star wars tour

Every New Star Wars Location And Character Added To Disney's Star Tours Ride

Disney's theme parks launched new experiences for their original "Star Wars" ride this week. Star Tours: The Adventures Continue is the second iteration of the attraction that originally opened at Disneyland Park in 1987. The first version of the ride was a consistent experience that put audiences inside a motion-simulated ship piloted by a droid voiced by Paul Reubens . The ride took park-goers right into the middle of a Death Star attack and was unlike anything anyone had ever seen. An ever-popular attraction, it was updated in May of 2011 to its current iteration. Instead of a single movie ride, new technology allowed Lucasfilm and Disney Imagineers to randomize the process. Now, with the updated system, your voyages could be randomized and it was easy for new updates to be made. 

As new movies in the Skywalker Saga were subsequently released, new locations were added to the ride. "The Force Awakens" brought Jakku to Star Tours, with "The Last Jedi" bringing Crait, and "The Rise of Skywalker" similarly adding Exegol and Kef Bir to the mix. However, there haven't been any new additions since the Skywalker Saga concluded in 2019 — until now, that is.

Ahsoka and her crew

While Star Tours has always brought park-goers to many places, all of those destinations were previously taken directly from the nine films of the Skywalker Saga (and everything else came from the theatrically released "Star Wars" features only). With this most recent update, though, the world of "Star Wars" television and animation has finally come to life on Star Tours.

The only new location that's been added to Star Tours this time around is the planet Seatos, which was first seen in the "Ahsoka" television show. It's where Ahsoka was able to chase Morgan Elsbeth to a new galaxy with the help of the giant space whales known as the purrgil . As a passenger, it's thrilling to weave through the purrgil and get to see them up close, with Ahsoka on the screen calling out instructions to R2-D2 and C-3PO. In fact, the ride even includes a touching moment where Ahsoka tells Artoo it's nice to see him again, which got me a little choked up after 15 years of seeing them interact in the canon across various cartoons.

Seatos itself is a terrific addition and fits in completely with the aesthetic and adventure of the rest of the ride. Though it doesn't maintain the adherence to the Skywalker Saga as all of the previous additions did, let's hope this opens the door for locations from other movies like "Solo: A Star Wars Story," as well as "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."

But the new location isn't all that's been added.

New holograms

One of the fun additions to Star Tours that came with this latest redesign is the ability to receive holographic messages from beloved characters across the "Star Wars" franchise. Princess Leia, Yoda, and Admiral Ackbar provided the first holographic messages for the ride, while Poe Dameron, BB-8, Maz Kanata, and Lando Calrissian were added later (with the original actors generally reprising their roles). This latest update expanded the holograms further into the realm of Disney+ shows, bringing us Cassian Andor, Din Djarin and Grogu, and Ahsoka Tano herself.

The holograms come at a point in the ride that allows the rider to catch their breath and engage them in the broader story. The holographic entities offer new coordinates for the riders of Star Tours to head to in order to help the Rebellion or Resistance in the fight against evil.

Each of the new additions has a different flavor. The Cassian Andor hologram (Diego Luna) has a grave urgency to it that feels very much in line with the tone of "Rogue One" and "Andor." I couldn't help but notice a tingle up my spine with the gravitas that Luna employed to deliver his holographic message for the ride.

Ahsoka was added as well, and she offers a ray of hope, along with cameos and a more lighthearted tone. In the background of Ahsoka's hologram, you can see Huyang — David Tenant's character from "Ahsoka" and "The Clone Wars" — as well as everyone's favorite murder droid, Chopper. He's such a fan favorite that when he appeared on the ride, the entire ship cheered in surprise and delight.

The last hologram that got added really pushed the 3D effects to their maximum and brought Din Djarin and Grogu to the ride. It's almost hard to remember what the Mandalorian was saying because your attention is fixed on Grogu, who levitates before eating a frog. In the end, he spat the frog out at the audience and it got everyone to flinch.

There was one more element added to the ride for this iteration, and it involves the very first scene. Ordinarily, Stormtroopers and either Darth Vader or Kylo Ren will appear to stop your transport. Sometimes, in the background, you'll see the Millennium Falcon taking off to make an escape, at which point Artoo guides the Starspeeder 1000 to chase it. The new intro replaces the Falcon with Ahsoka's T6 Jedi Shuttle from the "Ahsoka" television series. Seeing it in action was quite beautiful and it added one more immersive element to the ride.

The future of Star Tours

With this new batch of additions to Star Tours, it feels safe to assume we'll be getting more updates as more theatrical films are released. Might that include an older Rey from the New Jedi Order film? Or perhaps more of Din and Grogu to coincide with "Star Wars" returning to theaters with "The Mandalorian & Grogu" in 2026 ? It's easy to imagine the possibilities, all of which would serve to make Star Tours a fresh experience for as long as the ride itself is around.

The only complaint I might have is that the original intent of the first batch of Star Tours rides came with the conceit that the experiences could somehow be canon and that they all took place during a specific era of "Star Wars," placing them during the dark times chronicled in the first two "Star Wars" trilogies. That started to change a bit with the inclusion of the sequel movies, to the point where now some of the combined experiences just don't make sense. For example, I got a version of the ride that featured Ahsoka across its entirety, including her escaping, offering us a mission, and then finding her way to Seatos. It's simply unclear how it all fits together. The original release also sort of implied there would be locations from "The Mandalorian," "Andor," and "Ahsoka," as opposed to just "Ahsoka" (as thrilling as it is to visit Seatos).

Overall, though, those are minor quibbles. As a kid, Star Tours was the closest I thought I'd ever feel to taking a step into the "Star Wars" universe, and now I frequent it as often as I can to visit new corners of it.

Star Tours: The Adventures Continue is currently operating at Disneyland, Disney World's Hollywood Studios, and Disneyland Paris.

Your Star Wars Adventure Awaits

Star wars: galaxy’s edge.

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios  transports you to the village of Black Spire Outpost on Batuu—a remote trading planet that acts as one of the last stops before Wild Space.

Step into this exciting planet. Explore exotic shops, restaurants, back alleys, hidden Resistance rendezvous areas and even a First Order base. Sample curious concoctions at the local cantina, snack on favorite galactic foods, shop for ancient antiquities and build your own customized droid or lightsaber.

Gather your crew and take control of the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy on Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run . Blast off into hyperspace and experience an adventure beyond your dreams.

On Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance you join the Resistance in an epic battle against the First Order. This massive, multi-platform ride, is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced at Walt Disney World Resort.

Plus, enhance your visit to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge when you download the Play Disney Parks app for interactive adventures throughout Black Spire Outpost .

Learn more about Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge .

Star Wars Experiences Available Today

The blockbuster Star Wars movies are known for transporting viewers to a galaxy far, far away. And you can visit that galaxy at Walt Disney World Resort!

Embark on Star Wars adventures, visit Star Wars locations, meet Star Wars characters, view Star Wars movie props and shop for Star Wars merchandise.

It’s all here for you to explore alongside your favorite Star Wars fans!

Experience the Star Wars Galaxy

Droid depot.

Design, assemble and activate the customized droid that you’ve been looking for in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge .

Star Tours – The Adventures Continue

Jump through hyperspace on a thrilling 3D flight to incredible destinations from the Star Wars saga.

Encounter Star Wars Characters

Bb-8 astromech on duty.

Say hello to this excitable sidekick before he joins Poe on another mission.

Darth Vader

Prepare yourself for an unforgettable run-in with the Dark Lord of the Sith.

Step inside a hidden Rebel base to meet this legendary Wookiee warrior.

Journey Behind the Scenes

Photo opportunities.

Snap a photo in scenes and backdrops inspired by the Star Wars films.

Star Wars Launch Bay

Celebrate all things Star Wars and come face-to-face with Characters from the legendary space saga.

Gear Up for Adventure

Star wars galactic outpost at disney springs.

Feel the power of the Force as you shop for toys, apparel and collectibles inspired by the epic space saga.

Star Wars Trading Post at Disney Springs

Discover treasures from across the galaxy at a store that celebrates all things Star Wars .

Star Tours – The Adventures Continue

• Replay Star Tours – The Adventures Continue

• 40in (102cm) or taller
• Small Drops

Explore a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Board your Starspeeder 1000 and prepare for takeoff! When a series of mishaps unwittingly causes your starship to launch too soon, protocol droid C-3PO takes the controls.

Suddenly, the ship is intercepted by Imperial—or First Order—forces searching for a Rebel spy. To avoid capture, you’ll embark on a thrilling, unpredictable flight that rockets you to the farthest reaches of the galaxy.

Featuring a flight simulator, digital 3D video, Audio-Animatronics characters and “in-cockpit” special effects and music, this attraction immerses you in the Star Wars mythology for an unforgettable intergalactic adventure.

Will your Starspeeder elude capture and make it back to the base? May the Force be with you—always.

Featuring Favorite Star Wars Characters

Always a new adventure.

Hold on tight as urgent transmissions from Ahsoka Tano, Cassian Andor, the Mandalorian and Grogu may soon be part of your next Starspeeder flight.

