[roars]
[laughing]
[zapping]
[Billy Dee Williams] Tonight, in a galaxy far, far away...
on the planet Batuu...
[Stormtrooper] Let's see some identification.
[roars]
[BB-8 beeping]
This is Billy Dee Williams.
Join host Neil Patrick Harris
at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
at Disneyland Resort in California
and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida...
Let's go!
- with guest stars Miles Brown... -Here I come.
- Kaley Cuoco... -I have a bad feeling about this.
Sarah Hyland...
It's a little R2-D2!
Keegan-Michael Key...
You forgot your Fuzzy Tauntaun.
...and Jay Leno.
I'm now inside the Millennium Falcon.
[Billy Dee] With special appearances by Star Wars stars
John Boyega and Oscar Isaac,
and legendary composer, John Williams.
I am thrilled to be a part of this.
It felt like just an extension of the film.
I hope it makes you feel exactly how the characters feel in the movie.
Get to your escape pods now!
Hi. Welcome to Batuu,
the most exciting and exotic remote outpost in the galaxy.
I'm Neil Patrick Harris, and I am lucky enough
to be here at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.
I cannot wait to tour this new world and see all that it has to offer,
and we're gonna be joined by some other Star Wars fans
who are just as excited and thrilled as I am.
As a matter of fact, right over there is Sarah Hyland!
Over the next two hours, we'll be showing you
where you can design your own lightsaber, build a droid,
we'll check out some great shops,
learn about the history of Batuu, and--
Oh, my gosh.
-It's the Millennium Falcon. -[Neil] Tonight,
we'll be giving you an exclusive behind-the-scenes look
at all Batuu has to offer,
take you back to the beginning of how Disney and Imagineers
turned their vision into this incredible place,
and share some secrets of this remote outpost,
as we explore Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.
Adventure awaits.
Okay, just about everybody has been looking forward
to the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge,
and now it is here.
I can't even begin to give an adequate description
of the attractions, the shops,
the stories, the details that went into every aspect
of having this world come to life.
But with me is someone who can,
the Creative Executive for Walt Disney Imagineering,
-Scott Trowbridge. -Hi, Neil.
-Scott, how are you, sir? -I'm good, man. How are you?
Welcome to a galaxy far, far away.
Thank you. I am so in it!
It's like an immersive experience all over the place.
[Scott] Well, that's the idea. We want to give you
an opportunity to live your Star Wars story,
so this is the perfect place to do that.
I want to hear every detail, I want to hear every story,
how it came to be, what all the excitement is.
-Tell me everything. -Okay, I could tell you about it,
or I could show you.
-Want to see it? Want to take a walk? -Better. Better. Show me.
-[Scott] Welcome to Black Spire Outpost. -[Neil] Whoa.
[Scott] A remote trading port on the edge of the galaxy.
[Neil] Uh-oh.
It's like a giant movie set.
I mean, we never had anything this big.
This is huge.
And it just goes on and on. It's great.
I really couldn't believe the scale-- the scale of it.
We wanted this to be as big and as bold
as anything we've ever done.
This is where your Star Wars story can take off.
-What? -Much like this First Order TIE Echelon
that looks like it just arrived on the planet.
-[Scott] That's trouble. -[Neil] That looks like trouble.
[Scott] But don't worry. I hear the Resistance is nearby.
[John Boyega] The rivalry between
the First Order and the Resistance goes, you know, way back.
Essentially, the First Order's doing what the Empire wanted,
which is complete control over the galaxy,
whereas the Resistance believes in a free galaxy, a free people.
I think one of the reasons why Star Wars is so lasting
and makes such an impact
is because it's talking about something
that's happening within all of us--
that battle between the dark and the light.
Will you join the Dark Side?
As a guest, you can find yourselves
in the middle of the tension between these two sides,
between this conflict.
It's a continuous fight between good and evil.
This is a place where everyone has the power to make choices.
-Hm. -But those choices have consequences.
Hmm...
[Kylo Ren] The First Order may require your service.
Here at Galaxy's Edge, one of the things that we're really trying to do
is make the entire day a story-driven experience,
where you can participate in the Star Wars story
as much as you want.
It is something that I've been most impressed by
in the recent years of the additions that you guys make,
is that you're paying attention
not just to the individual attractions,
but to the entire experience.
[roars]
[laughter]
[Jacqueline King] When guests come to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge,
I really hope that they're not having to use their imagination
to feel like they're in the Star Wars story,
that they truly believe it just by their surroundings.
They really will be here at Batuu.
[Margaret Kerrison] People come here
to experience something
unlike any other place in the world.
There is so much to take in.
A lot of stories have happened here.
[Neil] Tell me a little bit about the blue milk.
[Scott] Blue milk is just the milk of a bantha.
To perfect that, to bring it to life here at Black Spire Outpost,
we did take some time to get it just right.
[Scott] And here in this part of the town,
this is kind of like, I would say, the other side of the tracks, right?
This is the more industrial side.
We've got a droid wash stand, where you can bring your droid
and get it looking spick-and-span.
-What is-- There's droids. -So, this is actually Mubo's Droid Depot.
This is the best place in town to buy a new droid.
You can step inside here and build one for yourself.
[R2-D2 whistles, beeps]
Look, sir. Droid.
[R2-D2 whistles]
[Obi-Wan Kenobi] These aren't the droids you're looking for.
-[C-3PO] Are you talking about me? -[BB-8 beeps]
[roars]
[R2-D2 whines]
[Sarah] This is Mubo's Droid Depot.
Mubo is fascinating and a little bit kooky--
a techie here here in the Black Spire Outpost.
He's a sixth-generation droid builder, and personally, I always love
to see someone go into the family business.
Mubo spends so much time tinkering with droids,
well... because of a failed relationship.
He kept trying to romance Bina over at the creature stall,
but it didn't work out.
So Mubo spends his time running this shop
where people like me do something that they've always dreamed of--
building their very own droid.
[Brad Schoenberg] We're in the Droid Depot.
The idea was always that parts and pieces would be all around you.
You know, a moving conveyer belt, the activation stations,
just all of it together,
it is a really living, breathing workshop.
-Hello! -Hi! How are ya?
-Good. Thank you. -Oh, great choices. Perfect.
-Thanks. -All right, so now
let's take them all out of the basket.
-All right, so I put on a leg? -Perfect.
[mechanical whirring]
-Oh, that's so easy. -[laughs] Now attach the dome.
Here you go, R2.
Look, it's a little R2-D2!
Okay, now let's bring him to life.
-Oh, okay. -We're gonna place him
in the activation station here.
Okay, now bring him to life
by pushing that red button when it lights up.
[beeping]
-Stop! -[laughs]
-Look, it's moving. -[whirring]
-Ohhh! -All right, so now let's test him.
Okay.
Take the remote here.
Press that button right there for sound,
and the other one's to activate.
-[droid beeping] -[laughs]
Oh! Hello, to you, too.
[laughs] Oh, this is so cute.
Oh, my. Come here!
Just look at me.
Ah! That's so amazing!
You're so sweet.
Now here comes the hard part--
picking out a name for my new droid.
I was thinking of going something like NPH1,
but I bet Neil would want that.
[droid beeping]
Really?
Huh. Interesting. [laughs]
Look, there's R2-D2's tracks.
[Scott] Yeah, and actually, to get those tracks
of that astromech-- that R2 unit--
we actually went to the original
Kenny Baker R2 unit
from the original film, A New Hope, and actually
took imprints from those treads
and used 'em to make these tracks.
They are exactly that R2-D2.
This is unbelievable. There's a full-size X-Wing.
-A full-size X-Wing there. -This is crazy.
This is other-level.
The attention to detail is amazing.
[Scott] I should probably point this out.
-Yes, what is this? -This is a very special spire.
-Oh-ho. -This is the Black Spire.
This is the oldest geological formation
that this entire town grew up around.
This is the heart of Black Spire Outpost.
So, I saw this has a giant ship on top.
-What is that? -Yeah, that's Cookie's ship.
This is Docking Bay 7, Food and Cargo.
It's basically the space equivalent of a food truck.
So, Cookie kind of lowers those pods in here,
and inside, you can get delicacies and treats from across the galaxy.
[Neil] I see on the side of the containers,
there's a 77, 80, and 83.
So I assume that's a tribute
to when the original three films were released?
[Scott] You assume correctly, my friend.
As a space port, ships are coming and going all the time.
Here's one right here.
