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 way more important change than it would 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 may stay of their particular story and timeline and gained’t intersect with different characters or tales that may not be applicable for them.”
Since then, there’s been a gentle 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 Normal 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 Drive, 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 over time, 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 places of work in area are dictating something when it comes to characters inside the adjoining land.
A extra believable rationalization is that the Imagineering and Lucasfilm groups which can be persevering with to develop new artistic 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 slightly 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 truly are affordable. We’ve been down that street earlier than, although, so let’s minimize 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 may conclude that Luke Skywalker is coming to not less than one of many Star Wars lands. Disney is aware of even this brief and candy video will draw limitless hypothesis, and so they aren’t so merciless as to tease us like that.
Nonetheless, Disney’s reply makes this clearer: “Incoming transmission with extra particulars anticipated 2.10.25 #SeasonOfTheForce #Disneyland.”
This implies full particulars shall be introduced February 10, 2025 and that the Luke character appearances will solely be in California, versus Walt Disney World. At the least at first.
Season of the Drive is the Star Wars celebration at Disneyland, operating this 12 months from March 28 by means of Could 11, 2025. It begins throughout Spring Break and earlier than DCA Meals & Wine Pageant concludes, operating 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.
Principally, Season of the Drive 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 shall be busy as at all times, there are weeks in April and Could which can be anticipated to be slower. This Star Wars occasion ought to assist draw locals and followers to the parks through the downtime.
It’s price 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 will be the most important breaking of the sacred timeline of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge to this point. The land is supposedly set between Episodes 8 and 9 of the sequel trilogy, when Luke is an previous man. “The Mandalorian” is about 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, and so they age oddly (scientifically talking, after all).
There’s no believable method younger Luke seems in Batuu. That alone makes this vastly important, way 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 for the reason that land debuted.
Suffice to say, there’s seemingly extra erosion of the sacred timeline to come back. Disney asserting the New Mission that includes Mandalorian & Child Yoda for Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run already elevated the chances 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 constantly and repeatedly been advocating for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge to have a gentle 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 definitely not utilizing “sacred timeline” as a time period of reverence.
A gentle reboot of the Star Wars land could be a chance 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 check 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 consider the Mando mission for Smugglers Run is the one Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge enhancement within the pipeline. I’ve heard nothing credible just lately, however my expectation is that Imagineering will need a marketable ‘package deal’ of additives, enhancements, regimaginings, and so forth. for 2026 to go together with that. This Luke Skywalker tease additional reinforces that for me.
From my perspective, the query now could be when Luke Skywalker will come to Walt Disney World, not if he’ll. It’s inevitable that the character will, identical to Mandalorian and Child Yoda earlier than him. Visitor demand shall be too robust, to the purpose that native management at Walt Disney World gained’t have a alternative.
It’s one factor with all the 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 Normal Hera Syndulla earlier than that DVC social gathering). It’s one other fully with Luke Skywalker and R2-D2. It might be loopy to not carry this duo to Walt Disney World.
The higher query is whether or not Disney will wish to play that card, so to talk, in Summer season 2026 as a part of the aforementioned (potential) advertising and marketing package deal of modifications and additions that breathes new life into Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Or will they wish 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 could be drawn out to DHS this summer season, that’ll already occur with the 2 new stage reveals. 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 means of mid-Could. Not solely that, however it provides the leisure, Imagineering, and Lucasfilm an opportunity to check the character on a limited-time foundation earlier than an extra rollout (presumably) subsequent summer season on each coasts. In my opinion, that’s the win-win method.
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 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 principles may repair that, making Batuu a vibrant canvas for adventures that comport extra carefully with visitor expectations. It may make the land really feel alive and thrilling, even when it turns into much less coherent from a storytelling perspective. It may additionally make the land carry out higher with informal guests, who hear “Star Wars land” and count on 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 inside 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 gentle 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 unique trilogy characters, to seem in Batuu together with the brand new Mandalorian & Child Yoda Smugglers Run mission in Summer season 2026? Do you assume Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge ought to break its personal guidelines or stick with the fastened timeline and story? Would you wish to see Darth Vader and common Yoda within the land? Assume Galaxy’s Edge ought to concentrate on 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 under within the feedback!
