A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….
Well, actually it was two Friday’s ago in a theme park called Disneyland.
Perhaps you’ve heard of it?
Back in 2012, Disney purchased Lucasfilm and soon started churning out new Star Wars movies and soon thereafter announced it would be opening a Star Wars Land at Disneyland.
It’s not officially called Star Wars Land, it’s name is Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
If you’ve been any paying attention to traditional or social media in the last week, you know there’s plenty of hype surrounding the opening of Galaxy’s Edge.
There’s so much hoopla in fact that I more or less resigned myself to not checking out this new “land” for a few years.
By then all the hysteria surrounding the opening of Galaxy’s Edge should be calmed down.
Also, I wasn’t all that excited about adding a Star Wars themed land to Disneyland proper.
I’m a bit of a traditionalist and believe that Disneyland should focus on Disney things.
Star Wars would be better suited for California Adventure or perhaps it’s own standalone theme park, from my perspective.
My decision to avoid Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge however ended one morning when I woke up to a text message from my buddy Tony.
He works for Disney (they call him a cast member) and he texted to see if I’d be interested in taking a trip to the planet Batuu.
My initial reaction was, “You better not be messing with me this early and about something like this.” (I’m not sure I used the word messing in our text conversation)
He assured me he was not and that if I was interested I could come and test out the “Virtual Queue” system for Galaxy’s Edge before it opened to the public.
I said “yes” faster than the Millennium Falcon made the Kessel Run.
The Boys Trip to Batuu
On Friday, May 24, 2019 I journeyed to Batuu with Tony, our good friend Mike, and my new friend Blair.
The moment we stepped into Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge we forgot we were in Disneyland at all.
We all truly felt like we were on the planet Batuu in the Star Wars universe.
The buildings, the walkways, the doors, the shops, even the bathrooms and the water fountains were designed and built in such a way that it honestly was like walking into a Star Wars movie.
No, it wasn’t like walking on to a Star Wars movie set. It was like walking into an actual location borne out of George Lucas’s imagination!
And if that wasn’t enough, coming around the corner and face to face with the one and only Millennium Falcon was an incredible feeling.
It also completed our transformation that had begun the moment we made our first giddy steps into Galaxy’s Edge.
Standing only feet away from a space ship that we’ve loved since our childhoods was an indescribable feeling.
While all of us are in our 40’s, we each agreed that we suddenly felt like we were 7 years old again.
Our time in Batuu that day is very much a blur now as I look back.
We spent six hours there and by the time we left we were grinning like we’d just walked out of our first viewing of The Empire Strikes Back.
While I could obviously go on and on about how awesome Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is, I’ll keep things brief and highlight the three things I believe you must do when you get your chance to visit Batuu.
Ride Smuggler’s Run
You have to do it. It is useless to resist.
You have to fly in the Millennium Falcon — maybe even fly it!
It’s a childhood dream come true.
The ride is fully interactive and how you do in your assigned roles in the cockpit affects how things go in the ride.
I did Smuggler’s Run five times and each ride was different.
And the sun on the ride rises and sets with the actual sun above, keeping you immersed in the world of Batuu.
So if you go on the ride during the day, you take off at daytime.
If you ride it at night, you take off in the dark. Cool huh?
There are six positions in this enlarged cockpit of the Millennium Falcon.
Two are for pilots, two positions for gunners, and two positions for engineers.
The left pilot controls the side to side movements of the Falcon.
The right pilot controls the up and down movements, plus the jump to hyperspace — which is awesome.
The two gunners shoot at Tie Fighters (and more) but it is less exciting and more monotonous than it sounds.
The two engineers repairs the damage to the shields and have surprisingly a better role to have than the people assigned as gunners.
It’s a fast and fun ride that puts you right into the middle of the Star Wars action.
It’s even funner when four of the seats are filled with Star Wars geeks like us who were throwing out movie lines the entire time.
Visit Oga’s Cantina
This had the longest wait, but it was worth it.
Oga’s Cantina is an incredible replica of the original cantina where Luke Skywalker and Ben Kenobi first met Han Solo and Chewie in the first Star Wars movie.
You’re only allowed to be in the cantina for 45 minutes and there’s a two drink maximum for adults.
Mike and I stuck to beer and sampled the White Wampa Ale and the Gold Squadron Lager.
Tony and Blair went for the stronger stuff, imbibing in some Jet Fuel and the Fuzzy Tauntaun.
The Fuzzy Tauntaun is topped with a foamy ingredient that makes your lips and tongue numb.
If you’re of age and can handle your liquor, I recommend that one.
Also, there’s a droid DJ spinning the tunes for you while you’re in Oga’s.
You’ll probably remember Rex from the original Star Tours ride.
Looks like he’s changed jobs or his programming.
Eat a Ronto Wrap
All the food on Batuu has a Star Wars type name, even if it’s produced from ingredients indigenous to our primitive little planet.
There’s a stand for Ronto Wraps that you really should stop by.
One of the torture droids from Jabba’s Palace has wound up in servitude there cooking the Ronto.
The fire comes from the engine of a wrecked podracer, which only adds to the authenticity of the entire thing.
The Ronto Wrap is absolutely delicious.
In fact, writing about it at this moment has my stomach craving it.
Honorable Mention: Drink a Blue Milk
It’s not on my top three must do things, but we both know you can’t pass up on the blue milk.
It tasted good and was more like a slushy than a milk product — probably because it was lactose free.
That said, once was enough for me and I’d rather spend my credits (which is how they ask for payment in Galaxy’s Edge) on another Ronto Wrap.
Some Final Thoughts
I loved Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and I am eager to return — especially after the Rise of the Resistance ride opens in the fall.
Thank you George Lucas for creating the world of Star Wars that I love so much.
Thank you Disney for giving all of us Star Wars fans something to enjoy which enhances our experience.
And thank you Tony for thinking of the Floydman and making this all happen.
I owe you a Fuzzy Tauntaun the next time we visit the Outer Rim!
And if you liked this story….
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