Disneyland's Star Wars land: It feels so real

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Disneyland's Star Wars land: It feels so real

Scott Craven  12 hrs ago

ANAHEIM, California — The bartender leaned over the glowing counter, his words barely audible over the techno beat that filled the cantina.

© Richard Harbaugh/Disney Parks Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California transports guests to Black Spire Outpost, a village on the planet of Batuu.

 

“Have you heard of the Resistance?” he asked.

I feigned ignorance. After all, this was my first visit to the Black Spire Outpost on the planet Batuu in the Disneyland galaxy and I didn’t want to offend the locals. 

I looked at the bartender quizzically, mentioning I’d heard something about a rebel cause going back 30 years or so. “But those were just stories,” I said.

“This Resistance is real,” he countered. “I hear they’re in a camp on the outskirts of the village. They’re enlisting volunteers for their cause.”

He was right. I'd already seen how the Resistance was having great success in recruiting travelers for their cause, what with its widely known anti-tyranny stance (as opposed to the rights-trampling First Order).

 

Disneyland brings Star Wars to life
But the true powers of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, the new Star Wars Land at Disneyland, were behind the scenes. Manipulating all of this were the Disneyland Imagineers, who have created Batuu in hopes that travelers will not simply spectate but immerse themselves in the outpost's daily life.

Those Disney galactic officials have even created tools so you can join the action, embedding them in the innocuously named Play Disney Parks app available for Apple and Android devices.

© Richard Harbaugh/Disney Parks When guests visit Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California, they'll be able to enjoy Oga's Cantina, a local watering hole to unwind, conduct business and maybe even encounter a friend or a foe. Patrons of the cantina come from across the galaxy to sample the famous concoctions created with exotic ingredients using otherworldly methods, served in unique vessels, with choices for guests of all ages.

 

As I was among the first travelers to arrive, I was happy to engage the bartender in conversation, trying to learn more about this planetary backwater that had been relatively forgotten since the introduction of hyperspace travel.

“Is the Resistance making strides here?” I asked, tossing back the rest of my Yub Nub, a fruity drink with hints of coconut and rum.

The bartender nervously glanced over his shoulder, as if the jarred frog on the top shelf could hear him. (The frog is encased in glass as part of a barbaric practice to extract its eggs for drinks.)

“Before I answer, are you Resistance? Or First Order?” he said.

 

Choose your side

Everyone is urged to choose a side: the Resistance, seeking change, or the First Order, enforcing rules that had been in place for centuries. Or declare yourself a free agent, choosing the light or dark path for your journey.

I'd opted for the First Order, despite its questionable methods of maintaining power. Sometimes one gets tired of trying to be the good guy.

When I informed the bartender of my choice, he nodded quickly as if to hide his true feelings, since the First Order controlled much of the village.

Another bartender came over, wiping the counter in a way that suggested this was not the first time he had cleaned up someone else’s mess. He shot his colleague a glance.

“But Oga would rather we stay out of it,” the second bartender said, mentioning the owner of the cantina, one of the many shops and eateries in Black Spire.

Realizing I wouldn’t get any further, I ventured outside and called up my datapad, which became available on the app as soon as I arrived. It allowed me to translate the local language (Aramesh), hack droids, tune in to radio transmissions and scan the contents of cargo boxes.

I’d already earned 57 galactic credits hacking into switches (putting them under First Order control) and a few droids. I’d also earned a few schematics and star maps by solving puzzles, such as connecting a variety of paired nodes on a grid without crossing wires or swiveling semicircular barriers in such a way that power beams can connect with the center node.

Why do you want to earn galactic credits? The more active you are, the more digital loot you can earn, from outfits to weapons, exciting all those impressed by that kind of thing.

 

You can intercept radio frequencies

More enjoyable was tuning into radio frequencies. When near a transmission tower or antenna, I held up my data pad looking for a signal. Once found (a bright dot), I moved my datapad up and down, left and right until I captured the signal. The transmission is downloaded and translated, and while some of it was harmless cantina gossip, I also overheard the Resistance plotting against the First Order.

 

I headed toward the Resistance camp and happened upon a crowd surrounding a Resistance leader who implored them to join the cause. “Light the fire!” he chanted. “Light the fire!”

 

But there was little I could do as Resistance members handed out propaganda that resembled trading cards. Disney has assured future visitors that they may volunteer for missions for either side via the data pad, but such opportunities were not available during my brief visit.

 

Frequent Disneyland visitors may find this level of backstory and visitor involvement surprising. In the park's other lands, guests jump from one attraction to the next without getting to know the residents. And there are no Mickey or other character photo ops on Batuu.

 

Those who venture into Black Spire Outpost are encouraged to mix with the locals who are, for the most part, friendly (not including armored stormtroopers, their monotone mechanical voices typically ordering people to move along).

 

It’s refreshing to be part of the experience, to ask questions of those who know the land best. Everyone from Resistance spies to shopkeepers is happy to talk about life on Batuu. While those living between the two camps profess neutrality, a little digging may reveal their allegiances.

 

As you explore, you might even run into a bounty hunter who needs a little help, or a smuggler looking for a volunteer.

 

With 57 credits to burn and my visit coming to an end (those credits are accepted only on Batuu for digital goods), I headed to the Millennium Falcon to do a quick smuggling job for Hondo Ohnaka. Not to make more credits for me, but to cost Hondo. Just because I could.

 

I intentionally flew into every obstacle that came the Falcon’s way, from beams to spires to asteroids. TIE fighters had their way. According to the ship’s video screen, I owed Hondo 350 credits for the damage.

 

As I exited the cockpit, the hallway buzzed and crackled with what I imagined to be sparks from severed powered conduits, among other damage. Over the loudspeakers, one of Hondo’s employees ordered all workers to the maintenance bay because “this thing” (the Falcon, I presumed) “is practically scrap metal.”

 

Had I not been among one of the first visitors, I may have been approached later at the cantina by a henchman reminding me of my debt to Hondo.

 

Instead, I walked free into the night, wondering how much fun it would have been to have a henchman track me down.

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For the original story, links to apps mentioned above and to view the video: "WATCH: Inside Disneyland's 'Star Wars' attraction (provided by Inside Edition)", please click below:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/disneylands-star-wars-land-it-feels-so-real/ar-AACd5us?srcref=rss&ocid=OLCONUA