George Lucas was joined by Star Wars favorites Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Billy Dee Williams to open up Galaxy's Edge to its first batch of guests. Disney's latest - and most ambitious - new land opens at Disneyland Resort in California on May 31 and on August 29 at Disney World Resort in Florida. Demand for the park has skyrocketed over the past couple of months, and Disney Parks has made eager fans aware that a reservation is required to enter the park between May 31 and June 23. After that, a reservation will no longer be needed, but a virtual queue will be available for any interested parties that are looking to obtain tickets.
Screen Rant recently had the opportunity to explore Galaxy's Edge and all that it has to offer as well. Everything from the hands-on experience of piloting the Millennium Falcon to the detailed and lived-in atmosphere of the park's planetary setting on Batuu at Black Spire Outpost was truly out-of-this-world. It's a theme park filled to the brim with new adventures perfect for even the biggest Star Wars fans.
And what better way to kick off Disney's latest and greatest venture than with the crew who started it all? Star Wars' creator, George Lucas, kicked off the celebration by jokingly comparing the theme park to Disneyland's original Star Wars ride, Star Tours, calling Galaxy's Edge, "Star Tours on steroids." Not long after, Billy Dee Williams and Mark Hamill joined Lucas on stage. Instead of cutting a ribbon, Disney's chairman and CEO Bob Iger called out for the Millennium Falcon to fire up its engines, but the ship timed out. He turned to the crowd and joked that, "this is just a little embarrassing," following up with, "is there somebody who knows how to fix this thing?" To everyone's surprise, Harrison Ford happily joined the crew on stage, shouting out, "Peter, this is for you," before giving the Falcon a good ol' hit to get it started. The entire opening dedication ceremony can be viewed here:
Not only is this a perfect way to kick off Galaxy's Edge's highly anticipated opening, but Ford's words are a beautiful sendoff to the wonderful man responsible for bringing his loyal sidekick to life, Peter Mayhew. The actor had passed away earlier this month at the age of 74. He portrayed the lovable Wookie, Chewbacca, in five of the live-action movies: the original trilogy, Revenge of the Sith, and in The Force Awakens. In The Last Jedi, Joonas Suotamo took to filling the furry shoes for Mayhew and continues to do so in the upcoming film The Rise of Skywalker.
There's truly no better way to unveil Disney's latest theme park to the public than with the franchise's most beloved actors. Even though it's heartbreaking that the original trio's leading lady, Carrie Fisher, will only be there in spirit, the actors seemed just as happy and excited about the park as the cheering crowd. It's evident that it was put together with the utmost love and admiration for Star Wars, and Galaxy's Edge is already gearing up to be another successful notch in Disney's belt.
