Luke Skywalker will start making appearances in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in 2025. This shares the official information concerning the meet & greet character coming to Disneyland and (hopefully) Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World, plus different commentary concerning the evolution of Star Wars land and why this can be a far more important change than it’d seem on its face.
Let’s begin by discussing the gradual ‘erosion’ of the stringent story requirements for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. This was first broached again in 2022, when Imagineer Scott Trowbridge defined how storytelling would evolve within the land with the introduction of recent characters: “Whereas we as guests might be able to expertise completely different tales all through Star Wars historical past, the characters on Batuu cannot. They’ll stay of their particular story and timeline and received’t intersect with different characters or tales that may not be applicable for them.”
Since then, there’s been a gradual stream of recent characters into Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, together with Mandalorian and Child Yoda at each Disneyland and Walt Disney World, in addition to Boba Fett, Fennec Shand, Sabine Wren, and Ahsoka at Disneyland. There even have been a handful of characters out solely throughout particular occasions. I noticed Common Hera Syndulla throughout DVC Moonlight Magic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and it’s my understanding that others have appeared throughout Star Wars Nite at Disneyland.
As a common rule, Disneyland has seen many extra characters in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge than Walt Disney World. Along with the above discrepancies, the BDX “Duckling Droids” appeared final 12 months throughout Season of the Power, and there have been a mess of little methods the land has been plussed and made to really feel extra alive in California.
There have been lots of excuses/explanations for this through the years, beginning with Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser imposing stringent story guidelines at Walt Disney World. However that’s been closed for over a 12 months, so I’m barely skeptical {that a} bunch of workplaces in area are dictating something by way of characters throughout the adjoining land.
A extra believable clarification is that the Imagineering and Lucasfilm groups which are persevering with to develop new inventive ideas for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge are California-based. It’s simpler for them to check characters or have the suitable assist technical workers for the BDX Droids, for instance, at Disneyland. It’s a brief drive quite than a cross-country flight.
Together with that, Walt Disney World management is notoriously-averse to restricted time leisure and characters, even when funded by the studio or streaming advertising and marketing budgets. There are a number of causes for this, a few of which really are cheap. We’ve been down that street earlier than, although, so let’s lower to the chase with the debut of Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge:
A Jedi… like his father earlier than him pic.twitter.com/nbxXn8W1Zp
— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) February 7, 2025
Disney Parks teased Luke Skywalker’s arrival in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge with a video on Twitter of the character and R2-D2 in entrance of the Millennium Falcon at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The submit was merely captioned: “A Jedi… like his father earlier than him.”
Even with simply that, we might conclude that Luke Skywalker is coming to at the very least one of many Star Wars lands. Disney is aware of even this quick and candy video will draw limitless hypothesis, they usually aren’t so merciless as to tease us like that.
Nevertheless, Disney’s reply makes this clearer: “Incoming transmission with extra particulars anticipated 2.10.25 #SeasonOfTheForce #Disneyland.”
This means full particulars might be introduced February 10, 2025 and that the Luke character appearances will solely be in California, versus Walt Disney World. At the very least at first.
Season of the Power is the Star Wars celebration at Disneyland, working this 12 months from March 28 by way of Could 11, 2025. It begins throughout Spring Break and earlier than DCA Meals & Wine Competition concludes, working for Could the Fourth, earlier than coming to a conclusion throughout shoulder season. The next week–Could 16, 2025–is the beginning of Disneyland’s seventieth Anniversary Celebration.
Mainly, Season of the Power is Disneyland’s springtime occasion that’s meant to function a stopgap to get followers to the park earlier than the kickoff of the seventieth. Though Spring Break might be busy as all the time, there are weeks in April and Could which are anticipated to be slower. This Star Wars occasion ought to assist draw locals and followers to the parks through the downtime.
It’s value noting that Luke Skywalker has by no means appeared in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The video depicts the character in his black Jedi garb with a black glove. It suggests a younger model of the character from the time interval as “The Mandalorian,” versus an older Luke.
If this can be a younger Luke Skywalker, it could be the most important breaking of the sacred timeline of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge so far. The land is supposedly set between Episodes 8 and 9 of the sequel trilogy, when Luke is an previous man. “The Mandalorian” is ready after the occasions of Episode 6. Though Din Djarin and Child Yoda have appeared within the land already, it’s believable for them to be in line with the timeline. Mando wears a helmet to hide his face; Grogu is a child of the yoda species, they usually age oddly (scientifically talking, after all).
There’s no believable manner younger Luke seems in Batuu. That alone makes this vastly important, far more so than the opposite characters who’ve appeared in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. It opens the door for Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Han Solo, OG Yoda, and each different character friends have been clamoring for because the land debuted.
