Galaxy's Edge Performance and Evolution Discussion

[mickeyluv'r]

My point, which I probably didn't make very well, was that your list of closed rides wasn't due to their lack of emotional attachment. You cited those to make some sort of argument as to them not having IP's or something, I don't even know.

Perhaps I didn't connect my two posts close enough. That was a list of - just about every- WDE ride that has closed minus shows, playgrounds, and 20,000 Leagues.

(The last was a favorite! Alas, it was very popular, and had characters...supposedly it closed because of $$ repairs)

I kinda ran out of time, but maybe I should have highlighted all the ones that aren't connected to well known characters. most of the ones that closed, just weren't popular enough.

Oh, I also neglected Stitch. Oddly enough, it is hard to find a good list of old WDW rides. I used to have a good link, but that site got rid of their list a while back. Too bad it is gone, but I digress.

I never mentioned IP's.

Back in the day, pre-Nemo Living Seas and other Future World Attractions were commonly described as boring on these boards.

Again, well...these boards used to have kinda a consensus on that subject. now, Maybe most folks don't even remember early Epcot.

 

[monkyby87]

I'll take a 50 minute wait in an impressive queue with a ride that loads efficiently with little downtime over a ride that has long waits because it can't seem to operate normally (cough Hagrid cough)

Agreed. And while I think Hagrid's ride is one of the best rides at the moment, in any park, the long wait times and frequent down times have really lessened the experience and my desire to go back.

 

[monkyby87]

Perhaps I didn't connect my two posts close enough. That was a list of - just about every- WDE ride that has closed minus shows, playgrounds, and 20,000 Leagues.

(The last was a favorite! Alas, it was very popular, and had characters...supposedly it closed because of $$ repairs)

I kinda ran out of time, but maybe I should have highlighted all the ones that aren't connected to well known characters. most of the ones that closed, just weren't popular enough.

Oh, I also neglected Stitch. Oddly enough, it is hard to find a good list of old WDW rides. I used to have a good link, but that site got rid of their list a while back. Too bad it is gone, but I digress.

I never mentioned IP's.

Back in the day, pre-Nemo Living Seas and other Future World Attractions were commonly described as boring on these boards.

Again, well...these boards used to have kinda a consensus on that subject. now, Maybe most folks don't even remember early Epcot.

I think many of those early rides was Disney trying to get something into the parks and get people interested. They hadn't quite found their footing with what did and didn't work. Plus, technology has come a long way. Your list was a good trip down memory lane; I had forgotten about many of those as it's been a long time for some of them.

 

[fatmanatee]

Kinda confused on this connection thing but I think generally you don't NEED to have characters who already have a connection to fans. It's definitely the easiest way to go, but if you get it right, you can build a connection between visitors and characters they never knew about.

As for Hondo... he's decent. They did a good job with him but he's not the star of the show. He doesn't have to be, because the Falcon is the main character, so to speak.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

1. I don't think anyone said that visitors don't value emotional connection,
2. MK only has a couple of original attractions, Jungle Cruise (getting a boost from the new movie soon) Pirates got a big boost from the movies, Carousel of Progress and IASW (people would riot if taken away) Indy Speedway. Country Bears and Tiki Room (sits half empty every performance but again, the people would just riot) HoP has the ability to change script every 4/8 years. Haunted Mansion, Dumbo and Tea Cups are still popular. The difference about MK with the other 3 parks is that it is the "kids" park. All the original attractions that remain are kid friendly and obviously keep that nostalgia for many. BUT I can bet if it was up to the Disney Co they would close and change many of these attractions.
Now from the 9 listed only Dumbo and Tea Cups are connected to original Disney movies and characters
It is fine to introduce new characters and people will love them in the long run just like people love the family from CoP or Madame Leota or Big Al, or The Red Head. All these characters were introduced as brand new when the attractions open. Same with Figment, and it's been fine.
3. Hondo is easy to understand, you know from the 5 min pre show who he is, RotR will have a better character feel since all the characters are better known to the main stream guest

1. Actually, they did. Which is why I was surprised.
2. I think we have different definitions of the word "couple." (and technically I said, from the 1970's, but we'll go with opening day). MK still has 14 opening day attractions.

