Ahsoka, Andor, Mandalorian & Baby Yoda Coming to Star Tours at Disney World & Disneyland!
Disney has announced new characters and destinations coming to Star Tours – The Adventures Continue at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Paris. This post shares a look at who, what, and where you’ll soon encounter on the Star Wars ride.
Imagineer Scott Trowbridge first teased new stories and characters for Star Tours during Star Wars Celebration almost a year ago in London. Following that, more was teased at Destination D23 last fall–specifically, that former Jedi Knight and rebel spy Ahsoka Tano will become part of the Star Tours attraction in Spring 2024.
Fast-forward to (almost) Spring 2024, and Imagineering has officially announced that, starting April 5, 2024, at Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort and Disneyland Paris, Star Tours – The Adventures Continue will be taking guests on all-new adventures. These new additions will feature characters and locations from Disney+ series: Ahsoka, Andor, and The Mandalorian.
Your ride with Star Tours – The Adventures Continue begins as a passenger aboard a Starspeeder 1000 which takes off with C-3PO as the accidental pilot. At present, its mission is interrupted by Kylo Ren, Darth Vader or a probe droid looking for a rebel spy.
From there, one of the Star Wars heroes appears during the Star Tours journey via a hologram transmission–this could be Princess Leia, Yoda, Lando Calrissian, Poe Dameron, Admiral Ackbar, Maz Kanata or BB-8. Star Tours – The Adventures Continue currently visits 11 planets in the Star Wars universe: Tatooine, Hoth, Batuu, Coruscant, Kashyyyk, Naboo, Jakku, Crait, Kef Bir, Exegol and Geonosis.
Star Tours – The Adventures Continue is randomized, allowing for over 140 different ride combinations. (It’s not purely a math problem, as not all of the permutations can appear with one another–the more recently added sequel trilogy segments all occur together, or not at all.)
With these Spring 2024 additions, you’ll have an opportunity to experience one of more than 250 storyline variations aboard the Star Tours attraction, including a visit to the planet Peridea from the Ahsoka series. Unless a lot more is being added than we expect, this number increasing from ~140 to ~250 suggests that there aren’t going to be distinct groupings by era going forward. Instead, it’ll be fully randomized again.
Here’s a look at the trailer that Disney Parks has released for the upcoming Star Tours additions featuring Ahsoka, Mandalorian, and Andor:
Urgent transmissions from Ahsoka Tano, Cassian Andor, Din Djarin and Grogu (Baby Yoda) may soon be part of your next Starspeeder flight. These iconic characters will continue to add to the galaxy of stories aboard Disney’s first Star Wars attraction.
Also starting April 5, Season of the Force will arrive at Disneyland for a limited time through June 2, 2024, with Hyperspace Mountain, themed food and beverage, merchandise and more. Debuting during the celebration, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will provide a fresh perspective on the fireworks above Disneyland park on select nights, with galactic music sweeping through the spires.
Turning to commentary, I have to start by acknowledging and appreciating the love that Star Tours continues to receive. It’s fairly easy to tell which attractions are favorites within the company, as they’re the ones that Imagineering keeps tinkering with. Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean are obvious (and unsurprising) in this regard, but Star Tours is another that gets a surprising amount of love.
Part of that is probably because Imagineering can get funding from studio marketing budgets for updates that cross-promote whatever’s on Disney+ or in theaters. Part of it is probably because the Star Tours video clips are easier to update than, say, Soarin’ or Avatar Flight of Passage or Toy Story Mania.
(Quick side note: I saw some people surprised that Soarin’ Around the World wasn’t updated with the a new World Celebration flyover when it was brought back to EPCOT. CommuniCore Hall isn’t done yet, though. We’re still looking at about a year from now for a new ending once factoring in the completion of construction, filming, editing, etc. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if it never happens–but I’d really be shocked if it’s done before early 2025.)
Regardless of the reason, I’m very pleased that Star Tours – The Adventures Continue receives so much love after the OG Star Tours was neglected for so long. I know some fans of the original miss it, but I think that’s a lot of nostalgia talking. Before being replaced, there were rumors for over a decade about updates, and the original looked woefully out of date. It’s missed now, but at the time, fan consensus was that it was long overdue for a replacement.
For my part, I absolutely adore Star Tours – The Adventures Continue. It’s one of those attractions that I don’t make a point of doing every visit to Disney’s Hollywood Studios or Disneyland, and honestly, pretty much only ride when testing strategy or doing rope drop runs (which is fairly often–but still).
