We’ve known since it was announced that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was going to be like nothing else ever produced at a Disney park. And now Disney has shared some official details about the amazing technology that will power this new land and bring the Black Spire Outpost to life around guests. From next-generation animatronics to a whole new approach to shopping, here’s all of the amazing new technological experiences coming to this new land!
1. Next generation animatronics will be featured all throughout Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
When Pandora – The World of Avatar opened in 2017, one of the most impressive parts of this new land was The Shaman of Songs animatronic at the end of the Na’Vi River Journey, which was the first of what is being called the new “A-1000” class of animatronics. And now (perhaps unsurprisingly) we know that this new technology will be featured in all of the major audio-animatronic characters in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. In this clip above you can see the character Hondo Ohnaka, who is part of the the Star Wars: Smugglers Run attraction, and uses this new animatronic technology standard.
This is just one example of an audio animatronic inside the land, and Disney has confirmed that these amazing next-generation figures will also be found in the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance ride (which isn’t a huge surprise) as well as in other places throughout the land, like the Oga’s Canteen restaurant and shopping areas like Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities. Everywhere you look in this new land, there will be some kind of otherworldly character being brought to life by this new technology, which is certainly an exciting prospect!
2. The Play Disney Parks app will be essential for guests wanting to interact with this land
Image: Disney
Though Disney has teased the interactive nature of this new land before, we now have a concrete idea about how some of the “hands on” areas of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will work. Perhaps the biggest (and most accessible) way guests can interact with this new land is via the Play Disney Parks app, which will have enhanced functionality inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
According to Disney, inside a special Star Wars-themed area of this app guests can do a number of things, including translating Star Wars galactic language around the land, learning what’s hidden inside crates and containers, and even interacting with a variety of physical parts of the land, like antenna arrays, door panels, drinking fountains, droids, media screens, and ships.
Guests will also have several “missions” they can complete inside this new land via the Play Disney Parks app as well.
3. Even shopping will be high-tech and interactive
Image: Disney
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will have a ton of shopping experiences (Disney has confirmed there will be more than half a dozen shops in this new area), but at least two of these new stores will have interactive experiences.
The most interesting of these will be Savi’s Workshop – Handbuilt Lightsabers, which will allow guests to meet with the Gatherers – a secretive group of people who have dedicated their lives to restoring balance in the galaxy by passing on their knowledge of Jedi lore and the Force. A workshop Master will guide guests in groups of 14 to customize and build their own unique lightsabers, and instruct them on the ways of the Jedi. Guests will be able to pick their own Kyber crystal, and will learn about how their choices affect their lightsaber. This experience sounds a lot like something else at a different theme park, and should be a fun interactive experience for guests wanting to live out their own Star Wars adventure.
Image: Disney
Another high-tech shopping experience comes in the form of Droid Depot, which allows guests to pick parts and pieces off a “scrap” conveyor belt, then build R-series or BB-series droids. Once guests build their droids, they can be customized to interact with other areas of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, as well as programmed to respond to all kinds of user input as well.
Though we’ve been learning a lot about Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge over the last few months, this latest information release has been particularly exciting, and we can’t wait to see all this amazing technology in action when Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens this summer at Disneyland and this fall at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