Starting April 5, 2024, embark on exciting new Star Wars adventures featuring characters and locations from some of your favorite Disney+ series. With these additions, you’ll have the opportunity to experience one of more than 250 storyline variations, including a visit to the planet Seatos from Ahsoka . Because the many story twists are random, you never know where you’ll go or who you may encounter along the way!

©Disney/Lucasfilm Ltd.

Know Before You Go

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Complete Guide to Star Tours – The Adventures Continue at Hollywood Studios

May the force be with you on this thrilling 3D space flight to legendary destinations from the  Star Wars  saga.

You’ll take to the stars with C-3PO and R2-D2. But watch out for some familiar, less-than-friendly faces like Kylo Ren or Darth Vader!

In 2024, more stories and characters will be added to Star Tours at Hollywood Studios. Further details haven’t been announced just yet, but we will let you know about the changes as soon as we learn more.

Blast off with our complete guide to Star Tours – The Adventures Continue!

In this article

New Adventures Coming April 5, 2024

As announced at 2023 Destination D23, beginning April 5, Star Tours will include new locations and adventures from Ahsoka , Andor , and The Mandalorian .

Once added, the ride will have over 250 different adventure combinations for guest to experience.

Star Tours – The Adventures Continue Quick Facts

• Location:   Echo Lake , Hollywood Studios
• Height req : 40 inches
• Suitable for: Anybody 40″ or taller who can handle simulators and some rough movement.
• Attraction length: About 7 minutes
• Do we recommend? Yes, especially for Star Wars fans
• When to visit: 2nd hour
• Scheduled Refurbishments
• Tip(s): The exit area is a great Star Wars gift shop that has areas to build LEGO Star Wars characters and affordable light sabers. If this store seems too busy, you may have better luck at Once Upon a Toy store in Disney Springs where you can get the same items.
• Description: 3D flight simulator that takes guests through one of dozens of different Star Wars experiences including new characters and adventures from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker as well as Star Wars: The Last Jed i and Batuu, the home planet of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

Star Tours – The Adventures Continue is located in Echo Lake near Backlot Express, a Quick Service restaurant.

Here is the location on the map:

• Download the PDF

How to Ride Star Tours – The Adventures Continue

Star Tours – The Adventures Continue has a Standby Line and a Lightning Lane. There is no  Single Rider Line .

Do I need to use Genie+ at Star Tours – The Adventures Continue?

Genie+ is available at Star Tours – The Adventures Continue however this wouldn’t be an early priority ride to grab those Genie+ reservations because availability rarely runs out.

This ride is also available for Early Entry to those who qualify.

Be sure to check out our  touring strategies for Hollywood Studios for more Genie+ advice.

Rider Switch/Child Swap

Since you must be 40″ to ride Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, this attraction does offer Rider Switch.

Rider Switch is Disney’s system that allows guests with small children to take turns riding bigger rides, while another person/people wait with the little one.

You can  learn more about Rider Switch  via our handy guide.

What to Expect when you Ride

The queue at Star Tours – The Adventures Continue is designed to resemble a spaceport terminal.

You’ll see posters advertising voyages to different planets with Star Tours and a large LCD screen informing riders of flight statuses and planetary weather forecasts.

You’ll also see some of your favorite characters like C-3PO and R2-D2, as well as Captain Rex from the original attraction. He occasionally has a power surge and delivers a line from the first Star Tours ride.

Two G2 droids process passengers’ “luggage” on a scanning system that reveals the contents to you as you wait in the queue.

You’ll then retrieve your 3-D “flight glasses” before you are directed by a flight agent to a gate where you’ll wait to board.

While you wait, you’ll be entertained by a pre-show on the screen above you. C-3PO has been assigned to maintenance on the StarSpeeder 1000 that you’re about to board and he gets trapped in the cockpit after the ship’s captain leaves!

Make sure you then pay attention to the safety instructions before you board.

Play Disney Parks  is available for Star Tours – The Adventures Continue. This free mobile app is only available for select attractions and allows guests to pass the time as they play games, trivia, and earn achievements along the way.

Ride Vehicles

The ride vehicles at Star Tours – The Adventures Continue are large 3D flight simulators.

When the door to your flight simulator opens, make your way inside to the last available seat. There are four rows in the simulator and each row contains 10 individual seats with armrests and a place to store your personal items below.

Make sure you buckle up, it’s going to be a bumpy ride!

Accessibility Information

Guests who wish to ride Star Tours – The Adventures Continue must transfer from their ECV to a wheelchair and then to the ride vehicle.

Keep in mind, Disney has issued a warning that those who ride Star Tours – The Adventures Continue should be in good health and free from high blood pressure, heart, back, or neck problems. Expectant mothers should not ride.

Video and handheld captioning are available and those under 40″ are not allowed to ride.

Motion Sickness

Since Star Tours – The Adventures Continue is a 3D flight simulator, this ride is highly turbulent and includes sharp turns and sudden bumps which can aggravate motion sickness.

If you experience motion sickness in general, check out our  guide on motion sickness  for any Disney World attraction.

On the Ride

If you prefer to experience Star Tours – The Adventures Continue without spoilers, make sure you skip over this section!

Board your Starspeeder 1000 and prepare for takeoff! While you’re supposed to be heading off on a relaxing tour (hence Star Tours), a series of mishaps ends up launching you early, forcing C-3PO to take control.

But as soon as it appears that your trip is back on track, your ship is intercepted by Imperial — or First Order — forces searching for a Rebel spy. This spy is chosen from one of the guests on your ride vehicle— it could even be you!

To avoid capture and not give up your rebel passenger, you’ll be taken on the ride of a lifetime to the farthest reaches of the galaxy.

Since the attraction features several different segments that are selected randomly, your ride will be different each time! You may end up facing off with First Order villain Kylo Ren, bounty hunter Boba Fett, Princess Leia, or Jedi Master Yoda.

Just a few of the scenes you may encounter is a narrow escape from a battle on the planet Crait, following Scout Troopers as they chase after Chewbacca and a Wookiee warrior on Kashyyk, or discovering the still-to-be-finished Death Star.

With so many story twists, you never know where you’ll go or who you may encounter on your Star Tour! 

May the Force be with you as you and your fellow passengers attempt to elude capture and make it back to the base on Star Tours – The Adventures Continue.

Is Star Tours – The Adventures Continue Kid-Friendly?

The height requirement for Star Tours – The Adventures Continue is 40″ and there can be some dark moments during the action so this ride is more for older kids, tweens, teens, and adults.

We have a list of things that may scare little ones at Disney World that you can check out, if you’d like.

Strollers are not allowed in most queues or theaters at Walt Disney World.

You’ll need to leave your stroller in the designated stroller parking area near the entrance to the queue at Star Tours – The Adventures Continue.

In 1986 Disney and George Lucas, the creator of  Star Wars , partnered on the Captain EO attraction, a 3-D musical film starring Michael Jackson at Disneyland. Since the partnership was so successful Disney then approached Lucas with the idea for Star Tours.

The original Star Tours ride opened on January 9, 1987 in California’s Disneyland. Two years later, Star Tours opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, then known as Disney’s MGM Studios.

Set in the  Star Wars  universe, the motion simulator attraction sent guests on a tour to Endor, where they got caught in an altercation between the New Republic and an Imperial Remnant. The attraction featured Captain “Rex” RX-24 along with series regulars R2-D2 and C-3PO.

In 1998, Disney began planning to upgrade Star Tours as part of the release of the upcoming 1999 film  Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace , the first film of the new prequel trilogy.

This version would be in 3D and feature new flights. However, since more films for the franchise were in pre-production, officials chose to wait until 2003 when production began on  Revenge of the Sith  before remodeling Star Tours.

In April 2005, at  Star Wars  Celebration III, creator George Lucas confirmed that a revamp of Star Tours was in production. Then at the 2009 D23 Expo it was announced that Star Tours at Disneyland and Hollywood Studios would close in October 2010 for renovations.

The rides would reopen in May and June 2011 as Star Tours – The Adventures Continue.

On August 14, 2010, Hollywood Studios hosted the “Last Tour To Endor” event for Celebration V attendees. This extravaganza included an appearance by George Lucas, character appearances, Jedi Training Academy, Death Star Disco,  Raiders Of The Lost Jedi Temple of Doom: A Fan Film of Epic Proportions  live show, Hyperspace Hoopla, and  Symphony in the Stars  fireworks.

It also included the Star Tours shutdown ceremony which was a live show with C-3PO, R2-D2, Boba Fett, Darth Vader, as well as a few Stormtroopers, culminating in the official power-down of Star Tours.

The ride remained open until September 7, 2010, when the attraction held its “Final Flight to Endor” for D23 members.

In Orlando, Star Tours – The Adventures Continue began soft openings on May 14, 2011, with the official opening held at midnight on May 20, 2011.

Since its opening, the planet Jakku from  The Force Awakens  has been added to the attraction as well as the planet Crait from  The Last Jedi  and Batuu, from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Finally, the ocean moon Kef Bir from  The Rise of Skywalker  was added on December 20, 2019, the film’s release date.

In 2023, Disney announced at Destination D23 that Ahoska would be added to Star Tours in spring 2024 .

