Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, one of Disney’s most anticipated theme park expansions, arrived with high expectations in 2019. However, its debut became one of the most divisive openings in recent Disney history. Now, nearly six years later, it appears that Disney is finally addressing one of the land’s most significant critiques.
At both Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, guests can explore Galaxy’s Edge, set on the remote planet of Batuu. The land is located at the Black Spire Outpost, a trading hub at the edge of Wild Space. This decision allowed Walt Disney Imagineering to create an entirely new setting that could be integrated into the Star Wars universe without relying on familiar locations like Tatooine or Endor.
However, the choice to introduce an original setting has not been without its share of criticism, especially when it comes to the land’s place in the Star Wars timeline.
Galaxy’s Edge is set during the sequel trilogy era, specifically between The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019), meaning the characters who populate the land are from that era. Guests regularly encounter Rey and Kylo Ren, and attractions like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance immerse visitors in the trilogy's conflict between the Resistance and the First Order.
While this focus on the newer trilogy aligned with Disney's strategy to promote its most recent films, it left many longtime fans frustrated. Characters and locations from the original and prequel trilogies, such as Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker, and Princess Leia, are notably absent.
This strict adherence to the sequel trilogy timeline has raised concerns, with some fans arguing that Disney should have embraced a broader approach, incorporating elements from all three trilogies to create a more inclusive experience for Star Wars fans of all generations.
In recent years, Disney has begun to relax its rigid focus on the sequel trilogy, introducing new experiences that tap into other eras of the Star Wars universe. Character encounters with the Mandalorian and Grogu, along with a new mission overlay for Star Wars: Millennium Falcon—Smugglers Run, suggest that Disney is open to incorporating more varied Star Wars content into Galaxy’s Edge.
Now, in a move that’s likely to surprise many, Disney appears to be fully abandoning its commitment to the land’s strict timeline.
A recent Instagram video shared by Disney Parks teased the arrival of none other than Luke Skywalker. In the video, a cloaked figure approaches the Millennium Falcon, accompanied by R2-D2, and is captioned with the iconic phrase, “A Jedi… like his father before him.”
The figure is reminiscent of Luke Skywalker’s appearance in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, where a de-aged Mark Hamill reprised his role to take Grogu to train in the ways of the Force.
For fans of the land’s original storyline, Luke Skywalker's appearance is a significant departure from Galaxy's Edge's established timeline. Luke, as fans know, met his end in The Last Jedi, having become one with the Force after a confrontation with his nephew, Ben Solo (Kylo Ren). With the character’s death, Luke’s appearance in Galaxy’s Edge presents a challenge to the land’s previously upheld canon, much in the same way that the inclusion of The Mandalorian and Grogu already blurred the lines of continuity.
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While this change may seem like a break from Disney’s earlier stance, it is a welcomed shift for many fans. The inclusion of Luke Skywalker raises exciting possibilities, but whether it signals a permanent change remains uncertain.
The addition is expected to be part of the Season of the Force celebration, which will run at Disneyland Park from March 28 through May 11, 2025, suggesting Luke’s time in Galaxy’s Edge may be a limited-time offering.
But the potential for a permanent Luke Skywalker meet-and-greet raises an interesting question: Should Disney embrace a more flexible approach to storytelling in Galaxy’s Edge? While maintaining continuity within the land has its merits, Disney could benefit from incorporating characters from all corners of the Star Wars saga, similar to how Avengers Campus exists outside the canon of the Marvel Cinematic Universe by including characters from all points in its timeline.
For a land that has faced ongoing complaints about feeling static compared to other Disney attractions, a more fluid approach to characters and stories might be just what Galaxy’s Edge needs. We've got a good feeling about this.
Do you think Disney should add more Star Wars characters to Galaxy's Edge?
yes, its fantasy, so anything goes and its what different generations would want
Good God Almighty!!!! Stay home if you don’t like what goes on at the Disneyland parks! People will always complain about this and that and everything else no matter what Disney does or doesn’t do! It’s just like the old saying goes, “You can please some of the people some of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people, all of the time!
Black Spire and Dok Ondar are mentioned in Solo, so it predates the sequel trilogy timeline.