The Rumor Tracking Thread

[TheMaxRebo]

"Rise" is a pretty big piece, though.

There's also the big sequel-era ship set pieces like the Resistance fighter ships and the huge First Order shuttle, but those would be easier to replace (assuming they'd care enough to spend the time/money).

More than likely, if it does happen, we'll end up with a Batuu that inexplicably exists in two separate time periods. And most won't care. And Disney will still make money.

I don't think it would be two time periods, it would just be "no time period" ... this is a planet that has existed throughout the history of "Star Wars" and come experience it and see all your favorites

I mean, in books Anakin Skywlaker has been to Batuu (both as Anakin and as Darth Vader), Thrawn has been there, etc.

 

[BrianL]

You're projecting your feelings about the characters *you* connect with onto everyone else. "Star Wars" spans over 40 years, so people's connection with the universe can and does vary by generation. Old fogies like me have a strong attachment to the original films because they *were* my childhood, but I know many Millenials who prefer the prequel films (god help them) because they are what "Star Wars" was when they were kids. Similarly, I've seen numerous videos of young kids at SW:GE who are overjoyed to meet Rey, so you can't say there's no connection with new characters (and I'd wager many of them couldn't pick many original trilogy characters out of a lineup), and despite a rise in childless adult guests, Disney Parks are still mostly a place frequented by families with young children (and strollers... so many strollers). In addition, many of the general guest population wouldn't know the difference between Han Solo and Luke Skywalker let alone the difference between original and sequel characters and would think it was exactly the same regardless of what characters were walking around. Given all this, your unsubstantiated claim that the "vast majority of people that are willing to spend money at a Disney Park would rather have a chance to interact with Mandalorian era Han" is on shaky ground at best.

I just want to point out that I am not a Millennial (older) and I love the Prequels and I think I like them the best overall of the three trilogies. God help me.

 

[Brianstl]

You're still missing my point. Adding characters/events from different time periods would make SW:GE disjointed.

Yes; I would absolutely love to walk around in an environment with original trilogy characters, and I would have no issue with them completely overhauling SW:GE entirely to reflect Batuu at an earlier point in the timeline, but it would be really jarring for me to see characters from earlier timelines standing next to the sequel-era T-70 X-wings that they have in SW:GE, or embarking on missions set 30 years apart from the same location. So unless they re-theme Rise of the Resistance (which won't happen) and replace some big set pieces, that means sticking with the sequel-era timeline. "Star Wars" is more than just the original trilogy, so, regardless of my love for the original trilogy, or how I feel about the sequels (I hated The Last Jedi), I'd feel more connected to the bigger Star Wars universe as part of a cohesive experience than I would from a stitched-together patchwork, even if it meant not seeing my favorite characters.

If SW:GE had been themed to the original trilogy (as you seem to have wanted) and they decided to add prequel characters like young Obi-Wan or Padme, or had both prequel Anakin and Darth Vader, would you still be just as okay with them mixing time periods?

You're projecting your feelings about the characters *you* connect with onto everyone else. "Star Wars" spans over 40 years, so people's connection with the universe can and does vary by generation. Old fogies like me have a strong attachment to the original films because they *were* my childhood, but I know many Millenials who prefer the prequel films (god help them) because they are what "Star Wars" was when they were kids. Similarly, I've seen numerous videos of young kids at SW:GE who are overjoyed to meet Rey, so you can't say there's no connection with new characters (and I'd wager many of them couldn't pick many original trilogy characters out of a lineup), and despite a rise in childless adult guests, Disney Parks are still mostly a place frequented by families with young children (and strollers... so many strollers). In addition, many of the general guest population wouldn't know the difference between Han Solo and Luke Skywalker let alone the difference between original and sequel characters and would think it was exactly the same regardless of what characters were walking around. Given all this, your unsubstantiated claim that the "vast majority of people that are willing to spend money at a Disney Park would rather have a chance to interact with Mandalorian era Han" is on shaky ground at best.

Do most guests care? Nope. Will Chapek do whatever he thinks will make the most money in the short term? Yep. Am I allowed to be disappointed if/when it happens? Yep.

No projection on my part. We know what connects by looking at merchandise sales and by the projects Disney moves forward with. Both show that Disney has determined that the new characters from the sequel trilogy don't connect with general public the same way as other characters. That is why we don't get new toy lines or new shows based around that trilogy's new characters.

I don't think it should be an original trilogy land. That ship sailed when Kennedy had her meeting with Iger about the land. What I think they are going to do is move the time it is set into to the Mandalorian time period without it becoming Mandalorian specific. That way they can bring in certain characters from the original trilogy and add characters that connect with the audience from other Disney+ projects set in the same time period and from Kevin Feige's movie which I assume will bring all the Favreau shows together for a conclusion.

If I was projecting my own feelings onto SWGE, it would be completely rebuilt into Toontown and Roger Rabbit would not only be the star of that land, but would serve the Mickey role for that whole park.