Other Fun Details

• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue is inspired by all nine films of the Star Wars Skywalker saga: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Episode IV – A New Hope, Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, Empire VI – Return of the Jedi, Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, and Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker .
• There are Star Tours attractions at four different Disney Parks around the world: Disney World’s Hollywood Studios, Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland in California.

• The exteriors of all four Star Tours attractions are different in their respective parks. The attraction in Florida is inspired by an Ewok village on the forest moon of Endor.
• Listen closely just before boarding your spaceship. You may hear a reference to THX1138. THX1138 was in all of the Star Wars movies because it was the name of George Lucas’ first movie, so he included it in all of the Star Wars films as a nod to his origin.
• Other boarding call announcements in the first area of the indoor wait queue gives names that are actually anagrams for people like  Star Wars  creator George Lucas (“Egroeg Sacul”) and Tom Morrow (“Mot Worrom”). When you reach the baggage check area, many different Disney attractions and franchises like Haunted Mansion ,  Toy Story, Aladdin, WALL-E, The Incredibles , and  Captain EO get cameos as G2-9T scans boarding IDs. 
• Paul Reubens, perhaps better known for his famous character, Pee Wee Herman, was actually the voice of Captain RX-24 (Rex) in the original Star Tours ride. He was the pilot talking as R2-D2 was being loaded. In the new version of the ride, you can see him in the droid maintenance section in the queue.

• Patrick Warburton, who is known for delivering the safety spiel before boarding Soarin’ at Epcot and for also voicing Kronk in Emperor’s New Groove , is the voice of security officer G2-4Ton Star Tours — The Adventures Continue. You can spot him as you pass through a series of security scanners.
• As part of the attraction, you’ll see scenes with archival footage of Princess Leia, played by Carrie Fisher. The dialogue, however, is re-recorded. Carrie Fisher collaborated with Imagineers to re-record her dialogue so that it fits the attraction seamlessly.
• While the original Star Tours ride didn’t open until 1989, Imagineers originally had an idea for a simulator ride themed to another Disney movie. The 1979 live-action film  The Black Hole  followed astronauts investigating a mysterious spaceship inside a black hole, but it was a commercial flop. This, combined with the high costs for the planned ride, led to the concept being scrapped. It wasn’t until Disney partnered with George Lucas and Lucasfilm in 1986, that the simulator idea was revisited, this time with Star Wars in mind.

Other Attractions in Echo Lake

• For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
• Indiana Jones™ Epic Stunt Spectacular!
• Mickey Shorts Theater
• Star Tours – The Adventure Continues

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Tunisia Star Wars Tours

Our custom private itineraries.

5 Days / 4 Nights

Light speed tour.

7 Days / 6 Nights

Tatooine tour.

Luke’s Childhood Home Ben Kenobi’s Hermitage Tosche Station Mos Eisley Our 7-day Tatooine Tour takes you to each site George Lucas featured in the epic Star Wars Films and made them into iconic Hollywood landmarks. Tour Tatooine with us and see them all! View Itinerary

13 Days / 12 Nights

Ancient & galactic empires tour.

Darth Maul’s Outlook Chalmun’s Cantina Historical & Cultural Museums Coliseum in El Jem Many empires packaged into one tour! Our Ancient & Galactic Empires Tour takes you throughout Tunisia. See history in ancient Phoenician, Carthaginian and Roman ruins and the world of Star Wars all in one itinerary! View Itinerary

We specialize in custom private Star Wars tours in Tunisia.  We are your Star Wars travel experts in Tunisia because our team has lived in Tunisia for most of the last decade! Our office is powered by the Tosche Station and Obi-Wan Kenobi’s hut is less than a parsec away. Join us as we navigate the local landscape and culture so you can experience the way the Force has left its mark in Southern Tunisia.

“Do. Or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda

• Custom Private Tour of Planet Tatooine
• Personal & Attentive Service
• Authentic Star Wars Experience
• Visit Sites Featured in Episodes I, II, III & IV
• Spaceport Pickup & Dropoff
• Private Land Speeder & Pilot
• English-Speaking Guide

“Your focus Determines your reality” – Qui-Gon Jinn

Picture yourself in the films!

Click each before-after slider to enlarge

Tour the galaxy and visit the desert planet of Tatooine where the Skywalker saga unfolded. Tunisia hosts original film sites from Episode IV: A New Hope and Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

Spend the night in Luke Skywalker’s home. Watch the sunset at the Lars Homestead Igloo House. Visit Obi-Wan Kenobi’s hut. Walk the streets of Mos Espa.

Experience the epic story of the Force by immersing yourself in the sites that made the film!

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What our space travelers say…

The tour was excellent and both Nadhem [our guide] and Lotfi [our driver]were great. I would definitely recommend it to anyone.

I would recommend this tour to any Star Wars fan. It was perfect. I have traveled all over the world and he is the best guide I’ve ever had.

Had a great time! Some of the highlights were the Star Wars hotel, the Star Wars Canyon, and Lars Homestead (We went just before sunset.)

I had a great time in Tunisia and really enjoyed the Light Speed Tour. We managed to pack a lot into the five days but I think my stand-out moments were visiting the iconic Lars Family Homestead exterior and the Amphitheatre at El Jem.

We would recommend Mosaic to all our friends without hesitation. We had a magnificent time, our best couples trip!

The tour was amazing and our driver was great. Would definitely recommend Mosaic to others. The communication with yourself was excellent and the tour was very well organised.

November 2022

I would recommend Mosaic to anyone wishing to take the tour.  I told my guide that I need to come back with some friends and introduce them to it!

What we liked the most about Mosaic North Africa is the communication, always answering our questions and helping us solve problems. They will answer your emails and pick up your calls.

Our guide was fantastic! Chris and I are special class of Star Wars nerds as we brought costumes and dressed up enacted stuff in some of the locations… We took over 1200 photos…

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Five Things to Know About Star Tours – The Adventures Continue

Star Tours was Disney’s first modern simulator ride, and based on the Star Wars saga it was (as Yoda would say). Thanks to over 700 possible scene combinations in the high-def 3-D film at the heart of the attraction, you could ride all day and not have the same experience twice! Read on to learn more – or if you’d rather zip through hyperspace to the nuts and bolts, here’s your shortcut .

1. You enter the spaceport under an AT-AT.

Your Star Tours adventure begins outdoors, where the surroundings have been designed to resemble an Ewok Village (as seen in Return of the Jedi). You get to pass under a full-size AT-AT walker to get to the entrance of the ride’s building, which in and of itself is pretty cool.

Once indoors, you’ll find yourself in a spaceport where C-3PO and R2-D2 are working on your ride vehicle, the Starspeeder 1000. These life-size audio animatronics look and move exactly like their cinematic counterparts. The queue captures the familiar feeling of a train station or airport of today, but as it might exist in a galaxy far, far, away. It’s complete with a flight status board, weather reports, even a luggage scanner.

Just before you board, you’ll watch on overhead screens as C-3PO gets trapped in the Starspeeder cockpit while doing maintenance. After you enter the simulator and don your 3D glasses, the doors shut on C-3PO’s complaints about accidentally becoming the pilot, and your Starspeeder takes off.

2. You won’t know who you’ll see or where you’ll go.

The ride’s plotline comprises five general segments: an escape scene, a destination, a mission, another destination, and a concluding scene. Disney has multiple film clips from all nine episodes of the Star Wars saga that can be used for each segment of your journey, which creates a different experience each time you ride. So basically, you won’t know where you’ll go or which Star Wars characters you will see!

There are some limitations on how the scenes can be mixed, for instance, characters and scenes from Episodes 7-9 are not mixed with those from earlier movies. Still, it’s been noted by Star Wars purists that the randomized scenes can create a confusing timeline. Probably because of this, the ride experiences are not considered canonical in the Star Wars universe. But that doesn’t make them any less fun!

3. You may be the Rebel Spy!

In the escape scene at the opening, a villain (maybe Vader, maybe Kylo Ren, or ???) is searching for a Rebel Spy. A picture of an actual guest riding with you is shown onscreen and they are identified as being the spy. They’re chosen randomly or by a Cast Member and it can add a bit of fun if it’s someone in your own group – maybe even you!

Once you’ve made your escape, you may find yourself attacking AT-ATs, joining a pod race, being pursued by Tie Fighters, or more. The simulator is modeled after those used for training pilots and astronauts, so you’ll experience real dips, turns, twists, and climbs. It can be a little rough, but all the bouncing around helps to create a pretty realistic experience.

You’ll make it back into hyperspace and the action will pause for a moment. You can catch your breath, and receive your mission from a Star Wars character who appears as a hologram. Sometimes the mission is just to deliver the Rebel Spy to safety, but there are other plotlines . Then you’ll take off and visit another planet for some more action.

Your adventure ends after a jump to hyperspace and a landing on Batuu, or possibly Spaceport THX1138 (the number is a nod to George Lucas’ first film), or one of a few other conclusion scenes. The entire attraction lasts about 7 minutes, the ride portion is about four and a half minutes. You’ll exit through the space terminal and into the Tatooine Traders gift shop, designed to suggest a desert outpost in Mos Espa.

