Famous visitors to Batuu

Image: Disney

Rey, Finn, Poe, Chewbacca, and Hondo aren’t the only famous figures who’ve passed through The Black Spire Outpost. Thanks to new additions to the canon, we now know a number of prominent individuals have visited Batuu.

Padme Amidala once went missing while meeting an informant on Batuu. We even know what drink she ordered in the cantina. Anakin Skywalker formed an unlikely team with not-yet-Grand-Admiral Thrawn to search for her. For those unfamiliar, Grand Admiral Thrawn was a Chiss genius tactician from the early expanded universe novels who became one of the Empire’s deadliest strategists. He re-entered the new Star Wars canon as a primary villain in Star Wars: Rebels, and his origin story is now being told in a series of novels by Timothy Zahn including Thrawn and Thrawn: Alliances. We know that years later, the Grand Admiral would return to Batuu with Darth Vader on a mission for Emperor Palpatine.

We also know that Lando Calrissian and L3-37 (everyone’s favorite sassy droid from Solo: A Star Wars Story) visited Batuu thanks to a quote from the film: “You couldn’t get from here to Black Spire without me.”

A world of possibilities

Image: Disney

The lore tie-ins we’ve spoken of so far are just the tip of the iceberg. Every cast member in Galaxy’s Edge is going to have a backstory that ties into the story of the war or the outpost, opening up endless possibilities. You’ll be able eat rontu meat grilled on a starship engine and drink Luke Skywalker’s favorite drinks, Blue and Green Milk (hopefully, not squirted straight from a Thala-Siren into your cup like old man Luke slurped in The Last Jedi). Familiar droids, creatures, and aliens from throughout the saga will abound.

Thanks to an extremely intuitive Play Disney app (that won’t even require WiFi—it will rely on Bluetooth), guests will be have some help exploring the secrets of the Black Spire Outpost. Aurebesh writing (the Star Wars in-world alphabet) has been a long-time Easter egg in areas like Star Wars Launch Bay, and guests using the app will be able to translate it instantly. You’ll be able to hack (“slicing” in Star Wars speak) datapads in the area to gain information about the world. You’ll have the ability to scan shipping crates to find out what creatures or contraband wait inside, and you’ll even be able to tune into holo-frequencies to hear secret communications.

The Star Wars universe is getting bigger and bigger, and Galaxy’s Edge is going to prove the ultimate hub to experience all of it up close and personal. What lore tie-ins are you hoping to see in Galaxy’s Edge?