Every time I do Star Tours, I’m reminded of how good it is. I’ve really enjoyed all of the additions over the years, which keep it relevant and fresh. And I’m really looking forward to Ahsoka Tano, Cassian Andor, Din Djarin and Grogu being added–even if I only have passing knowledge of the first two characters. (I know, I know–I should really watch Andor. I’ve heard lots of great things from people whose opinions I trust.)
I love Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and think it’s a better overall experience from start to finish, but the ride portion of Star Tours blows it away. Imagine how great Smugglers Run could be if it combined the settings of Star Tours with the interactivity and complete package of the Millennium Falcon?!
Instead, Smugglers Run is the Star Wars equivalent of working for UPS. (For those who enjoy deliveryman simulators, might I suggest Death Stranding?) Heck, the asteroid field delay scene is better than the actual core gameplay of Smugglers Run! But I digress.
Speaking of Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, I really hope these updates to Star Tours are just the start of something, and there are bigger plans for the fully-fledged land. I’ve mentioned this in a few other posts, so I won’t rehash it all here.
It would certainly seem that more is planned, as Imagineering tested ‘duckling droids’ late last year, and then released photos of Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro and CEO Bob Iger inspecting the droids. At the time, that seemed below Bob’s pay grade–he had a laundry list of items on his plate while attempting to turn around the company (and its stock price).
However, he has made Walt Disney World and Disneyland a priority, recognizing they’re one of the company’s few bright spots and potential growth engines. (Related: Disney Plans to Double Investment to $60 Billion in Disney World, Disneyland & Beyond.)
My hope is that this part of a bigger picture plan to do a soft reboot and relaunch of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. There are a number of reasons for this, from Galactic Starcruiser closing to the strengths of Avengers Campus being evident to Disney not having much in the near-term and needing stop-gap ways to keep guests coming to the parks.
There’s also the aforementioned Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. Again, the package there is fantastic. Going inside the ship and cockpit are pure wish fulfillment. It’s the mission and setting of the gameplay that I find underwhelming. (I actually like Hondo Ohnaka and the Ohnaka Transport Solutions conceit, so characters and story aren’t the issue for me.) The mission is the part that’s easier to change, and now that Disney has a stake in and partnership with Epic Games, it would make sense for Imagineering and Lucasfilm to create something new in Unreal Engine.
For his part, Josh D’Amaro has hinted in recent interviews that he wants to bring back atmospheric entertainment Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, but hasn’t committed to anything. Performers from Starcruiser are one way to accomplish this; droids are another. Those two relatively simple things would both breathe new life into the land and bring it more closely in-line with its original vision, before elements were cut due to concerns about crowds and/or a desire to put them behind the Starcruiser paywall.
Speaking of Starcruiser, there are no immediate plans to do anything with the building. It’s our understanding that it’ll essentially be mothballed for the near term. They’re not going to demolish it, but Imagineering also is not going to get in there and immediately start construction on something new. (Related: Why Walt Disney World Will NOT Reimagine Starcruiser Into a Star Wars Hotel.)
There have been more and more rumblings revolving around a future dinner show, which indicate that Walt Disney World is exploring ideas for a Star Wars dinner show (and maybe more). Again, this would be something that was originally intended for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland. The space was set aside for it.
With the benefit of zero inside knowledge, our bet is a dinner show held inside Starcruiser that ‘departs’ from Galaxy’s Edge is launched at some point late this year or in 2025 at Walt Disney World. Should that go well, we’d expect construction to begin on a proper venue inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge for a dinner show to open in 2026 at both Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
It’s not difficult to envision a scenario where an announcement is made at the 2024 D23 Expo about a soft reboot of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge to launch the land to exciting new time periods and places–breaking the sacred timeline (but tastefully!) and using the setting of the land as a jumping off point for new adventures. (I know this is controversial with fans and I’m not looking to relitigate that argument. See Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Needs to Break the Rules for my take on all of that.)
It may seem like an eternity ago at this point, but there were credible rumors of this back in late 2019. At the time, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was underperforming expectations and there was already a desire to “fix” it to better comport with guest expectations and generate interest. Obviously, it’s been a few years for then and other events “intervened” back in 2020 to prevent any changes from happening.
Fast-forward four years, and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is no longer new. Not only that, but after Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, there’s nothing major in the pipeline. As we’ve previously pointed out, Disney construction timelines being what they are, the company will necessarily have to rely on entertainment, overlays or reimaginings as the tentpoles for their big marketing pushes in 2025 and probably 2026.
