3. “Hokey religions and ancient weapons…” – The Museum

Image: Jett Farrell-Vega

The majority of the space inside Star Wars Launch Bay is made up of an immersive museum of Star Wars props, costumes, and artwork spanning the saga. Replica miniatures of ships like the Millennium Falcon, Slave One, and Tie Fighters are prominently displayed, as are full costumes (the exhibit of Rey’s scavenger gear and her custom speeder adapted from an old podracer is particularly cool). At this time, items from Rogue One are prominent, though this will probably change as we near the premiere of The Last Jedi in December.

The fun doesn’t end with movie props. If you are able to squeeze into the lines to meet Chewbacca, Kylo Ren, or BB-8, you can get a close look at the Launch Bay’s weapons and helmet collections. Along with recognizable props from the Star Wars films, these cases include replicas of equipment from both Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels, the animated Star Wars universe. The Launch Bay is a rare place where you can see items like Asaaj Ventress’ curved sabers and Sabine Wren’s Mandalorian helmet on real display right next to Wedge Antilles’ X-Wing visor and Obi-Wan Kenobi’s lightsaber.  

4. “I am fluent in over six million forms of communication…” – Brush up on your Aurebesh

Image: Jett Farrell-Vega

Fans looking for a fun way to pass the time can whittle away hours translating Aurebesh writing throughout the attraction. For those unfamiliar, Aurebesh is the alphabet used in the Star Wars universe. It has a few variations, but one can easily pull up a lexicon of the letters like this one with a web search.

Image: Sam Howzit, Flickr (license)

An uberfan who visited the Launch Bay with us kept a copy of the Aurebesh alphabet in his journal, which made translating the inscriptions throughout the attraction easier. Most are the sort of mundane labels you’d expect from the First Order or galactic shipping companies, but a few are quite extensive. This could prove a great way to keep kids entertained while mom and dad take a break. You could also take a picture of the inscriptions and translate them while waiting in long lines for attractions.

5. “I’d sooner kiss a wookie…” - Characters

Image: Disney

I certainly don’t recommend kissing a wookie, but you can get your chance to meet one. The Launch Bay is the best place in Hollywood Studios to meet Star Wars Characters. At this time, the lineup includes Chewbacca, Kylo Ren, and BB-8. Lines can get lengthy, but it’s well worth it for a chance to hug a wookie, serenade BB-8, or kneel before Zod—er, Ren. Guests who have a Disney Visa can also make reservations for an exclusive meet and greet with Kylo Ren. It blazes by pretty fast, but it’s a great way to skip the lines and meet the brooding dark Jedi.

6. “A wretched hive of scum and villainy…” – The Cantina

Image: Andrew Dupont, Flickr (license)

The Launch Bay’s replica of the Mos Eisley Cantina is a superfan’s dream space. Despite being fairly small, it contains all the details from that iconic hive of scum and villainy that you could hope for, including a Dejarik/holomonsters table, macabre sconces made of droid heads, and the familiar tunes of Figrin D’an and the Modal Nodes filling the air. Jawas frequent the cantina and are just as grubby, intrusive, and adorable as you ever dreamed. Opportunities for photos abound. If you’re feeling particularly clever, bring your own holomonsters for a picture with the Dejarik table!