Originally MK had: MS Vehicles, WDW RR, JC, SWTreehouse, Tropical Serenade (Tiki Room), MF Heelboats, DC Canoes, Shootin' arcade, Penny Arcade, CBJ, HM, HoP, S White, Carousel, MM Revue, Dumbo, MTParty, IaSW, Skyway, Mr. toad, Raceway.

Of those original 21, actually 14 still remain, which = 63%. Pretty high, considering that was almost 50 years ago, and all the rest of the amusement parks I knew from the 1970's are all LONG gone.

I'm not quite sure what you are trying to say after that.

It sounds like you agree these attractions are still adored. Are you saying you think Disney's making a JC movie because they want to make a sure flop?

Someone born in 1971, are now 48- if still alive - and eligible to join AARP a little over a year from now. I think they are a few years removed from being a "kid."

3. I'm not the one who said they didn't know Hondo's character. That was a bunch of posters before me.

Again though, arguing/rehashing of these points with me is really OT from talking about ways Hondo's character could be developed more thoroughly in GE. That would be fun to talk about, rehashing this - not so much.

 

[yulilin3]

1. Actually, they did. Which is why I was surprised.
2. I think we have different definitions of the word "couple." (and technically I said, from the 1970's, but we'll go with opening day). MK still has 14 opening day attractions.

Originally MK had: MS Vehicles, WDW RR, JC, SWTreehouse, Tropical Serenade (Tiki Room), MF Heelboats, DC Canoes, Shootin' arcade, Penny Arcade, CBJ, HM, HoP, S White, Carousel, MM Revue, Dumbo, MTParty, IaSW, Skyway, Mr. toad, Raceway.

Of those original 21, actually 14 still remain, which = 63%. Pretty high, considering that was almost 50 years ago, and all the rest of the amusement parks I knew from the 1970's are all LONG gone.

I'm not quite sure what you are trying to say after that.

It sounds like you agree these attractions are still adored. Are you saying you think Disney's making a JC movie because they want to make a sure flop?

Someone born in 1971, are now 48- if still alive - and eligible to join AARP a little over a year from now. I think they are a few years removed from being a "kid."

3. I'm not the one who said they didn't know Hondo's character. That was a bunch of posters before me.

Again though, arguing/rehashing of these points with me is really OT from talking about ways Hondo's character could be developed more thoroughly in GE. That would be fun to talk about, rehashing this - not so much.

Just to end this point and go back to OP subject
I agree that people obviously are drawn to characters they've known for a while but they can also create a love for new characters.
Hondo is an easy to understand character just by the pre show, the same way as figment is easy to understand by the first minute of the ride

 

[TheMaxRebo]

As for Hondo... he's decent. They did a good job with him but he's not the star of the show. He doesn't have to be, because the Falcon is the main character, so to speak.

I do wonder though if people that are coming in with a bit of a negative mindset or a view of "I am not really into Star Wars so this isn't for me" or for the people that are coming in saying "I only like the original trilogy", then see Hondo or hear who is is and almost get angry or turned off by it "so now this land is really not for me as I need to have watched some TV show or read a book to know about this guy?"

So, for those people, it would be better if it was a brand new character or just a random smuggler or something

Just wondering if Hondo is a representative of why some people feel disconnected to what was built and b/c they aren't open to things it makes it worse - trying to tie back to the overall (under)performance of the land, why something like Hondo is a negative vs a brand new character at an attraciton (like Figment) which is no worse than nuetral

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Hondo is an easy to understand character just by the pre show, the same way as figment is easy to understand by the first minute of the ride

I understood when you said the same thing about Hondo back on page #4 and again on page #6.

Call me crazy, but I thought the purpose of this thread was to imagine ways GE could be even better. I thought that would be a fun topic to explore, and I keep trying to have that discussion.

Oh, what is Figment's message?

(Something about imagination and fun?)

Thinking up ways GE could be even better isn't an attack on your personal enjoyment of GE in its current form. It would be awesome if you could please try to indulge me in having some creative fun.