A reboot of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge could offer exactly that. In addition to droids and performers, there’s also tangible technology that was produced for Starcruiser via Imagineering R&D that Walt Disney World and Disneyland might want to reuse in the land. New entertainment could be created for the catwalks in the land, Savi’s Workshop, Oga’s Cantina, and elsewhere.
They could also do a new mission for Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run. Add to that a land that feels more lived-in thanks to droids, more performers, and timeline tweaks…and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge could be reinvented. I wouldn’t even be surprised if its given a new name–everyone calls it “Star Wars Land” anyway, so it’s not like the “Galaxy’s Edge” subtitle is a strong brand.
It shouldn’t be too difficult for Imagineering to take the lessons learned and convince company leadership to invest more into Star Wars Land. It’d be worth the investment as a marketable addition that generates new interest. It’s also simply the smart move–Imagineering had this mostly right from the beginning, and guests would love that version of the land even more. Of course, all of this is speculative and wishful thinking. Back in Realityland, we’re excited to enjoy new stories and characters coming to Star Tours – The Adventures Continue on April 5, 2024!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of Ahsoka Tano, Cassian Andor, Din Djarin and Grogu coming to Star Tours – The Adventures Continue? Do you prefer Star Tours or Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run? Is a soft reboot of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge a realistic 2024 D23 Expo announcement, or is this wishful thinking? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
The thing I feel is missing most from SWGE is the MUSIC. John Williams’ iconic score would totally bring me into the land more, even if it’s not “in canon” for this fictitious land. The only time I heard the music was over at Star Tours and when the cast member buckled us in at Smuggler’s Run and started whistling The Imperial March. It was a great moment and just made me realize that the land desperately needs more background music.
Ssshh, don’t hype Star Tours too much. One reason that it’s such a joy is because you can get on it relatively quickly and thus can do it a couple of times without it eating up your day.
I love the additions, and “Andor” is by far my fave source material for these additions. But “Andor” is darker and more serious in tone, so I wonder how it will be added. Although there is a crowd-pleasing moment we could be a part of…ONE WAY OUT!
Star Tours is a longtime sentimental favorite as well as an overall good attraction. The re-rideability is off the charts no matter how the math works. My girls have both been the Rebel Spy, I remember one Disneyland trip awhile ago telling myself I would ride ST as many times as it took to experience the Naboo sequence I hadn’t yet seen. It took about 4 more rides but I was so excited when it finally came up.
Putting Baby Yoda and the Mandalorian will definitely drive up the waits. I just hope riders understand the random sequences and don’t exit peeved that they didn’t see Mando, Ahsoka, and Cassian on every flight.
Disney is pretty good about targeted marketing for Star Tours changes to Disney and Star Wars fans, so most of the people who know that this change is coming will also know how Star Tours works. From there, it’ll spread via word of mouth.
People will always find something to complain about, but I don’t see this being an actual issue. Should breathe new life into Star Tours (again!), though.
Honestly I’m glad Star Tours is getting the updates as there was a lot of speculation that it was on the way out last year. This suggests that it will probably have at 5 ish years in it its not a ride thats the top of my itinery but its like the people mover if it has a 10-15 minute line I will do it and I will enjoy it.
The big one im looking for with Star Wars Galaxies Edge soft reboot is the full on sit down dining. It will have reservations taken in about 30 seconds from the hotel guests but it would be a really cool experience. When you are talking about Avengers Campus strengths I think you mean the character actors wondering around or at least on the rooftops doing stunt shows and I also agree with that. It wouldnt be too difficult to get a Vader and Luke or Rey and Kylo Ren mini show and that would really pep up the land(yes I know the 2nd one was Star Cruiser but good ideas area good ideas!
The Book of Boba Fett,.. just saying
OK OK I will check out Andor. I kind of gave up a long time ago on SW.
As to the timeline stuff, I like that they want to keep the integrity by not mixing characters but Galaxy’s edge is a place not a specific time. Why not just have 8 am to 10 am one timeline then from 10 to 12 another timeline etc. I’m not a big star wars geek. I mean no offense but if you know all the different timelines for the different shows (*see below if you don’t), what currency they use, who the politicians were, what religions existed – that is the definition of a geek and I say BE PROUD!)
I really just like movies 4, 5, 6 and Rogue plus The Mandalorian is mostly good (saved by baby yoda – yeah I know his real name but baby Yoda is so much cuter).
