Millennium Falcon a star attraction at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- One of the main attractions of Disneyland's new Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.
Visitors can check out Han Solo's starship and then take "the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy" out for a ride.
The attraction offers an immersive experience, allowing groups of six to strap themselves in to the Falcon's cockpit and simulate a galactic adventure. Crew members each have critical roles and can operate controls, steer the ship and help keep the "bucket of bolts" from falling apart.
"Whether you're one of the pilots, one of the flight engineers or one of the gunners that are protecting the ship, you've got a role to play," said Scott Trowbridge, an executive with Walt Disney Imagineering. "And whatever happens on this mission is totally up to you and your flight crew. It's the most interactive experience you can imagine."
Disney says its Imagineers worked with Lucasfilm to strive for authenticity, even visiting movie sets in the United Kingdom and poring over archival photographs to get the smallest details correct.
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run offers a storyline that picks up after the events of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi." Chewbacca has taken the ship to Black Spire Outpost for repairs and ends up loaning it to smuggler Hondo Ohnaka in exchange for replacement parts. Guests are there as extra crew members to help Hondo make a cargo run.
And no problem if you crash the ship. It's been through worse.
"That's part of the fun," Trowbridge said. "And don't worry. It's crashed a lot. It's had a lot of experiences in the world of 'Star Wars' crashing. It's going to be OK. And, frankly, that's kind of actually where the fun is."