Suffice to say, there’s doubtless extra erosion of the sacred timeline to come back. Disney saying the New Mission that includes Mandalorian & Child Yoda for Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run already elevated the percentages of storytelling inconsistencies at each Walt Disney World and Disneyland by 2026. The looks of Luke Skywalker simply accelerates this, albeit on a seasonal foundation.
Turning to commentary, I’ve persistently and repeatedly been advocating for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge to have a smooth reboot.
I’m not going to rehash all of that right here, however the backside line is that I’d wish to see Batuu be freed of its stringent storytelling guidelines and timeline, and use the setting of the land as a leaping off level for brand spanking new adventures. (See Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Must Break the Guidelines for my tackle all of that.) I’m most actually not utilizing “sacred timeline” as a time period of reverence.
A smooth reboot of the Star Wars land can be a possibility to introduce beloved characters, use the catwalks within the land for mini-shows, and make the land extra lived-in because of droids and extra performers. They may additionally doing a take a look at run of a dinner present in Starcruiser at Walt Disney World for a future purpose-built venue within the land. All of this is able to breathe new life into the land and assist it lastly notice its full potential.
As I’ve talked about repeatedly, I don’t imagine the Mando mission for Smugglers Run is the one Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge enhancement within the pipeline. I’ve heard nothing credible lately, however my expectation is that Imagineering will need a marketable ‘bundle’ of additives, enhancements, regimaginings, and so forth. for 2026 to associate with that. This Luke Skywalker tease additional reinforces that for me.
From my perspective, the query now’s when Luke Skywalker will come to Walt Disney World, not if he’ll. It’s inevitable that the character will, similar to Mandalorian and Child Yoda earlier than him. Visitor demand might be too robust, to the purpose that native management at Walt Disney World received’t have a selection.
It’s one factor with the entire Disneyland-exclusive characters who informal friends don’t even acknowledge (not ashamed to confess I needed to Google a few them once we first noticed them–cool because the character appears, I had by no means heard of Common Hera Syndulla earlier than that DVC get together). It’s one other solely with Luke Skywalker and R2-D2. It will be loopy to not deliver this duo to Walt Disney World.
The higher query is whether or not Disney will need to play that card, so to talk, in Summer time 2026 as a part of the aforementioned (potential) advertising and marketing bundle of modifications and additions that breathes new life into Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Or will they need to pull that lever this summer season, introducing incremental modifications that draw locals to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
My guess is that Walt Disney World will wait. To no matter extent locals will be drawn out to DHS this summer season, that’ll already occur with the 2 new stage exhibits. And Luke Skywalker, superior as he’s, isn’t sufficient alone to entice numerous vacationers to plan journeys to Walt Disney World that they in any other case wouldn’t have taken. There’s simply much more upside to ready and having a set of enhancements which have cumulative drawing energy.
The calculus is completely different for Disneyland, the place Luke Skywalker will be a giant draw for locals from late March by way of mid-Could. Not solely that, however it offers the leisure, Imagineering, and Lucasfilm an opportunity to check the character on a limited-time foundation earlier than an additional rollout (presumably) subsequent summer season on each coasts. In my opinion, that’s the win-win strategy.
Finally, I’m actually happy by this. I do know diehard Star Wars followers who love the strict guidelines of Batuu will disagree, and that’s completely comprehensible. I really like that Imagineering had the chance to take a giant swing with Galaxy’s Edge, however over 5 years later, it nonetheless hasn’t fairly lived as much as its promise.
Breaking the foundations might repair that, making Batuu a vibrant canvas for adventures that comport extra intently with visitor expectations. It might make the land really feel alive and thrilling, even when it turns into much less coherent from a storytelling perspective. It might additionally make the land carry out higher with informal guests, who hear “Star Wars land” and anticipate to have the ability to see Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Yoda, C-3PO, and different characters they really know and care about.
The arrival of Luke Skywalker on Batuu reassures me that the opposite entries on my wishlist for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge even have a practical probability of fixing throughout the subsequent 2 years. It’s additionally reassuring that perhaps Disney is listening to visitor suggestions about Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and performing accordingly. The land has a lot unrealized potential, and a smooth reboot of Galaxy’s Edge might be precisely the shot within the arm that’s wanted.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Are you excited to see Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge? Do you assume these characters will finally make their approach to Walt Disney World? Count on this duo, together with different authentic trilogy characters, to seem in Batuu together with the brand new Mandalorian & Child Yoda Smugglers Run mission in Summer time 2026? Do you assume Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge ought to break its personal guidelines or stick with the mounted timeline and story? Would you wish to see Darth Vader and common Yoda within the land? Assume Galaxy’s Edge ought to deal with enjoyable, canon, or a mixture of each? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge? Any questions? Listening to your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
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