I think breaking the day into different timelines would also make Galaxy’s Edge a fun place to visit at different times of the day. Entrances to Galaxy’s edge could have a big WELCOME sign listing what timeline you’re entering and maybe a few little fun facts like population and who the governor is etc. Maybe a picture of the most wanted outlaw (could be a guest).
* STAR WARS MOVIES IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures (2023)
Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace (1999)
Star Wars: Episode 2 – Attack of the Clones (2002)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2003-2005)
Star Wars: Episode 3 – Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Star Wars: The Bad Batch (2021-2023)
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
Star Wars: Rebels (2014-2018)
Andor (2022)
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Star Wars: Episode 4 – A New Hope (1977)
Star Wars: Episode 5 – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Star Wars: Episode 6 – Return of the Jedi (1983)
The Mandalorian, season 1 and 2 (2019-2020)
The Book of Boba Fett, season 1 (2021)
The Mandalorian, season 3 (2023)
Star Wars: Resistance, season 1 (2018)
Star Wars: Episode 7 – The Force Awakens (2015)
Star Wars: Episode 8 – The Last Jedi (2017)
Star Wars: Resistance, season 2 (2019)
Star Wars: Episode 9 – The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
**Star Wars: Visions (2021-2023)**These aren’t really canon, so they don’t fit into the proper chronology.
PS It seems clear that Grogu is the son of Yoda and Yaddle. Just saying.
Good to see you around again–seems like it’s been a while!!!
I think park operations would nix any plans for the land to change over the course of the day, as that would lead to guest complaints and crowd-flow issues. They’re more likely to make story ‘excuses’ as to why the conflicting timelines can coexist, or accomplish it by creating sub-areas within the land, or spaces that are carve outs (e.g. a meet & greet space that summons “Force Ghosts” or whatever and allows you to see Darth Vader and other dead characters).
Give us Sy Snootles aka big lips on a stick doing the terrifying musical number from the remastered Return of the Jedi you cowards!
I’d love a restaurant like Cosmic Ray’s, but with Max Rebo Band AAs instead of Sonny Eclipse. Or maybe Sonny Eclipse could become the newest member of Max Rebo Band. Either way, I’m totally on board.
I’ll add to the chorus of people supporting Andor. It’s REALLY good, like probably some of the best written Star Wars ever. “HBO quality” is a great way of putting it.
It’s also interesting because Andor points to yet another timeline divergence being introduced into the theme parks. Andor takes place a few years before Star Wars, while Ahsoka and Mandolorian take place several years after Return of the Jedi, while the rest of Galaxy’s Edge is (usually) about 30 years after ROTJ in the sequel trilogy era. I think the idea of Galaxy’s Edge being locked into one timeline was a mistake from the beginning, especially locking it into the sequel trilogy era. I’m glad they’ve begun opening it up to make room for Mando, and I think they should continue to make room for more characters, timelines, whatever, to help make/keep Galaxy’s Edge current and relevant to guests.
“I think the idea of Galaxy’s Edge being locked into one timeline was a mistake from the beginning, especially locking it into the sequel trilogy era.”
Even though I’m a staunch advocate of ditching the ‘sacred timeline’ of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, I have massive respect for Imagineering taking the creative risk and both Iger and Chapek letting them. It was a mistake with the benefit of hindsight, but had it worked better or had the sequel trilogy been received better or [insert other “ifs”] it could’ve been a brilliant move.
I don’t ever want to be on the side of saying Imagineering should take fewer creative risks; but they should also know when one doesn’t completely pan out, and fix what isn’t working.
There is no new timeline divergence here. Andor is going into Star Tours, which includes content from all three trilogy eras. Yes, SWGE has experienced a loosening of the timeline, but Andor isn’t an increase in that. 😛
“I have massive respect for Imagineering taking the creative risk and both Iger and Chapek letting them.”
This! Having gotten to experience Galaxy’s Edge in Feb 2020, I was honestly blown away by the intricacy of the storytelling going on in the land. If you hung out throughout the day (or popped in at various times over several days like I did) there was an actual story going on that you could follow and that made sense. You could track what different characters were doing and those arcs tied in with the plotlines of both rides. Even if you didn’t stick around to follow the story, its mere presence definitely added to the feel of the place.
I will always wonder how much the pandemic skewed people’s view of Galaxy’s Edge. If more people had experienced it with both rides open but before the pandemic-induced cutbacks in performers and roaming characters, I think it would have a lot more fans. (Although the way the Star Wars fandom is there will always have been a vocal contingent that hated anything and everything Disney did with it.)