4. It was different, a long time ago…

The first Star Tours attraction opened in 1987 at Disneyland, four years after the release of Return of the Jedi. Disney World’s version came two years later, in 1989. Since there was no Galaxy’s Edge at that time, it was placed in the Echo Lake area of Hollywood Studios.

This original version only had three movies (Episodes 4 through 6) to work with, and the premise was clear and simple. Star Tours was a transportation agency offering trips to Endor. However, according to the droid pilot R-3X (“Rex”), it was his first day on the job and he wasn’t used to his programming. As a result of his mistakes, guests never made it to Endor. But their ride did include crashing through comets, jumping to light speed, and the classic trench run on the Death Star.

Star Tours closed in 2010 for updates, and reopened as Star Tours: The Adventures Continue in 2011. Rex was retired from this version, but later became a DJ. You can see him today at Oga’s Cantina in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Fun fact: R-3X was voiced by the late Paul Reubens.

Today’s version offers 3D film and randomized scenes, and Disney updates the adventures with newer characters. A Jakku scene was added in 2015 for The Force Awakens, Crait was added in 2017 for The Last Jedi, and the planet Kef Bir was added in 2019, after the release of The Rise of Skywalker. As Disney continues to add new scenes, the number of possible adventures changes over time.

5. The Nuts and Bolts.

Star Tours: The Adventures Continue is located at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Echo Lake between the Backlot Express and Grand Avenue. Since the attraction is indoors, it is not affected by weather, although part of the (covered) queue is outdoors.

You’ll be seated in rows in the Starspeeder 1000 simulator. Each of the five rows has 8 padded seats with a fabric lap belt and a shared armrest. A net bag below each seat holds your stuff.

Guests must transfer to a wheelchair and then to the ride vehicle. Disney advises that you should be in good health and free from high blood pressure, heart, back or neck problems, motion sickness, or other conditions that could be aggravated by this adventure. Expectant mothers should not ride.

Guests must be at least 40″ tall to ride, and as with all attractions that have a height limit, Rider Switch is available .  It’s worth noting that flashing lights, the use of weapons, loud sounds, and the appearance of aliens or intimidating figures may frighten or disturb some guests, especially the younger set. Service animals are not allowed. Video Captioning and Handheld Captioning are available.

Wait times for Star Tours are very low in the first two hours the park is open. It’s also a good choice between noon and 4 p.m. Alternatively, you can secure Lightning Lane entry via Genie+. Star Tours: the Adventures Continue is also open for both Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Theme Park Hours.

The Bottom Line.

Our recommendation: Star Tours: The Adventures Continue is not to be missed. Would it be nicer if it were in Galaxy’s Edge? Maybe. Nevertheless, it offers a great experience from takeoff to landing. No matter where you go or who you see!

Have you ridden Star Tours? What did you think? Let us know in the comments.

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Bob Jacobs lives in Wisconsin where he retired as Editorial Director for a well-known catalog company. He and his wife Cristie have four children, seven grandchildren and a cocker spaniel named Penny the Dog. They’ve visited Walt Disney World regularly since 1992.

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Star Tours - The Adventures Continue

• Replay Star Tours

• 40" (102 cm) or Taller
• Small Drops
• Thrill Rides

Visit a Galaxy Far, Far Away

When your Starspeeder accidentally starts up without a pilot, tour guide C-3PO takes the controls. Suddenly, the ship is intercepted by menacing Imperial—or First Order—forces searching for a Rebel spy. To avoid capture, you’ll take off on a thrilling, unpredictable flight that rockets you to the farthest reaches of the galaxy.

Starting April 5, 2024, embark on exciting new Star Wars adventures featuring characters and locations from some of your favorite Disney+ series. Hold on tight as urgent transmissions from Ahsoka Tano, Cassian Andor, the Mandalorian and Grogu may soon be part of your next Starspeeder flight.

With these additions, you’ll have the opportunity to experience one of more than 250 storyline variations, including a visit to the planet Seatos from Ahsoka .

Star Tours Takes Flight

On January 9, 1987, George Lucas and Walt Disney Imagineering brought the Star Wars galaxy to life at Disneyland Park .

The original Star Tours attraction blasted off to Endor. In the years since, the experience has been updated with new worlds and iconic characters from Star Wars: The Force Awakens , Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker .

The attraction now features state-of-the-art technology—including a flight simulator, digital 3D video, Audio-Animatronics characters and “in-cockpit” special effects and music.

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Times for star tours - the adventures continue.

Star Tours: Inside the Secret History of Disney’s Classic ‘Star Wars’ Ride

The Disney Parks attraction’s origin and evolution is an adventure all its own

Earlier in January, Star Tours turned 35.

The groundbreaking attraction has been a favorite of Disney Parks visitors the world over, and it would prove an influential part of the “Star Wars” mythology, even today. In Jon Favreau’s “The Book of Boba Fett” (streaming now on Disney+) a familiar-looking droid has been dealing cards in the cantina/casino hideout The Sanctuary in the Tatooine village of Mos Espa. The droid looks like Rex, the inexperienced pilot of the original version of Star Tours. Predictably, fans went nuts.

In fact, the influence of Star Tours has been felt strongly in the current era of “Star Wars” on both the big and small screen. Rex previously appeared in an episode of animated series “Star Wars: Rebels,” and the Star Tours spaceship the Starspeeder made blink-and-you’ll-miss-it background appearances in J.J. Abrams two sequel trilogy installments, while Rian Johnson admitted a looser influence over his installment, “The Last Jedi.” The sequence where the Millennium Falcon is careening through the crystalline caverns of Crait was inspired by the original ride film’s trip through a craggy comet.

But the story of how Star Tours was developed – how it came to be, what technology was employed, and the profound implications for both the Disney Parks and George Lucas’ Lucasfilm – might be even more thrilling and complex than the actual ride, which was heavily retrofitted in 2010 now goes by the name Star Tours: The Adventures Continue.

So, without further ado, lightspeed to Endor !

A Long Time Ago …

Long before there was any kind of official partnership, Lucasfilm and Disney Parks were linked, thanks mostly to some fortuitous timing. George Lucas’ “Star Wars” hit theaters on May 25, 1977, intoxicating audiences with its depiction of bold heroes, dastardly villains, fussy droids and otherworldly creatures. Those that saw it went back again and again but itched for something more . Thankfully for Southern California audiences, Space Mountain, an adaptation of an attraction that opened at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom two years earlier, opened at Disneyland two days after “Star Wars.” Folks would go see “Star Wars” and then book it to Disneyland for a chance to ride Space Mountain, nestled in the far corner of Tomorrowland. The line for the attraction snaked from that distant part of Tomorrowland all the way up Main Street, U.S.A. Even if their pairing was still a decade away, Lucasfilm and Disney Parks were already strongly bound by the Force.

But if the actual Lucasfilm/Disney enterprise had a point of origin (something that we are painfully aware that George Lucas just loves ), it was when Michael Eisner, then the head of Paramount, decided to green light “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” As Brian Jay Jones recounts in his biography “George Lucas: A Life,” Lucas’ financial terms for the movie were aggressive and mirrored those of the “Star Wars” sequels. Lucas would fund the movie himself and the studio would “distribute the completed film in exchange for profits.” While many of the studios passed right away, Warner Bros., who had clumsily distributed Lucas’ first film “THX-1138,” initially wanted to make it, but they were ultimately usurped by Paramount and Eisner.  “George came over to my house,” Eisner later said, “and he said, ‘Let’s make the best deal they’ve ever made in Hollywood.’”

On November 7, 1979, Paramount announced an agreement with Lucasfilm – they’d agreed to Lucas’ demands and would be making “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Eisner believed in George Lucas, even when other studios didn’t. This is baffling, after the astronomical success of “Star Wars” just two years earlier, but true. “Eisner was no dummy,” Jones says now. “Professionally, they spoke the same language. They got the cultural sensibilities.”

Eisner’s decision to help Lucas out on “Raiders of the Lost Ark” would have far reaching ramifications; for one, it would lead to Paramount releasing one of the most successful franchises (after Lucas’ own “Star Wars”) of all time. It would also ultimately assist in the rehabilitation of one of Hollywood’s most celebrated brands, which by the early 1980s had fallen into disrepair and disinterest.

Rebellion Reborn

In 1984, after greenmail attempts by corporate raiders, the Walt Disney Company got a fresh transfusion of new executive talent in the form of Michael Eisner, Frank Wells and (a few months later) Jeffrey Katzenberg. As CEO and Chairman of the Board, Eisner set his sights on strengthening the company’s bottom line and refreshing the brand, which in the nearly 20 years since Walt Disney had died, became a creaky dinosaur, badly out of step with modern audiences and accompanying cultural shifts. (The year before Eisner became CEO, the top grossing Disney movie was “Never Cry Wolf,” with a whopping $29.6 million .)

Similarly, the Disney Parks had been badly neglected despite accounting for nearly 70% of the company’s annual revenue, in part because of the wobbly, extremely over-budget opening of EPCOT Center in Florida, but more pressingly because Disney wasn’t producing anything that could be adapted into rides, shows, or attractions at the parks. While Katzenberg looked to return the studio’s feature animation unit to its former glory (it existed, in the early 1980s, as a partially mothballed group that was in constant danger of shuttering completely), Eisner looked to the parks. “You couldn’t walk through the theme parks and not recognize that they lacked contemporary development. But when Frank and I walked down Main Street for the first time, Frank turned to me and said, ‘There’s so much here. There’s so much potential,’” Eisner recounted in “The Imagineering Story” documentary on Disney+.

