9 Out-Of-This-World Facts About Star Tours
Before there was Galaxy’s Edge, Smuggler’s Run and Rise of the Resistance, there was one awesome attraction (opened in 1987) that gave guests a big dose of Star Wars Magic – Star Tours- The Adventure Continues. As Disney celebrates over 30 years of intergalactic adventure, we here at MickeyBlog (with a little help from our friends at D23) thought we share some awesome facts about the Endor Express!
A Familiar Flight Number
As you get ready to blast off for adventure, you’ll notice the flight number for your journey. It always stays the same and is 1401. This number actually has significance as the street address for Walt Disney Imagineering is 1401!
A Blast from the Past
If you can remember back to the original Star Tours then you may recognize a familiar voice while you wait in line. Sputtering out with a glitchy voice is Captain Rex! He is actually boxed up in a crate labelled “Defective” waiting with the other droids to be shipped to a new planet.
That’s not the only familiar voice you’ll hear. During some of the ride’s different sequences you may here Captain Rex again (during the Death Star trench run proclaim “I’ve always wanted to do this. C-3PO also says this before entering a podrace.
Still Getting Used to His Programming
Speaking of everyone’s favorite robotic pilot, poor Captain Rex never did manage to fly us to the moon of Endor in the original Star Tours. You might blame it on the little droid’s scatterbrained personality, or, if you ever looked closely at Rex while he was still captaining the original Endor Express, you might have noticed the big red pull-tab sticking out of his body that was labelled “REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT.” I have a bad feeling about that…
Paging Egroeg Sacul…
For those waiting in the Star Tours – The Adventures Continue queue pay attention to announcements. Egroeg Sacul and Mot Worrom are paged. The first is actually the backward name of Star Wars creator George Lucas and Tom Morrow who is the fictional host of various Disney attractions including the PeopleMover at Walt Disney World! Also be on the lookout for a land speeder with the license plate THX 1138 is also paged, referencing George Lucas’ very first film.
Inner Space in Outer Space
Pre-dating Star Tours was an attraction called Adventure Through Inner Space. This dark ride attraction made guests feel that they’ve been shrunken down to the size of an atom to explore the inner workings of a snowflake! This was all down through the magic of a “Mighty Microscope!” The iconic microscope was center stage at this now-defunct attraction but can still be found on Star Tours! As you zoom through the Deather Star in one of the possible endings look to your left as you exit the deadly space station and there you’ll find….the Mighty Microscope!
Packing Up Some Shout-Outs
Pay attention to what the droid G2-9T is scanning while he checks luggage in the attraction’s queue. There’s lots of Easter Eggs here this includes referencing the Storm Trooper TK421 (why isn’t he at his post?), to Madame Leota’s head, to Major and Minor Domo from the classic 3-D show Captain EO. While you’re waiting for your next trip on Star Tours, make sure to pay attention to what the droid scans, because you just might items for your favorite Disney movie or attraction! Keep your eyes peeled for references to everything from Toy Story to The Black Hole.
Do You Think Luke Ever Flew On Star Tours?
Star Tours as a company has actually been acknowledged in several episodes of the animated TV series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, including via a poster Easter egg in the episode “Lightsaber Lost.” And our favorite first-time pilot, Captain Rex, has a guest appearance on the animated TV show Star Wars Rebels in the episode “Droids in Distress. StarWars.com also has a detailed explanation of just how our favorite attraction fits into the galaxy far, far away.
No Longer Feathered, But Still Friends
The Mighty Microscope isn’t the only shout-out to attractions from Disneyland’s past. Two of the droids featured in the attraction’s queue, G2-9T and G2-4T, have been referred to as “Goose Droids.” “Why” you ask!? If you look close you’ll notice these droids have robotic webbed feet and tails! That’s because both droids actually came from a different attraction involving slightly more…singing!
That’s right! They come from the now-retired musical revue attraction called American Sings that was created to celebrate America’s bicentennial. A quartet of singing geese appeared throughout the production. They may have lost their feathery exterior but if you listen closely you may occasionally hear one of them singing “I’ve been lookin’ at the same bag, all the livelong day!”
Sharp Eyes Will Spot These Ears
Finally, as you are standing in line for Star Tours, you’ll notice silhouettes of various Star Tours workers and customers pass by a lighted window. Watch these shadows closely. You may see a familiar astromech droid roll by as well as a smaller droid with a very famous set of round ears!
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