Are Changes Coming to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge?
An old Hollywood premise has recently applied at Disney theme parks as well.
In Hollywood, any beloved story is rife with opportunities for a remake, sequel, or prequel.
![hollywood](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Hollywood_Sign_Zuschnitt.jpg)
![hollywood](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Hollywood_Sign_Zuschnitt.jpg)
Photo: Wikipedia
The underlying thought process is that once fans know a brand, it’s easier to sell them on wanting more of the same thing.
In 2016, EPCOT’s Norway pavilion turned into a glorified Frozen museum, but that wasn’t the end of it.
![Royal Sommerhus at Norway Pavilion](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Royal-Sommerhus-Norway-Pavilion-EPCOT-scaled.jpg)
![Royal Sommerhus at Norway Pavilion](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Royal-Sommerhus-Norway-Pavilion-EPCOT-scaled.jpg)
Royal Sommerhus at Norway Pavilion
Now, we’ve got full-scale recreations of Arendelle popping up at Disney theme parks around the world.
That fact has me wondering about something. Are changes coming to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge?
Augmenting a Strength
![NFL Toy Story](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/1-6.jpg)
![NFL Toy Story](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/1-6.jpg)
Credit: Disney
Here’s something you don’t know about me. I’m a sports draft junkie, and it doesn’t matter which one.
I’ve watched the NFL, NBA, NHL, and NBA Drafts this year…and I mean all of them. I’m obsessed.
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/new-team.jpg)
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/new-team.jpg)
Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
As a longtime follower, I’m aware that most fans think of personnel management in terms of, “We suck at this position. So, we’ll draft this spot.”
That definitely happens all the time, but there’s a second draft philosophy, one that applies to Disney theme parks as well.
The best-run teams often augment strengths rather than “reaching for need.”
For example, the world champion Kansas City Chiefs possess an explosive offense, yet they consistently draft offensive players early.
![Kansas City Chiefs](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-1996271144.jpg.webp)
![Kansas City Chiefs](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GettyImages-1996271144.jpg.webp)
Deadline
Future NFL Hall of Famer Andy Reid understands that the offense is what differentiates his team. It can always use more fuel.
At Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World, there’s a current driver of attendance. It’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Sure, people were visiting the parks long before the original Star Tours opened.
However, Disney strategists knew from the moment that they announced Star Wars Land that it would drive attendance.
Changing of the Guard
In fact, a funny thing happened in 2019. When Galaxy’s Edge debuted at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, crowds weren’t ridiculous.
Even the average tourist understood the appeal of the new Black Spire Outpost. So, the casuals tried to wait out the diehards.
Instead, everyone was a bit surprised when Galaxy’s Edge experienced a second wave of traffic several months after it opened.
Guests had outsmarted themselves and quickly realized that they should have just visited at the start.
After a slow couple of months, the fictional world of Batuu became the most crowded place in Orlando.
The statistics underscore how much of a draw Star Wars has been for Hollywood Studios.
![Animal Kingdom](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Animal-Kingdom-entrance.jpg)
![Animal Kingdom](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Animal-Kingdom-entrance.jpg)
Animal Kingdom
Before the themed land opened, Hollywood Studios was the least trafficked park at Disney World.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom claimed 1.8 million more guests, while EPCOT was ahead by nearly 1.5 million. That’s a cavernous gap.
The year after Galaxy’s Edge opened, Hollywood Studios had passed EPCOT and Animal Kingdom in attendance.
This themed land’s impact was that immediate and overwhelming.
![Hollywood Studios entrance](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023-wdw-dhs-hollywood-studios-entrance-crowds-lines-1-scaled.jpg)
![Hollywood Studios entrance](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023-wdw-dhs-hollywood-studios-entrance-crowds-lines-1-scaled.jpg)
Hollywood Studios entrance
Even though the pandemic messed up the theme park attendance calculations a bit, Hollywood Studios has maintained its position.
Magic Kingdom will probably always be the biggest draw at Disney World, but Star Wars Land has turned Hollywood Studios into 1A.
Are Changes Coming to Galaxy’s Edge?
![Batuu](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Batuu-system.webp)
![Batuu](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Batuu-system.webp)
Photo: Wookieepedia
So, let’s say that you’re Disney, and you know this information.
You’ve watched closely as Batuu has turned into a tourist destination of its own, a place with explosive popularity.
![Galaxy's Edge](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2020-wdw-dhs-hollywood-studios-star-wars-galaxys-edge-millennium-falcon-3-scaled.jpg)
![Galaxy's Edge](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2020-wdw-dhs-hollywood-studios-star-wars-galaxys-edge-millennium-falcon-3-scaled.jpg)
Galaxy’s Edge
In business terms, Galaxy’s Edge is a growth driver for Disney. Generally, companies prefer to expand such businesses.
