On April 29, 2026, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at
Disneyland Park will undergo its most significant evolution since opening in
2019. Disneyland is unlocking the land's carefully controlled timeline,
dismantling the sequel-era boundaries that limited Batuu and its inhabitants to
a narrow period of Star Wars history. The changes will introduce beloved
Original Trilogy characters, reimagine the land's soundtrack around John
Williams' iconic film scores, revise the backstories of key locations
throughout Black Spire Outpost, and open the land to storytelling across new
eras in the future.
Significantly, the update applies only to Disneyland in
Anaheim. Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Walt Disney World in Florida will remain
unchanged, meaning that starting this spring, the two near-identical lands on
opposite coasts will no longer offer the same guest experience. Here's a closer
look at the changes coming to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland.
Batuu's Broadened Timeline
When Galaxy's Edge debuted, it was designed to exist
entirely within a specific moment in the Star Wars saga, set between The
Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. Guests, referred to in-story as
"travelers," were meant to feel as though they had stepped directly
into a single, unwritten chapter of galactic history — one whose outcome they
could personally influence during their visit to the remote Outer Rim planet of
Batuu.
While the land's original end-to-end immersive
framework is being substantially loosened, it's not being collapsed into a
single blended timeline. Instead, Disneyland is expanding the geographically
segmented approach introduced in 2022 with the arrival of Boba Fett and Fennec
Shand, followed later by the Mandalorian and Grogu, Ahsoka Tano, Hera Syndulla,
and Sabine Wren.
Characters from several eras will now appear across
different parts of Galaxy's Edge, but they won't be allowed to overlap in ways
that break story logic.
Original Trilogy Characters and Galactic Civil War
Land on Batuu
At long last, the Star Wars galaxy's most iconic heroes
and villains arrive in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge on April 29.
After his limited-time debut in Star Wars: Galaxy's
Edge last year during Disneyland's Season of the Force, Luke Skywalker will
return to Batuu as a permanent presence, joined for the first time by Leia
Organa and Han Solo. The newcomers will also meet up with old friends Chewbacca
and R2-D2, with the entire group appearing both individually and in varying
pairs, from Han and Leia, to Luke and R2-D2, to Han and Chewie.
The Empire's growing shadow will also reach Black Spire
Outpost with the arrival of Darth Vader, accompanied by Imperial Stormtroopers,
on the hunt for Luke Skywalker. With Vader's arrival, Kylo Ren and his First
Order Stormtroopers will depart Galaxy's Edge, and Kylo Ren will replace Vader
at the Disney Visa character experience in Tomorrowland.
Like Kylo Ren, Vader and the Stormtroopers will patrol
the outpost periodically as well as address guests from the stage in front of
the TIE echelon at select times throughout the day.
Meanwhile, Luke will roam the outpost in search of
Force knowledge and artifacts, kyber crystals, and lightsaber lore. Luke's
updated look, the same black costume he wore for his 2025 debut, draws from
both Return of the Jedi and The Mandalorian. The design team
studied archival imagery and physical costumes, settling on a more refined,
Jedi Knight–focused appearance that aligns more closely with his look in The
Mandalorian.
Disneyland gets another princess in Leia, who will wear
a new costume inspired by her "Adventure" look seen in the 2015
Marvel Star Wars: Princess Leia comic series and Star Wars
Battlefront II. Leia can be found near the Millennium Falcon, where she
will be looking for sympathetic recruits to help her protect her brother.
Han Solo, wearing a new costume inspired by his classic
Original Trilogy look of light-colored shirt, vest, pants, boots, and holstered
blaster, will be keeping one watchful eye on the fastest hunk of junk in the
galaxy, and the other on the door of Oga's Cantina when he's feeling thirsty.
Rey Repositioned, New Republic Maintained
The forested Resistance camp will continue to anchor
the sequel-era "Age of the Resistance" timeline, centered on the
land's marquee attraction, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, along with
appearances by Rey, Chewbacca, and R2-D2. Disney has confirmed that the ride
will remain unchanged.
Rey's continued presence aligns with Lucasfilm's plans
to extend her story beyond The Rise of Skywalker, with a new feature
film in the works that will follow her efforts to build a new Jedi Order.
