star tours disneyland wiki

Based on the Star Wars films, Star Tours is one of the most fun rides in Disneyland. The technology allows for 54 different story sequences, enough to keep riders coming back again and again.

The basic tale is simple: A bumbling droid pilot accidentally takes a bunch of space tourists down the wrong tunnel at takeoff, jumps to light speed and careens through the universe before getting things under control again. You'll run into characters from many of the Star Wars films and travel through more than a few of its locales, all in quick succession. It all passes so quickly that even a devoted fan might have to ride a dozen times to catch it all.

What You Need to Know About the Star Tours Ride at Disneyland

For most visitors, Star Tours is a must-do ride — or at least ride it if you have time.

• Location:  Star Tours is in Tomorrowland
• Rating:  ★★★★★
• Restrictions:  40 inches (102 cm). Regardless of height, children under age seven years must be accompanied by a person aged 14 years or older.
• Ride Time:  4.5 minutes
• Recommended for:  Families with teens and anyone who loves the Star Wars movies
• Fun Factor:  High. Star Tours is  one of the best rides at Disneyland . 
• Wait Factor:  High. Use a  Fastpass to shorten your time in line . The Fastpass ticket machines are across from the Star Tours entrance, near Buzz Lightyear
• Fear Factor:  Medium. Some scenes are exciting, but not too scary.
• Herky-Jerky Factor:  Medium to high. This star-chasing ride is smoother than when it first opened, but Disney still says it's not for anyone a neck or back trouble, heart problems or for expectant mothers. The motion simulator moves smoothly but simulates drops and rolls that will shake you around.
• Nausea Factor:  Medium to high. Take precautions or be prepared to spend part of the ride with your eyes closed. You can also ask a Cast Member to seat you in the middle, where there is less motion.
• Seating:  This ride is a small motion simulator room. It has several rows, and every seat has a seatbelt.
• Accessibility:  Contact a Cast Member at the entrance for boarding information. Guests have to transfer to the ride vehicle by themselves or with help from their companions. Some of the pre-show monitors display guest-activated captioning. Cast Members can help you with this, too. Service animals can't go on Star Tours.  More about visiting Disneyland in a wheelchair or ECV

How to Have More Fun

• There's  lots of simulated danger  on Star Tours, and  it can be noisy .
• If you wear prescription glasses , you can slip the 3D glasses over all but the largest frames.
• The 3D glasses come in one size only  and are too big for a small child’s face. A simple solution is just don't wear them. Most kids don’t seem to mind that things get a little blurry without them - and they won’t be startled or scared by things that come flying toward them in the 3-D effect. Or try perching the glasses on the child’s nose, tilt them forward and rest the earpieces on top of their head. 
• Rider swap is available. It's for two adults with a kid or kids who don't ride. They can wait just once and get on as soon as the first adult returns. Tell the Cast Member in the loading area if you want to use that option.

You can  see all the Disneyland rides at a glance on the Disneyland ride sheet .

While you're thinking about rides, you should also  download the essential Disneyland apps (they're all free!) and  get some proven tips to minimize your Disneyland wait time .

When you wait in line for Star Tours, you may hear an overhead speaker paging Egroeg Sacul, which is George Lucas spelled backward.

You may also hear an announcement to move landspeeder THX 1138, another reference to George Lucas: It was the name of his first film, the license plate number in "American Graffiti", and the call sign of a stormtrooper in "Star Wars: A New Hope."

The flight simulator used to create this ride is the same one used to train airplane pilots.

For a more in-depth look into Star Wars, check out Star Wars Launch Bay in Tomorrowland .

If you're a fan of the Star Wars movies, there's a lot to see in California. Find all of the galactic sights in the guide to  Star Wars film sites in California .

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Star Tours - The Adventures Continue

• Replay Star Tours

• 40" (102 cm) or Taller
• Small Drops
• Thrill Rides

Visit a Galaxy Far, Far Away

When your Starspeeder accidentally starts up without a pilot, tour guide C-3PO takes the controls. Suddenly, the ship is intercepted by menacing Imperial—or First Order—forces searching for a Rebel spy. To avoid capture, you’ll take off on a thrilling, unpredictable flight that rockets you to the farthest reaches of the galaxy.

Starting April 5, 2024, embark on exciting new Star Wars adventures featuring characters and locations from some of your favorite Disney+ series. Hold on tight as urgent transmissions from Ahsoka Tano, Cassian Andor, the Mandalorian and Grogu may soon be part of your next Starspeeder flight.

With these additions, you’ll have the opportunity to experience one of more than 250 storyline variations, including a visit to the planet Seatos from Ahsoka .