 

[hiroMYhero]

After the thread veering wildly off-topic, here are Phil’s topics for the initial portion of his thread:

Discussion topics as of 20th October: Post 2 - current:
- Overall thoughts on performance of the land: What is working, what isn't?
- Who is the audience for this land? How might reality differ from what Disney was expecting?
- Immersion: Is it something guests want? Is there too much/too little? Thoughts on the removal of the Star Wars names for the food?

 

[yulilin3]

I understood when you said the same thing about Hondo back on page #4 and again on page #6.

Call me crazy, but I thought the purpose of this thread was to imagine ways GE could be even better. I thought that would be a fun topic to explore, and I keep trying to have that discussion.

Oh, what is Figment's message?

(Something about imagination and fun?)

Thinking up ways GE could be even better isn't an attack on your personal enjoyment of GE in its current form. It would be awesome if you could please try to indulge me in having some creative fun.

You can have all the creative fun you want, to me the point of the thread is to see the changes that have been made to the land and how that has impacted the guest experience, not things we can add to the land for our own personal views enjoyment.
Threads like these are hard to keep on track and the reason many have been moved or closed.
This forum's goal is to help plan under current operations, for blue sky ideas there are other forums

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I do wonder though if people that are coming in with a bit of a negative mindset or a view of "I am not really into Star Wars so this isn't for me" or for the people that are coming in saying "I only like the original trilogy", then see Hondo or hear who is is and almost get angry or turned off by it "so now this land is really not for me as I need to have watched some TV show or read a book to know about this guy?"

So, for those people, it would be better if it was a brand new character or just a random smuggler or something

Just wondering if Hondo is a representative of why some people feel disconnected to what was built and b/c they aren't open to things it makes it worse - trying to tie back to the overall (under)performance of the land, why something like Hondo is a negative vs a brand new character at an attraciton (like Figment) which is no worse than nuetral

Speaking for myself, I didn't feel that way when I saw Hondo. We just didn't immediately recognize him.

I'd say we got the gist of who he is from the context of his speech, but we didn't fully know who he was. Is he tricking us? Someone we should trust?

With Figment, well, Figment is a giant purple dragon with big eyes.

Have you seen the awesome display in Epcot's Bijutsu-kan Gallery (Japan) on Kawaii? Kawaii is Japan's 'cute' culture: Hello Kitty, Gudetama, etc. If you haven't seen the display, the gist is that many people, worldwide, are drawn to characters with similar characteristics: cute, childlike, sometimes fluffy or soft.

In short, Figment is immediately likable in the same way Hello Kitty and My Little Pony are likable. His character fits a classic archetype that we immediately, instinctively recognize.

As the ride progresses, he repeats the same message. How many times?

By the end of the ride, well, the Sherman Brothers' earworm is pretty well stuck in our head, isn't it?
(Mind, I still miss Dreamfinder, and I love Eric Idle, but his face on the moving moon? Yeesh!)

The Pirates also tell us again and again who they are via catchy repetitive song....and the Tiki Birds....

Mind, I'm not suggesting a singing Hondo earworm.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Just as an FYI, to give a little background as to why I started this thread ....

In the main News thread on the News and Rumor board a lot of discussion was happening after they removed the Star Wars sounding names from the food items and just overall the idea of stripping out the immersion level in Galaxy's Edge and the reasons why. That led to larger discussions about who the land is appealing to - or not appealing to and how the immersion is adding to or detracting to guests.

And if we feel Disney had the right view of what this would appeal to - or at least who would like it vs who would be ok with it ... perhaps minimizing the 5 of people who would realy be actively turned off by it

I had similar similar discussions elsewhere so wanted to consolidate all of the chatter here (and, to be honest, try to keep it out of the News Thread as that is where people go for news and small thoughts on that news, not large side conversations)

So that is the goal - discuss how we think the land is doing for DISNEY ... is it appealing to as large a group as they expected? If not, why not? This is a new type of land for them, is it working? Why not? If they try to appeal to everyone will they win up appealing to no one?

