know what
33:05
if we saw some other ones? You know,
33:07
we've had the BDX droids in the past,
33:09
but they were really just a a step. Like
33:12
that's that's
33:14
one step in the evolution of what Disney
33:16
can do. And they've come so far in the
33:18
last couple of years when you look at
33:20
how quickly they can create these
33:22
characters and bring them to life. And
33:25
you know, maybe even with the
33:26
Mandalorian and Grou coming out in uh in
33:29
May, we will get the return of the BDX
33:31
droids. I don't know. Like that's just
33:33
speculating. But I do think there is the
33:36
possibility for some of these, you know,
33:39
unique characters to come to life and to
33:43
really bring the land to life even more,
33:46
even if they're behind a gate or
33:48
something like that's fine, but there's
33:50
there's a lot of space for adding these
33:55
characters to the land and bringing them
33:57
to life even more. Maybe they interact
33:59
with, you know, Luke Skywalker. I don't
34:02
know. There's there's lots of
34:03
possibilities, but uh you know, I would
34:07
love to know what would you like to see
34:09
coming to Star Wars Galaxy's Edge? What
34:12
would you make happen if you were the
34:14
one that got to make those decisions?
34:17
Like, uh what if I could put this
34:19
character into the land? What would be
34:21
your character that you would add to
34:22
land? What if we could make this robot
34:25
come to land? What would be that that
34:27
robot? I'd love to know your thoughts
34:28
and your your dreams about what could
34:31
come to Star Wars Galaxy's Edge as they
34:33
open up the story lines, open up the the
34:36
possibilities really with it because
34:38
what this does is it no longer confines
34:40
them into this one space. You know, they
34:42
can really go anywhere with the stories
34:44
they tell and the characters they bring
34:45
in now. And that's an exciting thing.
34:48
So, as we start to wrap this up, I I do
34:52
want to remind you that Disney is a
34:54
business, but it's a business that
34:57
really is about the the emotion of
35:01
memories. Like, it's it's creating those
35:04
memories. It's having those feelings.
35:06
It's connecting at the heart, not just
35:09
with what's in front of you, but with
35:10
the people in front of you and the
35:12
people next to you and the and the the
35:13
ones that you get to experience it with,
35:15
whether it's your family, your friends,
35:17
the cast members. It's the human
35:19
connections that Disney is really
35:21
leaning into as part of its business
35:24
model right now to make these memories,
35:27
to make these connections, and to really
35:31
build a business on that. And I think
35:33
that's a fantastic thing. And as you
35:36
look at the expansion of the timeline of
35:38
Star Wars Galaxy's Edge, that is a huge
35:40
step in that direction. It's helping
35:42
connect different fans with different
35:45
stories that they grew up with and and
35:47
that's going to be something that's
35:49
super exciting. So, if you want to know
35:52
more about this, head on over to
35:53
dapsmagic.com.
35:55
We've got all of the coverage about the
35:56
expansion of the Star Wars Galaxy's Edge
35:58
timeline up there. We will have more as
36:01
it happens. We will be at that
36:03
Disneyland after dark Star Wars night.
36:04
So, we will have coverage from that. We
36:06
will also have coverage the next day
36:08
when I return to get photos and videos
36:10
and who knows what else. We'll we'll get
36:12
as much as we can of this expansion
36:14
because I think it's something that's
36:16
very exciting. I think it's something
36:17
that we should be thanking Disney and
36:19
Lucasfilm for because it it really is
36:24
it's something positive. It's something
36:26
special and and I just think it's
36:29
something that we've wanted and that'll
36:31
be great. If you want to have more
36:32
conversations about this, head on over
36:34
to Daps HQ. I'd love to chat with you
36:36
more about that. We will be talking
36:38
about this in the future, especially on
36:40
Daps After Dark, which is our exclusive
36:42
show for DAPS HQ after Geeks Corner on
36:45
Tuesday nights. We have a blast. We'd
36:47
love to have you there with us as well.
36:49
But that is about all the time I have
36:51
for you this week. And I think my voice
36:53
is starting to die, so you know, that's
36:55
okay. Uh anyway, I hope you are having a
36:57
absolutely fantastic week. As we go into
37:01
the next week and the Netflix month and
37:03
all of this new expanded timeline with
37:05
Star Wars, I encourage you to stay
37:06
positive, make it a great week, keep
37:09
kind, and we'll see you in the parks.

