A New Star Wars Chapter Begins at Disney...

Beginning right this moment at Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland, Star Wars followers will be capable to meet Grasp Luke Skywalker in Batuu. His arrival is the newest evolution within the theme park’s canon, which had as soon as restricted itself to the time interval between Star Wars: The Final Jedi and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

The change to that authentic timeline got here progressively these previous couple of years as figures from Disney+ Lucasfilm reveals have popped up in Batuu, incuding Ahsoka, Boba Fett, Fennec Shand, Sabine Wren, and Hera. And naturally the Mandalorian and Grogu have had an enormous presence on the parks due to fan demand for characters outdoors of the sequel trilogy.

io9 attended right this moment’s opening of Season of the Pressure 2025—Disneyland’s annual Star Wars celebration, operating now by way of Might 11—and talked to Matt Martin from Lucasfilm and Michael Serna of Disney Stay Leisure to debate how the story of the Black Spire Outpost will evolve from right here.

“We have a look at all of our lands and expertise as an evolution,” Serna shared. “Some issues come and go, reveals open, points of interest come and go. So after all Galaxy’s Edge goes by way of the identical journey; [it] evolves, and once we constructed Galaxy’s Edge, we didn’t even know that a few of these tales can be advised. In order time has grown on, we realized, who doesn’t love the Mandalorian story, who doesn’t love numerous totally different tales? So this is a chance for us to form of lean into these tales we all know our followers love and admire, whereas not pulling away from something we’ve carried out earlier than. Typically you’ll see one thing you’re keen on and generally you gained’t. Our aim is to succeed in as lots of our followers as doable and ship all these wonderful characters and experiences that folks anticipate from our parks.”

That shift will develop into extra outlined this 12 months, and all of it begins with the lore weaver Tohan Lege—a personality created for the Galaxy’s Edge fireworks present final 12 months. Initially a disembodied voice narrating tales of the heroes and villains which can be actual throughout the land, this 12 months he joins his trusty R1-series astromech droid Bard in illuminating the spires with projections of their historical past in “Shadows of Reminiscence: A Skywalker Saga,” a present exploring the tragedy and triumphs of the household that connects all of them.

Lucasfilm created him in collaboration with the parks to look as a telling-stories-around-the-fire form of determine. “Now we’ve bought him because the centerpiece of ‘Shadows of Reminiscence.’ And so it’s so good to have any person to inform the legendary saga of the Skywalker story, as a result of Star Wars is itself type of a contemporary delusion,” Martin mentioned. “Having an in-universe character to do this storytelling is simply type of an ideal bridge for each of these reveals that now we have right here. And hopefully we get to proceed utilizing that character as a storyteller for years to come back each within the park and in different Star Wars tales.”

That is key in opening up the tales advised throughout the land and the characters who might pop up sooner or later from throughout the Star Wars canon, Serna confirmed. “Star Wars has so many tales to inform. Matt and I had plenty of discussions about how will we form of introduce issues, like Hearth of Reminiscence [in] the fireworks present. We had this concept {that a} storyteller is the common factor that’s occurred initially of [humankind]. It’s our life-style. We collect round a hearth and inform a narrative. That’s how we’ve handed on histories and mythologies. So why would the galaxy of Star Wars be any totally different? There can be folks that will wish to accumulate these tales and inform them to future generations.”

We are able to’t wait to see what different tales make their approach to the parks—along with Grasp Luke Skywalker, who we bought to witness making his first grand entrance this afternoon.

As for any changes coming to the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run experience to coincide with subsequent 12 months’s big-screen launch of The Mandalorian and Grogu—effectively, Disney continues to be very a lot protecting that underneath wraps. “I imply, we are able to’t speak an excessive amount of about that,” Serna teased. “We don’t have a lot to inform but. As a result of aside from what you discovered at South by Southwest, we are able to’t actually speak about it.”

Martin added, “What I’ll say is that it is going to be one other genuine Mandalorian story, and clearly we can be within the Millennium Falcon. So we’re going to get to learn the way we find yourself within the Millennium Falcon in a time the place Han Solo owns that ship. In order that needs to be fairly enjoyable. However in any other case, I believe you’ll have to attend and see.”

We additionally requested if any of the standout attracts from Florida’s now-shuttered Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser could be coming to Batuu, such because the lightsaber experiences or our beloved Gaya’s dinner present.

Serna mentioned, “I might say we’re at all times persevering with to develop and do new issues. You by no means know.”

We requested if we needs to be optimistic, and Martin added, “We discovered lots from that, you already know, from a storytelling standpoint. So I believe the teachings that we’ve discovered will at all times inform the long run.”

Season of the Pressure is now underway at Disneyland. Be taught extra here.

Need extra io9 information? Take a look at when to anticipate the newest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on film and TV, and every thing that you must learn about the way forward for Doctor Who.