It might look like a hunk of junk, but the Wookiee tells me
it's the fastest ship in the galaxy.
[Neil, chuckling] It makes your knees quiver.
[Matt Martin] Being able to bring the Falcon into the real world
was something that I think we just had to do.
[Patrick Kearny] To actually be able to get to fly the Millennium Falcon
is something that, as a fan, you dream about.
But really being here and stepping through the chess room
and into the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon,
there's nothing like it.
Everything, detail to detail, is just what you expect.
It was so exciting to see all of that come to life.
I want to fly it.
I can make that happen, sir.
This is the home of Ohnaka Transport Solutions,
run by a Weequay named Hondo Ohnaka,
and he's made a deal with Chewbacca
for the use of this ship, the Falcon.
What Hondo needs are flight crews.
Turns out they have a habit of not coming back.
-Hmm. -That's where we come in.
And if we have what it takes to join Hondo's crew,
we may just get a chance to fly that ship.
-Sign me up. -Let's go.
One of the things I love about this whole experience
is using the datapad in the Play Disney Park app.
You just download the app to your phone,
and it gives you all kinds of secrets about this land.
Plus, you can translate Aurebesh.
You can scan objects all around the space port
to discover precious cargo,
and listen in on all transmissions of the Resistance and the First Order
as you navigate your journey on Batuu.
You there!
What are you doing on that datapad?
Um, I'm-- I'm just using it to learn a little Aurebesh.
I only ask because your device
is scanning a suspicious amount of frequencies...
which is suspicious.
Dial it back, civilian.
Thank you for understanding.
Uh-oh. I have a bad feeling about this.
You.
I've been expecting you.
That was awesome!
And look. I took this when he walked by.
Should've gotten a selfie.
That Kylo Ren and his stormtroopers make me nervous.
I think it's time I pledge allegiance to the Resistance
on my datapad and see if Rey could use some help.
I wonder where I could find her.
We've got eyes on you.
Ready position.
And then... come fast.
Get down low.
Now, you all are members of the Resistance now, okay?
So I'm gonna teach you a way to make sure
you know that someone is part of the Resistance.
So I'm gonna say, "Ignite the spark,"
and you'll all follow me and say, "Light the fire."
Are you ready? So, ignite the spark.
[all] Light the fire.
-Ignite the spark. -Light the fire.
-Ignite the spark! -Light the fire!
[Kaley] Hey, there!
Before you head out on your mission,
do you have room for one more?
I mean, I met some stormtroopers, and y-you know, it's getting personal.
Of course. Please join us.
Yes! I knew I was meant for this.
[Billy Dee] This journey through the Black Spire Outpost
has only just begun.
Next, Jay Leno takes us on a tour of a legendary ship
that just landed on Batuu.
Everybody in the galaxy wants to pilot this ship.
[Billy Dee] And from what I hear, it's the fastest in the galaxy.
This is why we never want to fly together after we've had an argument.
-I know. - And later, Kaley Cuoco
will take us onboard a Star Destroyer...
[Kaley] I've never seen anything like it.
...as part of an exclusive sneak peek of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
Just mind-blowing, what they were planning to do.
I know there's a lot of blaster action from me while you guys get away.
[Billy Dee] When we return to...
[whoosh]
[Lando Calrissian] You know, that ship saved my life quite a few times.
She's the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy.
"Fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy."
That is the perfect description of the Millennium Falcon.
It wasn't always that way.
Chewbacca put a lot of work into this thing--
rebuilding and modifying the engine of the YT-1300
to maximize the speed and agility.
And it's legendary for the time it made the Kessel Run
in less than 12 parsecs.
Everybody in the galaxy wants to pilot this ship,
and you are about to see why.
[Carrie] The Falcon is an original Corellian freighter
that belonged to Han Solo and Lando Calrissian before him
and has found itself many times in service
to both the Rebels and the Resistance,
so it has a storied history
within the galactic conflict.
And I think it has become home
to some of our most beloved and iconic characters.
And what's so great is that when you get to go visit Black Spire,
that you, too, get to be part of the Falcon's history.
The Millennium Falcon obviously is so iconic
for the constant protection of some of our favorite heroes.
[Oscar] The Falcon is fast,
but it is a clunky old piece of machinery,
so sometimes, you do need to, you know, whip it for it to go.
[engines power up]
And it breaks down a lot, but that's part of driving a classic.
[John Boyega] The Millennium Falcon was the ship
that was never expected to survive anything,
and just did, became, like, you know,
the fastest, most iconic ship in the whole entire universe
and something that the Resistance always needs.
[Asa Kalama] And she really is a character.
So much so, in fact, that when we started work on Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge,
we knew if there was one thing that we were gonna do,
it was to create an experience where guests have the opportunity
to experience the Millennium Falcon.
Are we really doing this?
To be able to fly the Millennium Falcon?
That's what you want to do. That's what you want to do.
That's the first ship I'm gonna try out.
[Chris Beatty] The Falcon had to be the centerpiece of the land,
'cause the Millennium Falcon is a character,
it's-- its own personality, right?
We didn't know what you were gonna do on the Falcon yet,
we didn't know how you would experience it,
but we knew it had to have a home here.
Seeing the Falcon for the first time in Galaxy's Edge
is just incredible.
It's such a mind-blowing experience to take something
that lives in all of our imaginations and all of our minds
and bring it to life in a very real way
where you can touch it and feel it and hear it
and experience it with all five senses.
When you walk into Galaxy's Edge
and you look at the Millennium Falcon...
jaws drop, because no one's ever seen anything like that.
I'm now inside the Millennium Falcon.
From what I've learned, Chewbacca brought the Falcon here
for some supplies and repairs.
In order to get them, he made a deal with Hondo Ohnaka.
Chewie gets his supplies,
Hondo gets the Falcon on loan for a smuggling run.
We see this kind of deal all the time in L.A.
Let's find out what this mission's all about.
[Patrick] The Millennium Falcon's Smugglers Run,
you walk into this starport where you start to understand
that it's actually a smuggler's den,
and you get to meet Hondo.
Hello, hello, my friends.
I am Hondo Ohnaka,
and this is Ohnaka Transport Solutions.
[Asa Kalama] Hondo Ohnaka
is a roguish space pirate, a Weequay,
that some of our guests might know
from the Clone Wars and Rebels animated TV series.
He is the owner and proprietor of Ohnaka Transport Solutions,
which is the major shipping operation
here on Black Spire Outpost.
If you want to get anything onto or off planet,
he's the guy that you gotta go see.
Today, I am offering the opportunity of a lifetime.
He's there recruiting pilots and engineers and gunners
to help him move merchandise, and he's looking for partners.
I need flight crews to transport
this valuable merchandise across the galaxy!
[Jacqueline] Chewie has stopped off at Batuu with the Falcon
for a few repairs and to pick up supplies.
He's made a deal with Hondo so that Hondo can help him
get some coaxium for the Resistance.
[Asa] So it's up to our flight crews to work together
to intercept that train,
harpoon that precious cargo,
and return it safely to Batuu.
[Patrick] And you get to be part of that story
and actually get to fly the Falcon...
and try and earn some credits for Hondo and yourself.
[Asa] Guests will have the opportunity
to play one of three roles.
You're gonna have two pilots,
one controlling up and down and one left and right,
so you're really gonna have to work together
to make sure you go where you want to go.
You have two gunners defending the ship,
shooting at anything that shoots at you.
Then you have two flight engineers in the back,
making sure you stay in the sky
and are able to actually pull the coaxium for credit rewards.
[Bob] The more you ride it, the better it gets,
because you become better and better at it,
almost like a video game.
So it's always new and fresh,
no matter how many times you get to re-experience that adventure.
That's just interactive, and it's immersive. I love that.
[Asa] One of the cool things is,
at the end of the experience,
guests are paid galactic credits
for their participation in the smuggling run,
but it's totally dependent on how well you do.
So if you have a really clean run and you do really well,
you earn a ton of galactic credits.
And for those guests playing the Play Disney Parks experience,
those galactic credits either get added to their account,
or subtracted
if you cause enough damage to the ship.
It's the underdog effect of the Millennium Falcon
that people just love-- it's a rusty, old piece of metal,
but... it does good.
[Jacqueline] Developing Smugglers Run,
we had many mock-ups and many setups to get the cockpit
and flying the Millennium Falcon just right.
But really being here and stepping through the chess room
and into the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon,
there's nothing like it.
What really makes it different
is how immersed you are in that experience,
how much field of view you'll have into the screen.
