At a Glance
- Disney will strip Galaxy’s Edge of its sequel-trilogy setting and flood it with original-trilogy characters starting at month’s end.
- Only Rey remains from the current cast; Vader, Luke, Leia and Han will roam Batuu while John Williams’ new soundscape gets swapped for 1977-83 themes.
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run will keep its current plot until a Mandalorian re-theme debuts May 22; Rise of the Resistance stays unchanged for now.
- Why it matters: The move buries the land’s experimental, in-world storytelling and bows to fans who want familiar icons over fresh lore.
Disney is abandoning the ambitious, continuity-locked story that defined Galaxy’s Edge since 2019, replacing it with a nostalgia-heavy overlay that spotlights the original Star Wars trilogy. The overhaul, announced last week and launching at Disneyland at the end of April, signals the final retreat from the land’s founding promise: an immersive, never-before-seen corner of the galaxy.
The original vision fades
When the themed land debuted, it introduced Batuu, a new planet wedged between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. Guests could taste alien drinks, speak in-world jargon with cast members, and watch sequel-era Resistance agents dodge First Order patrols. That specificity, once touted as the key to deeper immersion, has eroded in piecemeal fashion:
- Menu items regained plain English names after visitors struggled with alien monikers.
- Mandalorian characters began appearing even though their timeline sits decades earlier.
- A Luke Skywalker meet-and-greet swapped the land’s narrative cohesion for instant recognition.
What’s changing
The coming update goes further, swapping most sequel elements for icons that debuted in 1977-1983:
- Characters: Only Rey stays; Chewbacca and R2-D2 will be re-classified as 1970s-era versions. Darth Vader, Imperial Stormtroopers, Luke, Leia and Han will circulate the main paths while Rey is tucked beside the Rise of the Resistance entrance.
- Audio: John Williams’ newly composed Batuu soundscape-designed to make the outpost feel alive-will be replaced by his classic trilogy score.
- Merchandise: The fascist-styled First Order Cargo shop becomes Black Spire Surplus, selling Galactic Civil War surplus. Its neighboring TIE Echelon fighter, created for the park and once tied to Rise of Skywalker, is retroactively labeled an Imperial relic that Kylo Ren admired.
- Rides: No physical show scenes change initially, though Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run will receive a Mandalorian-inspired mission on May 22 to coincide with the movie release. Rise of the Resistance keeps its sequel storyline for now.
A half-hearted execution
According to News Of Austin‘s investigation, the makeover is largely cosmetic. No attractions close for major rebuilds, architecture remains Batuuan, and timeline logic is hand-waved by an upcoming Marvel comic, Echoes of the Empire, that claims both Empire and Rebellion visited Batuu decades before the First Order.
Critics inside the company saw the shift as unavoidable. When Isaac Y. Thornwell toured the land in late 2019, the detailed sound design and architectural illusions created “a lived-in space,” yet the reporter noted the tension between experimental storytelling and visitor expectations for recognizable faces. Still, the speed and scope of the retreat disappoint fans who viewed Galaxy’s Edge as Disney’s boldest narrative experiment in a theme park.
What dies with the change
The pivot erases several once-central pillars:
- A single, coherent timeline tying food, décor and characters together.
- Unique jargon and cast-member interactions that rewarded guests for playing along.
- A flagship spaceship-the TIE Echelon-built expressly to expand Star Wars lore.
In their place stand legacy heroes, familiar music and merchandise already available across the resort. The move mirrors earlier compromises, such as renaming the Blue Milk smoothie or trimming alien dialogue from cashier greetings.
Why Disney moved now
Sources told News Of Austin that guest surveys repeatedly requested Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, characters previously barred by the land’s chronology. After nearly seven years, executives concluded that maintaining a sequel-era bubble delivered diminishing returns compared with the instant draw of original-trilogy nostalgia. The success of The Mandalorian on Disney+ further convinced leadership that timeline mixing no longer confused casual visitors.
Bottom line
Galaxy’s Edge will keep its stone spires, droid tracks and market stalls, but the cohesive story that distinguished it from older IP-driven lands is being painted over. What survives is a greatest-hits playlist of Star Wars icons rather than the fully formed, never-explored planet Disney once marketed as “the galaxy far, far away for real.” For fans who valued immersion over iconography, the overhaul feels less like an evolution and more like surrender.
Key Takeaways:
- Disney swaps sequel-era continuity for original-trilogy nostalgia at Galaxy’s Edge.
- Only Rey remains; Vader, Luke, Leia and Han arrive April-end.
- Millennium Falcon ride will get a Mandalorian update May 22.
- No physical re-theming of land or Rise of the Resistance yet.
- Marvel comic Echoes of the Empire will justify Empire/Rebels presence on Batuu.