So I think, focus more on what is happening and how Disney (and the Disney executives) are viewing it or what the average guest is experiencing (and would want to or not want to) more than what "if I was in charge this is what I would want to see"

Hope this helps ... I really do enjoy the discussion!

 

[Turksmom]

[QUOTE="

By the end of the ride, well, the Sherman Brothers' earworm is pretty well stuck in our head, isn't it?
(Mind, I still miss Dreamfinder, and I love Eric Idle, but his face on the moving moon? Yeesh!)

The Pirates also tell us again and again who they are via catchy repetitive song....and the Tiki Birds....

Mind, I'm not suggesting a singing Hondo earworm.
[/QUOTE]
I guess that would address the lack of music.

 

[EmJ]

Just as an FYI, to give a little background as to why I started this thread ....

In the main News thread on the News and Rumor board a lot of discussion was happening after they removed the Star Wars sounding names from the food items and just overall the idea of stripping out the immersion level in Galaxy's Edge and the reasons why. That led to larger discussions about who the land is appealing to - or not appealing to and how the immersion is adding to or detracting to guests.

And if we feel Disney had the right view of what this would appeal to - or at least who would like it vs who would be ok with it ... perhaps minimizing the 5 of people who would realy be actively turned off by it

I had similar similar discussions elsewhere so wanted to consolidate all of the chatter here (and, to be honest, try to keep it out of the News Thread as that is where people go for news and small thoughts on that news, not large side conversations)

So that is the goal - discuss how we think the land is doing for DISNEY ... is it appealing to as large a group as they expected? If not, why not? This is a new type of land for them, is it working? Why not? If they try to appeal to everyone will they win up appealing to no one?

So I think, focus more on what is happening and how Disney (and the Disney executives) are viewing it or what the average guest is experiencing (and would want to or not want to) more than what "if I was in charge this is what I would want to see"

Hope this helps ... I really do enjoy the discussion!

Personally, I am pretty interested to see the fourth quarter earnings report in a couple of weeks. There has been a lot of disagreement as to whether the land is performing as Disney expected, or if it has not, whether Disney is nonetheless satisfied with how it has unrolled. Seeing the fourth quarter earnings report and Disney’s comments on the same will at least provide some actual data.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Thanks, The MaxRebo.

I appreciate the reminder.

 

[monkyby87]

Trying to stay on topic, and aside from the vocal people on these boards, I have yet to talk or meet anyone that didn't at least enjoy SW:GE on some level. It's been busy every time I've been there and people are buying things. I've seen tons of lightsaber and droid boxes being carried around the parks. As of right now I don't think there's really any reason to think it's not doing well or isn't successful. Of course that's hard to determine since we don't have any sort of criteria or metric to say if the land is successful or not. All I can really judge SW:GE on is the reaction and experiences of the people that are visiting. Thus far, it's been quite positive. After all, it is just a land within a theme park within a larger resort.

 

[ChrisFL]

There is a LOT of things I've been thinking about regarding the land and why it isn't going bonkers in popularity compared to Harry Potter stuff.

If we ignore the Disney vs. Universal bit (and realize that the lead imagineer actually came from Universal and had already worked on Harry Potter), and focus on the stories from both, IMO Harry Potter had the easier goals. There were less locations, more interactivity and more nice "town" stuff to fill with familiar things. The interactive wand experience was also very easy for guests to do and was built on an existing type of system.


SW:GE had a much higher difficulty. Several things were working against them:

1.) No one set location or even one set time period
2.) Many parts of Star Wars were not bright and shiny, but old and "lived in"
3.) There was no pent up wait for a Star Wars attraction or merchandise...Disney's had a Star Wars attraction since 1987 and merchandise, including many of the same high quality stuff we see in SW:GE
4.) If we go by the current timeline, a lot of the original characters have passed on
5.) There's a wide disparity between what casual fans expect vs hardcore fans


I've been twice to the DHS version, a week apart and only 1-2 weeks after grand opening....it wasn't busy....at all.

Overall it feels like a pretty shell with not much substance unless you spend money.

Yes, it's possible the new attraction will help with this, the same way that FOP REALLY helps "sell" the rest of the land of Pandora.


