It wasn’t too long ago that Disney excitedly announced the launch of Star Wars-themed areas at its parks across the U.S. They put a huge amount of money—billions, actually—into creating Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which immerses visitors in the fictional world of Batuu. The idea was to create a highly interactive experience, where fans could engage with characters and props, earning points and revisiting often.
Batuu was chosen to represent the latest trilogy, featuring iconic figures like Rey and Kylo Ren. This direction was guided by Kathleen Kennedy, who was head of Lucasfilm at the time, talking with then-CEO Bob Iger.
Fast forward a few years: new leadership is reevaluating the entire concept behind Galaxy’s Edge, acknowledging that the ambitious project didn’t hit the mark as expected.
It turns out there’s been some criticism around why Galaxy’s Edge focuses on the new trilogy instead of beloved original characters. Former Walt Disney World Vice President Dan Cockerell mentioned in an interview that it stemmed from some less-than-great advice from Kennedy. He recalled getting an unexpected call about a meeting between Iger and Kennedy, where she suggested that Disney should lean into new stories rather than nostalgia for older ones. Kathleen believed there were more stories to tell than those that were already well-known, given that they aimed to capture the interest of future generations.
Now, Disney, under new CEO Josh D’Amaro, has decided to shift gears. They’re bringing back classic characters like Han Solo, Princess Leia, and Luke Skywalker into Galaxy’s Edge, even including music from the original films. This indicates, perhaps, an acknowledgment that the previous approach wasn’t right.
Admittedly, introducing these characters creates some narrative inconsistencies, especially since they’re represented as their younger selves. But it seems Disney’s desperate to make their significant investment pay off, hoping that familiar characters will draw in new fans and keep them engaged for the long haul.
It feels like a series of avoidable mistakes were made here. Disney produced a handful of forgettable films, mistakenly thinking characters like Rey and Kylo Ren would resonate similarly to the older ones. It’s clear now that the richness and adventure associated with the original characters just didn’t translate to this new material. With no new main trilogy movies in the pipeline, they’re left to navigate these errors without, hopefully, incurring yet more massive costs for revisions. It’s quite a predicament, really, and it comes across as something that could have been anticipated and prevented.