And kind of bringing that technology to life
with the game engine and all of the real-time technology
has been a huge undertaking
and a huge collaboration between us, Unreal, and ILM--
bringing all of that to life for our guests.
-[porg shrieking] -[Matt] One of my favorite
kind of details that they did was, there are porg nests
hidden around the Smugglers Run queue
and in the Falcon itself.
After Last Jedi, when Chewie arrived on Batuu...
[chittering]
...the Falcon was covered in porgs.
And so they've kind of made their way through the outpost,
and we can see the remains of them.
And as a huge fan of porgs,
I love that.
And there's actually even one point
in the Smugglers Run queue--
there's a kind of a shadow effect
where occasionally, you will see a porg walk up to a wire
and start chewing on it, and he gets shocked,
and you kind of hear this, like... [squawks]
And I think that's one of my favorite little details,
and it's really cool.
[Patrick] The Smugglers Run's
unbelievable project,
to actually be able to get to fly the Millennium Falcon
is something that, as a fan, you dream about.
You actually get to do that with this ride.
It's like a Star Tours, only on steroids, and it's just--
you know, it's a very interactive experience.
I'm here with a copilot, two gunners, two engineers.
We're about to head out on our mission.
Normally, I work alone.
-All right, wish us good luck. -[Obi-Wan Kenobi] In my experience,
there's no such thing as luck.
[whoosh]
Aah! Aah!
-Go that way! -I know.
This is why we never want to fly together after we've had an argument.
[ride audio] It's getting too hot!
-We've got to get out of here! -[clanking]
There we are, there we are, there we are.
One of my favorite things to do when I was hosting The Tonight Show
was send my Scottish mother out to the movies to review films,
and then I'd read her reviews on the air.
Now, the first movie I sent my mother to was Star Wars.
This is my mother's actual review of Star Wars,
I am not changing a word.
[falsetto] "Lights are flashing here,
lights are flashing there,
and things are goin' ta-zing by your face.
Who would watch this?"
[Billy Dee] Coming up,
legendary composer John Williams,
who has been part of Star Wars from the very beginning,
shares his original score for Galaxy's Edge.
[John Williams] The music for Galaxy's Edge, its mission is to try
to excite the imagination and the anticipation.
[Billy Dee] And Keegan let's Neil in on
a little rumor going around the Black Spire Outpost.
The story is that you crashed and burned.
Um, I flew great.
[Billy Dee] All when Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, Adventure Awaits returns.
[whoosh]
This is other-level. The attention to detail is amazing.
I think that's what our fans want from us,
is that we're sweating those details.
It's all that stuff that I feel like brings a level of authenticity, right?
-Yeah. -Everything you hear,
the voices, even the music,
because it wouldn't be Star Wars
without that iconic sound of John Williams.
-Ohh. -So we went to John, and we said,
"Will you record new music for us?
Will you compose new themes, new anthems,
for Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge and for Black Spire Outpost
and for the characters who live here?"
And he said yes.
Going to Abbey Road Studios
-in the U.K... -Wow.
...listening to the London Symphony Orchestra
play this new John Williams composition
just for this park-- it was an emotional moment.
I love it!
Okay, can I say something that I've always wanted to say?
Ladies and gentlemen, John Williams.
[John] The music for Galaxy's Edge, its mission is to try
to excite the imagination
and the anticipation
of something that you're going to experience
that you hadn't experienced before.
It all started for me with my meeting with George Lucas.
And I was introduced, like the rest of us,
to this incredible world of imagination of George,
of the creatures he created.
I have to say, I looked at the film, and I thought it was very exciting,
and we scored it in London, and I thought,
"Well, this will be probably a huge success.
It will run for maybe a month."
And here we are, talking 40 years later.
That was just an example of how it seemed like a finite thing in 1977,
but, in fact, it was not.
And exciting for all of us that it's still so strong
in people's minds and imaginations.
I have had decades of fun with all of this,
so it's just exciting that it's still with us
in all the manifestations that it's taken.
And generations are finding it interesting and intriguing
just the same way that we did back then.
This was a huge honor for us.
There's no one like him--
one of the greatest composers of all time.
[John] Writing for films
can be very restricting.
You've got a minute and 30 seconds to do five things.
Writing a piece like this,
there's certainly a wonderful sense of freedom,
to try to express what this thing is really all about.
♪♪
[John] Like an overture would do in the theaters,
you come in and you hear the overture, you have a sense of excitement.
You're gonna hear something and see something wonderful
that pulls you into it
and gets you out of the parking lot,
into a mind-set of seeing and imagining something.
♪♪
I am thrilled to be a part of this.
I hope they have as much fun with all of this
Star Wars experience as I have had over all these years,
and I hope that they will have, whatever their ages,
will have decades of fun...
and hopefully inspiration
from their experience with all of this.
♪♪
This is Oga's Cantina.
It serves pilots, bounty hunters,
smugglers, and stars of TV and movies.
And it attracts some of the most disreputable characters
in the galaxy--
you know, pilots, bounty hunters,
smugglers, and stars of TV and movies.
Like all great bars, it has amazing drinks and a deejay.
The deejay here is RX-24, also known as Rex.
-♪♪ -Rex, a former pilot droid,
who you may recognize from Star Tours,
crash-landed on Batuu and was reprogrammed
into a deejay by Mubo at the Droid Depot.
Mubo gave Rex to Oga to pay off a debt,
and Rex now provides the musical entertainment
here inside Oga's Cantina.
On the scary side, Oga is like a real G, okay, man?
She's kind of like this outpost's crime boss
with a way worse temper.
But despite that, this is the perfect place
to come, rest your feet, and get a drink.
Barkeep, Fuzzy Tauntaun.
-You got it. -Thanks.
Hey! Uh, Neil! Whatcha been up to?
Oh, whew! I just piloted the Falcon.
-Oh! -And let me tell ya, it went great.
Oh, uh, that's, uh, actually not the story around the cantina.
The story is that you crashed and burned.
Crashed a--
Um, I flew great.
-Really? -Yeah.
Okay.
I got a bad feeling about this!
-Whoa! -[all screaming]
Aah! That's on me.
-[all screaming] -Whoa! Sorry.
-It's no big deal. -Oh, no, no, it's, you know--
But the story is that Hondo has put a bounty out on you.
That's a big deal. Whoa!
Oh, you forgot your, uh, Fuzzy Tauntaun.
Hey, uh, you know what? Um... I'll drink it.
Just, uh-- Just put it on my tab.
My name is Neil Patrick Harris.
Yeah, thanks.
This is just one of the great places
to grab a beverage or a snack here on Batuu.
Concoctions here are for all ages,
and include drinks like the Fuzzy Tauntaun, Bespin Fizz,
Jabba Juice, Hyperdrive Punch-It,
Carbon Freeze,
Black Spire Brew, and many others.
Yes, yes, but now you must eat.
[Brian Piasecki] We all know that food and beverage
plays an incredible part of any story that we tell.
[inquisitive grunt]
And Galaxy's Edge is no different.
It's so immersive,
it's so detail-oriented,
that you really walk in
and you step into another planet.
So we want to continue to tell that story
with food, with beverage.
The creative process has been ongoing for several years.
The real challenge was,
how can we tell the story of Tatooine?
How do we tell the story of a garden planet?
How do we bring a desert to life on a plate?
So, once you start to put all those pieces together
and flavor combinations
and ingredients, you come up with something pretty fantastic.
[Keegan] Over at Docking Bay 7-- Food and Cargo--
Chef Cookie Tuggs brings in giant cargo ships
filled with ingredients he has gathered from across the galaxy.
And as you wander through the marketplace,
you can follow the scent of meat over to Ronto Roasters,
a favorite stop for crews preparing for their next mission.
[Brian] When you walk into this land
and you come around into the souk
and you see that podracer engine
that really acts as the fire element...
when you smell that grilled meat,
it's completely immersive,
and it just-- it really completes the experience.
[Keegan] Chef Cookie Tuggs' specialties include
fried Endorian Tip Yip
and some Smoked Kaadu Ribs...
food that you can't try anywhere else.
Blue milk, of course--
-very iconic. -[liquid pouring]
[Brian] When a lot of people saw that scene in the movie,
they were like, "What is that?"
So now the chance to bring it to life is pretty incredible.
[Keegan] Just in case you didn't know,
Star Wars fans had written a story that blue milk came from a bantha,
which is a large, furry mammal
that travels in herds on Tatooine.
