4. Limitless opportunity for tie-ins

Image: Disney

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is already going to prove a gold mine for Disney in regards to tie-in merchandise, upcharge experiences, and dining concepts. Batuu’s eclectic setting allows for tie-ins to virtually any part of the Star Wars Universe thanks to its unique backstory as an Outer Rim travel hub.

One shop is going to sell curiosities and artifacts collected from every period of Star Wars history, from antique lightsabers to glowing Holocrons. If those rumors of an Old Republic trilogy or TV series ever come to pass, you can bet your Blue Milk that tie-in merchandise will show up here. Another shop will sell dolls based on famous Star Wars creatures while a similar one sells droids—you will certainly see fresh additions in these shops from every new Star Wars film and cartoon.

You can also be certain that new lightsaber parts from any newly introduced Jedi or Sith will show up in Savi’s lightsaber salvage shop, delighting kids who visit. The clothing/costume shops, as well as the dining locations will also easily be able to evolve with every new addition to the Star Wars mythos.

5. It’s kind of Star Tours on steroids

Image: Disney

Star Tours is an immersive enough attraction in its own right. It managed to take the tourism experience and place it in the Star Wars universe, infusing it with excitement and adventure to keep audiences engaged for decades.

If you really think about it, The Black Spire Outpost on Batuu is like a much more fleshed-out evolution of Star Tours. It maintains the “tourism” feel since it makes sense in-world for galactic travelers to pass through. Like Star Tours, connections will be maintained to familiar planets all over the galaxy, affecting the culture of Batuu. Guests will get hints of every corner of the Star Wars universe through the merchandise and dining, such as being able to drink Tatooinian Blue Milk in Oga’s Cantina or being able to purchase Jakku scavenger wear from apparel shops. Like Star Tours, every guest undergoes a familiar hero’s journey—you’re just a normal person passing through when you find yourself caught up in the middle of a war, the fate of the battle between good and evil suddenly dependent on you and your fellow travelers.

It’s Star Tours taken to the next level—not just an experience where we’re tagging along in the midst of the story but where we are now part of it.

Whatever your opinions on Batuu, Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge is going to be an expansion unlike any other we have seen at Walt Disney World. What part of it are you looking the most forward to?