“Chewie, we’re home.” — Han Solo
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is already proving to be a park expansion like none Disney has ever attempted before. This fully immersive new land isn’t going to just celebrate all things Star Wars—it has been designed as a fully-immersive new addition to the Star Wars universe, where guests themselves will become players within the saga of that galaxy far, far away. The setting of Galaxy’s Edge, Batuu, is literally a new world in the Star Wars canon.
The staggering success of the Avatar – The World of Pandora at Disney’s Animal Kingdom proved that you do not have to be a franchise superfan to enjoy an immersive land. While Star Wars die-hards are delighted over every detail being released about Galaxy’s Edge (we get to drink Blue Milk, teehee!), casual fans and even those unfamiliar with the Star Wars saga will still be able to enjoy this incredible new addition to Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We’ve talked before on Theme Park Tourist about how Disney’s choice to set Galaxy’s Edge in a new world was a genius move—it’s going to allow Disney to keep up with the ever-changing saga, tell new stories, and appeal to the widest fan base possible.
Whether you are a fan of the series or not, knowing a little bit about Star Wars lore will really add to your experience in Galaxy’s Edge. What has changed in the Star Wars saga since the original films and prequels were released? What about the “expanded universe” stories from books, novels, comics, and games? Who the heck is Hondo Ohnaka, and why is he getting such a fancy animatronic? We wanted to dive into some key points in Star Wars lore that you may want to know before you visit the Black Spire Outpost. Think of this as The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Galaxy’s Edge (don’t panic if you didn’t get that reference)—a quick primer to get you ready to experience the rich tales surrounding Disney’s most anticipated expansion.
What happened after Return of the Jedi?
Image: Disney
We know the current timeline for Batuu falls somewhere in between The Last Jedi and Episode IX. For visitors only familiar with the original trilogy or prequels, this will mean some significant new territory, such as how the Rebellion and Empire evolved into the Resistance and the First Order.
One of the most significant changes made to the Star Wars mythology was the complete reboot of the Star Wars expanded universe. These were books, video games, comics, and other media that filled out the story surrounding the original trilogy and prequels. These tales included an entire history of content, from tales of the Old Republic to the marriage of Luke Skywalker to a former Imperial assassin. When Disney bought Star Wars, they made a difficult call— they wanted the freedom to fully flesh out new stories surrounding the original films. The old expanded universe would no longer be considered canon.
Many elements from the expanded universe made their way back into official Star Wars lore (such as Grand Admiral Thrawn, Darth Bane, and elements from the Knights of the Old Republic video games), but this change meant a complete timeline reset for what happened between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. These new stories are slowly being released in novels like the Aftermath series, Shattered Empire, Lost Stars, New Republic: Bloodline, and in the cartoon series, Star Wars: Resistance. However, there are still many details we don’t know. We will discuss some spoilers for these books, cartoons, and the films, so proceed with caution.
We now know that after the Battle of Endor (which we saw in Return of the Jedi), the Rebel Alliance established a New Republic. The head of the Alliance, Mon Mothma, became Chancellor and immediately introduced a 90% demilitarization act in the Galactic Senate which passed. The idea was that they wanted to run the government based on peace, not war and intimidation like the Empire had. Lots of interesting things happen during this time, including the liberation of Chewbacca’s homeworld, Kashyyyk, and potential hints that Boba Fett may have survived the Sarlaac Pit. On top of this, factions on both the Republic and Imperial sides start hunting for relics related to the Jedi and Sith.
Image: Disney
The Imperial Remnant gathers their forces and battles the New Republic over Jakku (the same world where we met Rey scavenging starship parts). The Imperials lose disastrously and ultimately surrender. They sign a peace accord with the New Republic, mostly dissolving their military and government. The Galactic Civil War officially ends shortly before Ben Solo is born to Han and Leia. Everything seems great, except for the tiny problem that an outlying group of Imperials totally ignores all of this hugging-and-learning-peace-talk and starts rebuilding their forces on the edge of the galaxy. They eventually rename themselves The First Order. During this period, Luke begins training new Jedi. Seeing hints of the Dark Side in young Ben, Leia sends him to train with Uncle Luke.
Things slowly go downhill over the next thirty years. The New Republic succumbs to division between Populists who want a democratic galactic government and Centrists who miss the old days of ruling with military might and an iron Imperial fist. The New Republic completely ignores the increasing threat of The First Order, so Leia founds The Resistance. The Centrist nations, unsurprisingly, secede from the New Republic and jump on board with the now-far-more-dangerous First Order, kicking off a whole new war. Around this time, Ben Solo falls to the Dark Side. He destroys the New Jedi Order and becomes Kylo Ren. Luke disappears into exile, seeing the First Jedi Temple. The rest can be seen in films The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.