-[bantha moos] -[Brad Ward] So, blue milk
has flavors of dragon fruit, pineapple, lime, with a hint of watermelon.
[Keegan] And the green milk comes from a thala-siren.
Thala-sirens are docile marine mammals
that like to sun themselves on the planet Ahch-To.
Green milk is flavors of mandarin orange, grapefruit,
passion fruit, little touch of orange blossom.
It took months to finalize the flavors of the blue and green milks.
My Star Wars memory is from the very first film,
Episode IV: A New Hope, it's--
when I was a kid, I was about 7 or 8 years old,
and my father would take me and my brother
to see Star Wars whenever we did something good.
Like, if we had done all of our chores
or we went to a meeting with him or something and we were quiet,
he would take us to see Star Wars,
because it was that time in our history
when you could watch a movie
in the theater over and over and over again,
and I remember having never seen anything like it in my life.
And part of it that was really exciting for me
was to watch my father exhibit as much wonder
as me and my brother did
at this world that George Lucas had created.
It's just something that's very near and dear to my heart.
And that's my Star Wars story.
[Billy Dee] When we return, the First Order
is patrolling the Black Spire Outpost,
and Sarah Hyland is caught right in the middle of it all.
I'm really nervous I'm gonna get caught in a huge battle.
[Billy Dee] You know, those stormtroopers have been trouble
for as long as I can remember.
Have you seen a Wookiee?
We also share exclusive details about the upcoming
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser experience,
when Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, Adventure Awaits continues.
[whoosh]
I want to learn the ways of the Force
and become a Jedi like my father.
I first got to see A New Hope"
and I was introduced into the Star Wars world back in Spain.
A couple of years after that,
we immigrated here to the United States,
and I remember seeing The Empire Strikes Back
in a drive-through in New Jersey.
I knew from right there that it totally had me hooked.
Fast-forward a couple of years,
and I'm working here at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
And of all things, my very first job
was actually working at Star Tours.
So you can imagine how happy I was about that.
What's been really, really special about that--
it's almost to the day, 30 years later--
being able to be a part of the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge team
has been very, very rewarding.
[John Larena] My first experience with Star Wars
was actually at the toy store.
And they had a looping 8-millimeter film
showing Han and Luke
firing the guns in the Millennium Falcon,
fighting off TIE Fighters.
And I remember as a child, I would just spend hours
just staring at that footage playing again and again,
and I think that was my first introduction to Star Wars.
Ha ha!
I'm going, "Wow. This is the most amazing thing."
No matter who you are, there was always a character
that you really gravitated towards,
and for me, that was Yoda.
-[Yoda cackling] -You know,
I've been little all my life.
Judge me by my size, do you?
What really resonated with me about his character is that,
you know, good things come in small packages. [laughs]
[giggling]
[John Larena] I think it's really the characters of Star Wars
that really bring it to life and make it so memorable.
I think we've all been Luke Skywalker
at one point in our lives, to want to go do something else,
to think that we're destined for something greater
than others may think,
the need for that sense of adventure
and that testing our mettle against evil
and seeing if we had what it takes.
You know, we've always wanted to be a scoundrel like Han Solo.
The same with Finn and Poe and Rey--
they all embody, you know, core archetypes
that we can all relate to.
[Chris] It's interesting coming full circle
from being that 12-year-old boy getting to
run out in the backyard on Christmas morning
and play in the snow and build my own Hoth play set
and have my AT-AT walker and my AT-ST walker
go through the snow and to build this incredible battle scene,
to now actually get to build this incredible place.
To have been part of that generation
that got to experience the original movies
when we were very young,
and now to be a part of this whole new era of Star Wars
and have more Star Wars now than ever before,
it's pretty exciting.
It is a childhood dream come true.
Present your identity card for verification.
Hold on one second. It's, um...
Wait, ho-- hold up. Um...
Your allegiance should be with the First Order.
-No, no. -Be careful, citizen.
Please show your identification!
Here. Here, here.
[woman] James, come on.
Thanks a lot.
And what are you doing on Batuu?
I'm here on a vacation.
Can't get much further away than this rock.
-I know. I know. -[woman laughs]
The Resistance has decided to set up a base
hidden away in these ruins left by an ancient civilization.
But I am a little nervous that the First Order might be on its way,
and I'm really nervous I'm gonna get caught in a huge battle.
[Stormtrooper] Stop right there!
Careful. Someone might question your loyalty.
[Matt] When we set foot on Batuu,
it's kind of right in the middle of the big war
between the First Order and the Resistance.
Right now, the First Order is winning.
They have, you know, started really taking over the galaxy,
and the Resistance is just a very small force
and really the only group that can stand up to them.
[Kylo Ren] Perhaps the First Order is your destiny.
If not, no matter--
it is your future.
[Carrie] One of the things I love
so much is how exciting it is for people to participate
and to actually become part of the narrative,
become part of the story.
You all are members of the Resistance now, okay?
[Carrie] When find the Resistance, we find them rebuilding
and re-fortifying their forces, looking for recruits across the galaxy.
People from all over the galaxy
can travel to Batuu and join the Resistance.
Are you supporters of the Resistance?
-Of course. -Hi. My name is Vi, Vi Moradi.
[Carrie] When you meet Vi Moradi in Black Spire Outpost,
she's there as a Resistance spy.
So she's trying to find all kinds of information
about the First Order--
why they've arrived, what they're doing there.
As a guest and as part of the story,
you can interact with Vi and become part of that journey
that she has throughout the day...
Eyes and ears peeled everywhere.
...uncovering and discovering things
about the First Order that she can report back to the Resistance.
I want all you searching this outpost.
If they are here, they will not escape.
-[Stormtrooper] Yes, sir! -For the First Order,
they are trying to hunt down the Resistance.
[Kylo Ren] There is a Resistance spy
in this outpost.
Will you find out what you can?
-Why? -Sure.
Have you seen a Wookiee?
The Wookiee who flies the Millennium Falcon, is he here?
Uh, I think he's that way.
[Matt] So now we have this small galactic trading port
that has become a hotbed
for the war between the Resistance,
who are in hiding and recruiting,
and the First Order, who are trying to seek them out.
-Is this your lightsaber? -Yeah.
Tell me, are you training to use it?
-Uh, yeah. -[laughing]
Have you pledged your support to the First Order?
-Yes. -That's good.
See that it stays that way.
[Oscar] If you do come in contact with Kylo or the stormtroopers,
try to avoid, you know? Move fast.
You can give him a little bit of attitude.
Sometimes it helps. You know, stand up to him.
We've got eyes on you.
One of the things that's really exciting
about finding the characters there
is that you're actually interacting with Chewbacca
as he's there on behalf of the Resistance,
or you're intersecting Kylo Ren as he's sweeping,
looking for Resistance spies,
and you can come across Rey, who's out there recruiting
and hoping that you'll join the cause.
And so, I think one of the things that's so wonderful
is that you become part of their stories
just as much as they become part of yours.
Just a moment, young traveler.
Have you come to Batuu looking for adventure?
Or looking for trouble?
[guests laughing]
Come here.
[guests laughing]
Don't move.
[guests laughing]
On your way, then.
Goodbye.
-Bye-bye! -[laughter]
[Billy Dee] When we return, Sarah Hyland and my favorite Wookiee
take a stroll through the marketplace...
[gasps] It's a Loth-cat. Shh, it's sleeping.
...and we'll also hear how the Imagineers and Lucasfilm
brought Batuu to life.
We're not just building one of these.
[cheers and applause]
We're building two.
I really couldn't believe the scale of it.
[Billy Dee] Plus, we'll have a special tour
of the epic attraction
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
It's all coming your way on...
[whoosh]
[Matt] We started with the kind of big, conceptual,
"What is Batuu?"
And then once we had that, we started delving into
the individual stories of just certain parts of Batuu,
and then getting smaller,
into the individual stories of the characters of Batuu.
We wanted to build this really authentic sense
that there's these local Batuuans
who have a family, who have a history,
and it's really, really exciting and inspiring
to see our local Batuuans come to life.
Every cast member at a Disney park is unique and special.
But at Starwars: Galaxy's Edge,
they're actually residents of Batuu.
I work here at Ohnaka Transport Solutions.
I'm one of the flight crew members.
I am a merchant here at Black Spire. I am a villager.
Over at Resistance Supply, I bring in the wares.
We all work hand-in-hand with one another.
Hondo pays Dok, Dok pays Oga.
