5. Outpost menagerie walkthrough
Another attraction whose development was never made public, the existence of a “zoo” or “menagerie” of Star Wars creatures is known only thanks to artwork by Star Wars concept artist Eddie Del Rio. “Early in the process lot of ideas were thrown around. One of them was a menagerie of sort with Star Wars beast and creatures,” Eddie noted in a since-deleted Instagram post.
The idea of an enterprising and unscrupulous Batuuan collecting animals from around the universe and repurposing Black Spire Outpost’s infrastructure to house them fits surprisingly well into the lore of the land!
More to the point, it’s a convenient frame story for allowing guests to see and interact with the famous creatures from the films that aren’t native to the sparse, rocky, desert planet that Galaxy’s Edge takes place on; an “in-universe” “best of” showcase that no doubt could’ve featured some extraordinary encounters and Audio-Animatronics while also serving fans of the series and its sci-fi bestiary.
For example, imagine meeting a wooly bantha in the style of Universal’s long-lost Triceratops Encounter, walking past the frosted enclosure of a wampa captured and relocated from Hoth, or walking beneath sleeping, bat-like mylocks that had roosted in the old, rusted booster engine of a ship.
In what would almost certainly have made for a spectacular finale to the experience, Del Rio’s art suggests guests would’ve taken a catwalk over the cave-like habitat of a trapped Rancor (first seen in Return of the Jedi), swiping at mylocks as it tries in vain to escape its capture. There’s no doubt that the face-to-face encounter with a Rancor would’ve been a sensational moment for fans of the series while giving Disney a Star Wars equivalent of Disneyland Paris’ fan-favorite dragon encounter.
It’s a shame that this attraction didn’t end up making it into the land’s final form. An intergalactic menagerie would’ve given the land something not just stylistically, but explicitly pulled from the original Star Wars films. It also would’ve added immense reality and depth to the land. And again, operationally, a walkthrough experience with interactive moments and “petting zoo” appeal would’ve given families a can’t-miss experience in the land with no paywalls and no height restrictions to speak of.
6. Alternate Millennium Falcon missions
It’s not very often that a headlining, hundred-million-dollar Disney Parks attraction stumbles right out the gate, but for many fans, that’s true of Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. Ranked among our most disappointing debuts of the 2000s, fans found a lot to critique about the ride – like its frustrating game mechanics, “on-rails” limitations, lack of Han Solo and Chewbecca (again due to the land’s timeline), and that frankly, 2/3 of the on-board jobs just aren’t much fun.
Though it’s harder to put your finger on why, we’d suspect that another drawback to the ride is the actual “mission” it takes guests on. Despite television ads showing families free-flying the Falcon among the blue skies and sunlit spires of Batuu, diving and spiraling through rocky canyons and plains, the “mission” on Smugglers Run is a little less colorful. Guests spend a bulk of the ride mired red brake lights of a literal traffic jam on an urban planet. Set in perpetual sunset with continuous red and blue laser blasts from the ship’s gunners filling the field of view, it all looks very “Star Wars,” but it’s also kind of dismal rather than being bright and joyful.
It’s long been suggested that alternate “missions” were concieved of, storyboarded, and perhaps even in-development for Smugglers Run, and through The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, we can at last get a glimpse of what they could’ve looked like. One concept (above) sees guests set out on a mission to take down a massive alien creature that’s infested the ruins of ship crashed in the jungle; another suggests a flight path to escape from a dying star.
Of course, Smugglers Run is unique in that its ride film is not just a “movie” like Star Tours. Instead, it’s rendered in real time, actually affected by the actions of riders on-board (who also control the pod’s motion to a degree). Even though its astoundingly wrapped, the core of Smugglers Run is literally an elaborate video game co-produced by Imagineering, Nvidia, and Epic Games. To that end, swapping in new missions is – at least theoretically – very possible and even quite simple. We’d expect this to be one of the aspects of Galaxy’s Edge’s design process that makes it to the parks… eventually.
7. Tailor Shop experience
Initially opened in 2006 at Disney Springs (and quickly duplicated to Orlando, Anaheim, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and even London), the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique retail concept is… pretty genius. Inside, “Fairy-Godmothers-in-Training” provide “magical makeovers” for kids aged 6 to 12 in a theatrical, personalized, and (for parents) highly-Instagrammable salon session.
The lowest-priced ($75) tier includes makeup, hairstyling, nail polish, and a sash, while the highest ($230) standard package adds on an official Disney Princess gown, necklace, and other accessories. (Never mind the $450 “Signature Dress Collection” package, which ditches the costume for “heirloom-quality fabrics” and a “high-quality crystal tiara with box.”) Point is, the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique makes beaucoup bucks.
So is it any surprise that a Star Wars version was initially envisioned for Galaxy’s Edge? According to The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, little ones could’ve visited this tucked-away tailor shop in the village’s marketplace to join the resistance by disguising themselves as an alien species. No doubt this experience would’ve included face paint, hair-styling, and perhaps Batuuan sashes or cloaks. Guests even would’ve recieved new, falsified “Identicards” printed with photos of their transformation to prove their “new” identity to any roving Stormtroopers…
If we’re being honest, one of the primary complaints about Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is that many of the land’s most talked-about experiences are locked behind “paywalls.” Putting even the Wizarding World’s wand-selection mini-show to shame, Galaxy’s Edge merged retail and entertainment as never before. In so doing, crafting your own Droid or forging a Lightsaber were elevated from mere shops into experiences… Of course, to actually see both of those must-sees will cost at least $320 plus tax, not including optional accessories.
While we can certainly understand Disney’s desire to apply the highly-successful Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique business model to a Batuuan shop (and while the results would undoubtedly have been absolutely adorable), it might’ve been one too many paid experiences for many guests.
What Could’ve Been, Could Be…
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge may be among the most immersive and compellingly cinematic theme park lands ever built. But that doesn’t mean it’s complete. These seven attractions are just a sampling of the concepts Disney designed on the road to the Galaxy’s Edge we know. From Audio-Animatronic bartenders to floating Milk Stands; cut characters to layers of mythology and history… incredible ideas went into the making of Galaxy’s Edge… and The Art of Galaxy’s Edge reveals a lot of it, including things that didn’t make it into the land’s final execution.
If you’re looking for juicy tidbits on rumors of sliced budgets, eliminated entertainment, and rejected rides, obviously an official Disney publication isn’t the place to find it. Sure, there are “almost-real” concepts and plenty of Blue Sky pieces of artwork. But The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is a whole lot more than that. It’s a peek into the journey Imagineers take when they tackle projects of this scale – one where a whole lot of good ideas (and hopefully, way more bad ones) simply hit the editing room floor.
Thank you so much for reading. Now, it’s your turn to join the story. If you enjoy spending time falling down the “rabbit hole” of Park Lore’s in-depth, ad-free, member-supported stories, consider becoming a Member for as little as $2 / month.
Members can unlock rare concept art in every tale, reveal attraction audio streams in select stories, gain access to over a hundred exclusive articles in our quick-read Extra Features and in-depth Special Features collections, gain exclusive podcast extras, and receive an annual member card and merch in the mail! (Plus, y’know, supporting research-based, ad-free, clickbait-free, in-depth theme park writing!)