Califia: Galaxy's Edge (Spolier Alert)

WARNING ***MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS***

If you haven't yet visited Galaxy's Edge in Disneyland and don't want to be spoiled on any part of it, you may want to skip this post. Otherwise, enjoy the new land devoted to Star Wars.

Mr Duffy is contributing to this post as a guest writer. He knows so much more about Star Wars than I do, so he will be lending his voice and expertise to this entry.

There are three entrances into SWGE: Two are in Frontierland, and one is beyond Critter Country. This is the first time that there is not a dead end in the Critter Country part of the park.
When you walk in, you can feel a transition from the rest of Disneyland into this new area. Everything is themed, down to the trash cans.

Ooooh, an X-Wing!

And an A-Wing! Could the Resistance be somewhere nearby?

There were moisture vaporators all over. Just as well, because some of the days were Tatooine hot.

I was glad that the weather was actually quite cool. Otherwise, this Darth Vader mask would have been too hot for me.

Crowds were fairly light. They have a system in place for when the area gets too crowded. You make a reservation on the day you are visiting and you get a boarding time. That is when you would be given access to SWGE. But it was such a light day that this system was not needed.

I went to Oga's Cantina for a drink and a small snack basket.

You can't see him from here, but Captain Rex, the old Star Tours droid, is playing some funky tunes for everyone to enjoy. I think he found his calling as DJ Rex

The basket had wasabi peas, hot crackers, seaweed snacks, and crunchy cinnamon bits. It was tasty and actually paired quite well with my drink.

My drink came in this souvenir mug which I got to keep.

Ahhh, refreshing.

Behind us is the Millennium Falcon which is part of the Smuggler's Run ride.

Galaxy's Edge takes place on the Star Wars world of Batuu and the Imagineers spared no expense to make you feel like you are there.

Just look at those rocks! You really feel like you stepped into another world.

I wonder who lives there?

I wonder if you can see Chewie in there sometimes?

We got into line for the Smuggler's Run ride, which takes you behind the Falcon.

The ride is hosted by space pirate Hondo Ohnaka from the Clone Wars and Rebels animated series. Fans must really like him if Disney gave him his own ride.

The droid's name is R5-P8. I had to look that up.

The ride was pretty fun. It shakes you around like Star Tours, but there is an interactive element too. So you get to push buttons, pull levers, and other things that make you feel like you're making a difference.

It's a six-person ride. People could either be pilots, engineers, or gunners. Two of my party were engineers and I was a gunner.

Remember, teddies don't condone real violence, even if they are dressed as Dark Lords of the Sith.

Mr Duffy found a twin!

Uh-oh... the shuttle doors opened and out came Kylo Ren.

After that, he started patrolling the area with some stormtroopers. I hope they don't mistake us for ewoks.

These stormtroopers mean business. One guest tried to Jedi Mind Trick them and they just sassed him. It was really funny.

The First Order flag marks the shop where you can buy Stormtrooper outfits and other such gear if you want to embrace your Dark Side.

That shuttle never takes off, so does Kylo Ren sleep in there?

Hanging out by some droids.

Eagle eyed fans can spot droids they'll recognize. For instance, there are some battle droids from the prequels in that cage.

And there are some droid heads as lamps. That's a little creepy.

I don't know what's in there, but it looks shiny.

Some doors don't open. Maybe you need to be a Jedi?

What is this thing? Maybe it's the antenna that broadcasts the radio station you can hear in some places. A Galaxy's Edge soundtrack would be fun.

More droids.

Are these the droids you're looking for?

Beep-boop-WONK.

Those stormtroopers were looking for anyone who might be an enemy. They saw Mr Duffy in his stormtrooper getup and thanked him for his support. So we're safe.

They sell Coca-Cola products, and even the bottles here are themed. Mr Duffy had a Dasani water and I had a Diet Coke.

It must be leg day.

There is a droid shop where you can build your own. This life-size R2 was available for sale at $25,000. That would be fun to own, but I need a new car and R2 can't transport all my Target purchases.

Or maybe I could buy this speeder. It probably has better milage. And it's a convertable!

I like the ribbons in the trees. It gives Batuu some culture.

They even have scrap hanging from the walls as decoration.

This ship is parked on top of the restaurant, Docking Bay 9. We didn't go in this time, but there's always the future.

Whoever made these woodcarvings is a real artist.

From top to bottom, I recognize a porg, an Ithorian's head, a lothcat, the Jedi Order symbol, and Chewbacca.

Do you think my friend Chewbacca would like a wood carving of him? Or would he think it's weird?

Wampas!

Porgs!

I wanted to get a Bantha friend but I already had a nice collection going. And now that I am looking at this photo, I really want to go back and get one.