At Star Wars Celebration, fans got a bigger look at what to expect from the Star Wars-themed lands coming to both Disneyland and Walt Disney World in 2019.

Disneyland and Walt Disney World Star Wars Land Concept Art 6 IMAGES

Immersion is the Key

A New Old Planet

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We're in the New Trilogy Era

Star Wars Will Be Everywhere

You'll Control the Falcon

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You Become a Star Wars Character

Expect Awesome Lightsabers

With a couple years to go until they are complete, many specifics on how the lands will work and the main attractions and entertainment included were still kept secret, however, the overall approach was discussed, along with some tantalizing clues on what guests will find there. Read on to get more info on what it will be like for Star Wars fans to visit.Note: The official name for these areas has not been revealed, and it’s not expected to be as simple as Star Wars Land. However, I’ll use that term frequently below as a simple placeholder.The focus with Star Wars Land was immersion, which was repeated by many of the panelists. The idea was to put you into the middle of a Star Wars story and make you completely feel like you are there. You’ll see some familiar elements – including vehicles, aliens and droids, etc. – but also brand new environments and characters that all are meant to make you feel like you are experiencing a brand-new tale in the Star Wars universe.It was all meant to feel “truly canonical” while also making Star Wars feel like a real environment you’re walking through.Said designer Doug Chiang, who’d worked on several Star Wars films prior to his involvement in this project, “The level of detail and fidelity that the team is working on is so over the top,” adding it wasn’t meant to feel like a movie set, but reality.Star Wars Land brings you to a planet we’ve never visited in previous stories, but one a lot of thought has been given to.It was described as a place that used to be a vibrant port, but has now fallen by the wayside, leaving it a “great place for smugglers, bounty hunters, rogue adventurers and people who don’t want to be found.”Lucasfilm’s Pablo Hildago said they were treating the development of this planet as they do any world introduced into Star Wars, deciding exactly where it exists on their official map, and promising, “We’ve examined what the ramifications of putting it there are.”While Star Wars fans have never heard of this place, its history goes back thousands of years, and characters we have met are familiar with it.Given only the Resistance and First Order were repeatedly mentioned as elements here, it’s clear that Star Wars Land takes place during the era of the current Star Wars Episode VII- IXWithout being told how exactly yet, it was revealed that you will have “The opportunity to help out and assist the Resistance.” On the other hand, if you’re feeling like taking a darker path, “You can help the First Order too.”Footage was screened from a fighting workshop, in which a woman holding a broom fought off three attackers wearing white workout gear and Stormtrooper masks. While this was an amusing visual, it was easy to see how the final presentation could be a fierce, Rey-type fighter wielding a weapon against three Imperials.When would this occur during your time in Star Wars Land? That wasn’t clear, but it sounded like it could potentially be somewhere you weren’t’ expecting.Oh, and be wary of sinks and water fountains – we were told you might spot a familiar face or eye. Perhaps a Dianoga?We already knew one of the main rides in Star Wars land takes you onto the Millennium Falcon, but the team told us the idea is to not have you be simple a passenger.“You won’t just ride the Millennium Falcon, you will control the Millennium Falcon” said Disney imaginer Asa Kalama. It sounds like what happens on the ride could vary greatly, as we were told, “The experience is up to you and your flight crew.”As you travel through Star Wars Land, your experiences can build upon one another. We were told your adventure could begin on the Falcon, but then “continue at a local watering hole,” where what previously happened on the ship affects what happens next.As Hildago put it, “You can essentially build a reputation in the Star Wars world.”At this point, many lightsaber replicas have been made, some more impressive looking than others, but for Star Wars land, the plan was to make them truly resemble the effect seen in the films.As Disney's Scott Trowbridge put it, they knew going in, “We have to have lightsabers. We have to make it look real.”Moderator David Collins, who recently visited Disney Imagineering, revealed he’d seen what was being developed in the lightsaber arena and was blown away by how good it looked.

The Star Wars-themed lands at Disneyland and Walt Disney World are scheduled to open sometime in 2019.Eric Goldman is Executive Editor of IGN TV. You can follow him on Twitter at @TheEricGoldman , IGN at ericgoldman-ign and Facebook at Facebook.com/TheEricGoldman