One thing I am GOING TO HARP ON....................MUSIC


Imagine this....you're walking through the land for the first time and let's just imagine that you don't know whether you're entering a Star Wars themed land. What would mentally "tie you" to the land? Seeing aliens and droids? not many of those around. A few spaceships from the franchise...ok fine....some architecture that MAY look a bit like architecture from other Star Wars areas? Walkaround characters, the very few that we actually see, like 4 or 5 MAX? I only saw Rey and two stormtroopers on the two visits, no Kylo Ren. So what else is there? Some indoor buildings to BUY stuff....expensive drinks, expensive props, expensive merchandise....and blue milk. (I LIKE Blue milk btw)

But if you hear the familiar MUSIC, you suddenly mentally associate it with the land. The same way you do with a lot of other John Williams scores. Going in the ocean is fine until you hear the JAWS Theme...or walking by some tall fences when you suddenly hear the Jurassic Park theme....it ties it together in ways that are difficult to measure.

So the Kylo Ren arrival show thing isn't on a set schedule, but why not?

The Force isn't mentioned almost at all in the land, but why not?

R2D2 and C3P0 aren't walking/rolling around in the land....why not?

There's no set shows or Jedi academy style stuff in the land...why not?

There's no march of stormtroopers that used to be in the front of DHS (Then it was cancelled a few months ago)

I think they're way too tied to the timeframe of the land and that prevents a lot of fan favorites from showing up and how we get a relatively unknown like Hondo


I also don't know of another land where there's a resistance or rebellion that fans are a part of against a space-fascist regime as part of the "FUN"

 

[elleherself]

I'm a big Disney fan but haven't been a big fan of the recent ride developments. I drove 3 hours to Orlando just on rumors of a soft opening of New Fantasyland one day, but the last few years I've taken a break from Disney and haven't been to Pandora, Galaxy's Edge, or the recent Toy Story Land expansion.

I'm also not a huge Star Wars or Avatar fan, so maybe this stuff just isn't for me and that's fine. I'm sure I will get to see it one day. But there's no sense of urgency with any of it, and in fact a big incentive to stay away. I will say I think there is a sense that Disney maybe missed the mark a bit with Galaxy's Edge just from the level of hype leading up to it. It was supposed to be this incredibly immersive theme park experience, with roving aliens and droids, characters around every corner, bursting with life. From what I've heard that hasn't really manifested for most guests. Wizarding World was an instant, clear success, even though Universal only opened one new ride. As I said I haven't been to Pandora either so I can't speak to the immersion there, but from what I understand this is Disney's first foray into real immersion with the changed Cokes and stuff. When you venture into Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, you can't buy a coke at all. The people working there have their houses, affiliations and backstories. I have had the most fun over the years as a Ravenclaw student, once getting sent to the front of the line by a cast member fellow Ravenclaw, once getting sneered at by a Slytherin in a shop. The people working there really bring the place alive, from bartenders to ride attendants. You can't buy cupcakes with Harry's face or Voldemort's, you never even see them until you're on the ride.

Universal has had 9 years of elaborating on their concept though and Galaxy's Edge has just begun. I'm interested to see where they take it and especially what the reality of the hotel ends up looking like. Galaxy's Edge has been a scaled back version of what was originally pitched to us (no sit down restaurant, no backstory that carries with you in the land). If they are already scaling back some of the smaller immersive elements in Galaxy's Edge I can only guess they will be rethinking the hotel immersion concept as well.

 

[MeridaAnn]

