Star Wars Galaxy's Edge: Adventure Awaits (2019) - full transcript

A look at the Disney attraction based on the Star Wars franchise.

Tonight, in a galaxy far, far away...

on the planet Batuu...

Let's see some identification.

This is Billy Dee Williams.

Join host Neil Patrick Harris

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.

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.

- 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.

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.

- Welcome to Black Spire Outpost.

- Whoa.

A remote trading port

on the edge of the galaxy.

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.

- That's trouble.

- That looks like trouble.

But don't worry.

I hear the Resistance is nearby.

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...

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.

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.

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.

Tell me a little bit

about the blue milk.

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.

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.

Look, sir. Droid.

These aren't the droids

you're looking for.

Are you talking about me?

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.

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.

- Oh, that's so easy.

- 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.

Stop!

Look, it's moving.

- 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.

Oh! Hello, to you, too.

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.

Really?

Huh. Interesting.

Look, there's R2-D2's tracks.

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.

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.

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?

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.

It makes your knees quiver.

Being able to bring

the Falcon into the real world

was something

that I think we just had to do.

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.

Light the fire.

- Ignite the spark.

- Light the fire.

- Ignite the spark!

- Light the fire!

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.

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.

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...

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.

When we return to...

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.

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.

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.

And it breaks down a lot,

but that's part of driving a classic.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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...

...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...

And I think that's one

of my favorite little details,

and it's really cool.

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.

- In my experience,

there's no such thing as luck.

Aah! Aah!

- Go that way!

- I know.

This is why we never want to fly together

after we've had an argument.

It's getting too hot!

We've got to get out of here!

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.

"Lights are flashing here,

lights are flashing there,

and things are goin' ta-zing

by your face.

Who would watch this?"

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.

The music

for Galaxy's Edge, its mission is to try

to excite the imagination

and the anticipation.

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.

Galaxy's Edge, Adventure Awaits returns.

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,

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Aah! That's on me.

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.

We all know that food and beverage

plays an incredible part

of any story that we tell.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

So, blue milk

has flavors of dragon fruit, pineapple,

lime, with a hint of watermelon.

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,

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.

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.

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

Galactic Starcruiser experience,

Galaxy's Edge,

Adventure Awaits continues.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Stop right there!

Careful. Someone might question

your loyalty.

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.

Perhaps the First Order

is your destiny.

If not, no matter...

It is your future.

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?

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.

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.

- Yes, sir!

- For the First Order,

they are trying to hunt down

the Resistance.

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.

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.

Have you pledged your support

to the First Order?

- Yes.

- That's good.

See that it stays that way.

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?

Come here.

Don't move.

On your way, then.

Goodbye.

Bye-bye!

When we return, Sarah Hyland

and my favorite Wookiee

take a stroll

through the marketplace...

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.

We're building two.

I really couldn't believe

the scale of it.

Plus, we'll have a special tour

of the epic attraction

Rise of the Resistance.

It's all coming your way on...

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.

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.

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.

Resistance supporters

will not escape this outpost.

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.

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!

So, where should we go first?

Oh, great idea.

The Creature Stall.

So, Bina runs the Creature Stall,

and it has so many exotic things

to see and to buy.

It's a Loth-cat!

Shh, it's sleeping.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

Imagineers always had a great

relationship with Lucasfilm,

all the way back

to the days of Star Tours...

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?

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.

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.

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?"

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.

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...

- Yeah, I agree.

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.

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.

The idea that we could go

and actually visit a place

that was really in Star Wars

was incredible.

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.

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...

...we're building two.

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.

There are all kinds

of wonderful layers

to everything that you see

within the park itself.

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.

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!

Five, four, three, two, one!

Ladies and gentlemen,

Galaxy's Edge is now open.

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.

Oh!

- Wow.

- Dude.

I can't take it in.

I can't do it. This is crazy!

It's Chewbacca!

I hope you're staying

out of trouble.

Oh!

Your loyalty would seem

to be in question.

- Move aside, travelers.

- I would agree. I would agree.

He's so scary.

I know. He's very intimidating.

Track that datapad.

Sir!

Handle it, trooper.

Apologies, sir.

Not helpful.

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...

I think I finally found it.

...where he can build

his very own lightsaber.

- You want to build a lightsaber?

- Only all my life.

Galaxy's Edge,

Adventure Awaits returns.

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.

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.

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.

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?

- 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?

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.

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.

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.

Am I right?

Oh, check out that juvenile dianoga

in the tank there.

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.

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.

Next up,

John Boyega and Oscar Isaac

share behind-the-scene stories

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!

- And then it ends with,

hopefully, a great victory

for the Resistance.

And Kaley Cuoco

takes us on a special tour

inside the jaw-dropping

new attraction.

Let's go!

And we'll share

all the latest details

about a brand-new,

two-night immersive adventure...

Galactic Starcruiser.

Galaxy's Edge,

Adventure Awaits continues.

We will destroy the Resistance.

I'm here, just outside

what is possibly the biggest,

most complex attraction

that Disney, or anyone else,

has every built:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

So, he's part of this team

that's doing recon,

and he's actually gonna fly

as a wingman on our mission.

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.

The process of bringing

something like this to life

takes a long time.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

- Yeah, yeah.

- That was straight on.

- All right.

- Ohh!

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.

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.

- 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...

"Couldn't he be,

you know, undercover

in a nice,

comfortable pair of pajamas?"

The droids are programmed

to return you to Batuu.

Don't get caught. And hurry.

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.

- Cutting that.

I really couldn't believe the scale...

The scale of it.

And action.

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.

It'll feel for people

like they are right next to Poe

in an X-Wing...

fighting the First Order.

And, you know,

people are gonna really be in it.

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.

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.

Next up, Miles Brown's quest

to find Savi's continues.

- You wanna build a lightsaber?

- Only all my life.

Galaxy's Edge,

Adventure Awaits returns.

One thing that's very exciting,

maybe almost as exciting

as Galaxy's Edge itself,

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.

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.

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.

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.

Inside these boxes

are the saber components

you have previously chosen.

Let's build.

If you're like a true fan,

you're gonna feel like

you're a Padawan

that's about to be a Jedi.

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!

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.

Ooh!

Have you been on this yet?

Buckle up!

Aah! Ha ha!

I had a blast.

Me and my friends got to go on,

and I got to drive it at one point.

Oh! Aah!

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!

Oh! Geez! Hold on, guys.

- Fire the missiles at the train!

- Fire the phasers!

Aaaaaah!

It was beautiful.

We had the time of our lives.

Oh! Go on!

Whoo!

That. Was. Amazing!

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!

I feel like I'm walking into Star Wars.

Whoooah!

David, you ready to see

a grown man cry?

- 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.

Oh, my God!

It's the Millennium Falcon.

This is crazy!

Oh, my gosh, it's the Falcon.

No. No!

Ho, ho, ho, ho.

- Here it comes.

- Oh, my God! No, I'm not ready.

I only saw part of it!

I just need a second

to catch my breath here.

- This is, um...

- 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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

Our amazing journey together

to the edge of wild space

is coming to an end.

Hello, citizens.

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!

Aaah!

Sorry.

...for the legends

of the Black Spire Outpost

are being written every day.

First Order, watch out.

The battle between

the First Order

and the Resistance rages on.

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.