In this "Every Role a Starring Role" we get to see some behind the scenes as Batuu was going up in Disneyland. Once again, this really gives you a look at the scope & scale of this enormous land. Not only that though, in this video you get to see a little of the extreme care going into all the minor details that will bring Batuu to life. All in all, it just gets me that more excited to finally be immersed in a galaxy far, far away. Anyone else totally blown away by the size of this thing? Put it in the comments, like, & share.
Lots Of Details For Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Come From Galactic Nights 2018
Last night was 2018's Star Wars: Galactic Nights at Hollywood Studios. Which means they dropped a lot of news regarding the upcoming land of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, coming to both Disneyland & Disneyworld next year. First off was the name of the village you will be visiting when you get to the planet Batuu, the Black Spire Outpost . In which, I can't speak for everyone, but that's an awesome name. I can't wait to see what the merch looks like now. I definitely see at least a new hat on my future if that reads across it. Besides that though, they also gave this background description: "The largest settlement on the planet Batuu, Black Spire Outpost is an infamous stop for traders, adventurers, and smugglers traveling around the Outer Rim and Wild Space. Off the beaten path, this outpost has become a haven for the galaxy’s most colorful — and notorious — characters. Widely known for the petrified remains of its once towering ancient trees, the spires now stand guard across the river valleys and plains and have long captured the imagination of travelers to this planet. To the first settlers, these petrified spires became more than just landmarks; they became the heart of the outpost itself." This really sounds like it's going to make Pandora: World of Avatar look like a small tasting ground when it comes to the level of immersion they're going for. Here's the concept art they released with this.
The next part though is what really got me excited. I wasn't present so I'm using the powers of WDW News Today & Chip & Co. combined. Between them both I've learned that there will be a Creature Stall, where you can adopt creatures to bring home. Your Banshee won't be lonely anymore. Specifically they name dropped Star Wars: Rebels Loth-cats. Chip & Co. was also did report they mentioned other creatures as well, yet the Loth-cats were the only specifically named. On another note WDWNT has Disney Immagineering working on bringing to life a "walking, breathing, real creature" in the form of the Loth-cat. They're thinking these will be like the free roaming droids. Below is a concept of the Creature Shop, with a pic of a Loth-cat. I'm actually really excited about both these notions. A creature shop to adopt Loth-cats sounds awesome itself. Throw in the possibility of other animals to adopt & I just might have to catch 'em all. Then the possibility of animals roaming the park with droids? That is just totally mind blowing. I get goosebumps just thinking about the level of immersion we're about to be delivered. It's starting to feel like one might actually be able to lose track of reality in this place. I can't wait! Which of these announcements excites you the most? Put it in the comments, like, & share.
First Look At What We Can Expect From Inside The Millennium Falcon Ride!
An in-progress sequence from the Millennium Falcon attraction has been unveiled, & Nvidia put up this pic as well as some details on what we can expect from this ride when we visit Batuu in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge when it opens next year. The pic's a little lackluster, but the over technical details are amazing. Produced by ILMxLAB, & running in real time, this was the first glimpse of the highly immersive attraction. Walt Disney Imagineering teamed with Nvidia & Epic Games to develop the new tech. Riders will enter the cockpit, which much like Mission: Space will have buttons & knobs, giving you the chance to "pilot" the Falcon. Here's where it gets technical though. The cockpit will be powered with a single BOXX chassis packed witheight high-end NVIDIA Quadro P6000 GPUs, connected via Quadro SLI. Quadro Synch will synchronize five projectors for creating ultra-high resolution & perfectly timed displays to fully immerse guests in planet Batuu. The team created a custom multi-GPU implementation for Unreal Engine. Anyone who plays games knows what that is. “We worked with NVIDIA engineers to use Quadro-specific features like Mosaic and cross-GPU reads to develop a renderer that had performance characteristics we needed,” says Bei Yang, technology studio executive at Disney Imagineering. “Using the eight connected GPUs allowed us to achieve performance unlike anything before.” Most of that was even too technical for me, but from what I got out of it, this definitely is not going to be your average simulator. Five projectors? This is one of my most anticipated parts of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. I can't wait for more on this. What do ya'll think? Does this sound awesome? Put it in the comments, like, & share.
