Disney premiered its new Star Wars theme park Galaxy's Edge on May 29. Familiar faces from the galaxy far, far away, including George Lucas, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Billy Dee Williams showed up to help launch the new attraction at Disneyland.
The ceremony began with Disney CEO Bob Iger explaining that the Star Wars park was the most creative project he had ever overseen. “When I first met with our Imagineers to talk about Star Wars, my message was actually quite simple: ‘Do not be ambitious. Be the most ambitious that you have ever been.’" he said. "After all we are building on the legacy of two extraordinary visionaries, Walt Disney and George Lucas."
Both Lucas and Hamill made reference to the other Disney ride, Star Tours, in their remarks, noting that the new park is leaps and bounds beyond that ride. "It's Star Tours on steroids on a level you can't possibly believe,” Lucas said.
Hamill recalled the original ride and how wild it felt to be in a Disney park. The thrill of an entire park dedicated to a world he helped create was truly something else. "I thought, 'This is inconceivable that I could be part of a movie that would get its own ride in a Disney theme park. I better savor the moment because it will never be surpassed,'" Hamill said. "And yet, look at where we are today. We get our own land."
The Millennium Falcon that sits at the center of the 14-acre park was blessed by Williams, who played the original owner of the ship, Lando Calrissian. When the ship suffered some technical difficulty during the ceremony, Han Solo himself ran out to get it started.
Harrison Ford paid tribute to late actor Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca, as he knocked on the ship to start it. “Peter, this one’s for you,” he said.
The park is open now, with guests needing a free reservation to enter from now through June 23. After that, the park is open to all.
