The only line spoken more than, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” in the Star Wars Universe is, “May The Force Be With You.” And the Force is telling me that dark times may be looming for Star Wars Land News. More on that later. But first…

Disneyland

Let’s take a look at Temporary Star Wars Land at Disneyland.

Part of the Star Tours entrance is behind walls. This is likely part of the MaxxPass program coming soon. We should be seeing scanners for FastPasses when these walls come down.

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Nearby, one of the planters lined with benches has been removed near the Star Tours entrance. This was a major choke point in one of the most heavily traveled areas of the park.

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And the Season Of The Force is still a presence. This promotion will likely end with the Season Of Heroes begins at Disney California Adventure in May.

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“We’re looking for caretakers.”
“We’re looking for caretakers.”

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And if you haven’t heard the new MiceChat Podcast that dropped this week, you’re missing some fascinating news about Star Wars Land and Marvel Land. Check it out!

Aftermath – Empire’s End

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What happened to Han and Leia? What did Lando do after Return Of The Jedi? How did Jakku become such a mess? All of these questions will be answered when the last of the Aftermath book trilogy is released on February 21.

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Amazon’s page describes the novel:

“As the final showdown between the New Republic and the Empire draws near, all eyes turn to a once-isolated planet: Jakku.

The Battle of Endor shattered the Empire, scattering its remaining forces across the galaxy. But the months following the Rebellion’s victory have not been easy. The fledgling New Republic has suffered a devastating attack from the Imperial remnant, forcing the new democracy to escalate their hunt for the hidden enemy.

For her role in the deadly ambush, Grand Admiral Rae Sloane is the most wanted Imperial war criminal—and one-time rebel pilot Norra Wexley, back in service at Leia’s urgent request, is leading the hunt. But more than just loyalty to the New Republic drives Norra forward: Her husband was turned into a murderous pawn in Sloane’s assassination plot, and now she wants vengeance as much as justice.

But Sloane, too, is on a furious quest: pursuing the treacherous Gallius Rax to the barren planet Jakku. As the true mastermind behind the Empire’s devastating attack, Rax has led the Empire to its defining moment. The cunning strategist has gathered the powerful remnants of the Empire’s war machine, preparing to execute the late Emperor Palpatine’s final plan. As the Imperial fleet orbits Jakku, an armada of Republic fighters closes in to finish what began at Endor. Norra and her crew soar into the heart of an apocalyptic clash that will leave land and sky alike scorched. And the future of the galaxy will finally be decided.”

You can read an exceprt from Aftermath – Empire’s End at StarWars.com here. And purchase on Amazon HERE.

The Last Jedi At Celebration 2017

Star-Wars-Celebration-Fans

This week it was announced that Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy and Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson will be hosting The Last Jedi panel at Star Wars Celebration on Friday, April 14. This is likely to be our first glimpse of footage from The Last Jedi.

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4-day tickets are sold out, but you can still buy single day tickets for Celebration here.

Star Wars Land Construction

The cornerstones of the Star Wars Land News articles have been the photos of the development of the Star Wars expansion at Disneyland. While I was excited this week to see how far the Battle Escape show building had grown since last weeks pictures, my mood quickly soured when I realized that show building is likely to block our view of the development…and soon. Here’s what it looks like today.

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This is what our view will look like in the near future.

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Today, we still have a good view. So let’s take a tour of Star Wars Land in progress.

Nearmap’s photo from September.
Nearmap’s photo from September.

MiceChat created a graphic that shows what the area was like before, and what we expect the layout to look like when complete.

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[ View Map Large ]
I’ll refer to the areas in the photos by the geographic location in the aerial photo and the future development in the interactive graphic. We’ll start in the north (where the Millennium Falcon attraction will be) and go clockwise through Star Wars Land.

The northern section is already getting obscured. And it’s just starting to get some activity. It looks like the foundation is being set for the Millennium Falcon attraction.

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That building is already getting in the way. Turning to the Northeastern section of Star Wars Land, a berm has been built to separate the atmosphere of Star Wars Land from the newly re-routed Disneyland Railroad. Trees have been replanted recently along the new berm that will block the view from the Disneyland Railroad and Fantasyland into Star Wars Land.

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The Southeastern area will be where the Fantasmic backstage will be along side the entrance to Star Wars Land from Frontierland.

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It looks like the Fantasmic backstage, which is enclosed in this structure, will be covered with dirt and planted to obstruct the view here as well.

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The south section of Star Wars Land is where the Disneyland Railroad will pass in front of a waterfall into the Rivers Of America and a walkway will go from Critter Country around the Hungry Bear Restaurant and into Star Wars Land.

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Looking at the other side of this area from the Hungry Bear Restaurant, you can see the same section a little further along in the process

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The western portion of Star Wars Land, the Battle Escape Attraction is dominating the landscape as the show building is growing up and out on one side.

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The going up is overshadowing the middle part of the attraction that went underground.

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And on the other side of the show building, the round excavation continues to develop.

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Will the walls of the Battle Escape attraction creep around the perimeter of Star Wars Land? Check back and find out!

If you want to catch up on how far the construction has come so far, you can check out the archives of Star Wars Land News here.

As Always…

 

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