Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance fulfills the promise of the Galaxy’s Edge expansion at Disneyland! The Sequel Trilogy opened with Star Wars: The Force Awakens on December 14, 2015. The movie introduced audiences to Finn (John Boyega), Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), and Rey (Daisy Ridley). The Star Wars themed park expansion in Disneyland opened on May 31, 2019. The promised second attraction was unopened, but the Disney’s Hollywood Studios version had an opening date of December 5, 2019. The ride finally opened on January 14, 2020 at Disneyland’s Galaxy Edge. I recently had the chance to visit the park and ride the new attraction.
The Rise of the Resistance is of course on the Resistance side of Galaxy’s Edge past a bend to Black Spire Outpost. The X-Wing and A-Wing, AX-wings?, are to the right of it. The entrance is a Resistance turret, this is a DF.12 Com Turret used for “Resistance encampments and temporary air bases.” The description is from the model I saw at the Galaxy’s Edge preview at 2017’s D23 Expo. Resistance soldiers guard the turret and also check in guests. This is a wooded area that leads to a waterfall, this feature is beautiful, kinda alien!, incredible design by the Imagineers and much needed for the Galaxy’s Edge path. This leads to a cave, there is a green tactical screen to the left, a large hologram chamber, and to the right is a platform with two blue and yellow tactical screens. BB-8 peeks out of the screens.
Lieutenant Bek greets the recruits on the Resistance Transport Ship, photo by the author.
Rey appears in a hologram explaining that your group are recruits that will be sent to Resistance base on Pacara to meet General Leia. A new planet introduced with this ride and it is located in the Mid-Rim. The time period according to Disney is after the Battle of Crait, the second film from 2017, Vi Moradi established the Batuu base. This was in Galaxy’s Edge: Black Spire (2019) by Delilah S. Dawson. This connectivity is interesting than the “sequel” movies themselves. Then, you are taken outside, to the right is Poe’s black X-wing, a Resistance T-70 X-wing. To the left, you are guided to a Resistance Intersystem Transport Ship, also introduced here. The excitement of Resistance soldiers reminds me of the Klingon Encounter attraction at the former Star Trek: The Experience. You enter it, to the right is the pilot, Nien Nunb (voiced by Kipsang Rotich) in the front. Rotich voiced Nien in all of the latest Star Wars films.
Also, there is Lieutenant Bek, a Mon Calamari animatroic (!), voiced by the incredible James Arnold Taylor. He voiced Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and many voices in Star Wars video games and animated specials. Bek is a host that talks to you like RX-24 did on Star Tours. Your transport is escorted by Black Leader, Poe Dameron and his X-Wing pilots. It becomes a battle with TIE fighters, but a Star Destroyer appears and pulls the transport with a tractor beam. The transport opens and you are taken to the hangar bay which is lined with countless Stormtroopers. This pre-show was also similar to The Klingon Encounter with a transporter and moving to the bridge of the Enterprise like this scene, then you move to shuttle. I was taking pics, I think a group stood by to get their pictures taken, but it all seemed like a rush, I just moved on. I think this moves into a queue for the First Order Fleet Transport, a vehicle for eight passengers which has a black R5 droid piloting it. The model at D23 Expo says “these vehicles are programmed with ship schematics and security access codes.”
Finn briefs the recruits on the First Order Fleet Transport, author’s photo.
You are taken to room with General Hux and Kylo Ren above you. They want the location of the Resistance base. This is of course a screen like in Despicable Me Minion Mayhem. You are guided past by a security room with two Stormtrooper guards, again the cast members dressed as First Order officers weren’t too happy I stayed to take the pic. Then, line up to enter the First Order transport. It is trackless like one part of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. A screen has Finn in Stormtrooper armor saying that the transport will take you to an escape pod back to Batuu. You spin around two other empty transports. Lieutenant Bek speaks to you, helpful with identifying things. It is all so fast moving that I couldn’t understand what was happening; a probe droid, Stormtroopers, Walkers, the bridge with a Resistance attack, Kylo Ren. Star Wars is fast paced, but in it all, still comprehensible.
Cannons fire at the Resistance, how could the passengers be breathing in a vaccuum? If this were canon, then Kylo Ren and the First Order are some of the most incompetent oppressors since some recruits escape them! The escape pod drop? I was reassured by many people it would be safe. It is a drop, but a smooth and short fall, barely noticeable. It goes all Star Tours with the escape pod protected by Poe Dameron. The transport enters a hangar with one of my favorite Star Wars characters. I heard Rise of the Resistance called the best theme park ride, I can't agree, great ride, but there are others. The story needs to be slowed down and not be a jumble, and guests rushed. The appearances of the actors as characters is good, but their use in Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey was fun. I really like Hyperspace Mountain which made feel like I was in an X-Wing through the Battle of Jakku. Rise of the Resistance is an experience, probably needs to ridden several times to understand what is happening, but does have Mon Calamari, Finn, and James Arnold Taylor!
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