There’s not a clear point where it really hit me, and even weeks later it still feels more like a dream, that I was on Batuu, a planet in the galaxy far, far away of which I’d been dreaming of, reading about, and enjoying my whole life, when I visited Galaxy’s Edge at Walt Disney World with my wife and our friends in late February, but I left it knowing I’d love a chance to go back. In many ways, it lived up to my expectations (which weren’t too high), the rides really blew me away, the “citizens” of Batuu were integral to the experience, and I even cried making a lightsaber, but in the end it’s still unavoidable to know you’re in a park and you’ll likely need more than one trip to truly take it all in and fully enjoy it.
As you are more than likely aware already at this point, Galaxy’s Edge is Disney and Lucasfilm’s theme-park of the Star Wars franchise, and it’s been open since 2019 (both Disneyland and Disney World’s versions). There was even a united publishing effort try to hype up the park and its canonical position in the timeline, which we covered, with books and comics featuring all sorts of familiar and popular characters, as well as some new ones, having adventures on the park’s planet, Batuu, with the releases gaining a wild range of responses. Either way, the park was coming and I knew I wouldn’t have a chance to go for some time, nor did I want to considering one of the rides wouldn’t even be completed initially, so I enjoyed videos and photos of others who went and checked out the various publishing content. Of course then the pandemic started, which made visiting a galaxy far, far away even more difficult to the point of dangerous, so it just wasn’t worth it. Three vaccination shots later and still in the pandemic, we had an opportunity in 2022 to go to Walt Disney World, including Galaxy’s Edge, to celebrate my wife’s birthday alongside some friends, and we decided it was worth the risk finally, myself itching to finally cross it, the rides, some blue milk, and a lightsaber building experience, off my bucket list.
Going with experienced park goers was a big plus, as they knew how to navigate us there in a timely and efficient manner, but the rush to Rise of the Resistance, the newest of the two rides, was so big we still had 1hr 30min to 2hr wait ahead of us, which is not necessarily the most thrilling or immersive way to begin one’s time at the park, especially as the queue took us out of Galaxy’s Edge briefly. Walking in, before entering the line, it still felt and looked otherworldly, even down to the garbage bins (the first thing I commented on, go figure), a few life-size versions of ships like the A-wing and X-wing, and the appropriately dressed “citizens.” I was wearing my Doctor Aphra themed shirt (from Tatooine Times!) and one of the citizens recognized who it meant and we had a funny, short discussion about the troubles of being Aphra’s friend (the citizen was in-character the entire time), which really helped with my excitement with the place and the long wait ahead. I was a little nervous since my lightsaber building experience at Savi’s was at 11:45, as we all thought it would be more than enough time to get to ride this then go, but as the line stretched on, it seemed less and less likely I’d make it to Savi’s if I stayed in line. The queue for Rise isn’t the most exciting, as while the outdoor area looks nice, the interior cave section is claustrophobic and tight, with a few exits that weren’t manned, so it was hard to find a citizen to maybe explain the situation to/let me out if need be, and there doesn’t feel like much progression is happening in the caves since it’s just a bunch of odds and ends Resistance tech. Thankfully, we found a citizen to talk to, and after one of our friends chatted him up a bit, I was brought over and he was kind enough to give me (and a second person) a lightning pass to come back and ride Rise! My wife had faith Disney makes dreams come true, and I didn’t, so I was glad to be wrong, as the citizen explained Savi would charge me extra for not showing up and understood the dilemma, hence the pass. Rise is ALWAYS packed, especially on a Saturday morning like when we went (on President’s Day weekend), so plan accordingly for your stay at Batuu, especially if you can’t get the Genie Pass for the ride. If I had scheduled my visit to Savi’s only a little later, maybe 12:30-12:45 at the latest, it all would’ve worked out, so if you want to risk waiting through Rise before doing something like Savi’s check the wait time online for a few weeks online before you go to get an average and try to schedule the other things you want to do accordingly.