Overall thoughts on performance of the land: What is working, what isn't?
What is working:
-I love the feeling of being in another world. I've spent two days there so far and I at times I had to remind myself that the rest of DHS really was just a few hundred feet away from me. I felt like I was really somewhere else, and it seemed strange to think that I'd gotten there by walking past an ice cream shop inside a giant dinosaur and past the Muppets theater. The area is gorgeous - it could be a giant film set and nothing would seem out of place. All the details are amazing.
-I really like the Millenium Falcon ride. Yes, it has similarities to some other rides - Star Tours, Mission Space, etc. - but I think it takes the best parts from each of them and makes an idealized version. MFSR doesn't mess up my stomach the way Star Tours does, and while I wish it was a bit more clear for the engineers how to do their tasks and what impact they have, it is a good solid ride. Not every ride needs to be the most extreme, top of the line attraction - it's important to have some nice, middle of the road stuff, too (contrast with Universal, where nearly every ride is such high intensity that I can only do two or three in a day before my stomach stops me from doing anything else all day). Also, I think the pre-show is perfect for it - it's not too long or involved, but it gets you interested in the plot and I think Hondo's character is immediately clear. I had no idea that he even existed outside of the parks until reading about him here after visiting - when I had already purchased the Funko Pop of him in one of the (off-Batuu) shops because I liked him so much. He's a space pirate with a sense of humor - I like him a lot!

What isn't working:
- Navigation is tough. Even with both a paper map and my phone, I kept getting turned around while playing with the Datapad. There's very little signage in English, and even when I think I'm in the right place, it's hard to tell what entrance leads to what. On my first visit, I walked straight past the line for Dok Ondar's and never went in because I thought it was the Droid building - I couldn't remember off the top of my head which shop was which and there wasn't any way for me to tell without asking.
-Things to do are limited. I enjoyed seeing Vi escaping the Stormtroopers and chatting with Rey, and I had a great interacting when I accidentally ran into Kylo Ren while I was wearing a shirt with a great big Rebel Alliance logo on it, there needs to be some *scheduled* entertainment as well. A couple stage shows like they have in both Harry Potter lands at Universal would go a long way - alternate between a music group, like the Cantina band, and an acrobat / stunt show, both of which would easily make sense in-universe, and (once the 2nd ride is open) I could see myself spending a whole day just in Batuu, the same way I do in the HP areas at Universal.

Who is the audience for this land? How might reality differ from what Disney was expecting?
I don't know for sure who their ideal guest was when they first planned things out, but I feel like I'm a perfect match for the land. I'm a fan of all the movies, but I'm not as obsessive with them as I am with the Harry Potter books. The prequels were coming out as I was in middle school and I've always loved them. I also really love Force Awakens and Solo: A Star Wars Story! To me, the original trilogy is just part of the series as a whole, not the be-all-end-all, the way it is for some. I got to dress up for Star Wars Weekend when they had that and loved it! I dressed as a Jedi version of Princess Merida (pics below just for fun). I'm also a big fan of architecture and theater set design, so I'm perfectly happy just wandering around and looking at the land for quite a long time, soaking in all the great details. (The tiny toy shop is probably my favorite - it's just so cute!) Then again, I'm also a solo, local AP holder, so I'm sure I'm not the ultimate target audience, as Disney wants lots of people who will spend lots of money on resorts and other things in addition to the land. But whether it was meant for me or not, I really like it, and I expect to fully love it once the second ride is open.


Immersion: Is it something guests want? Is there too much/too little? Thoughts on the removal of the Star Wars names for the food?
I think the concept is great fun, and I think immersive lands are definitely a great addition to both Disney and Universal! I'm also a big fan of Renaissance Festivals, which I've seen people compare the land to in terms of the immersion here, and I think that's an apt comparison. I loved the photographers freaking out over my shoulder banshee from Pandora the one day because it was an "alien" they'd never seen before. I love the concept that all of the CMs have a backstory. But then at the same time, some of it is causing confusion - I already mentioned that navigation is difficult because they don't want to use English signage. Similarly, I feel like the CMs expect the guests to be in character as well, which can cause some issues - for example, on my first visit I asked a CM if a certain line was for photos and he responded that it was for "holodiscs" (I think, although it could have been another term) in a tone of voice that made it sound like they were different things, and it wasn't until I looked confused that he confirmed that I was in the right place. The answer I got was basically "What's a photo? This is the location for holodiscs." Instead, something like "Yes, you're in the right place. We call them holodiscs here!" would have still gotten me to the same place and made the same point, but it doesn't make me "wrong" for having used the English term. That's a bit of a subtle difference, and will probably get better over time, but it shows how it is a pretty narrow line to walk between the right amount of immersion and too much. Similarly, I think the food names should stay with the original, as long as each listing of them has a description of the item right below and as long as if I say I want the "pork roast" or whatever, I still get it without them acting like they don't know what I'm talking about.

