A long, long time ago in a boardroom far, far away, Disney set about planning on a wildly ambitious Star Wars Lands for its Orlando and California parks. And thanks to this weekend’s fan-magnet D23 Expo, we’ve now been treated to a host of new details about the project.

First up, it’s been given an official title: ‘Galaxy’s Edge’, sounding exactly how a sprawling 14-acre theme park based on a sci-fi franchise really do should if we’re honest. Go on, just let it roll of the tongue. See?

Then there’s the world you inhabit. Yes, ‘you’, the star of the show, earning a reputation with every attraction you encounter, including one such mission where you find yourself in a hangar bay on a Star Destroyer in the thick of a battle between the First Order and the Resistance. No pressure there…

Meanwhile, when cunning pirate Hondo and Chewbacca look to assemble a flight crew, you’re enlisted to pilot the Millennium Falcon, where every guest on deck is crucial to success and teamwork is key. Brilliant flying will earn you extra Galactic Credits, but be warned: returning the ship in poor condition will result in a few unsavory types looking for you in the Cantina Bar.

Yep, from villages where you can drink fresh blue milk to bustling market places where you can hunt treasures from across the galaxy, you’ll rub shoulders with characters old and new, including BB8, Chewie, and the First Order led by chief sulk-pot himself Kylo Ren.

Visitors to this weekend’s D23 were also treated to a first look at the world of Galaxy’s Edge via a richly detailed model of the lands set to open at Disneyland, Anaheim, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida. Scheduled for completion by 2019, officials also revealed the doors will open in California first.

But if that weren’t all enough to get your heart racing at 12 parsecs, it was also revealed that Florida’s Magic Kingdom will eventually play host to Disney’s most experiential concept ever: a one-of-a-kind Star Wars hotel experience giving fans multi-day adventures, even wearing costumes from the saga.

With any luck, there’ll be a no Jar Jar Binks policy.

'By Joe Ellison'

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