So where does Batuu fit in?
Image: Disney
The Black Spire Outpost on Batuu (the setting of Galaxy’s Edge) is old—really old. Like a long, long, long, time ago in the galaxy’s backwater old. In the days before hyperspace travel, the outpost served as a popular hub for long journies. With the advent of light speed travel, the outpost drifted into obscurity, becoming an appealing refuge for those who didn’t want to be found, including pirates, smugglers, shady merchants, and even a secret society of scavengers who have been collecting lightsaber parts and searching for Force users (this will be a key story in Savi’s lightsaber shop).
Thanks to the novel Thrawn: Alliances, we know that four major species make up most of the population on Batuu: humans, the long-clawed but peaceful Darshi, wolf-like Shistavanans, and the rotund, red-skinned Jablogians. The spires that the outpost gets its name from are actually petrified trees, but no one knows exactly what the Black Spire is—a central onyx-like obelisk in the center of the outpost. This is one of the greatest mysteries on Batuu, one that Disney intends to keep for a long, long time.
Some time after the Battle of Crait (seen in The Last Jedi), The Resistance retreated to Batuu as a safe haven (including Rey, Poe, Finn, Rose, and BB-8). It made a good base until the Red Fury garrison of The First Order recently showed up in search of something—what that is, we don’t know. The arrival of the First Order has placed peaceful Batuu in a dangerous position of tension, and everyone is waiting to see who will make the move that tips the balance. Indeed, cast members playing natives of the outpost will all have backstories and opinions regarding the conflict.
Who the heck is Hondo Ohnaka?
Image: StarWars.com
“You know what I always say: Speak softly and drive a big tank.”
Who is Hondo Ohnaka you ask? Hondo, the bold? Hondo, the deathless? Hondo, captain of legions? Hondo, who has seen Empires rise and fall, who was best friends with Kenobi himself?!
Hondo is possibly the shadiest old pirate in the entire galaxy… and it looks like he will be playing a major role in the Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run attraction. He’s even getting one of the most advanced audio-animatronics Disney has ever designed.
Hondo Ohnaka might be the luckiest man (well, Weequay) in the entire Star Wars canon. He’s almost like the Chuck Norris or Bill Brasky of Star Wars lore—the stories surrounding him are just bonkers. He once captured Count Dooku, Obi-Wan, and Anakin Skywalker and attempted to ransom them at the same time. He straight up stole Slave I from Boba Fett. His girlfriend was none other than the most ruthless bounty huntress in the galaxy, Aurra Sing. He even survived face-to-face encounters with General Grievous, Darth Maul, and Savage Opress (Maul’s beefy Dathomirian brother). If left up to Hondo, he would probably take credit for the liberation of the entire planet of Lothal. He’s seen things.
Hondo debuted as a fan-favorite in the Star Wars: Clone Wars series as a smooth-talking, peasant-oppressing pirate overlord. One particularly famous episode adapted the story of Akira Kurosawa’s The Seven Samurai, where a group of farmers tormented by roving bandits decide to hire a band of samurai to rescue them—only in the Clone Wars version, the samurai were replaced by bounty hunters and Jedi while the role of the bandits was filled by Hondo and his pirates. Over the course of the Clone Wars, he served as a frequent foil and occasional-unlikely ally to Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Ashoka Tano (Anakin’s Jedi apprentice).
Image: Disney
Hondo fell on hard times after the rise of the Empire. His pirate band fell apart, and his disappeared into obscurity. He reappeared during the Galactic Civil War where he served as a pain in the side to rebel freedom fighter, Ezra Bridger, and the crew of the Ghost in Star Wars: Rebels. Hondo ultimately aided them in several scrapes, including the aforementioned Battle of Lothal.
We all assumed that, certainly, by the rise of the First Order, Hondo should most definitely have been dead—but lo and behold, the old rascal survived yet again. The novel, Pirates Price, gives us some clues on just how he turned up on Batuu with a new smuggling—er, import and export—company called Ohnaka Shipping Solutions. Oh, and his newest business partner just happens to be Chewbacca.
You can guess where this is going. The Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run attraction surrounds the story of you being Hondo’s latest hires—and he thinks you’re just the right kind of scum to crew the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy. There better not be a scratch on her—not a scratch! If you do too good or too bad on your run, you may draw the attention of bounty hunters and other figures of ill-repute in the outpost (thanks to MagicBand technology).
