If you’re a big Star Wars fan (and even if you aren’t), you’ve probably admired the amazing details all throughout Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Maybe you’ve built a lightsaber at Savi’s Workshop, made your own droid at the Droid Depot, numbed your mouth with a Fuzzy Tauntaun in Oga’s Cantina, or munched on a delicious Ronto Wrap from Ronto Roasters. BUT did you know that there were a TON of concepts — including an entirely separate table-service restaurant and a creature that you could RIDE around the land — that were thought of for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge but didn’t make the final cut?!
Well, if you’re looking to know ALL of the insider knowledge about what went into making Galaxy’s Edge and some of the ideas that eventually got cut, you’ll definitely want to look into grabbing an upcoming book titled “The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.”
You can actually pre-order this hardcover book, which is over 200 pages(!!), right now from Amazon for $41.99. It is set to be released on April 27th. The book features hundreds of concept artworks, sketches, blueprints, photographs, and more all about the creative process that went into making Galaxy’s Edge.
According to Star Wars.com author Amy Ratcliffe interviewed a ton of individuals from Walt Disney Imagineering and Lucasfilm to create this book. And, based on their stories, it just goes to show you that you never know where ideas might come from!
Ratcliffe said “In talking with Disney Parks’ senior costume designer Joe Kucharski, who helped design the cast members’ looks for Galaxy’s Edge, he told me a man wearing baggy cargo pants and styling his socks as leg warmers in the parking lot of a Trader Joe’s on a rainy day was the starting point for the gaiters many cast members wear. Inspiration is everywhere!”
The Orlando Sentinel shares how the book discusses the many challenges Disney faced in designing the land, and tons of places that influenced the land’s look. Did you know that the team made trips to 4 Star wars film sets, Morocco, Turkey, and Greece for inspiration?
The book also goes through a whole bunch of images and descriptions for parts of Galaxy’s Edge that never made it to the finalized version!
For Oga’s Cantina, a fan-favorite spot, Disney actually considered creating animatronic bartenders fashioned to look like some Star Wars characters! They thought about having a Cast Memeber in a suit dressed as an alien bartender as well, but figured it would require a lot of prep work and likely would not be the most practical thing. So, they considered having an animatronic bartender instead. The concept art even shows bartenders who are an “assortment of creatures with four eyes, pig faces, no-free faces, or fishy qualities.” But ultimately that didn’t work out.
Also for Oga’s Cantina, Disney thought about having a big creature living in a tank behind the bar that would be the owner. There would be an animatronic actually inside the water. But one Imagineer shares that just didn’t have the tech or resources to do it at the time.
Wish there was a full table-service dining option in Galaxy’s Edge? Well, a table service restaurant was also on the table at one time, and it would have been called Kalikori Club. It would have operated out of a “covered two-level bathhouse” and was meant to be almost like a speak-easy or hidden club, part of the under-the-underground world. A Twi’lek woman was meant to be the owner and entertainment.
There was also plans for something called the Spice Den lounge, which included a two-story aquarium. On the top, it would look like it had some kelp in it. But, on the bottom, you’d realize that the kelp was actually a big monster!
And the blue milk stand? There’s quite a few concept art drawings for that, including one that appeared to hover above the ground!
The book also discusses the bounty-hunter chase ride that was proposed at one point. And Disney considered even considered creating a big beast-like creature/ride concept. This big beast would actually be one you’d be able to ride around the land!
Looks like the Imagineers truly dreamt big when it came to this space! While many fans truly enjoy what is there now, it’s still fascinating to learn about all of the things that could have been.
Aside from looking to the past on what could have been, the book will also look to the future on what might be. Disney shared that the book will actually include a bit of a sneak peek at Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser (a.k.a. the Star Wars hotel). Amy Ratcliffe, the author of the book, said that in learning about Galactic Starcruiser for the book, she was happy to see how much of the ship (the Halcyon) guests will actually be able to explore throughout their journey. Ratcliffe said, “It’s interactive in ways I didn’t expect.”
If you’re curious to know more, you can pre-order the book and check out all of the incredible stories there.
Click here to preorder the book!
We’ll keep an eye out for more great Disney items for you to grab and Disney secrets for you to learn.
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Will you be pre-ordering this book? Tell us in the comments!
Ken says
Too much hype, Star Wars land is unique but not worth the effort. Not everyone is an over the top star wars fan. I don’t even bother to walk thru it anymore.
c says
Disney should have gone a lot deeper into the Star Wars Land…..Money Grubbing prevented something that could have been truly GREAT…..Instead we got Space Morocco !