Oga has pretty much hired me to bartend.
The bad thing is, is that I owe a debt to her, so...
Working for Hondo is an experience every day.
And he always asks us to send people down.
He even has something on the board over here
saying he needs recruits.
He does run a very "legitimate" business,
But there's a few carts around here that I choose not to open.
But he's a good boss-- when he pays.
We wanted to build a culture.
We wanted to build traditions-- the way that they talk.
When you travel to France,
for example, you know, as you're traveling,
you pick up some of the certain lingo.
You say bonjour and merci, you know?
But in Black Spire Outpost,
the way that they greet guests
is something that we felt very passionately about.
"Bright suns" is our usual welcoming, like a "good morning."
Or "rising moons," depending on the time of day.
"Good run" when you've done something well
or you did a great job out there flying.
And then "Till the spire" is usually "Till we see each other again,"
something like that.
[Margaret] So we really, truly wanted to build a believable community
that was unique and interesting.
I have a feeling that our guests are going to develop
very strong personal relationships with our local Batuuans.
[Stormtrooper] Resistance supporters
will not escape this outpost.
[Kylo Ren] It doesn't matter why they came to Batuu--
they're not going to leave.
Copy. Understood.
If they know something you don't, make them tell you.
We will find out what they know, sir!
Extract the transmission logs from that datapad
-and wipe the memory. -Affirmative.
[Sarah] Like many destinations across the galaxy,
Batuu has an exotic marketplace.
And, of course, being a visitor here,
my plan is to check out everything there is to see.
And to help me out is a new friend of mine,
and the first Wookiee I ever met in person, Chewbacca!
-[growling] -[laughs]
So, where should we go first?
[growls]
Oh, great idea. The Creature Stall.
[Sarah chuckles]
So, Bina runs the Creature Stall,
and it has so many exotic things to see and to buy.
[gasps] It's a Loth-cat! Shh, it's sleeping.
[Chewbacca growls]
What I love about this shop is how guests like me
are encouraged to look into the cages,
even poke around a bit, before deciding what to take home.
-[growls] -[laughs]
Oh, and by the way, if you're wondering
how I can understand the Wookiee language,
let's just say monkey-lizard here is an excellent tutor.
[creature chitters, laughs]
Well, I thought I was a much better student than that, but okay.
This is Toydarian Toymakers stall,
which means that that must be Zabaka working in the window.
I mean, look at this place--
hand-made toys, interactive games like Sabacc,
toy speeders, and-- Oh.
Chewie's favorite toy.
I'd buy one right now,
but the real thing is much more handsome.
[Brad Schoenberg] The marketplace is one of my favorite stops
throughout Black Spire Outpost.
It has a "artisan" feel.
It has a local touch to it.
The stories here gave us the opportunity to think about,
"What would the world's wackiest, craziest pet shop look like?"
And that came to be Bina's Creature Stall.
"What would a toy maker make for the kids of this outpost?"
That became our artisan toyshop.
"Where do the locals get everything they wear?"
And that become Black Spire Outfitters.
The idea is that...
anything that you buy within Galaxy's Edge
is something that you could find in the Star Wars galaxy.
[Brad] For all the guests, no matter how they came into...
the Star Wars stories,
that there is something that said, "I can't believe they have that.
I can't believe that's here."
[Chris] The merchandise experience
and the food experience, they're experiences.
It's not a merchandise shop, it's a merchandise experience.
That is what makes this place unique.
That's what makes coming to Galaxy's Edge
something unique and different.
I really think that there's so much discovery,
if you take the time to really look in all of the stores
and the stalls and have the experiences,
no matter where you came into Star Wars,
you'll find something that is pretty awesome to discover.
What a great marketplace.
Everything you see here, and all throughout Batuu,
took years for the Imagineers and cast members to bring to life.
Let's see how it all began.
I am C-3PO.
Welcome aboard the StarSpeeder 3,000.
[Chris] Imagineers always had a great relationship with Lucasfilm,
all the way back to the days of Star Tours...
[ride audio] Red 24, I'm going in.
...letting guests come into this amazing world
and be a part of these incredible stories and adventures.
And then about six years ago,
leadership brought a few of us into a room,
a few of us lead designers, and said,
"If Lucasfilm was part of the family,
and you would have the opportunity to build a land
just dedicated solely to Star Wars,
what would you dream up?"
And we knew that we had this opportunity,
and we wanted to make sure that we were gonna do it
in a way that totally exceeded our guests' wildest expectations.
It's exciting, but it was also very daunting at the same time,
because you're like, "Wow, where do we take our guests?
Where do we want them to go and explore?
What would the attractions be like?"
We quickly found out that it's not gonna be as easy as we thought.
For a long time, we looked at Tatooine,
and we looked at Coruscant and different places,
and we kept coming back to,
that was really retelling someone else's story.
Do we want to build a museum
where we can visit all those places again?
Or do we want to build a place
that we can enter for the first time?
[Asa] We settled on this idea of a brand-new planet,
because we loved this idea of creating a place
that would serve as the scaffold for guests to come
and bring and tell their own stories.
[Chris] It was a place where you could be that rogue adventurer.
You could be that hero on the edge of the galaxy
or that smuggler or that scoundrel.
And when we hit upon that,
we knew that we were onto something unique and different
and something that was gonna be just special.
There were really two parts
to the research that we did on the project,
and the first was going back to the source.
We worked with Lucasfilm Story Group
and the design team from the very beginning.
They brought in not only the knowledge,
but the passion to this project,
and that's exactly what we needed.
I would minimize that, because it starts to get--
It reads too strongly of that.
[Doug Chiang] And one of the keys of designing Star Wars environments
is that there's always sort of a very unique identifying feature.
For instance, like, Endor had the giant trees,
Hoth had the snow planet, and Tatooine obviously is a desert.
So we wanted find out, "Okay, what is it that's gonna make Batuu very unique?"
[Chris] When you look at the buildings and the forms
that were created by Ralph McQuarrie,
who was the original production designer on the first film,
he gave Star Wars its look--
these domed, big, heavy, monolithic shapes.
It's a very gritty kind of texture.
It's worn. It's aged. It's used.
Then we went up to the archives,
and we just dug through every piece of artwork
that was generated over the last 40 years, that we started to say,
"Wow, we love that design element. We love this look and that look."
And we found this wonderful reference in part of our research--
this petrified forest in Arizona, with these giant spires.
And we thought, "Okay, well, how about if we took that idea
and just magnify it by a thousand?"
These tall spires created a lot of mystery.
They're very dramatic, and by increasing the scales,
it created even more drama.
[Chris] And we started to stitch these together,
and through that process,
we created our own look and our own form.
But at the same time, when you look at it you go,
"Wow, that's Star Wars .'" The DNA is there.
-I love this! And this... -[man] Yeah, I agree.
[man] I want to ride the Millennium Falcon.
I want it!
Today, I'm thrilled to announce
the next chapter
in the long and exciting history
between Disney Parks and Star Wars.
[cheers and applause]
When I first heard about Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge,
we were actually shooting on set.
I believe it was when we were doing Last Jedi, actually.
It just looked so incredible--
just mind-blowing, what they were planning to do.
...that a place in which, you know,
everything would be Star Wars -themed.
You'd have access to characters,
several different activities, rides-- very exciting stuff.
[Carrie] The idea that we could go and actually visit a place
that was really in Star Wars was incredible.
[Chris] A land that celebrates Star Wars
and brings all these incredible adventures together.
A planet and a place
that people have never stepped into before.
This place, Batuu,
was integrated into the canon of Star Wars--
a place for guests to come
and to live their very own Star Wars adventures.
And under the creative leadership of a great team of Imagineers,
combined with the amazing storytellers at Lucasfilm,
the technological genius of ILM,
we're creating a jaw-dropping new world--
our largest single-theme land expansion ever.
[cheers and applause]
I really couldn't believe the scale-- the scale of it.
We had wind in our sails, because we knew
that the Disney fans and Star Wars fans
instantly fell in love with it, and we're like,
"Okay, great. We're ready. We're ready to go and deliver something
that no one's ever seen before."
And one more thing. We're not just building one of these...
[cheers and applause]
...we're building two.
[cheers and applause]
[Asa] It was incredibly exciting to build it
both here in California, and in Florida as well.
It's a dream come true. Every day, you come to work
and work with incredible storytellers
and artisans and engineers and visionaries.
You get to see the props going in place.
You get to see the rockwork taking form, and it's incredible,
'cause you're seeing it transform in front of your eyes.
