Your guide to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
The Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is the first anchor attraction at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge to open is considered by Disney to be groundbreaking.
“The level of guest participation in Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is different from anything we’ve done before. You’re not merely a passenger along for a ride, but rather the protagonist of the adventure. The story unfolds around you and responds to the way you engage it,” Asa Kalama, Executive Creative Director, Walt Disney Imagineering said.
The Millennium Falcon is the most famous of all Star Wars starships. On the new ride, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, guests 38 inches or taller climb aboard the Falcon in all her ramshackle glory and settle into the cockpit to operate “the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy.”
Walt Disney Imagineers worked with Lucasfilm to ensure authenticity in every detail of the Millennium Falcon – down to the hoses, pipes, switches and even the stickers on the exterior hull. Imagineers visited Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom to study the ship on film sets and pored over archival Lucasfilm photographs of the ship.
Industrial Light & Magic (the visual effects division of Lucasfilm) collaborated with Walt Disney Imagineering to create the gaming platform and interactive media for the attraction.
Here’s a closer look at the ride that opens May 31 in Disneyland and on Aug. 29 at Hollywood Studios in Disney World.
How did the Millennium Falcon end up on Batuu?
Following the events of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” Chewbacca brought the Falcon to Black Spire Outpost for repairs at this spaceport. In exchange for some replacement parts, Chewie is loaning the ship to Hondo Ohnaka, a smuggler who is making use of the ship for his own profit – ah, purpose.
Who Is Hondo Ohnaka and What Does He Want?
Hondo is a Weequay pirate always looking for the next big score and was a fan-favorite from the “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “Star Wars Rebels” animated television series.
On Batuu, Hondo is running a “legitimate business” out of the spaceport, called Ohnaka Transport Solutions. When guests meet Hondo in Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, he tells them he has more cargo than he can handle and needs extra flight crews to make some runs for him – especially crews that won’t ask too many questions.
Once Aboard the Falcon
When guests accept Hondo’s offer, they enter the Falcon via an access hatch on the ship’s starboard airlock. Once aboard, they spend some time in the ship’s main hold and lounge, where they can sit at the famous Dejarik (chess) table or poke around at other equipment in the room.
When it’s time for the mission to begin, guests strap themselves into the cockpit in groups of six. Each person is assigned one of three roles to complete their mission. You will know when it’s your turn to act when buttons light up in the cockpit.
- Pilots (2) – Work together to steer the ship – the left pilot controls horizontal motion, the right pilot controls vertical motion – avoiding obstacles that could cause damage.
- Gunners (2) –These people protect the ship using blasters and missiles. Switching to manual targeting will create an even greater challenge.
- Flight Engineers (2) – This is a tough job, keeping the Falcon from falling apart by managing the ship’s systems, repairing any damage the ship encounters and take control of the “special modifications” Hondo installed for these unusual missions
The Mission
Once strapped in, guests start the mission by powering up the ship and making the jump to lightspeed. From there, Hondo Ohnaka (with occasional input from Chewbacca) helps guide you on the mission.
Now, be aware, Hondo modified the Millennium Falcon. For this mission, Hondo altered the control sticks for the pilot and co-pilot and supplemented the arsenal with a harpoon, among other tweaks.
If the Falcon sustains damage – such as smashing into obstacles or taking enemy fire – and is not properly repaired, the ship’s handling is affected.
At the end of the mission, Hondo informs guests how well they accomplished their objectives. If the mission doesn’t go as well as planned, the ship’s hallways will show damage.
