Disney Adding New Skywalker Saga Projection Show to Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge
Disney has announced that the new entertainment is coming to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, in addition to the previously-teased Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 characters, for Season of the Force at Disneyland. This shares the official news, concept art, and other commentary about the evolution of Star Wars land and how these additions will–hopefully–find their way to Walt Disney World in Summer 2026.
For those who are unfamiliar with it, Season of the Force is the Star Wars celebration at Disneyland, running this year from March 28 through May 11, 2025. It starts during Spring Break and before DCA Food & Wine Festival concludes, running for May the Fourth, before coming to a conclusion during shoulder season. The following week–May 16, 2025–is the start of Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary Celebration.
Season of the Force is Disneyland’s springtime event that’s meant to serve as a stopgap to get fans to the park before the kickoff of the 70th. Although Spring Break will be busy as always, there are weeks in April and May that are expected to be slower. This Star Wars event should help draw locals and fans to the parks during the downtime.
In any case, the lineup for the 2025 Season of the Force at Disneyland has now been announced, and the biggest thing that sticks out to my is the absence of the fan-favorite BDX Droids. These are the hugely popular ‘Duckling Droids’ that were created by Walt Disney Imagineering.
The BDX robots are capable of an enormous amount of expression in its child-size body, with a highly-expressive head, two wiggly antennae, and little legs. What sets this bipedal robot apart from others that simple look like it is how it walks. The BDX Droids is full of personality, emoting as it moves in a way that makes it look alive and teeming with personality.
My sincere hope is that Disney is not “done” with the BDX Droids (like so often happened with the Living Character Initiative), but rather, is giving them a year off before unveiling them on both coasts for the (potential) soft relaunch of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Summer 2026. That, or it’s an oversight here and the BDX Droids are returning for the 2025 Season of the Force.
Turning to what’s new, the nightly projection show “Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga” will debut on March 28, 2025 in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland. This show takes guests on a storytelling adventure across the galaxy.
Stunning projection effects transform the spires of Batuu near the Millennium Falcon evoking memories of some of the greatest moments in galactic history. “Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga” features an iconic musical score comprised of familiar themes heard throughout the films of the Skywalker saga that draws the audience into the legendary story of the Skywalkers.
Although Season of the Force ends on May 11, “Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga” is expected to continue indefinitely in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge throughout 2025 and beyond. Check Disneyland.com or the Disneyland app for showtimes.
Separate from the “Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga” projection show is “Fire of the Rising Moons.” This nighttime experience that showcases a different view of the stunning Disneyland fireworks display, with musical accompaniment will continue in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge on select nights (basically, weekends and peak dates when park-wide fireworks are shown).
During “Fire of the Rising Moons,” villagers and visitors come together to celebrate their freedom and to honor the heroes and legends of the galaxy who came before them. As the skies over Batuu light up in bursts of color, imaginations are ignited with the iconic music associated with tales from across the galaxy.
Including selections from composer John Williams’ Star Wars film scores, “Fire of the Rising Moons” can be experienced from multiple areas in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, including the Black Spire Spaceport, the TIE Echelon docking platform and the speeder garage. Your MagicBand+ also adds to the ceremony’s atmosphere with colorful lights and ambient vibrations.
According to the official Disneyland website, there are also “epic, new projection effects” during “Fire of the Rising Moons.” Check Disneyland.com or the Disneyland app for showtimes.
I’m a bit surprised “Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga” and “Fire of the Rising Moons” aren’t combined into one nighttime spectacular, with the latter being the “with fireworks” version and the former being the “with projections” version. That’s how most Disneyland nighttime spectaculars are presented nowadays.
That would allow for a singular, meatier show as opposed to two less substantial ones. But we shall see–maybe “Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga” is excellent on its own and there’s reason for separating the two. Regardless, we really enjoy “Fire of the Rising Moons,” which capitalizes on the great angle Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge offers of the existing Disneyland pyro pad and energizes the land during the pyro.
This part of the park is actually much closer to the rear launch site than is Sleeping Beauty Castle or Main Street. That’s been true since the land opened 2019–it’s not a new development. Disneyland basically “borrows” the fireworks from the seasonal fireworks show at Disneyland and uses the pyro to “create” a new show.
Rather than piping in the (off-planet) music from those shows, they’re scoring them to music from composer John Williams’ Star Wars film scores. It’s truly a great idea, and one we lauded back when it was launched. “Fire of the Rising Moons” makes it feel like an actual nighttime spectacular designed for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
One thing to note is that neither “Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga” nor “Fire of the Rising Moons” necessarily presents problems for the story or timeline of Batuu. This is because Imagineering created new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge story justifications for the nighttime shows via Tohan Lege, the storyteller known as the Lore-weaver.
