Find Out What Inspired The Amazing Sights, Sounds and Tastes of Galaxy’s Edge
Walt Disney Imagineering designed Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge to be the ultimate Star Wars experience for guests. Underneath the spires of Batuu, everything in the land is designed to be authentic to that famous galaxy far, far away. Inspiration for the incredible land opening tomorrow at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World came from a wide variety of sources, including film sets, archival documents, real-world locales and more.
Let’s take a fun look at some of the things that inspired this dazzling new land:
It’s All in the Geometry
The architecture of Black Spire Outpost is anchored by strong geometric forms. Many architectural components are fragmented and asymmetrically arranged, with thick walls often coated with heavy, ancient plaster to tell the story of a mysterious land with a deep, rich history. Imagineers studied real-world locations to learn more about how time and history reveal themselves in architecture and environments via erosion and visual wear.
Marrakesh Markets
Imagineers ventured to exotic locations like Morocco and Turkey to take in the famous ancient open-air markets. These locales inspired Black Spire Outpost’s authentically earthy, yet otherworldly environment. During their treks, Imagineers took thousands of photos including street market items, cracks in the pavement, ancient stonework, landscaping, lighting, electrical wiring to shape the look and feel of Black Spire Outpost.
The Original Source
In search of aesthetic inspiration for the land, Imagineers visited George Lucas’ private archives in California to study the original Star Wars concept artwork created by Ralph McQuarrie, the artist who helped Lucas shape the look of the Star Wars
The team of Imagineers worked closely with Lucasfilm to develop key design criteria that ensured every detail felt like it belonged in the same style and tone of the production designs from Star Wars.
Pinewood Studios
To ensure authenticity, Imagineers also visited active Star Wars film sets in the United Kingdom. Here they studied everything from the ships and costumes to props to help inform their work on Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
The 1970’s
In developing props and other items for the land, Imagineers tried when they could to use pre-1980 materials to best capture the look and feel of the props in the first Star Wars films. (“Star Wars: A New Hope” was released in 1977).
Props Make the Best Souvenirs
For the merchandise in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Disney designers were granted access to the Lucasfilm archives to study original props and costumes. In many cases, a digital scanner was used to take 360-degree images of these artefacts; 3D prints were used to create new molds for items replicated as merchandise.
Ready-To-Eat Snack Kit
The Meal, Ready-to-Eat snack kit offered in Resistance Supply is based on Luke Skywalker’s actual kit from “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.” Disney used set references as well as recollections from actor Mark Hamill (who played Luke Skywalker in the film) to select most of the snacks featured in the kit.
Robes Fit for a Jedi Master
The robes and tunics you’ll find for sale in Black Spire Outfitters are inspired by the costumes for Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker in “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith,” as well as Rey from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”
The Droids
The Custom Astromech Droid Units available for customization in the Droid Depot are inspired by young Anakin Skywalker tinkering with C-3PO in “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.”
The Clone Wars
The guest experience inside Savi’s Workshop where you can customize your own Handbuilt Lightsabers draws some of its inspiration from episodes of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” where Jedi padawans learn how to build their own lightsabers.
Mini Troopers
The toy Stormtrooper seen in Toydarian Toymaker is modeled after the prop young Jyn Erso holds in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.”
The Incredible Sounds of Skywalker
To deepen the feeling of immersion for visitors to Galaxy’s Edge, Imagineers worked with Skywalker Sound to create more than a thousand sound effects that play throughout the land. Skywalker Sound provided many of the classic sounds from the Star Wars films. The team at Skywalker collaborated with Imagineers in creating new audio effects specifically for Batuu.
Look Toward the Trees
Trees in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge were selected for distinctive bark, wild character and smaller or pendulant foliage. These characteristics suggest the trees are survivors and descendants of a cataclysmic event that claimed the ancient forest and left the large petrified spires now scattered across Batuu.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this look at the inspiration for many of the incredible details you’ll find at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The best way of course to enjoy these details is to check them out in person by planning your next Disney getaway. Getting started is easy. Simply fill out our form below to get your FREE, no-obligation quote from MickeyTravels.
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