Disney and Lucasfilm have announced a new story for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland. This post shares details, concept art, and everything we know about the change–plus our tried and true commentary about why Star Wars land needs to break the rules.
This news was announced during the “Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase” or Parks Panel presentation during the 2024 D23 Expo at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro offered a sneak peek at concept art for the future in addition and teased what was to come in a few years.
This was just one of several blockbuster announcements for Parks & Resorts at Horizons, during which D’Amaro revealed several ‘shovel to soil’ projects that will come online in the next 5 years, including over a half-dozen additions that will debut before the end of 2025. He and head Imagineer Bruce Vaughn followed through on their promise to deliver concrete details and not just tease more ‘Blue Sky’ possibilities.
This announcement weirdly came during a Fortnite portion of the presentation, when almost no one was paying attention. Well, except for the 1 million kids who were watching the livestream from within Fortnite. But as far as the adults in the room go, not a whole lot of interest.
In any case, Star Wars creative executive Dave Filoni joined a bunch of other Fortnite folks onstage to discuss the upcoming addition to the attraction in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at both Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. As Dave explained, the Lucasfilm team uses Epic’s Unreal Engine to create some of the virtual sets for “The Mandalorian.”
Now, with the expanded partnership between Disney and Epic Games, Epic’s Unreal Engine will help bring to life the latest adventure in a galaxy far, far away. When the upcoming “The Mandalorian and Grogu” movie blasts off in theaters in 2026, it will also touch down at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. A brand-new story featuring Mando and his youngling is coming to Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run.
“The intersection of storytelling and innovation has always been central to Lucasfilm and we’re excited to see where this collaboration will take us next,” Dave told the crowd. “Just imagine it: you’ll be able to fly alongside Mando and Grogu on thrilling, and dangerous, missions.”
Expect to see this new mission jump to lightspeed when “The Mandalorian and Grogu” hits the big screen in 2026. This is the way.
Turning to commentary, I feel like I “get” to pat myself on the back a little here, especially after the debacle where I bet against the Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster, which will now be added (nearby?) in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. In this case, I first said that Disney should look at acquiring a video game studio, as it was a major blind spot for the company. Then they acquired a stake in Fortnite, after which I suggested that Disney should use the partnership to update attractions and better ‘gameify’ future ones. Then this happened.
More importantly, I have consistently and repeatedly been advocating for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge to have a soft reboot. I’m not going to rehash all of that here, but the bottom line is that I’d like to see Batuu break the sacred timeline and use the setting of the land as a jumping off point for new adventures. (See Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Needs to Break the Rules for my take on all of that.)
A soft reboot of the Star Wars land would be an opportunity to introduce beloved characters, use the catwalks in the land for mini-shows, and make the land more lived-in thanks to droids and additional performers. They could also doing a test run of a dinner show in Starcruiser at Walt Disney World for a future purpose-built venue in the land. All of this would breathe new life into the land and help it finally realize its full potential.
As things currently stand, Millennium Falcon is arguably the third place Star Wars ride. Rise of the Resistance is the clear #1. And every time I do Star Tours, I’m reminded of how good it is. I’ve really enjoyed all of the additions over the years, which keep it relevant and fresh.
I love Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and think it’s a better overall experience from start to finish, but the ride portion of Star Tours blows it away. Imagine how great Smugglers Run could be if it combined the settings of Star Tours with the interactivity and complete package of the Millennium Falcon?!
Instead, Smugglers Run is the Star Wars equivalent of working for UPS. (For those who enjoy deliveryman simulators, might I suggest Death Stranding?) Heck, the asteroid field delay scene is better than the actual core gameplay of Smugglers Run! Point being, this attraction has so much unrealized potential, and a more compelling mission could be a complete gamechanger–elevating Galaxy’s Edge as a whole along with it.
To be totally honest, I thought a new mission for Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run was a bit of an unrealistic dream. Even though it would move the needle more than anything else on that list, I assume it would be the most expensive thing to accomplish, and would be cost-prohibitive until the ride were at least a decade old. I’m very pleased to see it’ll get a new mission sooner, and featuring fan-favorite characters Mandalorian and Baby Yoda.
This reassures me that the other entries on that list also have a realistic chance of changing within the next 2 years (it was a jam-packed presentation, so it’s no surprise more granular details might’ve been skipped over). It’s also reassuring that maybe Disney is listening to guest feedback about Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and acting accordingly. To be clear, this is not me taking a victory lap or credit for the change. Right below the ‘soft reboot’ for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge on my D23 Expo wishlist was ‘more Muppets’ and, well, that doesn’t appear to be going so well.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Are you excited to see the Mandalorian and Baby Yoda in Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run? Do you hope the new mission is actually exciting? Do you think Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge should break its own rules or stick to the fixed timeline and story? What about Darth Vader and other original trilogy characters? Think Galaxy’s Edge should focus on fun, canon, or a mix of both? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge? Any questions? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