Anyways, after being escorted out of line, I booked my way to Savi’s, which was a good, brisk 5-10 minute walk, and then approached the kiosk to see Savi’s menu for the lightsaber paths to choose from. There’s Power and Control, the Sith-focused path that includes hilt items similar to that on popular Sith characters, Peace and Justice, which mirrors more of the Jedi Temple Guard/almost High Republic-like items, Protection and Defense, which looks closer to a traditional hilt per Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, and Anakin, and then Elemental Nature. I chose Elemental Nature, which focuses on nature and more natural looking items, including a rancor’s tooth (which I put on my blade!), and chose a purple kyber. Without spoiling much, the guide for our group was one of a few parts of the experience which really made it special, as he sold the moment and drama, talking up Jedi who used certain colors, what each path means that we took, and hitting the right cues as the music swells. Putting together the saber isn’t that complicated of a process, though the guide in front me and person in the bay next to me was unable to identify something for me, but as the main guide walked around, he really proved how well he knew his stuff when discussing each person’s saber. I won’t spoil the surprise towards the end, but I will say, from the way they played with the sound and music during the moment, I ended up crying. Yes, this 32 year old was crying and the young girl across from me, in red robes similar to the Nightsisters of Dathomir who choose the Power and Control path and a red kyber (she was all in on the dark side!), wasn’t, but hey, I’m not afraid to admit it and they just really did that good of a job. The experience at Savi’s is really what makes the lightsaber you create all the more special, but by the day’s end and a few months since, I have some caveats about the lightsaber itself. A minor one, but my Aphra t-shirt was torn up by the free (aka included) carrying case, which was fraying by the time we left the parks, and while the make of the shirt could be part of the issue, the case really is just a nice looking item to stuff a pool noodle into that you then put the blade part of the saber into. As for the lightsaber itself, the parts feel elegant and hefty, but compared to my Kylo Ren Force FX Deluxe and Rey Skywalker Force FX Elite lightsabers, it seems less special, especially as the noises it makes are limited, repetitive, and non-interactive, as it issues a three part swing even when swinging it once. Minor again, to be sure, but if it’s the same price as the Force FX ones (or more), plus the added cost of park entrance fees, it should at least be comparable regarding something as simple as the swinging sounds. I do like you can take it apart and place in different color kyber crystals, sold separately at Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities, something the Force FX lack, but they are specific to a character so that makes sense. I do wish they would expand the amount of varieties per part or allow some mixing and matching across the paths, adding greater variety and design personality (or just make your dream one via Jedi: Fallen Order, where most of the parts are!). All in all, it’s worth it for the experience alone, and if you don’t mind some of the minor quibbles I mentioned, then definitely make sure to visit Savi’s and make yourself a lightsaber!
My group got out of their Rise experience shortly after I did mine, but I had some time to wander through the market place and check out the stores various wares and soak in some of the little atmospheric touches. As much fun as the rides are or Savi’s was, a lot of my enjoyment came from just *being* in Star Wars, from the worn, lived-in look to the market place, the design of both food places, Ronto Roasters and Docking Bay 7 (with automatic doors that feel like they’re from in-universe, not just regular automatic doors, to the big podracer engine cooking the meat at Roasters), to seeing the life-sized Millennium Falcon waiting its next mission. And like I said earlier, the “citizens” really complete the experience, from how one described the taste of something like Porg or their frequent “Bright Suns” greetings, while seeing Rey, Chewie, and Vi Moraldi, or even stormtroopers stomping around, adds extra magic. I spoke with Chewie in Shyriiwook for a little bit, which was embarrassing for my group but fun for me to test out my skills against his, and it was a fun final note before we moved onto Epcot. While I was waiting for my group after they left Rise, a young kid and his parents came up and asked me if they could see my lightsaber, and once he got his hands on it, his eyes lit up, and really this is one of the best parts of the parks: seeing all these young fans getting experience the magic of Star Wars this way.
When we all met up, it was time for food! While I didn’t get a chance to visit Oga’s Cantina, as we just didn’t have enough time and the wait was too much for a group of 6 (though going in groups of 2 and messaging one another can get you in faster, though less fun that way!), but we did have the fabled ronto wrap and an ale or two, along with the “milk”. Ordering the food from Ronto Roasters was a snap on the phone, so I’d suggest that to skip the line and allow yourself a chance to wonder until your order is up. The ronto wrap was maybe a bit too much meat on a sandwich for my wife, but I quite enjoyed the combination, the spices, even the peppercorn sauce, and the pita it’s on and can’t suggest it enough. I tried the Trandoshan Ale (even reviewed it on Untapped, made by Dogfish) and found it to be a spicy, lingering wheat ale, while the other option at Docking Bay, the Gold Squadron Lager, with lavender in it, wasn’t really my cup of tea. Now, I’ve heard how everyone says don’t get the green milk, and it’s not because they don’t like The Last Jedi, they say it just doesn’t taste good at all compared to the blue milk (these are non-dairy, aka planet-based by the way), but I love tequila and since the boozy green milk has tequila, I ordered it and my wife got the boozy blue (which comes with rum). Drinking the green without any experience of the blue, I found the green to be somewhat tasty and the tequila not really noticeable…but then I tried the blue milk and holy mother of moons is the green rather nasty comparably! I hope they choose to update the green milk soon, so please listen to me and everyone else, unlike what I did, and stick with the blue, boozy or not! While a limited sampling of the drinks and food, they did not skimp on this aspect from what I tried and I look forward to a return trip focusing a bit more on dining aspect, like getting into Oga’s!