IMO, the most egregious cutbacks occurred before SWGE even opened, but even with that, it looked and felt great (on both coasts) in February 2020. They had slightly ramped up the performers and Cast Members were getting into their groove. All of that plus RotR opening made the land feel more alive.
Even then, there were strong and credible rumors that more was on the horizon because the land (internally) was not viewed as the success it could’ve been. All of this (plus the closure of Starcruiser) is why I really think there’s a shot at a soft reboot of the land. The plans exist–it’s just a matter of what has changed since and whether the company wants to do anything.
That’s cool! Between Orlando and Disneyland I’ve been to Galaxy’s Edge around 4 times and didn’t notice any stories going on. There were troopers walking around, and Chewbacca and Rey would greeting people but that was it.
What characters are you talking about and what stories? How would a casual Star Wars fan even notice?
Mike C, I don’t think you would have to be a huge Star Wars fan to have noticed, but it did take a certain amount of awareness and putting the pieces together. Like I remember seeing Rey darting around the land, she would interact with people but always say she couldn’t stay long because the First Order is looking for her. About 10 minutes later over by the TIE Fighter there was this First Order recruitment rally going on, it seemed like standard atmospheric entertainment until Kylo Ren showed up, berated the underlings for not doing enough to find the spies, and then he and a couple of Storm Troopers just walked off the stage and into the land and started asking guests if they’d seen any spies. I don’t remember if he actually mentioned Rey by name but that’s obviously who he was looking for.
Also throughout the day there would be people working on the X-Wing near the front of the land, then at one point they got Chewbacca (who I think even casual Star Wars fans would know tends to work on the ships), but no one spoke Wookie so they were asking if any guests could translate. This was the most memorable for me personally as my husband does a pretty good Chewbacca impression and had some back and forth with Rey about where he learned Wookie. All of it seemed to tie into the idea of getting the good guys out of there before they were caught, which is what the story of the Rise of the Resistance ride is about. I can only speak as a major Star Wars fan but all of this blew me away, and I think even more casual fans would find it pretty cool. But it all relied on a lot of characters being out among guests which I think was really scaled back during the Covid-restricted reopening.
Sounds cool, which I had been able to see it.
On my trip to Anaheim last November Avenger’s campus at DCA did a better job of alerting people that something’s going to happen, as the events show up in the Disney app. That way I could plan on being there.
Having to depend on randomly being in the right place seems like a low probability of noticing any character interaction. Galaxy’s Edge is a big land, and even if you spend two hours hanging out, there’s no guarantee you’re going to be in the same area with characters.
Plus, when the Galactic Starcruiser was active you’d have guests wandering around in costume. Unless there was a line for a meet and greet I just assumed anyone I saw in costume was a hotel guest, not a cast member portraying a character.
On one of last year’s visits to HS I made of point of riding Star Tours multiple times in a row just to notice the changes. This isn’t hard since there’s almost never a line.
In 2022, we skipped Star Tours – I remember thinking it was fine as a kid. When we returned last month and hit the rides we missed the first time, I was kicking myself we ever skipped it in the first place. My daughter’s jaw dropped when she saw she was the Rebel spy and wanted to ride it again. Mine dropped a few minutes later as I was blindsided that we went from the sequel trilogy to the prequels! Very underrated.
I’m totally with you – if Smugglers Run did something similar, that would elevate it to one of the best rides on property for me. (I’d also love being able to aim the guns, but let’s start somewhere.)
Just going to add onto the dogpile – you need to watch Andor. Best star wars thing to come out since original trilogy. It’s like a Star Wars show at HBO quality level. One of those things that I’m not quite sure how it got made and approved, but I’m so happy it did.
“It’s like a Star Wars show at HBO quality level.”
This is the type of sentiment that sells me. We watch a lot of HBO and, honestly, it’s hard to go from that quality to the stuff on Disney+.
Completely agreed! Andor is a great show on its own merits. Not just a good star wars show.
Add me as one more voice to the list saying you should watch Andor. It was great. I think saying the wheels fall off on the Millenium Falcon ride is a bit harsh. It’s true it would probably be better with iconic Star Wars locations or characters, but it’s still quite a bit of fun.
You’re right, “wheels fall off” is a tad harsh. The gameplay and setting for it just underwhelms and isn’t nearly as fun as it could be. That was really made clear for me the first time I got the asteroid field scene. It’s completely mindless, but still better than the core gameplay IMO.