Patents To Make Your Lightsaber Dreams Reality At Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge just got even better if this is what this is for. Ever since the announcement of a Star Wars themed land the question on everyone's mind has been lightsabers? They've talked AR, & it looks like they're getting ready to make that happen. This sounds amazing, technical, but amazing nonetheless. WDW News Today reported via blooloop.com, Disney has filed a patent for an AR system to make your laser sword dreams a reality. Actual wording, "relates to systems & methods for augmenting an appearance of a hilt to simulate a bladed weapon." This doesn't describe the intended use. So while could be walking around like a Jedi in Batuu, this could also be for a console or mobile game. I doubt it though, the scale of this thing is pretty intense. There will be a physical hilt containing motion & orientation sensors to determine where the hilt is. On a display (headset, phone, visor) you will see the overlay of "a broadsword, an axe, or a katana." That cover any other uses, but we all know what this is for. Especially when you look at the hilts & notice a dual-blade, "Darth Maul" option. You'll have control over type, size, shape, & color as well, with other users seeing what you see. Also in the patent is a speaker & haptic generator for sound & vibration. The blades will interact with real objects both static (doors, walls, rocks) or dynamic (moving doors & targets), as well as virtual objects both static (force field, another virtual blade, etc.) or dynamic (moving virtual blade, virtual blaster fire, virtual moving robot, etc.). Interaction with objects will trigger visual, audio, & tactile effects. If that doesn't sound like the most awesome thing you've ever heard, one diagram shows deflecting blaster fire with a flash occurring, & two lightsabers flashing as they connect eluding to dueling. The patent even goes as far to describe deflecting a blaster bolt back at the stormtrooper that fired, triggering audio of being hit. This is amazing on so many levels. I can't believe this is a real thing that is actually about to happen. So excited. What do y'all think? Wanna get your hands on a lightsaber? Put it in the comments like & share.
Cards Paint A Vivid Picture Of "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge"
This is so cool. Apparently, last month at Galactic Nights in Hollywood Studios guests who attended the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge panel we're given some cards. WDW News Today just put up a picture of them all, & not only do they give details of what to expect, the back is map of the planet Batuu. The cards feature a host of details. Captain Rex from the original Star Tours is now a DJ in the local cantina. We'll get fired on by some AT-AT walkers in "Battle Escape". Based on your rep you could have to get out of soome situations with local thugs & bounty hunters. Speaking of which, you can join the Resistance, First Order, or become a bounty hunter/smuggler. You may even come face to mask with Kylo Ren. The maps one of the really intriguing parts though. "Black Spire Station" selling droids & parts. "Docking Bay 7" looking like the place to get some grub. The "Cantina", my favorite concept here, seems to be the main hub of all the action. "Surabat River Valley" is a spot that most likely will wind up the Millennium Falcon's backdrop for the upcoming attraction. "Merchant Row" will be home to many shops like the toy store that will carry Batuu made toys, with "Docking Bay 9" being the place the First Order will "set up shop for their recruiting." There's a part of me that still can't even believe this is happening. The level of emersion they're going for is amazing! I can't wait to walk these streets & lose myself in this world. What do y'all think though? Put it in the comments, like, & share.
Second New Destination For Star Tours Reveals "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge" Planet's Name
Last month we talked about Star Tours going to it's new Star Wars: The Last Jedi location of Crait. Over the past week, leading up to it's debut, Disney's been giving more little tidbits of info, like the addition of another undisclosed destination, Kylo Ren, & Poe Dameron. The addition of the newer characters led to rumors that when the ride is put back on random, there will be no mixing of the Star Wars generations now. Meaning whatever "time" your ride is based in will reflect the characters you see. I actually like this concept, but I'm a cannon freak. I like to know everything has its proper place in my stories. One of the very few things I do take seriously. I didn't want to really talk about these new disclosures until we got to the part I cared about. What is the undisclosed destination? Well, upon its release yesterday, Disney announced the destination as Batuu. Apparently C-3P0 knows of this planet, a remote outpost on the "galaxy's edge", once booming, & now fell to the rise of hyperspace travel. Now it's a port for smugglers, traders, & us adventurers traveling uncharted regions. They also mentioned it's an unoccupied safe haven from the First Order. The best part is what all this really is. If you haven't caught on from the concept art they released below, or the wording used, then surprise! This is the planet shown to us in model form, that will be the subject of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. This just upped my excitement to jump on this ride ten fold. I can't wait to get a first look at this planet being created for us to explore in less than a couple years. This is just one more step in building the anticipation for this monumental event, & I can't wait for more. There's still a part of me that can't believe this is happening. Anyway, what do y'all think about this revelation, & what do y'all hope gets announced next when it comes to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge? Put it in the comments, like, & share.
