Disney +’s The Mandalorian has become one of the biggest shows in recent memory. Now, Disney may be looking to capitalize on the show’s success in their theme parks.
Rumors have been swirling lately that a slate of characters from The Mandalorian will be added to the roaming cast at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Visitors to the Disney Park’s two locations can already find sequel trilogy characters like Kylo Ren and Rey wandering throughout the grounds.
The news appears to have been first broken by Disney expert Jim Hill on the latest episode of his Disney Dish podcast (via The Direct). Hill stated that the parks will soon be graced by the presence of some of The Mandalorian’s most popular characters, and fan favorites in the canon:
"We should anticipate seeing meet-and-greet opportunities with Mando and the Child, likewise Boba Fett will start making appearances, also Ahsoka Tano."
Boba Fett has been one of the most popular Star Wars characters for years, and Baby Yoda, a.k.a. the Child or Grogu, has become a merchandising machine. It’s no surprise, then, that Disney is looking to expand the success of characters on The Mandalorian. While Galaxy’s Edge is currently based on the controversial sequel trilogy, there’s no reason that the park’s attractions couldn’t be shifted to other eras of Star Wars.
Galaxy’s Edge is currently based on the sequel trilogy, so the timeline for these potential characters is a bit blurred. While The Mandalorian takes place nearly 25 years prior to The Force Awakens, there’s no reason to believe that the park couldn’t be shifted to represent other periods of Star Wars.
After all, Star Wars theme parks have seen changes in the past, so there’s no reason for that trend to stop. Per Collider, the Star Tours attraction, which originally opened in the 1980s, saw changes to the ride to reflect the sequel films. It is possible that the rides and attractions at Galaxy’s Edge could do something similar to reflect these new characters.
No matter how many new characters come to the parks, the ability to see your favorite Star Wars heroes and villains in real life is definitely a welcomed perk. Hopefully, visitors to Galaxy’s Edge will be able to hear, “this is the way” sooner rather than later.
The Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge parks are located at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. Tickets for the Orlando park are available on the Disney World website. Disneyland remains closed due to COVID-19.