For the last year, we’ve had a lot of reports about the Falcon ride coming to us from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney Parks. The 4K release of Solo: A Star Wars Story had some tidbits and those tidbits confirmed that what our sources and the word of mouth information we were receiving was indeed correct or at least in the ballpark of being very solid.

Please do not openly discuss the details of this article openly on social media as to not spoil the attraction for anyone that does not wish to be spoiled before entering the park themselves. While we love spoilers, not all fans do so lets not upset anyone that doesn’t want to know these details and potentially ruin the experience for anyone. Be cool!

TV Spots are Filming Now!

I’ve heard a lot of rumors about the Millennium Falcon ride coming to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the Star Wars themed land coming to Disney Parks in 2019. Recently a commercial was filmed for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge centered around “early access” to the land. We aren’t sure if the early access will be for everyone or if this is a “Golden Ticket” type Willy Wonka opportunity for a few lucky winners. My sources say the ad was filmed about thirty minutes from where the current Live Action Television Series is filming. BB-8 was there with lots of people in “earth clothes” as well as people dressed for Batuu. To me it sounded like the boarding Star Tours videos where you had a mixture of tourists with Star Wars extras.

Hondo Ohnaka’s Transport Solutions

The ride will open with Hondo Ohnaka, owner of Hondo Ohnaka’s Transport Solutions sending your crew on mission to Corellia. Before you enter the ride, you will see the Falcon outside. As you go in and have some sort of encounter with Hondo you board the Falcon from underground on Batuu. We assume the idea is that the ship lowered underground to let you board that way. Your crew will then blast off and head toward the planet Corellia for one of three randomized missions.

This Star Wars themed land takes place in the timeline after the events of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The last time we saw Han Solo’s home planet in Solo: A Star Wars Story it wasn’t doing so well under the totalitarian control of The Empire. Well, sorry fans of liberty and justice but Corellia has been conquered by Kylo Ren. We have to think he saw the world and thought “that planet belongs to me.” Now the planet is churning out weapons like AT-ATs, Star Destroyers, and TIE Fighters for the First Order’s war machine (that DJ guy keeps making more and more sense to me in The Last Jedi). Hondo apparently sends you and your crew to this dangerous planet for your mission.

Your Falcon Flight Crew of Six Heroes!

The Falcon crew will consist of six riders. Each rider will have a specific job on the attraction itself. The first rider will control the ship’s direction, so its pretty much the Han Solo role in a way. The second rider will control the speed and velocity and I believe push the hyperspace lever. Riders three and four will be gunners and riders five and six will be engineers that fix the ship when it takes on damage during your adventure.

Hondo’s Missions for your crew!

After leaving Batuu and arriving on Corellia there will be three different types of possible missions or adventures Hondo has sent you on. As always with Hondo he leaves out pertinent details about the mission and your crew will have to wing it if they want to survive and complete the mission. The Solo 4K feature says that you can fail and lose your cargo and credits and the cantina bartender might tell you that there’s a bounty on your head.

Mission Scenario One: Hondo gets you involved in a race on Corellia that he’s sure you can’t lose with the Millennium Falcon.

Mission Scenario Two: Hondo sends you to the First Order Shipyard on Corellia, possibly on a mission for the Resistance.

Mission Scenario Three: Your crew will have to steal some piece of cargo but the cargo is guarded by a giant monster similar to The Maw from Solo: A Star Wars Story and you’ll have evade the creature like the mythic heroes stealing the treasure from the sleeping dragon. Spoiler: The dragon wakes up.

The Ride

We’ve seen photos of inside of the ship and it looks amazing. Ironically, when Star Wars: Episode VII started filming we got wind of The Carousel. The Carousel was the code name for the Falcon on the new productions. This ride isn’t too different in some ways. But basically as people are riding the ride others are being put on the ride by Hondo. It sounds like there’s going to be several of these “pods” with the giant screens inside working at once so there will be several crews riding the ride at one time. It did sound like many rides at Disneyland where wheel chair access will temporarily halt the flow of the ride.

We’ve heard that there are concerns about motion sickness and they’re tuning the hydraulic system (if that’s the correct terminology). A source said the movement is awesome and it makes Star Tours 2 look like the Peter Pan ride. I would imagine any new ride has to deal with not wanting to make the guests sick. I personally cannot imagine it is as intense as anything at Six Flags Magic Mountain (fun fact: Magic Mountain was the code name of Luke Skywalker’s Ahch-To set from The Force Awakens).

Hondo Ohnaka in the Star Wars Universe

Hondo’s arc is pretty interesting. When we meet Hondo in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, he’s at his prime, pirating, ripping off people and even arming an early form of the rebellion on Onderon. Then when we see him in Star Wars Rebels he’s sort of like Beckett in Solo. He’s past his prime and mostly down on his luck and dressing without the luster of a true pirate captain. By the time of the sequel trilogy, Hondo is running Hondo Ohnaka’s Transport Solutions. It sounds like Hondo may have been rewarded for his good deeds during the dark times. However, for all we know the company is just a front and Hondo is still up to his old mischievous ways.

Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge is not that far away!

That’s everything we’ve heard we can report on about the Falcon ride at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The park will be open before we know it. I’ve heard that the Falcon ride itself is pretty close to resembling a finished product and someone told me that the Falcon that will be outside is about to be placed, if that hasn’t happened already. I can’t wait and I could not be more excited. Everything we’re hearing that we can’t report (sorry we gotta respect our sources wishes) sounds really cool. Every indication is that the Imagineers have nailed it.

Update: Peter at /Film dropped a pretty cool bomb in his coverage of this piece:

Your experience in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will take place between the events of Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Star Wars: Episode 9, at least at the time of opening. Not in MSW’s report, but I’ve heard that the land might eventually develop seasons, with experiences, and storylines around the world changing on say a yearly basis. But for now, it’s set between the events of those two films.

That would make going to the park an ongoing experience. That’s really smart.