The Sorcerer's Guide

I have a hard time seeing Smugglers Run and Star Tours both operating 50 years from now. They're Not Quite t he Same There rides have differences in complexity, projection technology, and the use of animatronics. But at the core, they are both Star Wars motion simulators. There's a slow beginning, a jump to light speed at the beginning and end, and an adventure through the galaxy. When Smugglers Run was announced, I wondered how long both rides would operate. I thought the ride that lets you pilot the Millennium Falcon would be a major draw. I thought the ride would outpace Star Tours, and Star Tours would be replaced with a new, non-Star Ward attraction. At both Disneyland and Disney World, this would consolidate the Star Wars attractions to a single land. At first, I justified keeping Start Tours because you needed the additional capacity outside of Galaxy's Edge to spread the crowds. But Disney has continued adding new ride films, which keeps the attraction fresh and pop...

There have been several articles this week about how Galaxy’s Edge ended up on Batuu rather than Tatooine. Based on an interview with Dan Cockerell, these articles portray the decision as a one-sided attempt to from Kathleen Kennedy to “carry Star Wars into the future!” They lament that we almost had Mos Eisley, complete with the cantina we all know from the movies. Part of me has to ask exactly how different that version would have been. There’s still a central, round bar at Oga’s, with alcove tables. There’s a docking bay. The town is small. The Droid Depot easily could have been replaced with Watto’s workshop. But I want to clarify what these articles have been saying: it was not a one sided decision driven only by Kathleen Kennedy that took Tatooine out of Galaxy’s Edge. It’s true that there were two versions of Galaxy’s Edge planned. It’s not uncommon for Imagineering to have multiple ideas they’re working on. They don’t just come up with an idea and build it. Imagineers make and ...