Who is Dok-Ondar, and why is his merchandise important?
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Dok-Ondar is an even newer addition to the Star Wars canon. He was first mentioned in Solo: A Star Wars Story, and his inclusion in the story was specifically done with Galaxy’s Edge in mind. He is a venerable Ithorian who keeps “the most notorious” antiquities shop in the galaxy. His shop in the Black Spire Outpost is home to the rarest artifacts and curiosities available on the fringe market. His shop will be one of the major merchandise locations in Galaxy’s Edge, and the cast members serving as Ondar’s assistants will interact with him (in animatronic form) whenever guest purchases are made.
The thing fans are most excited about in Dok-Ondar’s shop is his collection of Jedi and Sith relics. We already know that it will be possible to purchase Jedi and Sith holocrons. For the unfamiliar, holocrons were crucial stores of knowledge in the Jedi and Sith orders. More than just computers, they contained all the knowledge and essence of a Jedi Master or Sith Lord. A Jedi and a Sith holocron featured prominently in Star Wars: Rebels in the ongoing saga surrounding Ezra Bridger, Kanan Jarrus (a survivor of Order 66), and Darth Maul. They are extremely significant artifacts that are difficult to find and hold extraordinary power.
Image: Disney
Visitors will also be able to purchase kyber crystals (the things that give lightsabers their color and power), Jedi and Sith tomes, statues of famous Force users, and “legacy” lightsabers. The statues are especially interesting, since rumors have long been circulating that Disney may eventually tell the stories of the Old Republic—the forerunners of the Jedi and Sith, including Darth Bane (founder of the Sith Rule of Two) and Exar Kun (a powerful Sith leader) who have already been hinted at in the new canon. We still have to wait and see if these rumors come to fruition, but fans of the Knights of the Old Republic game series and the Old Republic comics and video games will be very excited about Dok-Ondar’s ever changing inventory of antiquities.
Famous visitors to Batuu
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Rey, Finn, Poe, Chewbacca, and Hondo aren’t the only famous figures who’ve passed through The Black Spire Outpost. Thanks to new additions to the canon, we now know a number of prominent individuals have visited Batuu.
Padme Amidala once went missing while meeting an informant on Batuu. We even know what drink she ordered in the cantina. Anakin Skywalker formed an unlikely team with not-yet-Grand-Admiral Thrawn to search for her. For those unfamiliar, Grand Admiral Thrawn was a Chiss genius tactician from the early expanded universe novels who became one of the Empire’s deadliest strategists. He re-entered the new Star Wars canon as a primary villain in Star Wars: Rebels, and his origin story is now being told in a series of novels by Timothy Zahn including Thrawn and Thrawn: Alliances. We know that years later, the Grand Admiral would return to Batuu with Darth Vader on a mission for Emperor Palpatine.
We also know that Lando Calrissian and L3-37 (everyone’s favorite sassy droid from Solo: A Star Wars Story) visited Batuu thanks to a quote from the film: “You couldn’t get from here to Black Spire without me.”
A world of possibilities
Image: Disney
The lore tie-ins we’ve spoken of so far are just the tip of the iceberg. Every cast member in Galaxy’s Edge is going to have a backstory that ties into the story of the war or the outpost, opening up endless possibilities. You’ll be able eat rontu meat grilled on a starship engine and drink Luke Skywalker’s favorite drinks, Blue and Green Milk (hopefully, not squirted straight from a Thala-Siren into your cup like old man Luke slurped in The Last Jedi). Familiar droids, creatures, and aliens from throughout the saga will abound.
Thanks to an extremely intuitive Play Disney app (that won’t even require WiFi—it will rely on Bluetooth), guests will be have some help exploring the secrets of the Black Spire Outpost. Aurebesh writing (the Star Wars in-world alphabet) has been a long-time Easter egg in areas like Star Wars Launch Bay, and guests using the app will be able to translate it instantly. You’ll be able to hack (“slicing” in Star Wars speak) datapads in the area to gain information about the world. You’ll have the ability to scan shipping crates to find out what creatures or contraband wait inside, and you’ll even be able to tune into holo-frequencies to hear secret communications.
The Star Wars universe is getting bigger and bigger, and Galaxy’s Edge is going to prove the ultimate hub to experience all of it up close and personal. What lore tie-ins are you hoping to see in Galaxy’s Edge?