[Carrie] There are all kinds of wonderful layers
to everything that you see within the park itself.
[Karin Hanson] We ultimately produced
over 120 animatronics.
It's gonna be really fun, everything for droids
to your favorite heroes and villains,
and then even some new characters
that you haven't even met yet.
[Asa] We're making spaceships.
It legitimately does not get any cooler than that.
We're so excited to share this place with the world.
We've been working on Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
for more than five years.
And as great as it seemed in concept,
as great as it seemed in all the art,
in all the imagination,
the models that our Imagineers created--
nothing can hold a candle
to what this has actually turned out to be.
Oh, we're doing it. We're going in!
-My heart's pounding. -Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh.
I'm not okay right now.
This is it!
[all] Five, four, three, two, one!
[cheers and applause]
[Bob Iger] Ladies and gentlemen,
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is now open.
[crowd cheering]
[man] We made it!
This is a dream come true for me,
to be in here on opening day.
I can't believe what I'm seeing right now.
-[gasps] Oh! -[gasping, laughing]
-Wow. -Dude.
I can't take it in. I can't do it. This is crazy!
It's Chewbacca!
[growls]
I hope you're staying out of trouble.
-[R2-D2 beeps] -Oh!
Your loyalty would seem to be in question.
-[Stormtrooper] Move aside, travelers. -I would agree. I would agree.
He's so scary.
I know. He's very intimidating.
Track that datapad.
Sir!
[Kylo Ren] Handle it, trooper.
Apologies, sir.
[Kylo Ren] Not helpful.
[Billy Dee] When we return,
Keegan and Neil drop some Star Wars knowledge
in Dok-Ondar's Den of Antiquities.
Wow, I'm very impressed. How'd you learn all that?
-I majored in Star Wars in college. -Nice.
-Whoa. - And Miles Brown goes on a quest
to find Savi's Workshop...
[Miles] I think I finally found it.
...where he can build his very own lightsaber.
-You want to build a lightsaber? -Only all my life.
When Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, Adventure Awaits returns.
[whoosh]
Disneyland is your land.
Here, age relives fond memories of the past,
and here, youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future.
Working on Galaxy's Edge feels like
kind of a continuation of Walt's legacy,
and the immersive nature of it feels kind of like the next step
for what had been originally envisioned for Disneyland.
Where, Disneyland, you get to step back into time
or you get to step into the future
or you get to go on an adventure.
And here, we're really taking you to another planet.
My first experience going to the parks
was actually, you know, after Star Wars.
It was the first time I'd ever been. I was really impressed.
I'm a major fan of the Indiana Jones ride,
and at the end, you know, you see Harrison Ford
giving you a "Good. Well done."
I've always loved that feeling when any of the characters
from the universe of that ride
kind of, like, reaches out, and it's more interactive,
and you can see them right there.
And to know that obviously that was gonna happen to me,
specifically through Finn,
I thought it was just incredible.
[Oscar] I remember going there and seeing the characters,
and it just was a real wonderful thing for our family
to connect over and to have fun together with.
One of my first trips to Disney World-- I actually grew up in Florida--
my dad, kicking and screaming, made me go on Space Mountain.
But it changed my life.
It was truly one of the best experiences I've ever had
and one that stuck with me,
to just always know that you should always try.
And I've loved roller coasters, and I've loved the parks ever since.
[Margaret] Growing up, my first Disney experience
was when I was 7 years old,
and I went to Tokyo Disneyland.
And seeing things come to life...
like hippos, but they were real to me as a child,
and I think that that sense of discovery and adventure
that we give to our guests
in all of our lands and experiences,
I think that's what gets people coming back over and over again.
I've been going to Disneyland Park as long as I can remember.
It's actually the place where I've had
the majority of my family trips and vacations throughout my life.
And it's been such an important part
not just of my childhood
and my family memories
and the experience that I have of growing up,
but also, as someone who works in story,
it's totally shaped the way I've thought about storytelling.
[Matt] Walt said very famously something like,
"As long as there's imagination in the world,
Disneyland will never be complete."
And I think that really goes hand-in-hand
with what we're doing now.
It feels like this was an extension
that was always meant to be.
-I'll take a blue and a green milk. -All right.
And one of those.
So, you want a lightsaber?
Look for Savi's Workshop over by Black Spire Station.
-Where's that? -[Stormtrooper] Stay alert.
They could be anywhere.
I gotta go now. Good luck.
Resistance activity has been reported.
All travelers are subject to interrogation.
We're looking for a highly skilled Resistance spy.
Anyone here fit that description?
-Maybe-- -Fine. Move along.
We have eyes on you.
Someone might question your loyalty.
Resistance activity will not escape notice.
Porgs.
I don't want a pet that can chew through my armor.
That's affirmative.
I find your response suspicious.
I don't know what's so special about that Falcon ship.
Doubt it can even take off.
Where is Savi's?
[Stormtrooper] You!
You were seen with known Resistance supporters.
We'll need to see your identification.
Uh, I'm just visiting.
Lucky for you, we're busy.
Stay out of trouble.
[Keenan] Look at all this.
This is Dok-Ondar's Den of Antiquities.
Dok's story is that as he traveled throughout the galaxy,
he picked up the different artifacts you see.
He brought them here to Batuu and opened up this shop.
Now, most of them are for sale,
but a few are classic Star Wars relics
that Dok will never part with,
which explains why they are bolted to the wall.
-Like that. -Oh, yeah, that's--
I think that's a Himalayan mountain goat.
Actually, that is a kod'yok. It's a shaggy, horned quadruped.
And right next to it's a tauntaun.
Down on the lower left is a nexu,
and then in the center is a Corellian hound.
Wow, I'm very impressed. How'd you learn all that?
-I majored in Star Wars in college. -Nice.
Oh! I know what that is. That's a wampa.
[Keegan] Oh, wow. I wonder if that's the one
that actually attached Luke to the top of the ice cave?
-Yeah. -I'll ask him,
but I don't think he's in a position to answer.
-[laughs] -Am I right?
Oh, check out that juvenile dianoga in the tank there.
[Neil] Dok's got everything here.
He's got jewelry, ancient tools, rare kyber crystals.
He's got blasters, all kinds of helmets.
Hey, you know what I find is a really cool thing to do?
-Hm? -Whenever I'm visiting a place,
I like to get some small gift for my kids to take home.
That's very smart. I do the same thing, get a little something for my wife.
-Yeah, we can do that here. -Yeah, absolutely.
Let's make a deal, though. Let's agree nothing extravagant.
-Mm-hm. Deal. -One gift each.
-Something small. -Something small.
-No matter what, something small. -On it.
Think we're gonna need the Millennium Falcon
-to get all this stuff home. -Yeah.
[Neil] Growing up, when I was a kid,
I do remember going to see the first movie when it came out
with my older brother and my father.
And it was just a really great bonding moment
from father to son.
And it is now an amazing memory for me as a father
to have taken my son and daughter
to see the new movies as they've come out.
So it's gone full circle for me...
...in a really kind of amazingly emotional way.
[Billy Dee] Next up, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac
share behind-the-scene stories
about filming Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
at the famous Pinewood Studios.
To have Poe Dameron fly side-by-side
with all these new recruits, that feels pretty great.
-Whoo-hoo! -[John Boyega] And then it ends with,
hopefully, a great victory for the Resistance.
[Billy Dee] And Kaley Cuoco takes us on a special tour
inside the jaw-dropping new attraction.
Let's go!
[Billy Dee] And we'll share all the latest details
about a brand-new, two-night immersive adventure--
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser.
When Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, Adventure Awaits continues.
[whoosh]
We will destroy the Resistance.
[Kaley] I'm here, just outside
what is possibly the biggest, most complex attraction
that Disney, or anyone else, has every built:
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
And because I'm such a huge fan, they let me take you
on this one-of-a-kind look at this immersive experience.
Okay, it was after me begging and pleading
that they let me take you on this incredible tour.
Now let's see how the stars of Star Wars
and the Imagineers made it all possible.
[Chris] When we started out,
we quickly knew we wanted to do an attraction
that put you in the middle of that conflict
between the First Order and the Resistance.
Like, day one, we said, "Okay, great, that's Rise of the Resistance.
That's what that attraction has to be."
The audience are taken into a world full of action
when they are captured by a Star Destroyer,
and they're left in there to fend for themselves for a bit.