Pursued by those in power who would silence his voice, Tohan adopted Black Spire Outpost as his home and wrote of its colorful history and the fiery spirit at its heart, according to Disneyland. His droid, Bard, allows us to hear the Lore-weaver in his own words, each night as Black Spire celebrates the Fire of the Rising Moons.
He met and spoke to anyone he could, and began to record its history. To ensure that the stories would endure, Tohan found an old astromech droid left behind at the Depot. The mechanics helped him get it working with scrap parts and luck. Tohan called the droid Bard, and together they recorded the Lore-weaver’s stories, until there were no more to tell.
Bard currently presents “Fire of the Rising Moons” from a platform overlooking the Black Spire Outpost Spaceport, and it’s safe to assume that the holograms for “Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga” will be projected by Bard. Yes, it’s all shoehorned in, but it’s technically consistent with the existing rules in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, unlike a walk-around Luke Skywalker.
Speaking of which, Disney has offered another tease about the new walk-around character: “for the first time, a shadowy visitor will appear on Batuu for a limited time. Wearing what seem to be Jedi robes, there are rumors it might be the legendary Luke Skywalker!”
This was first teased late last week, with the expectation that there would be a more substantial announcement today. I guess this could be viewed as that, but it still feels like there’s something Disney isn’t telling us. Perhaps they don’t yet have this casting done for this character? Maybe there’s more to his appearances than just walking around Batuu? I really don’t know.
Given that there are now two nighttime shows in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, it seems like Disney is making a concerted push to get guests to stay in the land at night. And having Luke Skywalker appear exclusively in evenings could make sense for a few reasons (many fans have suggested maintaining some semblance of storytelling integrity by having different eras represented at different times). What I’d love to believe is that he’s going to appear on the catwalks at night as part of an entertainment act. That feels a bit like wishful thinking, though.
All of this is only for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland…for now.
As mentioned in the previous commentary teasing Luke Skywalker, there’s a reasonable probability that some or all of this finds its way to Walt Disney World by Summer 2026. That’s when the New Mission featuring Mandalorian & Baby Yoda for Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run debuts, and it’s likely that Disney will want a marketable suite of new offerings in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge around that.
It might be a bit of wishful thinking, but I fully expect to see Darth Vader in both versions of the land by then, among other things. I’m not sure where “Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga” or “Fire of the Rising Moons” fit into that. Disney’s Hollywood Studios has struggled to keep guests late into the evening, and this could be complementary to Fantasmic. At this point, there’s not a pyro launch site behind Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Walt Disney World, though.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Are you excited to see “Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga” or “Fire of the Rising Moons”? What about Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge? Do you think these offering will eventually make their way to Walt Disney World? Expect this duo, along with other original trilogy characters, to appear in Batuu along with the new Mandalorian & Baby Yoda Smugglers Run mission in Summer 2026? Think Galaxy’s Edge should focus on fun, canon, or a mix of both? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge? Any questions? 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!
I got excited reading this and then quickly realized that Starwars action is all Disneyland. Again. I guess Florida has reached full immersion already. Whenever I’m swept up in a sweaty crowd of tourists crossing into Galaxy’s Edge or peer through a mob at 2x-daily-Mandalorian, it immediately transports me to a faraway planet. Any more immersion at GE DW would be overkill apparently.
Said this in the other article but I don’t want too see a “real life” Luke Skywalker that’s played by a CM. Not because of the timeline, just because he’s so iconic that it’d be distracting to see a “pretend” version. Basically he’d come across as a cosplayer who’s on the payroll. I believe Imagineering understands this.
Maybe the hooded robe is the trick – we won’t see Luke’s eyes under the robe and it’ll be easier to suspend disbelief.
Don’t know what to tell you dude. Its disneyworld. The characters aren’t real they are people wearing costumes. If you think Luke would be cheesy- welcome to how others feel about every single character meet and greet.
Yes, DK, I’m an adult, I realize this. You also can say this about every piece of narrative art that requires suspension of disbelief (why does some movie actor lose 50 pounds or sit for 4 hours in a makeup chair to play a character — they’re just pretending anyway…?). But Disney spent billions of dollars to make the land feel more real/immersive, in a “serious” way. I’m not demanding this immersion, they’re pushing it. Between the accurate Aurebesh writing everywhere, the gift shop CMs asking for you to pay in “credits”, etc., they’re putting in a lot of effort to maintain the sanctity of the “fourth wall”.