At Hollywood Studios, growth has become a necessity. I say this because the park isn’t subdivided as well as Magic Kingdom.
![Bruce Vaughn](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Screenshot-2023-06-09-at-15-56-47-Bruce-Vaughn-is-back-as-CCO-at-Walt-Disney-Imagineering.png)
![Bruce Vaughn](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Screenshot-2023-06-09-at-15-56-47-Bruce-Vaughn-is-back-as-CCO-at-Walt-Disney-Imagineering.png)
Bruce Vaughn inside the Millennium Falcon at Stars Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Currently, you’ll find seven E-ticket attractions at Hollywood Studios, each of which could require an hour-long wait.
Guests spend far too much time standing in line at this park due to its top-heavy nature.
![Crowds in Galaxy's Edge on Star Wars Day](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/GalaxysEdgeCrowds8-scaled.jpeg)
![Crowds in Galaxy's Edge on Star Wars Day](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/GalaxysEdgeCrowds8-scaled.jpeg)
Crowds in Galaxy’s Edge on Star Wars Day
People don’t want to leave the park without experiencing all those attractions, which keeps the place crowded all day.
Galaxy’s Edge has lured millions of tourists to Hollywood Studios, but the park itself isn’t well-suited to handle the extra crowds.
Additional attractions are now a necessity, and I expect Disney to announce at least one, if not two, at the upcoming 2024 D23 Expo.
If I were involved with the decision-making, I’d think even bigger, though.
Disney has expansion room at Hollywood Studios. Specifically, there are plots near the current Galaxy’s Edge for such growth.
Should Disney construct new amenities on this land, it’d achieve two goals.
The first is that Hollywood Studios crowds would be more evenly distributed.
Yes, a disproportionate number of them would be at Galaxy’s Edge, but that was always going to happen.
![Disney World discounted tickets](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Galaxys-Edge.jpg)
![Disney World discounted tickets](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Galaxys-Edge.jpg)
Photo: Disney
Anything Disney adds in this area now gets at least some traffic out of the lines at the park’s other E-ticket attractions.
What Could Disney Do?
![#BackToBatuu](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/1-36.jpg)
![#BackToBatuu](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/1-36.jpg)
Disney
Also, presuming that the Galaxy’s Edge expansion isn’t on top of the current area, it also reduces the bottlenecks.
Currently, fans know that a handful of spots in Batuu clog up to the point of getting a bit claustrophobic.
More space should theoretically mean fewer people at these locations, although some of that is unavoidable.
Disney created some visual highpoints in tight spaces, which is a bit problematic.
However, if Imagineers added new ones that were equally/more impressive, fans would flock to updated offerings instead.
The new hotness is always favored, especially by tourists.
Then, we have the obvious reasons for change. The first is that fans have lamented one decision at Galaxy’s Edge.
Disney time-locked the setting, which has proven problematic in terms of character appearances.
![Batuu](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/swg2340298402984.jpg)
![Batuu](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/swg2340298402984.jpg)
Credit: Disney
Fans of the classic Star Wars films – whether you consider those the originals or the prequels – aren’t happy.
That’s because Batuu’s setting is for the third film franchise, which is about to become retro itself.
![Star Wars Starcruiser itinerary](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Batuu.jpg)
![Star Wars Starcruiser itinerary](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Batuu.jpg)
Image Credit: Disney
Disney is currently plotting a Mandalorian standalone film and more. Weirdly, those titles wouldn’t fit the story of Galaxy’s Edge.
Thus, Imagineers need to change Batuu’s story. A new attraction or two would be a nice bridge to a less time-sensitive themed land.
![Star Wars Season of the Force Disneyland Resort Galaxy's Edge 2024](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Star-Wars-Season-of-the-Force-Disneyland-Resort-Galaxys-Edge-2024-2.jpg)
![Star Wars Season of the Force Disneyland Resort Galaxy's Edge 2024](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Star-Wars-Season-of-the-Force-Disneyland-Resort-Galaxys-Edge-2024-2.jpg)
Photo: Disney
Second, since Hollywood Studios NEEDS new attractions, a third Galaxy’s Edge offering makes good business sense.
Disney would be using that draft metaphor of accentuating a strength.
People want more Galaxy’s Edge, and Imagineers could give it to them.
In the process, Disney would achieve multiple goals at once, a rarity in theme park design.
So, while I don’t know that changes are coming to Galaxy’s Edge, I’d strongly recommend that Disney consider them.
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