[screaming]
[John Larena] This is gonna be an immersive experience
like you've never been on before,
with fully-realized laser blasts in mid-air, holograms,
full-size AT-ATs, you name it.
Imagine being chased for 15 minutes
by Kylo Ren and the First Order.
Stormtroopers everywhere,
lightsabers coming at you.
It's going to be fantastic.
The overall story of Rise of the Resistance is,
you're a recruit being recruited by the Resistance.
You come onboard here at the planet Batuu.
They load you into a transport.
[John Larena] Well, Rey is actually a key component of our ride.
She's actually the first Resistance member that you're gonna meet.
Recruits, thank you for joining the cause.
And she's gonna give us a very special mission
to meet up with the rest of the Resistance.
We have transports waiting to take you
to General Organa's secret base on Bakura.
[John] Poe Dameron is gonna be our wingman on a secret mission.
To have Poe Dameron fly side-by-side
with all these new recruits to start this wild adventure,
that feels pretty great.
Whoo-hoo!
On your way to meet them at a secret location,
you get intercepted by the First Order,
who's in orbit above the planet Batuu.
[John] When it's our darkest moment and we don't know
how we're gonna get out of the situation that we're in,
Finn shows up and gives us special instructions
on how to get down to the bottom of the Star Destroyer
and get off before the whole place goes sky-high.
I know there's a lot of blaster action from me
while you guys get away.
I hold off the enemy, and then it ends
with, hopefully, a great victory for the Resistance.
I am here with Executive Creative Director
of Walt Disney Imagineering, John Larena.
-Good to meet you. -Where are we?
This is amazing. Tell us what we are doing.
So, we're here at a temporary base
that the Resistance has set up,
and they're looking to recruit new members to the cause.
Wow. And what is Poe's fighter doing here?
[John] So, he's part of this team that's doing recon,
and he's actually gonna fly as a wingman on our mission.
[Kaley] This is incredible. Now, how long have you
and your Imagineering team been working on this?
Well, we've been working on this for over four years
with Lucasfilm to get everything perfect
and really deliver an immersive experience
-for all of our guests. -Wow.
Well, let's find out a little bit more
about how Disney Imagineering
worked with Lucasfilm and Industrial Light and Magic
to bring this groundbreaking attraction to life.
[Patrick] The process of bringing something like this to life
takes a long time.
[Doug] As we started to design Rise of the Resistance,
we start with 2-D concepts.
And 2-D inspirational concepts
are an idea to kind of get the feel for what it is.
Part of our five-year design process
is really designing things, going back to story,
coming back to another layer of design revisions
to make sure that the designs and the changes
to fit the requirement
actually still fit within the Star Wars universe.
You can get a sense of muscle striations going down it.
And part of our goal was to take all of those designs
and build it real.
[John] The technology that's been developed for this project,
we're pushing it to the next level.
I want to go over there.
And it helps it all feel very real.
Oh, I see it. You're right.
So, would you like to take a look around behind the scenes?
-Let's go! -All right, well, let's put on
some protective gear, and we're on our way.
-Wait, John, which one's yours? -Well, I like that one,
but it's got your name on it, so...
-Okay, that's pretty cute. I'll take it.
-Okay. -Thanks for picking my favorite color.
Sure.
[John] So this is a Star Wars story,
and not everything goes according to plan.
We end up stuck on this Star Destroyer,
and we gotta figure out a way off of it.
This is truly unbelievable. I mean, it's so huge!
I've never seen anything like it.
We are really on a Star Destroyer!
I feel like I'm looking out into space.
Those stormtroopers are so intimidating.
[John] You're gonna really feel like you're onboard a Star Destroyer.
And on top of that, you're gonna have to watch out
for Kylo Ren, 'cause he's coming to get you.
[Bill George] For this attraction, we're adding in
a lot of stormtroopers that interact with the guests.
So today, we're here on the mo-cap stage
in order to shoot actors in these suits
so we can capture their motion, and then their motions
are transferred into digital information--
the vectors of where a shoulder is, where an elbow is,
where a wrist is, and those vectors
are then attached to our digital characters.
So it's really a beautiful method,
because you get the control of a digital character,
but you get the natural motion of a real human being.
[weapon zapping]
-Yeah, yeah. -That was straight on.
-[laughing] All right. -Ohh!
[Matt] We were figuring out what the actual ride elements would be,
and then how we would marry some of those ride elements
to the story that we wanted to tell.
We started with pre-viz,
some original concepts of what the rides could be,
and then we virtually rode through the ride for almost a year.
[John] So we're actually getting to ride our ride
before we even build a single wall
to really deliver the most impactful
Star Wars experience we could possibly give you.
Two alpha, take five. "A"-mark.
It's fantastic to be here at Pinewood
and be surrounded by all the history
of all the movies that have come here before us,
and then with all the sets that are here now for Star Wars,
-it's incredible. -[man] Ready!
A covert Resistance team led by my friend Finn
has infiltrated a First Order Star Destroyer
that is now headed to this system.
Poe's coming back with an attack force.
Get to your escape pods now!
For Rise of the Resistance, we worked with a lot of the cast.
We worked with Daisy Ridley, John Boyega,
Oscar Isaac, also Adam Driver.
We reached out to them through Lucasfilm
while they were doing the productions of Episode VIII and IX.
I first heard about Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
through conversation that Daisy was having about the park,
'cause we were about to film for the ride,
so was giving us a little debrief on the timeline,
because we were actually filming the shots for the ride
while we were filming Rise of Skywalker,
so we done it kind of at the same time.
The team came over,
and they showed me design ideas
of what the world was gonna look like,
and it just looked so incredible and so astounding.
And then they started showing me the specific ride,
which was just mind-blowing, what they were planning to do.
For me, it's obviously the longest ride
I've ever heard about, just, like, over ten minutes.
What we gonna be doing?
And it was just several different layers of activities and adventure,
and, hopefully, then we get to ride it.
And we were actually able to work in a satellite crew
to capture those moments with the cast.
I had to go back in a stormtrooper suit,
and I was just like... [sighs]
"Couldn't he be, you know, undercover
in a nice, comfortable pair of pajamas?" [laughs]
The droids are programmed to return you to Batuu.
Don't get caught. And hurry.
[John] What a treat to be with the actors,
the characters that you know and love,
and actually see them in the flesh is amazing.
And having them as part of our ride
really brings everything to life.
-Awesome. -[man] Cutting that.
I really couldn't believe the scale-- the scale of it.
[man] And action.
[Oscar as Poe] We got company!
First Order TIE fighters! Reroute! Reroute!
It was an incredibly technically difficult shoot.
We've got not only a motion rig that's moving our X-Wing around
but a whole entire light stage around us
that creates the effect of laser blasts
and explosions happening all around our actors.
What was amazing about shooting the Rise of the Resistance attraction,
which is it felt like just an extension of the film
and an extension of the story.
Because we were on set, and I was in the X-Wing already,
and we were shooting scenes,
it just felt like a continuation of the saga.
It's a building step towards this final shot
that our guests are gonna see-- it's gonna blow them away.
[Oscar] It'll feel for people like they are right next to Poe
in an X-Wing... [laughs] fighting the First Order.
And, you know, people are gonna really be in it.
[John] I think it's gonna be incredible for our guests
to truly, physically experience a big battle with the First Order,
with truly massive, physical sets
and state-of-the-art special effects and animatronics.
It's just gonna be an incredible event.
-Yeah! -Yes!
Did you see that? Did you see that?
I saw it.
To be a part of the ride,
to physically be there,
and to, through technology and animatronics,
to be able to be, like, physically present with those who are gonna ride it
every single day they come in, it's pretty special.
That's nuts.
[Kaley] You are not gonna believe how it's gonna feel
to be in the middle of an epic battle
between the Resistance and the First Order.
Oh, it's gonna be amazing.
And, Kaley, I can't wait to share it with you.
Guys, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
is an incredible attraction, you do not want to miss it.
So about, like, six years ago, when my hair was pretty short,
I was involved in an equestrian charity event.
And me and my friends had to put on a big team--
kind of a team event, a team-- a team production.
So we went as Star Wars,
and I was actually Luke Skywalker,
and my hair was short enough that I kind of pulled it off.
I had the full outfit, I had to ride my horse like that.
It was great.
[Billy Dee] Next up, Miles Brown's quest to find Savi's continues.
-You wanna build a lightsaber? -Only all my life.
When Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, Adventure Awaits returns.
[whoosh]
One thing that's very exciting,
maybe almost as exciting as Galaxy's Edge itself,
is the upcoming Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser.