 

[only hope]

There is a LOT of things I've been thinking about regarding the land and why it isn't going bonkers in popularity compared to Harry Potter stuff.

If we ignore the Disney vs. Universal bit (and realize that the lead imagineer actually came from Universal and had already worked on Harry Potter), and focus on the stories from both, IMO Harry Potter had the easier goals. There were less locations, more interactivity and more nice "town" stuff to fill with familiar things. The interactive wand experience was also very easy for guests to do and was built on an existing type of system.


SW:GE had a much higher difficulty. Several things were working against them:

1.) No one set location or even one set time period
2.) Many parts of Star Wars were not bright and shiny, but old and "lived in"
3.) There was no pent up wait for a Star Wars attraction or merchandise...Disney's had a Star Wars attraction since 1987 and merchandise, including many of the same high quality stuff we see in SW:GE
4.) If we go by the current timeline, a lot of the original characters have passed on
5.) There's a wide disparity between what casual fans expect vs hardcore fans


I've been twice to the DHS version, a week apart and only 1-2 weeks after grand opening....it wasn't busy....at all.

Overall it feels like a pretty shell with not much substance unless you spend money.

Yes, it's possible the new attraction will help with this, the same way that FOP REALLY helps "sell" the rest of the land of Pandora.


One thing I am GOING TO HARP ON....................MUSIC


Imagine this....you're walking through the land for the first time and let's just imagine that you don't know whether you're entering a Star Wars themed land. What would mentally "tie you" to the land? Seeing aliens and droids? not many of those around. A few spaceships from the franchise...ok fine....some architecture that MAY look a bit like architecture from other Star Wars areas? Walkaround characters, the very few that we actually see, like 4 or 5 MAX? I only saw Rey and two stormtroopers on the two visits, no Kylo Ren. So what else is there? Some indoor buildings to BUY stuff....expensive drinks, expensive props, expensive merchandise....and blue milk. (I LIKE Blue milk btw)

But if you hear the familiar MUSIC, you suddenly mentally associate it with the land. The same way you do with a lot of other John Williams scores. Going in the ocean is fine until you hear the JAWS Theme...or walking by some tall fences when you suddenly hear the Jurassic Park theme....it ties it together in ways that are difficult to measure.

So the Kylo Ren arrival show thing isn't on a set schedule, but why not?

The Force isn't mentioned almost at all in the land, but why not?

R2D2 and C3P0 aren't walking/rolling around in the land....why not?

There's no set shows or Jedi academy style stuff in the land...why not?

There's no march of stormtroopers that used to be in the front of DHS (Then it was cancelled a few months ago)

I think they're way too tied to the timeframe of the land and that prevents a lot of fan favorites from showing up and how we get a relatively unknown like Hondo


I also don't know of another land where there's a resistance or rebellion that fans are a part of against a space-fascist regime as part of the "FUN"

The force isn’t mentioned much because by this time, the Jedi have been wiped out for over 30 years. The Empire did an excellent job at rewriting history before it fell and many don’t believe in the force or if they do, they may believe the empires lies that the jedi attempted to overthrow Palpatine and so have no reason to talk about the force in a positive manner. Also, Batuu is a very out of the way planet, practically out of the outer rim. Batuu was never involved much in galatic events, until now, and many of its inhabitants have never left. There hasn’t been much exposure to the force there. Which also explains the Jedi academy. Currently, there are no Jedi that we know of except for Rey- if she even qualifies. Kylo killed or converted all the younglings before the events of Ep VII.

I would love to see stormtroopers march in and out instead of wander in and out. It would be easy to do while maintaining the immersion. R2D2 is there, but he stays in the corner in the droid depot. He’s really just a piece of incredibly expensive merch that can be ordered, but during the day he is active, responding to people in the shop and moving a bit.

The music in the entrance needs to be a bit louder, and they should add music to the marketplace, DB7, and Ronto’s. Many stores and eateries have music.