How to Get (Even More) Hyped for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

By. Andrew Iovino

Photo Credit: Disney

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the Star Wars themed land being added to Disneyland on May 31st and Walt Disney World on August 29th, is coming closer and closer to opening each passing day. This land is expected to be a game changer for theme parks, being fully immersive in the world of the Star Wars franchise. Once guests enter the land, they will eat, breathe, and play Star Wars, completely separated from any other reality. Being based off one of the most iconic franchises of all time and having over 40 years of content behind it, Galaxy’s Edge has a lot to pull from. With this in mind, one can assumably enjoy this land regardless of how little they may know about Star Wars. Those who are privy to the deep lore of the franchise, however, will indubitably have plenty to discover and appreciate. Because of this, I wanted to list off a few things, beyond watching the films, that fans can check out to get even more excited for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

Photo Credit: Disney/Lucasfilm

Watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels

These two shows are canon Star Wars animated shows that tell incredible stories between the events of certain films. For Clone Wars, it is the events between Episode II and Episode III. For Rebels, it shows the events between Episode III and Episode IV, the original Star Wars. These shows, specifically Clone Wars, do a fantastic job of expanding the galaxy, going deeper into the politics of this fantasy world, and adding in characters that have since become staples of the franchise. One of these characters will be an important part of Galaxy’s Edge: Hondo Ohnaka. Hondo was first introduced in The Clone Wars and reappeared as a recurring character in Rebels. He has also appeared in comics and will soon be the host of the Millennium Falcon attraction in Galaxy’s Edge. While I am certain you do not need to know Hondo to enjoy the attraction, I am also certain that you will appreciate his inclusion much more when you are familiar with him. Hondo is one of my favorite Star Wars characters, being a drunken space pirate that always finds his way into new adventures and new troubles.

Photo Credit: Disney

But what if you’re busy and don’t have time to watch all of these episodes for both these fairly long shows? Luckily, The Clone Wars is set up in arcs, so you can jump in at nearly any time and follow the contained story well enough. If you just want to meet Hondo in preparation for his role in Galaxy’s Edge, I recommend these episodes:

Season 1 Episode 11: “Dooku Captured” (First appearance)

Season 2 Episode 17: “Bounty Hunters”

Season 5 Episode 7: “A Test of Strength”

Photo Credit: Disney

Read the Upcoming Galaxy’s Edge Comics

This one seems obvious enough. Marvel is making a comic series titled “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” that will act as an introduction to the story of the land, assumably. It is being created to build hype, so reading it is an obvious way to get excited and prepared. As someone who has read almost every comic in the current Star Wars canon, I can attest that they’re well written and will most likely entertain and inform in a way that will leave anyone pleased.

Play “Star Wars: The Old Republic” MMORPG

This one is not so much for the lore, as this game is non-canon and takes place generations before the era of Galaxy’s Edge anyway, but more to become familiar with immersion and roleplay, which will be a key feature of the land. This game allows players to create their own hero, villain, or something in the middle and go on missions and quests amidst the wide galaxy of Star Wars. You can design your own lightsaber with colors and hilts, dress in the many clothing options you find through the game, and interact with other players in multiplayer missions or guilds. This is a great medium for you to create the character you may wish to play in Galaxy’s Edge, as the Cast Members will be treating you like a character in the Star Wars universe. The best part is that the game is currently Free-to-Play so you can experience this completely free of charge!

Photo Credit: Disney

Follow Disney News Sources and Entertainment Regarding the Parks

As someone who is constantly seeking out Disney Parks-related content, I am very immersed in the overall community. I have found that my preferred medium for Disney Parks content is YouTube, where there are various channels that deal with Disney Parks in many different ways, such as news, opinions on news, or history, facts, and tips about the parks. Some of my favorite channels, that are most relevant for getting excited for Galaxy’s Edge, is Offhand Disney, DisneyFoodBlog, WDWNT, and DSNY Newscast. If you prefer reading, WDWNT is the best place for Disney Parks news and DSNY has an app for iOS.

Photo Credit: Disney

Go to Disney World or Disneyland Before the Land Opens

This final point is probably the least accessible to most, admittedly, but is a valid method nonetheless. Going to Disney Parks is an immersive experience already, it always has been, and the plans for Galaxy’s Edge is simply going to crank that level of “Disney quality” to eleven. One of the most recent additions in the past two years to Disney World, Florida, is “Pandora: The World of Avatar,” which is an extremely immersive land in the Animal Kingdom park based on James Cameron’s Avatar film. As amazing as it was to see on its own, it just made me even more excited to see how this level of immersion and quality will go into a Star Wars themed land. Also, you can visit Toy Story Land in Hollywood Studios and get a pretty great view of Galaxy’s Edge as it is being constructed, especially if you ride the Slinky Dog Dash rollercoaster. Here are two pictures I took in August of the construction in Hollywood Studios:

Needless to say, I am extremely excited for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge to open in Disneyland this summer and Walt Disney World in the fall. I hope that these ideas help you get even more excited and perhaps bring a new level of appreciation once you are able to experience it firsthand!