Imagineering had reached out to Lucas before Eisner had been installed. Marty Sklar had set up a meeting between Ron Miller, who was president and CEO of Disney before Eisner (he was also Walt’s son-in-law), and Imagineer Tony Baxter. Baxter was, and remains, a superstar of Walt Disney Imagineering, the kind of persona that Disney fanatics dress up as at Disney fan conventions. (Seriously.) At the time, Baxter wasn’t even 40 and had already contributed to the Disney portfolio in meaningful, some would argue profound, ways. He was behind the Journey into Imagination pavilion at EPCOT Center, which featured some truly next-level technological breakthroughs alongside a whimsical story about the power of creativity; and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland, a runaway train thrill ride that would become instantly beloved and replicated at Disney parks the world over. Miller was still stinging from the failure of “The Black Hole,” Disney’s bid to challenge “Star Wars,” but agreed with Baxter that “Disneyland did need an infusion of new IP for younger generations of visitors” (according to Baxter). Miller suggested that they meet with Lucas at Miller’s Silverado Ranch. In addition to Sklar and Miller, Imagineers Rick Rothschild and Gary Krisel were also at the meeting. “There was no lag time between those initial agreements at the Silverado Vineyard, the subsequent leaving of Ron Miller, and Michael and Frank’s arrival in September 1984,” Baxter said. (Another former Imagineer had told me that after that initial meeting, “those discussions went nowhere.”)

Interestingly, before Eisner was hired, Disney board members had originally turned to Lucas to run the entire company in the early 1980s. “It wasn’t what he wanted to do with his life,” said Howard Roffman, who was the chief operating officer of Lucasfilm, in The Cinema of George Lucas by Marcus Hearn. Instead, the board offered the job to Eisner, the man who had the guts and the creative ambition to back “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Now Eisner quietly reached out to Lucas about projects with the Disney Parks. Lucas had been a lifelong Disneyland fan (his family had first visited the park on July 19, 1955, two days after it had opened), making annual treks to the resort. And just as Eisner had gotten behind a lucrative deal (in Lucas’ favor) for “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” he offered Lucas an equally eye-popping arrangement for his services: for every Lucas-originated project, the filmmaker would get $1 million per attraction per park per year. Lucas happily agreed. This arrangement even applied to later attractions Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril (a fairly off-the-shelf rollercoaster with the Indiana Jones name) located in Disneyland Paris, and Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull (essentially a clone of the Disneyland attraction) at Tokyo Disney Sea.

According to Baxter, during their first week at Disney, Eisner and Wells asked several Imagineers to come in on a Saturday and pitch “everything we had in conceptual design.” For Baxter, that meant he showed off the “Star Wars” project and what would later be known as Splash Mountain. (This is the infamous meeting where Eisner brought along his son Breck. Eisner told Baxter that Breck “loved theme parks” and Michael knew little about theme parks.) Both Star Tours and Splash Mountain were “given the green light” during Baxter’s presentation but according to Baxter executives were “disturbed” by the proposed 3-year production time designated for Star Tours. Famously, Eisner willed the teen-oriented dance club Videopolis into existence at Disneyland in a mere 100 days, partially due to architect Chris Carradine salvaging structural elements from the 1984 Olympics. He wanted things in the parks and he wanted them now .

With Lucas onboard for a Disney Parks “Star Wars” attraction, Imagineering began spit-balling ideas. At a National Fantasy Fan Club meeting in July 1988 legendary Imagineer David Mumford, whose notable work includes the Land pavilion at EPCOT Center and the Mermaid Lagoon section of Tokyo DisneySea, spoke of a cutting-edge “Star Wars” rollercoaster that was originally proposed. In this attraction, guests in the ride vehicle would vote on whether they would follow Yoda and become a Jedi or instead choose the path illuminated by the Emperor, embracing the dark side of the Force. Depending on that decision, you would rocket past show scenes featuring animatronics of your favorite characters (Boba Fett, Darth Vader and Jabba the Hutt on one path or Leia, Luke and Han Solo on the other). It was a wonderful idea, utilizing interactivity and good old-fashioned Imagineering magic, but Mumford said that it would take at least five years just to design the complex mechanism that would allow the ride to work. They needed something sooner.

Enter Mark Eades. Eades was a young Imagineer who had moved over from the Walt Disney Studios to work on EPCOT Center. In the days after EPCOT Center’s opening, when Imagineering’s ranks shrank and viable new projects became scarce, Eades was tasked with researching motion simulator technology. He visited army bases and tested out rudimentary versions designed for entertainment purposes (including “one where they basically stuck a camera on a rollercoaster”). At the end of his exploratory journey, he wrote a memo outlining the potential uses of the technology in the parks (he notes that, contrary to much reporting, the technology was never looked at for a “Black Hole” attraction, but rather “The Black Hole” was thought of as a potential overlay for the aging Mission to Mars). “We either a) treat it as a Tomorrowland attraction where we talk about how the pilots of tomorrow are being trained and you get to go train with them,” Eades said of the simulator technology. “Or there could be other stories if we’re willing to not admit that it’s a simulator. One of them could be in the ‘Star Wars’ universe.” At the end of the memo, he even suggested a possible narrative, should the ‘Star Wars’ idea actually be chosen: “Take a ride on the Millennium Falcon and when we get off we can go over to the Mos Eisley cantina.” This exact idea would be recirculated, 30 years later, at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

At the urging of Imagineer Randy Bright, Baxter went to Retifusion London, a test facility, to see if the flight simulator technology could successfully be used “for entertainment purposes.” (According to Baxter, Bright had stopped at the facility following an Abbey Road recording session for some new orchestral elements for EPCOT.) “I took several leaders from Disneyland operations & maintenance along on the trip to validate the practicality,” Baxter said. Imagineers might design the attractions, but operations and maintenance keep it running. Baxter and the small group seem to have watched the same “rollercoaster” ride film that Eades had also seen. “The simulator was limited in what it could mimic, but we were impressed enough to begin the project in earnest,” Baxter said. Disney made a deal to buy one of the simulators. It was housed in a custom-designed building in the parking lot of Imagineering’s Glendale headquarters.  

In Spite of ‘Captain EO’

While work progressed on Star Tours, Michael Jackson had approached the company about joining forces for a new project. Jackson loved Disneyland and Walt Disney World (later he would fashion a Disneyland-style theme park at his home, Neverland Ranch). Eisner and Katzenberg were both dazzled by big name stars and made the Jackson project a priority. At the same meeting where Splash Mountain and Star Tours were greenlit, the executives first brought up the possibility of a Jackson project (according to Baxter). “Imagineering was challenged to give Michael Jackson three concepts to choose,” Baxter said. In his memoir, Eisner describes the concept: “Our notion was to put him in an extended 3D music video.”

One pitch had the entertainer at Disneyland after dark, when various attractions like Pirates of the Caribbean would spring to life. (It was deemed too similar to his beloved “Thriller” music video.) Another version had Jackson inhabiting the role of a Peter Pan-type character who battled an ice queen, eventually melting her heart. And yet another, dubbed the “intergalactic ‘Music Man’” had him visiting a cold, distant planet and bringing music to the people, literally transforming them. Jackson liked the space idea but had a list of demands, including hiring either George Lucas or Steven Spielberg to help oversee what would ultimately become a cumbersome, costly, 17-minute 3D film (a “miracle of a movie” according to Whoopi Goldberg in the “Captain EO: Backstage” episode of “The Disney SundayMovie”). Spielberg was busy with “The Color Purple.” But Lucas had just signed on with Disney and was happy to oblige. At the very least, it would mean another $1 million per year per park.

Instead of helming the project himself, Lucas would install Francis Ford Coppola, one of his oldest friends, in the director’s chair. And Jones pointed out, not only would Lucas be spared the drudgery of daily production (“Return of the Jedi” had nearly killed him), handing Coppola the Disney project meant that he’d be “giving his mentor a much-needed job” (this after the middling response to Coppola’s costly “The Cotton Club”). Since it was technically a film, the production for what was now known as “Captain EO” (named by Coppola after Eos, the Greek goddess of dawn) was handled mostly by the film studio and therefore overseen by Katzenberg. Initially, at least, Imagineering was consulted (they’d be brought back later to design the in-theater effects and motion). “I’d talked to them about it. I’d done an estimate and said it was going to cost $17 million,” Eades said. “The studio people said it would cost $10 million. I said, ‘Make that movie.’ They spent a lot more than $10 million and they spent a lot more than I said it would cost.”