Now, time for the rides! When I got to finally go to Rise of the Resistance, my wife Melissa coming along, the lightning pass was a blessing so we didn’t have to wait again. After some initial set-up of “transporting” you up to a First Order Star Destroyer, coming out in the landing bay and being greeted by several dozen stormtroopers is intimidating, but shortly after another queue forms. This queue was worse than the caves of the Resistance base, with little to no airflow and even more cramped, but getting through to the next part makes up for the inconveniences. The “Imperial Officers” are allowed some role-playing here as they order you around to “jail” aka getting you in place to enjoy the ride, and the immersive aspect to this ride is an important part of what makes the whole thing so damn memorable. The trackless cars add to the feeling you’re fleeing First Order jail and are the sprinkles on the frosting, with the entire ride a thrill with production values and scale truly memorable and surprising. I won’t spoil anything, but appearances from familiar faces is a huge plus to Rise, and overall it ended up as my favorite ride at the park. Smuggler’s Run has a far better queue, from wandering inside a repair garage, seeing the Falcon for a portion, then actually being inside the Falcon (we got to sit at the dejarik table!), while the animatronic Hondo Ohnaka is very convincing. The ride portion itself is rather fun, basically an immersive, 6 player video game, with insanely great graphics and gyrating cockpit to finish the appearance, and nothing can quite come close to the feeling of pulling the Falcon’s lever to jump into hyperspace. I didn’t get a chance to try the other roles, but I’d like to, even the engineer despite most people saying it’s the least fun (which our Disney experts were kind enough to take so everyone else could try the more exciting roles), while my brother, who is very motion sickness sensitive, did not feel good as one of the pilots with me (so maybe stick to one of the back roles if you’re sensitive). Both are more than worth their waits, though Rise pushes it a bit due to the some of the tight, enclosed queue spaces, so hopefully they can work on some airflow in there, especially as it gets hotter in Florida.
Here are a few other things:
- I messed around with the Datapad app for a little bit, but I noticed the text adventure game I was playing, which involved helping Finn sneak around a Star Destroyer, was more distracting and longer than I’d like, as I’d rather spend time chatting with the friends I was with. I intercepted a few transmissions, with some of the details in conversations full of expanded lore, and saw some people hack other items, but I found the app underwhelming and felt like it disconnected me from the park, instead of letting me connect more with it. If I was able to visit Galaxy’s Edge more, I could see diving into it, but as a first time visitor it was too needy to enjoy.
- It’s impossible to mention visiting Walt Disney World and not include some discussion on the state’s anti-LGBTQIA+ push, with the recent passage of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, but also how Disney and its CEO, Bob Chapek, have dealt with this infringement on the rights of a marginalized group of human beings. It’s one of those moments of dissonance, as I don’t feel comfortable or happy any money is going to Florida due to traveling there to visit the park, but it’s also not all of Florida’s fault and, in an attempt to make up for it, there’s plenty of amazing things one can donate to help the cause of the LGBTQIA+ community. It sounds like Chapek’s listening tour, according to the article I linked by The Verge, after finally saying something against Florida’s bill (far too late mind you) hasn’t even lived up to expectations and fizzled, as potentially employees directly affected aren’t even given a chance to say anything. Something needs to change at Disney and Chapek’s tenure is up in February 2023…
- If paying for flights, hotel, and park tickets aren’t really possible for you, I’d actually highly recommend the Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge VR series for Meta Quest 2! I’ve played both and have reviews up, where I found Part 1 to be solid but needing improvements, while Last Call (aka Part 2) made all the necessary improvements. Altogether, a far cheaper option, though visiting this park is cheaper than boarding the Halcyon hotel experience.
- Several of the nicer looking photos, or the ones of me, are all thanks to Melissa!
All in all, Galaxy’s Edge, in several ways, managed to beat my expectations, from the design and feel of the space, the rides being superb, the food was delicious, to the lightsaber building ending up emotional and memorable. Having more time to explore it and check out the app would help add to the overall experience, but on my first trip just trying to drink in the details was enjoyable enough. The illusion is strong throughout the park, from the citizens to the way they present queues for shops and food, but reality sneaks in little ways of course but never hampers the experience, which is what I was worried about the most. Like I said in the beginning, and mentioned here and there throughout my impressions above, Galaxy’s Edge can be enjoyed in a day, but to get the most out of it and experience it all, it feels like 2-3 days might be necessary to really get a fuller, more detail heavy experience, and get everything you want, so the cost of visiting drastically goes up. It’ll be a fun time regardless if you only go one day (or for a little over half a day like we did), and the rides certainly won’t disappoint, but it feels like a theme park unless you really stay there and swim in the little things they did to make it special. Our group had a blast and, after a few months since going, I’m already getting an itch to find my way back to the edge of the galaxy, sip some blue milk (never the green again!), and escape from Kylo Ren and the First Order in style another time, but I’m also content, as going once was enough to satisfy my curiosity over the experience, because for as much as their is to uncover, it still feels finite in the end. So is it worth your time and hard earned credits? I can’t make that decision for you, but I’m glad I finally got to cross this off the list and cry like a child building a lightsaber, though if you’ve seen most of the videos of the park’s many experiences, it might not feel like enough if you haven’t decided to go already. Either way, the choice is yours, but hopefully these impressions have tipped you one way or another. As for visiting the hotel…maybe in another life and different galaxy.
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.
GALAXY’S EDGE RELATED REVIEWS:
Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge – Last Call (VR game) | Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge – Part 1 (VR game) | A Crash of Fate (novel) | Galaxy’s Edge (comic miniseries) | Myths & Fables (novel) | Thrawn – Alliances (novel) | Star Wars Resistance: “Fuel for the Fire” | Black Spire (novel)