Disney and Lucasfilm’sThe Mandalorianintroduced several new characters to theStar Warscanon, nearly all of whom have become instant fan favorites. Now, Disney is allegedly considering adding these characters to its Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge theme parks in both Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World.
Construction on the Galaxy’s Edge theme parks began four years afterDisney acquired Lucasfilm, with both venues officially opening to the public by the end of summer 2019. Occupying 14 acres of land in each park, Galaxy’s Edge transports visitors to a village located on the remote planet of Batuu and features multiple attractions, shops, restaurants, and iconography from theStar Warsmythos. However, the decision to canonically set the events of Galaxy’s Edge in betweenThe Last JediandThe Rise of Skywalkerhas resulted in certain limitations for the venues, including an inability for children to meet iconic characters such as Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, not to mention the fact that several characters from the “Rise of the Resistance” attraction have been killed off in the films.
RELATED:Mark Hamill Left Speechless By Praise From The Mandalorian’s Ming-Na Wen
Now, Disney historian Jim Hill reports that the company may be loosening the self-imposed restrictions on Galaxy’s Edge and could soon add characters fromThe Mandalorianto theStar Warstheme parks. In the most recent episode of his Disney Dish podcast, Hill noted that the Mandalorian, Grogu (a.k.a Baby Yoda), Boba Fett, and Bo Katan may be among those added to the roster of characters roaming around the attractions. Furthermore, Kylo Ren’s ship may be switched for afull-sized version of the Razor Crest, the vessel owned by the Mandalorian until it was destroyed in the second season of the Disney Plus series. ConsideringThe Mandalorianis set five years after the events ofReturn of the Jedi, which itself takes place approximately 30 years beforeThe Force Awakens, it is conceivable that characters from the series and the sequel trilogy could exist at the same time in theStar Warstimeline.
The success ofThe Mandalorianhas also spawned a spin-offseries titledThe Book of Boba Fett. Scheduled to debut on Disney Plus in December 2021, the series will continue the adventures of Temuera Morrison’s titular bounty hunter, who appeared in multiple episodes ofThe Mandalorian’s second season. The spin-off was evidently set up by the post-credits scene ofThe Mandalorian’s season two finale in which Fett assumes control of the palace once owned by Jabba the Hutt.
Of course, while the prospect of seeing characters and spaceships fromThe Mandalorianin Disney’s theme parks is exciting, fans will likely have to consider how the COVID-19 pandemic will affect these plans. After all, allDisney parks have been closedat some point during the health crisis, if they ever opened at all, resulting in multiple projects for these venues being postponed or canceled.
Fortunately for fans, Disney has no intention of slowing down its plans for the franchise on television. MultipleStar Warsprojects were announced last month at Disney’s Investor Day presentation, includingRangers of the New Republic.
