Report: 'Star Tours' Will Stop Mixing Characters & Planets From Different Eras

By: Dominic Jones

One of the unique aspects of the revamped Star Tours that first launched back in 2011 was the random nature of it.  During each ride, riders would visit two planets in the Star Wars galaxy out of six possible options (seven as of 2015, when a Jakku adventure was added).  However, this may be changing somewhat.  Walt Disney World News Today is reporting that with the addition of a Crait adventure to tie into Star Wars: The Last Jedi this week the ride will only feature the sequel trilogy content for the immediate future.  According to WDWNT,

"An entirely new opening sequence featuring characters from Episodes 7 and 8 will debut, followed by the Jakku sequence, a transmission from BB-8 (and maybe even some other new characters), and then finally, the new Crait sequence featuring the planet from The Last Jedi."

However, this does not mean the end for the other Star Tours content that was developed for the relaunch in 2011.  At a still to determined time, the original content will be brought back and the ride will be separated into two paths.  One path will be the sequel era content (Jakku, Crait, BB-8, etc.) and the other will feature the content from Episodes I-VI.

The reason for this change is apparently to "alleviate confusion for guests" who are unable to follow the story of the ride as it includes characters from different eras of Star Wars.  WDWNT added a few more details in a follow up tweet, revealing that the decision to shift the ride came from Lucasfilm, not the Parks.

This is more a Lucasfilm decision, Ride was built to add more over time

— WDW News Today (@WDWNT) November 13, 2017

Personally, I'm not a fan of this decision.  I understand making the ride Sequel Trilogy only during the build up to The Last Jedi, but one of my favourite aspects of Star Tours was that it covered the entire saga--prequels, originals, and sequels.  The decision seems like an unnecessary move to fix a non-existant problem.  Star Tours is a celebration of the Star Wars franchise, not a story that needs to make sense within Star Wars canon.  Yes, the randomness of the ride will be retained in Episodes I-VI version when that opens but all that succeeds in doing drawing a line in the sand between the George Lucas Star Wars and the Disney Star Wars when it should all be celebrated as one big story.

The Crait adventure in Star Tours is slated to open on Friday November 17th.

Source: WDWNT

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