It is like nothing that you've ever seen before--
probably nothing that anybody's ever really done before.
It's almost impossible to describe
what the Starcruiser's going to be like,
because it's not a land,
it's not an attraction,
certainly not a hotel,
but it's a multi-day experience
where you also can land in the port of Batuu.
You get to have an immersive, two-night, three-day trip
inside of the Star Wars galaxy.
You're actually living in it, sleeping in it, eating in it,
and breathing in it for those three days.
[Matt] In there, you'll get to interact with all kinds of different characters,
learning parts of a smaller story,
learning parts of a larger story,
and really being a part of it
and having your own personal Star Wars adventure.
[Carrie] What's so exciting about that
is to think about all the ways
that you get to bring yourself into something
that really feels like you are on a cruise,
except instead of going to maybe the Bahamas
or to Hawaii or to Alaska,
you're actually going to a galaxy far, far away.
Whoa!
Ahh, Savi's.
Ah. Wow, is--
is this the place?
We've heard you talking.
So do you want to build a lightsaber?
Only all my life.
So first, you actually get to pick
what saber you're gonna build from these four kits.
So you have Peace and Justice, Elemental Nature,
Power and Control, and Protection and Defense.
Which one would you like to choose?
Um, Peace and Justice.
Excellent choice.
Here you go, take that, and then follow me in.
Okay.
So, these are some of the amazing items
that Savi has collected across the galaxy.
But the real reason you're here is through this door.
Oh, wow!
This is amazing!
Welcome.
To build a lightsaber is an art.
We begin with perhaps the most important element
of the lightsaber--
the kyber crystal.
Some call the kyber crystal the heart of the lightsaber.
[John Boyega] Well, I think it's really cool
that people get to build their own lightsabers.
For me, that brings the boy out of me, because, you know,
a lightsaber's such an iconic object
in the Star Wars universe that everybody recognizes.
[Gatherer] Inside these boxes are the saber components
you have previously chosen.
Let's build.
[John] If you're like a true fan, you're gonna feel like
you're a Padawan that's about to be a Jedi.
[Gatherer] The bond between saber and builder
is about to be forged.
Activate.
That's a Jedi's weapon--
meant to bring the peace and balance,
by the way,
but it's also great at cutting things clean-cut.
Oh... yes!
[zapping]
Ahh.
First Order, watch out.
Here I come.
I came to Disneyland a long time ago
when I was like, you know, younger,
when I was like seven or something,
and I got to see Chewbacca.
I don't know how,
but I understood everything
that he was trying to tell me, and it was super fun,
we had such a good chemistry together.
And it was really awesome, and now every single time--
every single time I come to Disneyland
or come to Disney World,
I always have to see my boy Chewie.
He's really awesome to see,
and I feel like he remembers me every single time I see him.
That's the funny part.
For me, a Star Wars fan,
a girl who has dressed up as Luke Skywalker,
this has been an experience of a lifetime.
And don't tell anybody, but I snuck on the Millennium Falcon.
[laughing] Ooh!
Have you been on this yet? Buckle up!
Aah! Ha ha!
[Kaley] I had a blast. Me and my friends got to go on,
and I got to drive it at one point.
Oh! Aah!
[screaming]
[screams, laughs]
Lightspeed ahead! Ahh-ha!
It was so realistic and so crazy,
I actually felt like I was leading this thing.
I mean, they made it so realistic to where you feel
completely in control of what you're doing.
Go! Go!
Shoot! Shoot, shoot!
[screaming]
Oh! Geez! Hold on, guys.
-[woman] Fire the missiles at the train! -Fire the phasers!
[screaming]
Aaaaaah!
[Kaley] It was beautiful. We had the time of our lives.
Oh! Go on!
-[laughter, clapping] -Whoo!
-[pushes button] -[beeps]
That. Was. Amazing!
[woman] Wow.
And seeing all these social media posts,
people have been posting saying how much they love it.
You are not gonna want to miss this.
Opening day. I can't believe it.
Here we go. I can feel it. Uh!
Hello, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge!
[all cheering]
I feel like I'm walking into Star Wars.
[gasps] Whoooah!
David, you ready to see a grown man cry?
[both laugh]
[overlapping excited chatter]
-[man] I'm emotional right now. -You are, too?
-Yeah, it gets right in the-- -It gets you in the feels.
-This is just unreal. -Yeah.
[man] Oh, my God!
[crying] It's the Millennium Falcon.
[crying, laughing]
This is crazy!
Oh, my gosh, it's the Falcon.
No. No!
Ho, ho, ho, ho.
-[man] Here it comes. -Oh, my God! No, I'm not ready.
I only saw part of it!
[sighs] I just need a second to catch my breath here.
-This is, um... -[man] Right?
-Dude, I'm with you. -This is-- This is--
I-I-I'm crying a little bit. I'm crying a little bit.
You get to walk around and see the Millennium Falcon,
and literally grew up wishing
and hoping for one day to be able to do that,
and now I actually did, so it was a lot of fun.
Wow, was that the most incredible day of my life.
It was literally the most magical experience.
I felt like a kid again.
I cried, like, five times.
It was really immersive
and exactly what I hoped it would be.
What an amazing place.
Absolutely incredible.
Disney, gotta tell you right now, A-plus.
It's off the charts.
For everybody that worked on this land
and made this possible for us, like, thank you.
[Doug] One of the really fun things about working on this project
for five, almost six years,
is just the experiencing with the guests.
And to me, that's the reward,
is to see the smiles on everybody else's faces
and the kids and how excited they are.
It just kinda warms your heart, because it's like all that hard work,
all that homework, is being appreciated.
[Brad] At Disney, you get to work on
so many unique projects.
This one, to spend so many years with it
and actually get to see it come to life
and really get to see it come to life in all of its glory,
and that's just amazing.
[Eric Baker] Being there on opening day
and seeing the reaction of the guests when they come through
that entry the first time
and see what we've done... [laughs]
It's like, God, I--
They told me not to get emotional.
My brother's been a huge influence on my life
both from a professional standpoint
and a personal standpoint.
He actually kind of helped me realize in high school
that my love for math and physics,
but also my love for the creative side of things,
would be a perfect fit for Imagineering.
And then, personally, for this project as well,
he's the one who really got me into Star Wars
when I was a little kid.
So I'm really excited to share this land
and especially Rise of the Resistance with him,
because it's really those two major elements of my life
that he's been so influential on coming together.
I just can't wait to show him.
[Oscar] You know, to take my family
and to bring my young son for the first time to Disney World,
you know, that's gonna be pretty strange.
I'm sure it'll be very strange for him
sitting next to me on a ride, and then seeing me on the thing.
That'll be a really fun moment.
[John Boyega] I hope you get that feeling
of nostalgia that you want,
you know, going into a world which you've loved
and obviously has impacted their lives
in such a very special way.
[Jacqueline] As a kid, I was always
immediately drawn to numbers and science.
Reading books, imagination-- it wasn't always my strong point.
My mom really just pushed me to be anything I wanted to be,
and so I immediately wanted to be an engineer,
there was never a question in my mind.
But now instead of building bridges, I'm building spaceships.
It really couldn't be better.
When you're young and you have dreams
of being a part of something so much bigger than yourself,
you don't know how you're going to get there,
and you don't know if you're ever gonna make it.
And being able to work on a project like this
with so many people that are so talented
and to know how personal both Disneyland and the Disney Parks
and Star Wars is to me, and to be--
find yourself at this intersection of these two incredible stories
and to be a part of bringing that magic
into other people's lives for them to experience
with their family, there's nothing quite like it.
When Star Wars fans come here, they're gonna be blown away,
'cause it's just like
being in a Star Wars set
with all the Star Wars characters,
and it's a very interactive experience.
[Neil] Our amazing journey together
to the edge of wild space is coming to an end.
Hello, citizens.
[Neil] During the past two hours,
we've gotten just a small glimpse
of the wonders of life on the planet Batuu,
a world filled with scoundrels, smugglers, and pilots...
Yee-hah!
[laughs]
Aaah!
Sorry.
[Neil] ...for the legends of the Black Spire Outpost
are being written every day.
First Order, watch out.
[Neil] The battle between the First Order
and the Resistance rages on.
[roars]
And both sides are looking for new recruits like you,
which means now you have the opportunity
to create your own amazing adventure,
to make your dreams come true
by living your own Star Wars story.
This is Neil Patrick Harris, thanks for watching.