As it turns out, considerably more than what Eades had quoted. The production of “Captain EO” was long and difficult, with original actress Shelley Long dropping out of the role as the evil queen because of the extensive prosthetics (Anjelica Houston replaced her) and Coppola struggling with the complicated requirements of shooting in 3D. (Coppola would lean on Lucas for guidance when it came to the visual effects and creatures.) Behind schedule, the production went over-budget and had to cut corners. On an episode of the “I Was There Too” podcast, comedian Doug Benson talked about his time as an extra on the movie; the production was so over-budget that they couldn’t afford to pay actual dancers anymore. Benson had to stand in the background and gyrate. While most cite the $17 million budget as the final cost, Eades told TheWrap that the actual figure was more than $22.7 million – “and that was in real money in those days.” At the time, per minute, it was the most expensive movie ever produced. Imagineers, still hard at work on Star Tours, printed out custom memo templates that read Star Tours – In Spite of EO .

The Star Tours team was assembled, involving some of Imagineering’s key talents, led by Baxter, and including Eades. Bruce Gordon was the original producer on the project and had, according to Baxter, “as to what you could and could not do in programming events to physically simulate an experience.” “You cannot just write a story and then film it. It’s impossible for many kinetic options to dovetail into one another, due to the limitations of the hydraulic system,” Baxter said. “After we matched the capability of the simulator to a list of ‘Star Wars’ ‘stunts,’ their running order became a dictate of what capabilities were available after the completion of the preceding stunt. The most notable example was being caught in a tractor beam . This motionless backward tilt was the only capability that could be achieved after exhausting the hydraulics in the preceding ice cave sequence.” They had worked out the runtime of the ride: 4 minutes and 35 seconds. “This was the maximum time before an increasing nausea curve would begin ticking upwards,” Baxter said. The Imagineers also learned that they had to put in story pauses every 45 seconds or so, “to let riders regain their bearings.” He also notes that this fact was ignored when developing Body Wars, a sort of “Fantastic Voyage”-type experience that would open with the Wonders of Life Pavilion at EPCOT Center in 1989. Guests got so sick that several seconds of the ride film were removed after Body Wars opened.

For Star Tours, Imagineering had some key collaborators in the form of the wizards at Industrial Light & Magic, the groundbreaking effects house that Lucas had started for the first “Star Wars,” although getting them to grasp the concept of the project (which Eisner wanted to call Star Ride) was difficult. There was a meeting beween Imagineering and ILM, where George Lucas, ILM artists Dennis Muran and Dave Carson (who would serve as the “directors” for ILM), and Imagineering personnel like Tom Fitzgerald, Randy Bright, Marty Sklar and Eades, discussed the project. Eades remembered the scene: “Dennis starts talking to George, ‘We could cut to this angle, cut to that angle.’ And I’m a neophyte at the time. I’m not even 31 years old. I’m the new kid on the block and I’m listening to this and thinking, They’re wrong . I stopped at one point and actually said, ‘Wait a minute, wait a minute. You guys don’t understand. This isn’t a movie. This is a window like in a jet. We can’t cut.’ And I’m looking right at Dennis. ‘However long this is, it’s a continuous take.’ He sat back and looked at me and said, ‘Gee, George. He’s right.’”

The concept of the attraction, where Star Tours was one of several “commercial companies have started business to take people across the galaxy” following the events of “Return of the Jedi,” coalesced quickly and stayed mostly in place. “That way we can give people a ride going through a ‘Star Wars’ movie without giving them a ‘Star Wars’ movie,” Eades explained. Other things remained in flux. The voice of Captain RX-24 (“Rex”), originally described by Lucas as a frazzled Clone Wars veteran named “Crazy Harry,” remained elusive, until Eades (also working as the casting director for the project) saw “Flight of the Navigator.” “Flight of the Navigator” (released by Disney) featured a UFO voiced by Paul Reubens, who had yet to gain fame as Pee-Wee Herman. Eades knew that Reubens was the perfect voice and urged Tom Fitzgerald to see “Flight of the Navigator.” After watching the film, Fitzgerald agreed. Reubens was in production on the first season of what would become the fabled television series “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse.” “We got ahold of [Reubens] on set and he agreed in principle, and we sent a recording to George and he said, ‘That’s it,’” Eades said.

At one point, Baxter and Muren went to Las Vegas to watch a demo of HD digital technology. They came back “pushing for the use of HD media rather than 70mm film.” “That decision was predicated on Sony being a sole source supplier of equipment. A safer decision was made to go with 70mm film rather than Sony HD, but it would set the variability of the ride experience back for 20 years,” Baxter said.

The troubled production of “Captain EO” actually gave the Star Tours team some cover. “They were so focused on ‘Captain EO’ and we were doing this thing and working with ILM and we were kind of ignored. Which was great for the team,” Eades said. “We had a budget and we stuck to the budget. We figured out how to get the most bang for our buck.” Somewhat amazingly, Eades explained: “We actually had Star Tours done first but they wanted to open ‘Captain EO’ and open Star Tours the next year. It was great because it gave the simulators some time to get some run time on them.”

After an equally arduous post-production, which saw Disney executives shocked at the number of crotch-thrusts Jackson squeezed into the choreographed dance numbers (amongst other woes), “Captain EO,” the tale of a singing, dancing space fighter (Jackson) and his band of puppet-y confederates, opened on Sept. 12, 1986 at EPCOT Center (then in desperate need of a starry attraction) and Sept. 18, 1986 at Disneyland. It had two new songs by the King of Pop that you could only hear in the movie (one of the songs would be reworked for “Bad”). An hour-long television special dedicated to its opening and featuring a laundry list of celebrities, including such 80s staples as Judge Reinhold (“I want to know how to dance leaving that theater”) and, um, OJ Simpson (with Nicole on his arm), aired nationally. Disneyland stayed open for 60 hours and ran the 3D film continuously just to meet demand. Disneyland was not only popular again; it was also hip .

Before Star Tours officially opened, Eades was joined by a clean-shaven Lucas, Oscar-winning sound designer Gary Rydstrom (who told me that he came up with the famous Star Tours “chime”), and many of the Imagineers who had worked on the project, for a soft opening. Eades had a good feeling about it but an attraction like Star Tours was the first of its kind. Nobody knew how guests were going to react. “The first group came off and I heard this guy say, ‘Can you imagine how many miles of track Disneyland had to build under the park for this ride?’” Eades remembered. The guest thought that he was actually moving through space. Eades and the rest of the team knew they had a hit.

A few months after “Captain EO,” on Jan. 9, 1987, Star Tours would open at Disneyland. Lucas and Eisner were on hand, with Mickey and Minnie in their iconic silver space suits (with the rainbow on the chest), joined by C-3PO. Instead of a pair of oversized scissors, they used a lightsaber to cut the ceremonial ribbon. Just like “Captain EO,” they left the park open for 60 hours straight to meet demand. It was a smash out of the gate. But the success of Star Tours ultimately derailed an aspect of the attraction Eades had designed for the project: that every three years, the ride film would change. (That’s right, he said at some point you were actually supposed to get to Endor.)

In the early 1980s, Disneyland management and Imagineering had noticed an uptick in guests visiting multiple times a year, so Eades and his team had a refresh built into their proposal so that Star Tours would never get stale. “But because the damn ride was so popular, the parks said, ‘Why do you want to spend money, because you don’t need it,’” Eades said. ”And they were right.” Undoubtedly the decision to go with 70mm film also set the multiple-planets conceit back, as Baxter previously alluded to. It would be much trickier to switch out the ride film or the projection system. And he was right: it would be decades before that idea would be revisited.

Galactic Expansion

With two successful Lucas-led projects, both Disney and the filmmaker were emboldened. This was especially heartening for Eisner, who was about to open a risky new theme park in Florida dedicated to the behind-the-scenes aspects of the entertainment business.

Disney-MGM Studios, as it was then known, was designed to be many things: a working, world class film and television production facility (complete with a satellite animation studio designed with animators in mind), a theme park, and giant middle-finger to Universal Studios, which was planning to open its own multiday resort in Orlando. (Eisner, while still at Paramount, was supposedly in the meeting where Universal executives revealed the Florida project and by 1985, just a year after he assumed power at Disney, Eisner had begun work on what would eventually be Disney-MGM Studios.) The debut of Disney-MGM Studios would also serve as the opening salvo for an ambitious, 10-year effort to rejuvenate the Disney Parks brand and expand that brand worldwide. Eisner would later publicly refer to this initiative as the Disney Decade.

By the end of 1989, Star Tours would be open at Tokyo Disneyland and Disney-MGM Studios in slightly modified configurations. Instead of the Disneyland version, which took over a pre-existing attraction (Adventure Thru Innerspace) and was converted under the supervision of legendary Imagineer Tom Morris, the Disney World version was a blank slate. This new Star Tours was just around the corner from the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, also based on a Lucas property, which also opened in 1989. A more intricate façade was developed with a full-sized AT-AT walker (that at the time shot water from its moving turrets) and forested Ewok village and a show building that still maintained the “backlot” look of the rest of the park. It’s just an illusion, this new show building said, but what an illusion.

The Japanese version of Star Tours was even more ornate. As Kevin Rafferty recalls in his memoir “Magic Journeys,” he was tasked with Astrozone, a “unique-to-Tokyo Disneyland part of the Star Tours complex.” This new area was to include an “enclosed skyway bridge that connected Star Tours and a new two-level dine-in restaurant,” hosted by an adorable animatronic alien and eventually dubbed the Pan Galactic Pizza Port. In 1992, Star Tours would open, with a full-sized X-Wing, at the Euro Disney theme park (now known as Disneyland Paris). Fun needs no translation.

