By Jim Frye
Get ready to join the adventure, because Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will come alive for guests as they play roles in their own Star Wars stories. Whether using the Play Disney Parks mobile app, encountering Star Wars characters, or interacting with Disney cast members, guests can engage with this new land in ways never experienced before in a Disney park.
As we reported, the Play Disney Parks App is key to experiencing this new 14-acre land to its fullest. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is the first land in a Disney park designed from the ground up to fully integrate with the Play Disney Parks mobile app. When guests enter the land, they will be able to transform the Play Disney Parks app into their very own Star Wars: Datapad on their mobile devices. As guests earn galactic credits for things they do in the land using their Datapad, the credits will show in their Datapad profile.
The app will provide four primary functions to unlock a deeper level of storytelling within the land:
- Hack – Interact with certain droids, blinking door panels, and other scenic elements.
- Scan – Explore the contents of cargo crates and other containers and collect virtual items.
- Translate – Understand written languages from the Star Wars
- Tune – Tap into the signals from satellite dishes and antenna arrays to eavesdrop on characters’ conversations.
Guests can use the app to play a multiplayer game throughout the land, “Outpost Control,” that occurs several times daily. The First Order wants to install surveillance devices in door panels to spy on the Resistance, while the Resistance is trying to remove them. Guests can choose to support either side by hacking the panels for the Resistance or the First Order. The game concludes when one side successfully hacks a majority of the available panels. While waiting to board Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, guests may take on a job for Hondo Ohnaka, proving through this in-queue game that they are ready to pilot the Millennium Falcon. Certain functions performed with the app may trigger physical effects within the land.
Interact with Star Wars Characters
Since this is a Living Land, guests will meet and interact with many people and characters from the Star Wars galaxy:
- Rey, a hero of the Resistance, may be seen near the ancient ruins outside Black Spire Outpost, recruiting Batuuan locals and visitors alike to the Resistance cause.
- Several times daily, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren may appear at the First Order encampment at Docking Bay 9. With Stormtroopers in his wake, Kylo Ren will then march through Black Spire Outpost in search of the Resistance.
- Guests may stumble upon Resistance spy Vi Moradi in Black Spire Outpost as she keeps tabs on the First Order. Vi may pass on some tricks of her trade and ensure those she encounters know that the Resistance is gaining strength.
- The mighty Chewbacca will sometimes be spotted in Black Spire Outpost or just outside the Resistance encampment in the ancient ruins of Batuu, rounding up recruits.
- First Order Stormtroopers patrol Black Spire Outpost under the command of Kylo Ren. They will sometimes snap the occasional order at guests, or question them about the presence of the Resistance on Batuu.
Disney Cast Members Will Also Become Part of the Story
Disney cast members working in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge can become part of the story, as local citizens of Batuu. They are encouraged to develop their own identities and personas within the stories of their roles, and to interact with guests.
Walt Disney Imagineering spent three years developing the costumes. Cast members can pick and choose from a variety of options to create looks that best fit the personalities they want to portray. They can choose from tunics, wraps, vests, and more, and then augment their base costume with accessories such as necklaces, scarves, and hats. Also, the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge cast member nametags are customized specifically for the land, with names translated into Aurebesh, the written language in the Star Wars galaxy.
Find out more about Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at the links below:
Lightsabers, Droids, and Holocrons—The Incredible, Immersive Merchandise of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Step Aboard Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
How to Taste Your Way Through Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Creatures, Droids, and Aliens: Meet the Fantastical Figures of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
7 Surprising Stats and Fascinating Facts from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Explore Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and All Its Starships and Speeders
Don’t Miss These 10 Experiences in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Hidden Gems and Attention to Detail Create Authenticity in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
