Promoting Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge!

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is set to open at Disneyland in Summer 2019 and opening at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on fall 2019.  Construction on both parks started in April 2016 and there is some impressive drone fly overs.  The planet was identified as Batuu by Scott Trowbridge on November 17, 2017.  He also mentioned that the planet would be one of the stops for the Star Tours attraction.  At the Star Wars: Galactic Nights event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on May 27th, story editor, Margaret Kerrison, identified the village as Black Spire Outpost.  July 24th was the release of the Thrawn: Alliances book by Timothy Zahn which explored at Batuu. A look was shown of the Millennium Falcon attraction with the Target release of Solo: A Star Wars Story on Blu-Ray.  This was on September 25th of this year.  On November 17th, Disney Parks, Experiences and Consumer Products Chairman Bob Chapek, made a presentation at D23’s Destination D.  The official names were revealed of the two attractions; Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.  Videos were shown of the two attractions as well as John Williams’s score for the park expansion. This brings us up to date with the promotion of Galaxy’s Edge.  Now let’s move onto suggestions for the promotion of Galaxy’s Edge. 

Transport for Rise of the Resistance?  D23 Expo, July 2017, photo by the author.  

Interest of course is high for Galaxy’s Edge and  the promotions have a strong internet presence so Star Warriors who are unable to attend events can still take part in announcements.  I think one of the criteria is how Star Warriors can participate with Galaxy’s Edge if they are unable to go to the parks.  The answer of course is Walt Disney.  In order to promote Disneyland, he hosted Walt Disney’s Disneyland which first aired on October 27, 1954.  The park opened on July 17, 1955.  The suggestion is not to have a host preview the park, which is one possibility, but to have story segments. These will be two minute short segments that may run on StarWars.com, disney.com, the Disney Parks You Tube site, and the Disney Parks Blog.  The length of the segments are to make it small stories to be released every week or whatever schedule needed by Disney marketing.  I imagine the title of these segments will be Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge if this conflicts with the theme park, it can be Star Wars: Black Spire Outpost. Star Warriors can follow this story and possibly interact with it in Galaxy’s Edge.  This would enable Star Warriors who can’t physically enter Galaxy’s Edge to be a part of it. The story can be adapted into young reader books and comic books for merchandise locations outside of Galaxy’s Edge. It will be up to marketing if the characters appear in Galaxy’s Edge, but their adventures are intended to be part of quests that take part around Black Spire Outpost.      

Bust of an Ithorian, Oga?, D23 Expo, July 2017, photo by the author. 

The series follows two young characters, Kay, 15 years old and learning to be a pilot, Jai, 11 years old and interested in zoology.  Their ages make for a good range for the possible target audience for Galaxy’s Edge and makes for a good dynamic.  They live on an Outer Rim planet, close by Batuu, and their parents are leaving on an important trip to Batuu at night.  Kay hears this involves the Resistance and they have to keep it secret because of First Order agents.  Their children will safely follow them to Batuu.  The siblings watch as their parents’ shuttle leaves.  They board another shuttle at the landing port.  The pilot, a former miner, has the passengers strap in.  He warms up the engines and warns them that Black Spire Outpost is a rough place.  The shuttle lifts up and then breaks the atmosphere.  The pilot tells them to get ready and then the shuttle enters hyperspace.  This is episode 1.  The second episode has the shuttle landing at Black Spire Outpost.  Jai wants to explore the village, but Kay tells him to stay close, the pilot warned them.  Several mechanics walk past them.  Kay asks where they can find their parents. He tells them that it is a dangerous place to be lost, but try the Oga’s Cantina. Some aliens stumble out of the cantina.  The eyes of Kay and Jai look fearful.  They enter the cantina and see the DJ RX-24.  Jai bumps into a patron who waves him away.  Kay looks at the owner, Oga Garra, and orders some Moogan Tea.  This ends episode 2.  Each segment will lead to their parents, clues, found around Black Spire Outpost.  Guests could help Kay and Jai find the clues, a message board can be created for young guests to contact the characters and leave their findings.  Maybe this is texted on a phone app.  The point is to have interaction with Galaxy’s Edge even if you are not able to go to either park, but it will have more of an impact if you do go and interact with the story.  

#StarWarsGalaxysEdge, #BlackSpireOutpost, #Jai, #Kay