But the biggest change for the attraction would happen in late summer 2010, when both the Disneyland and Walt Disney World versions of Star Tours would shut down completely. Years of rumors persisted that the attraction would be shuttered and reopened, this time themed around the pod-racing sequence from 1999’s prequel film “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.” As it turned out, the plans were much more ambitious.

Instead of a single new theme, the ride would be re-conceived, with the idea that Eades, Baxter and the other Imagineers had concocted during the blue-sky phase of the attraction’s development. You wouldn’t just be going to one planet, you would be going to all of your favorite “Star Wars” planets, including Tatooine (hello pod-race!), the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk, underneath the opulent planet of Naboo, and on the snowy planet of Hoth, made famous by the opening battle sequence from “The Empire Strikes Back.” Incredibly, you don’t visit Endor, the Ewok-filled planet that you were attempting to visit in the first iteration of the ride, despite the fact that early marketing materials suggested the forest moon would be part of the new version of the attraction.

This new Star Tours, now dubbed Star Tours: The Adventures Continue, allowed guests, thanks to a cutting-edge randomization feature, to visit many planets in the course of a single trip aboard your new Starspeeder. The new version of the ride featured additional in-theater effects and C-3PO as your new in-cabin pilot, as well, and the digital projection of the ride film could be enjoyed in 3D.

In 2011, Star Tours – The Adventures Continue opened at Disneyland and Walt Disney World (it would reach Tokyo Disneyland in 2013 and Disneyland Paris in 2017). Further randomization was added when planets and characters from the new “Star Wars” sequel trilogy, including Jakku and Kef Bir, were included. And in a full circle moment, there was a sequence now devoted to Crait from “The Last Jedi,” the planet that was inspired by the original version of Star Tours.

On Friday, May 20, 2011, there was an opening celebration at Walt Disney World for the new Star Tours – The Adventures Continue. The park that was once Disney-MGM Studios was now called Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but Star Tours was just as important to the park. Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger, who had succeeded Eisner, was there to inaugurate the new version of the attraction, as was Lucas. Darth Vader was on stage too, as was the creator of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” Dave Filoni, who would go on to shepherd “The Mandalorian.”

“Star Tours is a timeless adventure,” Iger said at the event. “Guests will be immersed in the Star Wars galaxy like never before.” He touted the “over 50” combinations that this new attraction would deliver, plus the fact that the Disneyland version would be open the following month. Lucas called the new attraction “amazing.” “It turned out better than we could ever imagine,” Lucas said. Lucas also cited the original plan to switch out the original ride film every few years. “This time we figured when we did it, we would give you all the reprogramming in one event,” Lucas said. He also referred to “secret cookies,” which were further randomizations (in one version you narrowly miss Jar Jar Binks who is seen swimming underneath Naboo, in another version you hit him dead on). These weren’t turned on until the “Force Awakens” additions in 2015.

After the event in Florida, Lucas and Iger convened to have lunch at the park’s Brown Derby restaurant. According to Iger, this is where he first floated an intriguing idea to Lucas – what if Disney bought Lucasfilm? Lucas listened. A few years later, he agreed. This conversation would lead to, amongst other things, the production of the sequel trilogy and the design and construction of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, a 14-acre land that would feature the Millennium Falcon simulator attraction Eades had dreamed up all those years ago, along with Rise of the Resistance, one of the most technologically innovative and immersive attractions in the history of Walt Disney Imagineering. There’s even a “Star Wars”-y cantina, which, just as Eades had imagined it, is a few steps from the Millennium Falcon.

That cantina’s DJ might seem familiar. It’s Rex from Star Tours, once again voiced by Paul Reubens. Wonder if he ever made it to Endor.   

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The New Star Tours Update: Everything You Need, and Want, to Know

Characters from the mandalorian, ahsoka, and andor are now part of the legendary disney attraction..

Before Disney bought Star Wars , the two brands began their courtship with a ride . Star Tours opened in 1987 and has seen many new upgrades and additions over the years . This week, for its Season of the Force event , Disney gave the ride another refresh. And this time, for the first time, it’s with characters from Disney+.

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So, starting today, if you are at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, or Disneyland Paris, Star Tours now features characters from Ahsoka, Andor and The Mandalorian . But what’s new? How does it work? io9 was among a group of journalists Disney invited to an early preview of the new Star Tours at Disneyland in Anaheim, so we’ll explain.

How many new Star Tours locations are there?

Though you may have assumed otherwise, only one new, full planet has been added to Star Tours this time around: Seatos from Ahsoka. However, there are three different variations going into that. One featuring Ahsoka (with Rosario Dawson reprising the role), one featuring Cassian Andor (with Diego Luna reprising), and one featuring both the Mandalorian and Grogu.

What can happen on the new Star Tours ?

So, you get on the ride and start to pull out of the spaceport. Here’s where, potentially, your first new change will be. In the past, riders would usually see the Millennium Falcon sitting there as the ship was stopped by Darth Vader, Kylo Ren, or a Probe Droid. And while that’s still more likely to happen than not, if you happen to see a new ship there, you know exactly where this particular ride will take you.

Yes, in some Star Tours rides not only is Ahsoka Tano’s T-6 Jedi Shuttle in the first scene, you can see Ahsoka herself there in the frame. She’s talking to Stormtroopers and, when they discover the Rebel spy, Ahsoka turns on her lightsabers and battles off the troopers before jumping in the ship.

If you see that, you can impress your friends and tell them what’s going to happen next. After you visit one of many, many planets that were previously on the ride (I did it twice on Friday and both times it was podracing on Tatooine from Episode I ), you’ll then get one of the three new transmissions. However, if you got Ahsoka’s ship at the start, you are guaranteed to get Ahsoka in this moment. She’ll say “Hi” to C-3PO, and be excited to see her friend R2-D2 again, before asking to deliver a very important person—the Rebel spy. As she’s talking, we see Chopper and Huyang in the background, getting into shenanigans.

What are the two other transmissions?

These transmissions is the part of this new Star Tours that will be the most random. If you don’t get Ahsoka, maybe you’ll get the Mandalorian and Grogu. As Mando (who does not sound like it’s Pedro Pascal but we’ve asked Disney for confirmation) talks about a dangerous mission and fight, Grogu is eating one of his frogs. He then spits it out and it floats toward your face in 3D. It’s very cute and funny and just as the one-eyed creature gets close enough to almost touch it, Grogu sucks him back in. “This is the way,” Mando says, and you’re off to the final part of your mission.

Note: unfortunately, we didn’t get to see Cassian’s transmission but, from what we were told, it’s very different tonally than the other two, on purpose. While Ahsoka’s is friendly and Mando’s is funny, Cassian’s is mysterious. He comes out in a hood, lurking in a shadow, then reveals himself to the audience and asks for help with the spy. The key was that each one feels completely unique.

What happens on Seatos?

No matter what transmission you get though, everything is the same after that. Star Tours is off to Seatos, the planet from the final episodes of Ahsoka where they showdown with Thrawn. You arrive in some kind of shadow, only to emerge from the clouds flying among the majestic Purrgil (aka Space Whales). Ahsoka hails you on the side monitor and asks for help with the two ships attacking her, which R2 is more than happy to do. You fly up and around the Purrgil, along their backs, weaving in and out of its fins, and at one point almost even getting sucked in and eaten. Finally, there’s a perfect moment, which R2 uses to land the perfect shot and save the day. Ashoka thanks you, has a special goodbye for her old pal R2, and it’s back home.

Are the new additions to Star Tours good?

Yes and no. Yes, because anytime you can get to sit down and experience a new piece of Star Wars , especially on a ride that’s been around for almost 40 years, that’s a good thing. However, do I think Seatos as a planet is one of the better destinations in the ride? No. In fact, it may be one of my least favorites. It’s drastically lacking in drama compared to, say, Geonosis, Coruscant, or Naboo. But Ahsoka is great and it’s fun to follow a different ship around.

Oh, and the new transmissions (at least the ones we saw) were phenomenal. Much more detailed and eventful than the previous ones.

How long is the new ride happening?

“For a limited time” everyone who boards Star Tours will get the new planet of Seatos every time, as well as one of the new transmissions. Whether or not that’s just through the Season of the Force event or longer is unclear, and Disney wouldn’t commit to specifics. It might be a park to park decision. But, for at least a few weeks or months, if you go on Star Tours , you’ll get the new stuff.

Then, eventually, the three new transmissions and one new planet will be slotted into the ride’s randomizer. When that happens, it takes the number of possible combinations up to over 250.

Why Seatos over anything else?

In the last few years, thanks to Disney+, Star Wars has seen more new planets, characters, and creatures than ever. So why Seatos and the Purrgil? Well, Tom Fitzgerald, one of Star Tours ’ original Imagineers—who also worked on this one —said it was all about picking a planet that was different from all the others. Something unique. Maybe that’s colors or maybe, in this case, it’s a unique creature. So by choosing Seatos, not only do you get to see these massive, new, unique creatures, but those creatures allow the ride to do moves it’s never done before. That’s how we get the first barrel roll ever in Star Tours as well as a sequence he refers to as the “slalom ski run.”

