How Disney’s Galactic Starcruiser Fits Into the Star Wars Timeline

At a climactic level within the interactive narrative that unfolds onboard the Halcyon—the hotel-cum-spaceship that’s residence to Disney World’s extremely costly, soon-to-open two-day theme park/Live Action Role Play Star Wars expertise—an invasion of First Order stormtroopers overtakes the ship, adorning it with blood pink banners that includes their hexagonal insignia. It’s a second that’s presupposed to strike worry (you already know, fake worry) into the hearts of the paying clients play-acting as a part of the Resistance, however it didn’t do a lot for me, as a result of I by no means discovered the First Order in the least scary.

Perhaps that’s unfair to Kylo Ren, General Hux, Captain Phasma, and co., however I grew up with the unique Star Wars trilogy. The new, barely off-model fascist galactic authorities isn’t going to hit me in the identical method. The Death Star will at all times be scarier than Starkiller Base, and Darth Vader a stronger menace than his poofy-haired grandson.

But the factor is, Disney doesn’t actually care about how I really feel about Episodes IV-VI, as a result of these motion pictures are previous and more durable to monetize with new merchandise, spin-off storylines, and, sure, theme park sights. And so far as the narrative of the Galactic Starcruiser goes, the OT might as nicely be historical historical past.

Not Quite As Long Ago in a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Like the Galaxy’s Edge theme park, which opened in 2019, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on the Walt Disney World Resort, the story that happens throughout a keep on the Galactic Starcruiser is deeply intertwined with the plot of the sequel trilogy. The major heroes are members of the Resistance, and the baddies are from the First Order. Though Chewbacca, Yoda, C-3PO, and R2-D2 make cursory appearances (Chewie runs across the ship a bit; the latter trio pop up as holograms or on a viewscreen), they aren’t actually energetic individuals within the plot.

The expanded canon has made a degree of noting that Han Solo and General Leia Organa had their honeymoon onboard the Halcyon, however you’d need to pry that info out of one of many costumed solid members if you happen to wished to be taught extra about it—and the identical goes for information of Master Luke and Darth Vader. Because the timeline locations the journey in between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, you received’t even hear something concerning the Emperor—Kylo Ren is seemingly nonetheless the Supreme Leader, so this should all be unfolding earlier than, by some means, Palpatine returned.

A Prequel and a Sequel to Galaxy’s Edge

If you go to Galaxy’s Edge and journey its two major sights—Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and Rise of the Resistance—you’ll get a sliver of story a couple of mission to steal some “coaxium,” a robust gas supply (hope you noticed Solo), in addition to Rey’s efforts to guard the situation of the Resistance base.

Despite opening some three years later, the Galactic Starcruiser storyline intertwines intimately with these occasions, serving as each prequel and sequel. Your first day onboard the ship, you’ll be able to participate in missions that may put together you for the coaxium heist (or, if you happen to take the trail of the First Order, try to thwart it). The second day, which features a go to to Galaxy’s Edge, hinges on what occurs to that coaxium after it’s delivered to the Halcyon.

It’s a intelligent little bit of retroactive continuity that seres as a wonderful instance of Disney’s method to the franchise. Rather than the grand, semi-improvised imaginative and prescient of George Lucas, the official Star Wars canon is now a machine constructed up of numerous narrative components that may every be unplugged and expanded upon as the necessity arises, with each new TV present, movie, or journey offering contemporary parts to assemble a fair larger (if no more satisfying) story.

For Better or Worse, the Disney Canon Is the Future of Star Wars

That’s all completely comprehensible from a enterprise sense. It undoubtedly advantages Disney to maintain the franchise shifting ahead; even when we don’t need to kill it, dwelling on the previous naturally limits the potential future viewers for the saga. As a lot as I like the OT, these movies are 40 years previous or extra, and never practically as slick or accessible to the subsequent era of pint-sized Padawans (attempting to observe A New Hope with a five-year-old in 2022 will drive you to pay attention to how in a different way motion pictures are paced as of late).

But relating to the Galactic Starcruiser, it’s not these youthful followers who will probably be shelling out as a lot as $6,000 to spend two days in area. Not each veteran fan is as detached to the brand new characters as I’m (although I do love Kylo Ren, who was essentially the most psychologically fascinating of all Star Wars baddies till Rise of Skywalker ruined him), however even those that have taken their first steps into the bigger expanded universe would possible recognize extra overt consideration paid to what got here earlier than.

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