Ahsoka Tano, Din Djarin, and Grogu will continue to
appear in and around the Marketplace, preserving Batuu's New Republic–era
storytelling and avoiding any overlap with other timelines in the land. All
three characters have major on-screen stories arriving in 2026, with Ahsoka
returning for a second season on Disney+ and The Mandalorian and Grogu debuting
as a feature film on May 22.
R2-D2 and Chewbacca will continue to appear near the
Millennium Falcon and Droid Depot. Disney has confirmed there are no story
changes planned for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance as part of this
update.
From Soundscape to Score: John Williams' Music Takes
Over Batuu
One of the most noticeable changes to Galaxy's Edge at
Disneyland will be heard rather than seen.
When Galaxy's Edge opened, John Williams' iconic music
was used only selectively, primarily in attractions, Savi's Workshop, and Oga's
Cantina, while the broader land relied on ambient sound design. Hundreds of
environmental audio elements, from creature noises to distant ships and
in-universe broadcasts, created the feeling of a living place without relying
on familiar themes.
Beginning April 29, a fully reimagined score will
debut, filling the land with John Williams' iconic musical motifs from across
the saga. The music will start at the land's entrances with the "Main
Title" and "Force Theme," and continue throughout the land in
selections from classics including "Han Solo and the Princess,"
"The Desert and the Robot Auction," and "The Emperor."
Passersby will hear "Cantina Band" emanating from Oga's Cantina, where
DJ R3X will continue dropping tracks from his playlist.
New Backstories Take Shape in Shops and Spaces
Across Black Spire Outpost
To support Batuu's expanded scope, several locations
around Black Spire Outpost will quietly adopt new narrative framing.
First Order Cargo will become Black Spire Surplus, a
military salvage operation run by two retired clone troopers. The brothers
fought together during the Clone Wars before later landing on opposite sides of
the conflict against the Empire. Reunited in retirement, they draw on their
wartime experience to identify and trade in salvaged military gear, filling the
shop with artifacts and equipment from across eras and factions, from Imperial
to Rebel, and beyond.
Dok-Ondar's Den of Antiquities will rotate new relics
and curiosities tied to different periods in Star Wars history, with new props
appearing from recent Disney+ series.
Droid Depot will be operated by an earlier generation
of the Mubo family, currently experimenting with the early prototypes of
BB-unit droid designs while preserving the core build-your-own experience.
Oga's Cantina will reflect the nascent phase of Oga
Garra's rise to power. Having just recently arrived in the village, her
influence over the outpost is still taking shape.
“Fire of the Rising Moons” nighttime spectacular at Disneyland's Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. (Photo Credit: Disneyland Resort)
Brush Up on the New Backstories Before Your First
Visit
A new Marvel Comics series, Star Wars: Echoes of the
Empire, launching April 22, will provide additional narrative context for
the characters on Batuu and their places within the land's expanded timeline.
Smugglers Run Update Launches in May
While most changes debut on April 29, one major update
follows a few weeks later.
On May 22, 2026, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
will launch a new Mandalorian and Grogu mission, timed to the release of The
Mandalorian and Grogu film. The updated storyline sends crews after a
bounty uncovered by Hondo Ohnaka on Tatooine, triggering a chase involving
ex-Imperials, pirates, and Din Djarin and Grogu.
After departing Batuu for Tatooine, flight crews will
choose their next destination — Endor, Bespin, or Coruscant. The Engineer role
will take on expanded responsibilities, including interacting with and caring
for Grogu during the mission.
Normal operation of the ride is expected to continue
from April 29 to May 22, when the new version debuts.
A Different Galaxy on Each Coast
The forthcoming changes to Disneyland's Galaxy's Edge
build on several differences that already set Disneyland's Batuu apart. These
include nighttime shows, Fire of the Rising Moons and Shadows of
Memory: A Skywalker Saga, a broader slate of roaming characters, and
expanded and more frequently changing food and beverage options. Outside Star
Wars: Galaxy's Edge, the seasonal Star Wars-themed Space Mountain Overlay,
Hyperspace Mountain, is a must-do for Star Wars fans and returns to
Tomorrowland in Disneyland Park for a limited time, April 28.
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