How long did the new upgrade take?

Fitzgerald said he and his team first started working on these new additions sometime between 18 months and two years ago.

Could another ride get this treatment?

Since Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012, Star Tours has been updated about every two or three years. This update is the first since 2019 though—so it makes you wonder, what’s next? And, will it even be Star Tours ?

When Galaxy’s Edge opened in 2019, Disney said that the Millennium Falcon ride, Smugglers Run , was designed in a similar fashion to Star Tours and that the actual visuals in the ride could be changed to take guests on new adventures. But now, that ride has been the same for five years. Could a change be coming? Unfortunately, no one from Imagineering or Lucasfilm would comment, confirm, or deny—but, fingers crossed.

The Ahsoka, Andor and Mandalorian additions to Star Tours: The Adventures Continue are now running at Disneyland, Hollywood Studios, and Disneyland Paris as part of the Season of the Force event. For more on that, check out this link.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel , Star Wars , and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV , and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who .

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The unmissable addition to Disneyland’s Star Tours ride? Space whales

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Disneyland’s Star Tours: The Adventures Continue has proved to be one of the theme park’s most versatile attractions.

Though perhaps no longer the groundbreaking technological marvel that it was when it debuted in 1987, the flight simulator ride has shifted with the franchise, withstanding cultural trends and aligning with whichever version of “Star Wars” is popular at the moment — or in need of a marketing boost.

The latest update to Star Tours brings the ride into the Disney+ era, with nods to series such as “The Mandalorian,” “Ahsoka” and “Andor.” More noteworthy, at least for Disneyland guests, is that the centerpiece of the latest upgrades is a scene that provides a slight tonal shift for the attraction, one focused, albeit briefly, on slowing down and giving so-called starspeeder riders a look at one of “Star Wars’” more majestic creatures. Star Tours will now rocket guests straight to a moment that boasts a close-up with the purrgil, essentially large, mysterious space whales that move with a galactic grace.

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For the 3-D attraction, its a moment that provides a breather. The motion simulator lingers for a few seconds, and our makeshift animatronic captain, the golden droid C-3PO, turns to face riders. C-3PO shifts into tour guide mode, appearing in awe of the purrgil and commenting on how serene the animals are.

“This will be different from other sequences, to have a moment,” said Tom Fitzgerald, a senior creative executive with Walt Disney Imagineering, the company’s secretive arm devoted to theme park attractions, when asked about taking a patient approach to the scene. “You don’t get many moments. It’s so compact. But it’s a moment to let people look at the beauty of this, and the 3-D gives you the scale of those creatures.”

The additions to Star Tours are arguably the centerpiece of Disneyland’s all-things-”Star Wars” promotion Season of the Force , which debuted this past weekend and runs through June 2. The “Star Wars” festival also sees new droids making their way to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge through the duration of the event, as well as the return of Space Mountain overlay Hyperspace Mountain and a new free scavenger hunt that aims to get players to pay close attention to the minute details of Galaxy’s Edge.

Fitzgerald has been with Star Tours since the ride’s beginning, and oversaw the latest Star Tours additions, which further deviate the attraction from any strict “Star Wars” timeline and instead focus it on being a sort of “greatest hits” for the brand. The purrgil scene also features Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka Tano and the character’s svelte, fast-rotating starship above the planet of Seatos. Tano’s ship inspired Imagineers to see if they could add some new tricks to the attraction, mainly in the way the simulator can move. When Tano’s vessel twists and spins, for instance, the starspeeder attempts to mimic it, endeavoring to create the feeling of a 360-barrel roll. At other times, the starspeeder glides among the purrgil.

Key to Star Tours’ longevity, and what makes it the rare motion simulator that doesn’t feel rooted in the 1980s, is its ability to create new sensations via its movements. The ride now has more than 250 storyline variations, and when adding to the attraction, Imagineers are looking for ways to heighten the contrast among its various scenes, both tonally and in its maneuvers. Though Star Tours is typically randomized — for the foreseeable future, and definitely throughout Disneyland’s spring Season of the Force promotion — all riders are guaranteed to visit the new location and receive an early-flight transmission from one of the recently added characters.

“How do we make each of the places we go have a different color palette?” says Fitzgerald, who then recalls different “Star Wars” planets that can be featured in the attraction’s random programming. “Mustafar is all lava. Kashyyyk is all green jungle. So they feel very different when you get the combos. And then motion-based. Could we do a barrel roll? That’s the fun of doing it, and programming it and trying it. And we needed something else. What have we not done? So with the purrgils, what if we do skiing through the tentacles? We had never done that. So those are the two big motion changes.”

The attraction is also livened up by appearances from Dawnson’s Tano, Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor and a masked Din Djarin from “The Mandalorian.” While the latter is played and portrayed by Pedro Pascal on the Disney+ series, many have noted that the Djarin on “Star Tours” features a slightly different vocal cadence than Pascal, and an Imagineering spokesperson says the company is not revealing its voice actors for the attraction. Nevertheless, “The Mandalorian” moment features some comic relief — and clever 3-D usage — courtesy of Grogu, colloquially refered to as “baby Yoda,” and his penchant to use Force powers to toy with and eat frogs.

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The three appear as transmissions that help define the suddenly urgent narrative of Star Tours. “Each one is different,” Fitzgerald says. “Mando and Grogu we played for comedy. And Andor is mysterious. You don’t see his face. You see this thing coming toward you. Is that a friend or foe? And then he pulls his hood and the music changes.” Tano, meanwhile, arrives like an old friend who knows C-3PO and fellow droid R2D2. Riders are advised to pay close attention to the opening cinematic in a ship’s hangar, as there is a new randomized opening that features Tano in a lightsaber battle with Stormtroopers.

As for why the new additions perhaps lean a bit more heavily on “Ahsoka,” as it is that series that features the planet of Seatos and the purrgil, Fitzgerald had a simple answer: yes, it’s the space whales.

With access to early scripts from Lucasfilm, Fitzgerald says he singled out the purrgil scenes. “Reading about that, not knowing what they looked like initially, I was going, that’s going to be really cool.” And, at least for a few seconds, relatively calming.

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See the sandy landscapes of Tatooine , where Luke Skywalker grew up under the watchful eye of Obi Wan Kenobi . Or see the distant and hidden Ahch-To , Luke’s secret land of exile, which is really an island off the coast of Ireland.

These tours offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the stunning landscapes that bring the world’s favourite intergalactic saga to life. Tap into the force and let it help you choose the one that suits you best!

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Disney: Star Tours rolls out fresh scenes, new characters

U pdates have been installed at the Star Tours attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and some of the new scenes and faces may have been seen in your living room.

Characters from Disney+ streaming series now appear in the simulator ride, which shuffles through multiple scenarios to create a multitude of story options. “The Mandalorian,” “Andor” and “Ahsoka” series are now in the mix.

Visitors may see Ahsoka Tano, Cassian Andor or Din Djarin with Grogu, the character fans sometimes refer to as “baby Yoda.”

“There’s one new scene with purrgil on the planet of Seatos, which everyone loves – the space whales, as they call them,” said Clint Gamache, owner of ThrillGeek, a theme park website.

“I think it was the right addition. Not everybody’s going to get it … but the ‘Star Wars’ fan base, I think, will enjoy it for what it is,” he said.

Star Tours was Disney’s first “Star Wars” attraction, predating the company’s acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012. The motion simulator opened at Disney World in 1989. It was upgraded in 2011 with characters such as Princess Leia and Chewbacca and destinations such as Hoth and Tatooine.

Concerned about misuse, Disney World changes disability passes

There also have been additions to go with “The Rise of Skywalker” and other films, plus Batuu, the planet from the park’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which opened in 2019. The contents of the attraction’s video are not randomly selected, but there’s also no way of knowing which story (or planets) you’re walking into.

There are Star Tours attractions at Disneyland in California, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris.

“Star Tours is a classic attraction, so it’s great to see Disney continuing to update it with new additions for everybody to enjoy,” Gamache said.

Attractions tidbits

• Walt Disney Imagineering has launched a YouTube series named “We Call It Imagineering.” First up: advances in animatronics, particularly ones that will be seen in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, set to debut at Magic Kingdom this summer. Link: youtube.com/waltdisneyimagineering

• With Merlin Entertainments Group taking over the Orlando Eye observation wheel, the Great Florida Road Trip game has been discontinued. New experiences are being planned for that space. More info: iconparkorlando.com

• Gatorland is offering a $20 discount on its Screamin’ Gator Zipline. The price, through May 31, is $49.99 and includes Gatorland admission for the day. More info: gatorland.com

• Orlando Science Center’s Kids Night at the Museum – which includes exhibits, STEM activities, pizza dinner – is set for Saturday. Price: $85 for first child, $65 per sibling. More info: OSC.org

• Recent baby animal arrivals at ZooTampa: a 10-pound pygmy hippopotamus (mother is Zsa Zsa) and an endangered Malayan tapir calf (mom is named Ubi). More info: Zootampa.org

Email me at [email protected] . Threads account: @dbevil . X account: @themeparks . Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters .

©2024 Orlando Sentinel. Visit orlandosentinel.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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