 

[1lilspark]

Counterpoint to see he whole SWGE timeline retcon to add in Disney+ properties

the storyline of Toy Story Land is that Andy set it up in his backyard and yet Midway Mania (and possibly other areas) have Bonnie’s toys heavily featured

 

[OKW Lover]

I see many people speculating that DME was shut down so that Disney could establish a new, paid option to replace it. I disagree. It seems to me that if Disney just wanted to start charging for DME service they would just do it. No need to shut it down. Just announce that "Effective on [date} there will be a $x charge per person for transportation between the airport and your WDW resort".

 

[The Pho]

"Rise" is a pretty big piece, though.

There's also the big sequel-era ship set pieces like the Resistance fighter ships and the huge First Order shuttle, but those would be easier to replace (assuming they'd care enough to spend the time/money).

More than likely, if it does happen, we'll end up with a Batuu that inexplicably exists in two separate time periods. And most won't care. And Disney will still make money.

Ships are easy enough to keep. A shift towards Mandalorian would require either an older Din or a younger First Order/ New Republic and removing/ altering sequel film characters. Stormtroopers, ships, and decorations could all remain either way.

 

[SMRT-1]

I don't think it would be two time periods, it would just be "no time period"

I wasn't saying that there would be two areas with explicitly defined time periods. What I meant was that SW:GE would no longer have a unified time period ("no time period" as you put it), and that having events and characters from both the sequels and The Mandalorian taking place in the same location would result in the Batuu paradoxically existing in multiple time periods simultaneously, which is different than what you'd said about Batuu shifting to a new time period.

... this is a planet that has existed throughout the history of "Star Wars" and come experience it and see all your favorites

I mean, in books Anakin Skywlaker has been to Batuu (both as Anakin and as Darth Vader), Thrawn has been there, etc.

So you'd be okay with both Anakin and Darth Vader wandering around SW:GE at the same time just because he'd visited Batuu as both at some point in the timeline?

Would there be any need for SW:GE to be Batuu then, as it basically just becomes "generic Star Wars backdrop" for the most popular characters irrespective of time period? They might as well incorporate other planets, too, and re-theme Oga's to the Mos Eisley cantina at that point. Honestly, that's what I'm worried will eventually happen.

Oh well; it's just rumors at this point, and in the end it doesn't matter because Disney's going to do what they're going to do. Doesn't mean I can't get proactively disappointed about it though.

 

[SMRT-1]

Ships are easy enough to keep. A shift towards Mandalorian would require either an older Din or a younger First Order/ New Republic and removing/ altering sequel film characters. Stormtroopers, ships, and decorations could all remain either way.

I could see that - move it somewhere in between. Easy enough to shift the scraps of the Empire seen in The Mandalorian into a sort of proto-First Order, and the T-70 X-wings were already an older model by the time of the sequels, so it's possible they'd already have been in service.

So then it basically comes back to "Rise" be the biggest hurdle to maintaining a unified time period in SW:GE.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I wasn't saying that there would be two areas with explicitly defined time periods. What I meant was that SW:GE would no longer have a unified time period ("no time period" as you put it), and that having events and characters from both the sequels and The Mandalorian taking place in the same location would result in the Batuu paradoxically existing in multiple time periods simultaneously, which is different than what you'd said about Batuu shifting to a new time period.


So you'd be okay with both Anakin and Darth Vader wandering around SW:GE at the same time just because he'd visited Batuu as both at some point in the timeline?

Would there be any need for SW:GE to be Batuu then, as it basically just becomes "generic Star Wars backdrop" for the most popular characters irrespective of time period? They might as well incorporate other planets, too, and re-theme Oga's to the Mos Eisley cantina at that point. Honestly, that's what I'm worried will eventually happen.

Oh well; it's just rumors at this point, and in the end it doesn't matter because Disney's going to do what they're going to do. Doesn't mean I can't get proactively disappointed about it though.

Not necessarily - just saying there are references to Batuu in different time periods already

 

[rpb718]

so no idea the credibility of this source, but a report that Tom Hanks will be a new narrator for the Carousel of Progress which will undergo an update soon which will also see a significant update to the final scene:
https://justdisney.co/tom-hanks-to-...dKmMZKUXxWBbGWkOu4HsYmEHPwbpYFG8sHfJwGOhE7rzg

Definitely a solid choice for narrator. That final scene really needs some updates.

If this is WDW's version of "soon", the final scene will include the daughter on her iPhone trying to get a BG for Tron.

 

[The Pho]

I could see that - move it somewhere in between. Easy enough to shift the scraps of the Empire seen in The Mandalorian into a sort of proto-First Order, and the T-70 X-wings were already an older model by the time of the sequels, so it's possible they'd already have been in service.

So then it basically comes back to "Rise" be the biggest hurdle to maintaining a unified time period in SW:GE.

Even most of Rise could work well enough.

Spoiler

Finn, Kylo and Hux animatronics would need to be rethemed some, and they’d have to change out the videos of the others. They could just remove Finn completely and keep Hux facing away from the riders (selling some newspapers perhaps). Then toss the dark saber into the mix instead of Kylo’s saber. It’s doesn’t have to be a full overhaul.

