5. The faction system

Image: Disney

At Star Wars Celebration 2017, Disney Imagineer Asa Kalama said it plainly: “Your choices matter,” within Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

How you are perceived by characters, droids, and interactive items within Galaxy’s Edge will be determined by your choices on the two attractions. Stormtroopers may hassle you for suspected ties to The Resistance. Bounty hunters may stalk you in the cantina if you did a little-too-good-of-a-job on that Millennium Falcon smuggling run. Locals might cheer your entry or give you sideways looks (literally sideways, in the case of some of the aliens, we suppose). Once again, the possibilities are endless.

We’ve dived into the concepts behind the faction system before, and some of our readers found the idea outlandish. How could Disney possibly customize an experience that much for individual guests?  While it may seem improbable, the truth is, the faction system described for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is not that far-fetched for those familiar with playing MMORPG video games—some examples being World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online, and even Star Wars: The Old Republic. In these open world games, thousands of players inhabiting the same space somehow experience unique quests and stories, and their actions affect how they are perceived by in-world-characters of various factions.

Image: Disney

We’ve explored before how the concept development for Galaxy’s Edge has sounded suspiciously similar to the way a Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game functions, with choices a role-player makes having consequence on their standing. From the advent of the Magic Band, Disney has long hinted their intentions to use new technology to personalize guest experiences. We already see this in simple Easter Eggs like the way guest names pop up on posters in the Rockin’ Roller Coaster or the way guests can customize different cars on Test Track. Disney also tested this technology with their Legends of Frontierland experience, where guests were given a storyline to follow and characters to interact with in the Magic Kingdom. The point is storytelling and interactive elements will certainly play a big part in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

6. A whole new take on merchandise and dining

Image: Disney

Speaking of in-world character experiences, Galaxy’s Edge’s mission for immersion isn’t going to stop at attractions. The land’s merchandise shops and dining location, Oga’s Cantina, will also be set entirely in-world, complete with “local guests” intermingling with the crowd. At the cantina, while atmosphere components like musical entertainment from RX-24 will likely be animatronic based, it sounds like this location is going to possibly redefine the concept of character dining with bounty hunters, smugglers, and more interacting with guests—oh, and Disney has already hinted that the aforementioned faction system will affect character encounters at the cantina.

In a unique move, Galaxy’s Edge also will not host traditional Star Wars merchandise locations. You’ll need to go elsewhere in Disney’s Hollywood Studios to get standard Star Wars action figures, t-shirts, and lightsaber lamps. Instead, Galaxy’s Edge will have in-world shops and merchant stalls where toys and items sold will look like they truly belong in the Star Wars universe. Sounds a bit like Epcot’s World Showcase meets a galaxy far, far away!

7. A resort experience like no other

Image: Disney

Disney isn’t stopping with Galaxy’s Edge proper. As promised, they are also opening a fully Star Wars themed resort with an unprecedented twist. At the new resort adjacent to Galaxy’s Edge, guests will have another opportunity to be fully immersed in Star Wars. We aren’t just talking normal theme park immersion either. Remember the video gaming references? What Disney is describing sounds like a full-on role-playing experience.

Guests in the resort will “board a starship” touring the galaxy for the duration of their stay. Even the windows in guest rooms will have views of space rather than parking lots and pedestrians. While we’re not sure how they’ll pull this off, we’re told guests will even have Star Wars appropriate clothes they can wear during their stay (cosplayers rejoice!) possibly similar to the way costume rentals work at a Renaissance Festival. Every element will be designed to make guests feel like they are on a space cruise. WOW.

Prices will definitely be expensive, but that’s because guests aren’t just paying for a room. They will be paying for an all-inclusive adventure, possibly even with a core story. It also sounds likely that this experience could include dining and park tickets, similar to the one-price-for-all structure common on cruises. We will have to wait and see, but it sounds like the stay of a lifetime!