CMU School of Drama


Wednesday, May 05, 2021

'The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge' reveals details and unbuilt concepts

attractionsmagazine.com: Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is a massive land with rides, shops, dining, and a strong backstory, but what changed from the original plans? While flying TIE Fighters and lightsabers that cut through metal aren’t possible in the real world, some incredible projects are possible. With the recent distribution of “The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” book by Amy Ratcliffe, we can see what was originally planned, what was modified for the park, and what didn’t make it beyond pen and paper.

1 comment:

Katie Pyzowski said...

Ok the more I read articles week after week about all the components that go into theme park environments and rides, the more appealing that kind of work seems. Some of these Star Wars rides and experiences seem a little more like theatrical pieces than what I would typically think of an amusement park attraction would be. The two pieces that piqued my interest in this article’s showcase were the Smuggler’s Run ride and the battle lightsaber show scene. The Smuggler’s Run ride makes me think of the concept of illusion of choice. It’s one thing to create a race that attendees speed through, but there are a lot of variables you have to deal with then – a lot of choices the participant can make. However, since there’s that voiceover walking you through the controls of the ship, they essentially control what the participants' choices are and that creates one track that the game needs to follow – less variables. The other thing that caught my attention was all the pyro in the battle and lightsaber fight. There were sparks going off all over the place where the lightsabers got close to scenery pieces – I assume well timed button cues by a pyro technician. There were also those small fireworks going off as missiles or blaster shots?! I can only imagine how much extensive teching, practice, and safety/risk assessment went into getting those effects to work perfectly every time without putting anyone on or off stage at risk.