Since opening in 2019, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge has maintained that the land is built in a certain point in time within the Star Wars universe. This led to only a certain amount of characters and stories being applicable to the land, including none of the original trilogy characters being involved. With the SWU (Star Wars Universe, is this a thing?) ever expanding with Disney+ shows, Disney has decided to change those self-imposed rules slightly to include a few other characters at Disneyland’s version of the land. In this post, we’ll break down the news and add some commentary about where we think the land will go from here and if these characters will show up in Disney World before long.

First the news, via the Disney Parks Blog:

The legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett and mercenary Fennec Shand will soon stake a claim in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland park. Starting May 28^th, visitors may find themselves encountering these two attempting to remain in the shadows around Black Spire outpost. Din Djarin, known as the Mandalorian, and Grogu, the child who found protection with Mando (also known as Baby Yoda), also will journey to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland park at a later date.

Some of you also may be watching Boba Fett reinvent himself on the Disney+ series, “The Book of Boba Fett,” alongside Fennec Shand, who, much like Fett, is clever, capable, and cunning. The duo is full of surprises as they navigate the galaxy’s underworld on the sands of Tatooine and now we will be able to share an untold part of their story that takes them to the planet Batuu and Black Spire Outpost, a destination long familiar with bounty hunters and even more colorful characters.

Since Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened in 2019, Star Wars storytelling has experienced a galactic expansion to include many new characters and stories across a wide range of settings. Now, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is likewise expanding the stories guests can encounter when visiting. Having been designed from the outset to connect with a broad range of Star Wars storytelling, Black Spire Outpost has played a role in many of these stories stretching over thousands of years and while, up to now, we have mostly shared those story connections through media and publishing, we will soon give visitors to Batuu an opportunity to connect with those fan-favorite stories with the immersive detail and authenticity that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was designed to deliver.

We are committed to the long history of Batuu and the collection of amazing characters who inhabit the outpost including our legacy characters and original characters and know that we will feel the same about new and future characters from the ever-expanding galaxy of Star Wars storytelling. While we as visitors may be able to experience different stories throughout Star Wars history, the characters on Batuu can not. They will remain in their specific story and timeline and won’t intersect with other characters or stories that would not be appropriate for them.

As someone who loves storytelling within theme parks, I’m usually a bit of a stickler when it comes to breaking thematic rules. Hyper specific lands are in vogue right now, many of them have a specific time and place to help them feel more authentic. So, it stands to reason that Galaxy’s Edge, which we’ve praised from the moment we stepped foot into it, breaking the rules might bother me? Well it might stand to reason, but it does not bother me.

Since the news has come out about the addition of characters to Galaxy’s Edge I’ve had a lot of time to think about my initial positive reaction while laying on the couch battling a dumb cold (negative COVID test has been taken). I came to realize that the timing of these lands simply doesn’t matter to me and I don’t think it matters to most fans. The original crown jewel of IP themed lands, Hogsmeade in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, likely has a time that it’s set in. Do I have any idea what that time is? Not at all. The same goes for Cars Land. I think Pandora is set 100 years after the events of the Avatar movie but I don’t care enough about it to even look that up.

To put it plainly, we all care about setting foot in lands that are meticulously made and transport us to another world, but I’ve yet to come across someone who really cares about what time period those lands are set in. There are some rules to follow and I think Disney has made it pretty clear that they will be careful with the stories in Galaxy’s Edge. We won’t likely see Baby Yoda interact with Kylo Ren anytime soon. Mando and Chewbacca probably aren’t going to hug, although I think Mando could use one.

Instead stumbling upon these characters in their own organic stories will only help Galaxy’s Edge grow as one of the best theme park lands. The land has always been beautiful, full of jaw-dropping moments. The only thing that could be missing is a wealth of character. Adding Boba Fett to the fold is only going to make an experience more memorable. I respect that Disney has been so careful with the self-appointed rules of this land, Lord knows that so many people care about this franchise. But having the land be a specific day in Batuu versus stretching the timeline out a little isn’t a matter of integrity, it’s just picking nits.

As for why the new characters are coming to Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland and not Walt Disney World… I don’t know. I think it’s only a matter of time before they show up there. Disneyland often gets new characters before WDW, partially because it’s closer to Imagineering so they can monitor the changes. Part of it may be that Disney World doesn’t always spend as much on entertainment. I won’t hypothesize what the reasoning is here because it would just be conjecture.

That said, Grogu, Mando and a host of other characters will be at both Black Spire Outposts before long. The viral moments that will come out of Baby Yoda interacting with guests will be too much for Disney World to resist. I’m not sure if this paves the way for original trilogy characters to show up in Galaxy’s Edge before long. I think that may push the boundaries of the land more than Imagineering wants right now. Eventually, I could see that changing though.

All in all, adding a few new characters to Galaxy’s Edge will inject some more life into an already beautiful area. I’m excited for more encounters and more story to be told due to these moves.

What do you think of the additions to Galaxy’s Edge? Let us know in the comments below! Planning a trip to Disneyland? Check out our planning guide to help you out along the way. If you enjoy what you’re reading here on Wandering in Disney please subscribe to the blog and like our Facebook page. You can find both of those on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!