I don’t expect any of this to happen though. The land is popular enough as it is.

 

[SMRT-1]

If this is WDW's version of "soon", the final scene will include the daughter on her iPhone trying to get a BG for Tron.

They could just replace the entire last scene with a sign reading "The future - coming 'soon.'"

 

[rpb718]

I wasn't saying that there would be two areas with explicitly defined time periods. What I meant was that SW:GE would no longer have a unified time period ("no time period" as you put it), and that having events and characters from both the sequels and The Mandalorian taking place in the same location would result in the Batuu paradoxically existing in multiple time periods simultaneously, which is different than what you'd said about Batuu shifting to a new time period.


So you'd be okay with both Anakin and Darth Vader wandering around SW:GE at the same time just because he'd visited Batuu as both at some point in the timeline?

Would there be any need for SW:GE to be Batuu then, as it basically just becomes "generic Star Wars backdrop" for the most popular characters irrespective of time period? They might as well incorporate other planets, too, and re-theme Oga's to the Mos Eisley cantina at that point. Honestly, that's what I'm worried will eventually happen.

Oh well; it's just rumors at this point, and in the end it doesn't matter because Disney's going to do what they're going to do. Doesn't mean I can't get proactively disappointed about it though.

I hate to harp on this, but I consider myself a fan of SW. Some would not consider me so and here's why: I've seen the 9 movies, I've seen Solo and Rogue One. I've also watched the Mandalorian. I liked them all, some more than others. That's it. I'm not watching cartoons or reading books or fan fiction run amok. I still refer to "the child" as Baby Yoda even though I've always known it isn't. I don't have any idea what and when Batuu is suppose to be other than some rather generic SW inspired place where the inhabitants for all their space advances never really learned how to clean properly and need a crash course in feng shui.

If changes are made to Batuu, 1% of folks will be very very angry, 4% will not be very happy but will eventually come to accept and finally enjoy it for what it is and represents, and 95% will be like "Ok, which do you want to do first - the Anakin M&G or the Vader M&G".

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I hate to harp on this, but I consider myself a fan of SW. Some would not consider me so and here's why: I've seen the 9 movies, I've seen Solo and Rogue One. I've also watched the Mandalorian. I liked them all, some more than others. That's it. I'm not watching cartoons or reading books or fan fiction run amok. I still refer to "the child" as Baby Yoda even though I've always known it isn't. I don't have any idea what and when Batuu is suppose to be other than some rather generic SW inspired place where the inhabitants for all their space advances never really learned how to clean properly and need a crash course in feng shui.

If changes are made to Batuu, 1% of folks will be very very angry, 4% will not be very happy but will eventually come to accept and finally enjoy it for what it is and represents, and 95% will be like "Ok, which do you want to first - the Anakin M&G or the Vader M&G".

I do watch the cartoons, read the books, talk about it in a podcast ...and 100% agree with you

(I would be in the 4% in your scenario)

 

[SMRT-1]

I hate to harp on this, but I consider myself a fan of SW. Some would not consider me so and here's why: I've seen the 9 movies, I've seen Solo and Rogue One. I've also watched the Mandalorian. I liked them all, some more than others. That's it. I'm not watching cartoons or reading books or fan fiction run amok. I still refer to "the child" as Baby Yoda even though I've always known it isn't. I don't have any idea what and when Batuu is suppose to be other than some rather generic SW inspired place where the inhabitants for all their space advances never really learned how to clean properly and need a crash course in feng shui.

If changes are made to Batuu, 1% of folks will be very very angry, 4% will not be very happy but will eventually come to accept and finally enjoy it for what it is and represents, and 95% will be like "Ok, which do you want to first - the Anakin M&G or the Vader M&G".

You're not wrong. Most people won't care. That doesn't mean I forfeit my right to care about it and grumble until I eventually go anyway... and probably still enjoy it.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

You're not wrong. Most people won't care. That doesn't mean I forfeit my right to care about it and grumble until I eventually go anyway... and probably still enjoy it.

Grumbling about it and enjoying it are definitely not mutually exclusive

 

[rpb718]

Grumbling about it and enjoying it are definitely not mutually exclusive

This statement really covers all of WDW as a whole - and even the DISboards.

 

[rteetz]

I think the best option is a more general land. Not a Mando land. So keep rise as is. Change up falcon. Add a Mando meet and greet/walk around.

 

[Runnsally]

I see many people speculating that DME was shut down so that Disney could establish a new, paid option to replace it. I disagree. It seems to me that if Disney just wanted to start charging for DME service they would just do it. No need to shut it down. Just announce that "Effective on [date} there will be a $x charge per person for transportation between the airport and your WDW resort".

Perhaps they needed to give Mears notice that they don’t plan to renew their contract. Gives Disney time to plan for their own up charge service which they announce 6 months from now...

 

[Brianstl]

Perhaps they needed to give Mears notice that they don’t plan to renew their contract. Gives Disney time to plan for their own up charge service which they announce 6 months from now...

Will they serve deserts?