But with almost every other “meet & greet” character at the parks, you’re interacting with “cartoons come to life”. It’s an animated character, in the flesh. A very abstract concept — can feel cheesy, cringeworthy, or delightful depending on one’s age/attitude. But when Winnie the Pooh and friends come to my table at The Crystal Palace, I’m not being prompted to think “WOW, this really feels like the Hundred Acre Wood!” Maybe my inner child is thrilled to see them, or I’m just like “no, man, I’m good.”
However, at Galaxy’s Edge the parks are pushing immersion hard, to an audience (at least a large portion) who desires immersion.
I should have mentioned this in my first comment, but this is the same line of thinking that led JK Rowling to forbid character meet-and-greets at Universal. I’m sure millions of kids would love to have a picture with “Harry Potter” and “Hermione” but that would undercut the whole vibe/theme of the Wizarding World lands (which aren’t even as “committed to the immersive theme” as Batuu is).
Disney has used face characters to represent human beings from the beginning of the theme parks. More specifically Star Wars related, Han and Leia have already showed up at Disneyland this year, and Luke was part of the Stars and Motor Cars Parade at the Studios in WDW. (When the parks use the mascot-style characters for humans, they tend to be animated ones.)
I did not realize that about Han and Leia so just watched a little clip online, and wow, they look and sound TERRIBLE. Honestly I would have thought these were just mid-tier cosplayers if I didn’t now know better. I am guessing this was not at GE/Batuu, though.
Also, I know Disney has been using “face characters” for a long time, but every example I can think of was a character from a book/story/fairy tale. So for example, the CM versions of Mary Poppins and Burt might not look that much like Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, but might still be a good representation of that character.
Which, to me, makes Harry Potter, et al, work better for this approach, as they’re book characters though (as noted) it’s still forbidden…partly because Wizarding World really leans into the movie version of the universe (and it’s a park based on movies, named for a movie studio).
Luke, Han, Leia, etc. came into existence as the faces we see in the Star Wars OT. Rogue One features an AI/CGI version of Leia. Why not just cast a different actress? Why didn’t the “Solo” movie resonate with audiences with different actors playing Han and Lando? There are reasons for this beyond just nerding out about Star Wars.
Ok, look above and you’ll see I finally found the hill I’m gonna die on. LOL.
Will the GE fireworks overlay last beyond Season of the Force? I’m going to DLR for the start of 70th anniversary May 16-18. I’ll be in DL two days and DCA one day. I thinking main fireworks face on and Famtasmic first night then fireworks overlay in GE, if offered second night. Glad Luke Skywalker show will still be playing.
Both the shows are permanent. “Fire of the Rising Moons” started last year during Season of the Force and has continued every night there’s been fireworks since (well, except maybe New Year’s Eve–not sure if there was a version for that).
I think the two shows are kept separately for cloning purposes. It sounds like “Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga” could be duplicated at Hollywood Studios without significant changes. On the other hand, “Fire of the Rising Moons” leverages the back side of Disneyland’s fireworks show and is unlikely to be directly copied to WDW.
HS used to have fuller fireworks shows with a launch site on the west side of World Drive that would make fireworks appear over the Chinese Theater. If those fireworks were brought back, you might have an alternative view from GE in HS. Tom can probably confirm (or refute).
Yes, the fireworks were visible from SWGE at DHS. Not over the spires like at Disneyland, but there were good views in any of the open courtyards. I definitely wouldn’t have made a point of watching from back there, though.
I think that World Drive launch site might be gone, though.
I’m definitely excited to have Luke and Artoo added to Galaxy’s Edge, and I really hope that this leads to a full-on timeline reset. This version of Luke ties in directly to the Mandalorian’s time frame, and should help open the door to all of the other Mando/Ahsoka TV show characters. Between those shows, the new Mandalorian film, AND the still to come Heir to the Empire film there is a LOT of new Star Wars that is set in the post-ROTJ-pre-Force Awakens era that Disney would be foolish not to try to capitalize on. I think (hope) that adding Luke is the next step in what should be a large increase in the presence of characters from the Mandalorian/Ahsoka era
Maybe Luke will appear as a force ghost, that way they can keep the storyline/timeline consistent with Batuu. I hope not, as I would like to see so many OG Star Wars characters that don’t have a reason to appear in the current Batuu timeline… but that could be an explanation for the lack of details.