Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is only a few months old, but this brand new land has been one of the most polarizing new additions to both Walt Disney World and Disneyland in recent memory. However, though Disney and Star Wars fans have a lot of opinions on this land, the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) recently announced the recipients of its annual Themed Entertainment (Thea) awards, and honored Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in a big way during the recent IAAPA conference. And, perhaps not coincidentally, on the exact same day that these awards were announced, some of the Imagineers who worked on this project hinted that there could be more Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge coming in the near future…
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge wins special themed entertainment award for outstanding achievement
The TEA Thea Awards Committee gave special recognition to the new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge land as a whole, calling it the most ambitious addition to Disneyland in more than 60 years, and “a groundbreaking new land that invites guests into a new chapter of the Star Wars saga – and in which the guest is the star.” This new land was also praised as something that had never been seen before, and was hailed as a turning point in the industry that will change how new theme park lands are created in the future.
Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run also recognized for groundbreaking use of technology
TEA also had high praise for the Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run ride, recognizing this attraction for bringing to life one of the most iconic experiences in pop culture in an intimate, story-driven way that is unique in theme park history. The award praised this ride’s ability to combine bleeding-edge technology in a seamless way, with an efficient loading system that provides an individualized experience while supporting throughput of 1800 guests per hour. The award event went as far as calling this attraction “a crowning Disney achievement”, which is definitely high praise for this simulation-style experience.
And though these awards are certainly impressive, it looks like Disney isn’t resting on its laurels when it comes to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, as it looks like something new could be in the works for this land…
Is more Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge on the way?
Though all eyes are on the December 5th opening of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, during a special panel on the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge (which you can watch here and features Scott Trowbridge, Margaret Kerrison, Anisha Deshmane, and Chris Beatty from Walt Disney Imagineering), it was hinted that there could be some new expansions and additions for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge beyond next month’s attraction opening.
While nothing was explicitly confirmed, during the panel Scott Trowbridge said that there were some new, unannounced additions coming to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in the near future, and Margaret Kerrison later added that Disney is looking “into the future of storytelling” for Galaxy’s Edge, above and beyond what is currently seen in this land today.
Now whether that means small changes to character experiences and shows in the land, or something bigger like another attraction, restaurant, etc. remains to be seen, and we’d guess a lot depends on what happens with attendance in the next year, but hopefully by the time D23 2021 rolls around we’ll know more about how Disney plans to grow the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge experience.