Star Tours Takes Flight

On January 9, 1987, George Lucas and Walt Disney Imagineering brought the Star Wars galaxy to life at Disneyland Park .

The original Star Tours attraction blasted off to Endor. In the years since, the experience has been updated with new worlds and iconic characters from Star Wars: The Force Awakens , Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker .

The attraction now features state-of-the-art technology—including a flight simulator, digital 3D video, Audio-Animatronics characters and “in-cockpit” special effects and music.

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Times for star tours - the adventures continue.

Star Tours: Inside the Secret History of Disney’s Classic ‘Star Wars’ Ride

The Disney Parks attraction’s origin and evolution is an adventure all its own

Earlier in January, Star Tours turned 35.

The groundbreaking attraction has been a favorite of Disney Parks visitors the world over, and it would prove an influential part of the “Star Wars” mythology, even today. In Jon Favreau’s “The Book of Boba Fett” (streaming now on Disney+) a familiar-looking droid has been dealing cards in the cantina/casino hideout The Sanctuary in the Tatooine village of Mos Espa. The droid looks like Rex, the inexperienced pilot of the original version of Star Tours. Predictably, fans went nuts.

In fact, the influence of Star Tours has been felt strongly in the current era of “Star Wars” on both the big and small screen. Rex previously appeared in an episode of animated series “Star Wars: Rebels,” and the Star Tours spaceship the Starspeeder made blink-and-you’ll-miss-it background appearances in J.J. Abrams two sequel trilogy installments, while Rian Johnson admitted a looser influence over his installment, “The Last Jedi.” The sequence where the Millennium Falcon is careening through the crystalline caverns of Crait was inspired by the original ride film’s trip through a craggy comet.

But the story of how Star Tours was developed – how it came to be, what technology was employed, and the profound implications for both the Disney Parks and George Lucas’ Lucasfilm – might be even more thrilling and complex than the actual ride, which was heavily retrofitted in 2010 now goes by the name Star Tours: The Adventures Continue.

So, without further ado, lightspeed to Endor !

A Long Time Ago …

Long before there was any kind of official partnership, Lucasfilm and Disney Parks were linked, thanks mostly to some fortuitous timing. George Lucas’ “Star Wars” hit theaters on May 25, 1977, intoxicating audiences with its depiction of bold heroes, dastardly villains, fussy droids and otherworldly creatures. Those that saw it went back again and again but itched for something more . Thankfully for Southern California audiences, Space Mountain, an adaptation of an attraction that opened at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom two years earlier, opened at Disneyland two days after “Star Wars.” Folks would go see “Star Wars” and then book it to Disneyland for a chance to ride Space Mountain, nestled in the far corner of Tomorrowland. The line for the attraction snaked from that distant part of Tomorrowland all the way up Main Street, U.S.A. Even if their pairing was still a decade away, Lucasfilm and Disney Parks were already strongly bound by the Force.

But if the actual Lucasfilm/Disney enterprise had a point of origin (something that we are painfully aware that George Lucas just loves ), it was when Michael Eisner, then the head of Paramount, decided to green light “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” As Brian Jay Jones recounts in his biography “George Lucas: A Life,” Lucas’ financial terms for the movie were aggressive and mirrored those of the “Star Wars” sequels. Lucas would fund the movie himself and the studio would “distribute the completed film in exchange for profits.” While many of the studios passed right away, Warner Bros., who had clumsily distributed Lucas’ first film “THX-1138,” initially wanted to make it, but they were ultimately usurped by Paramount and Eisner.  “George came over to my house,” Eisner later said, “and he said, ‘Let’s make the best deal they’ve ever made in Hollywood.’”

On November 7, 1979, Paramount announced an agreement with Lucasfilm – they’d agreed to Lucas’ demands and would be making “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Eisner believed in George Lucas, even when other studios didn’t. This is baffling, after the astronomical success of “Star Wars” just two years earlier, but true. “Eisner was no dummy,” Jones says now. “Professionally, they spoke the same language. They got the cultural sensibilities.”

Eisner’s decision to help Lucas out on “Raiders of the Lost Ark” would have far reaching ramifications; for one, it would lead to Paramount releasing one of the most successful franchises (after Lucas’ own “Star Wars”) of all time. It would also ultimately assist in the rehabilitation of one of Hollywood’s most celebrated brands, which by the early 1980s had fallen into disrepair and disinterest.

Rebellion Reborn

In 1984, after greenmail attempts by corporate raiders, the Walt Disney Company got a fresh transfusion of new executive talent in the form of Michael Eisner, Frank Wells and (a few months later) Jeffrey Katzenberg. As CEO and Chairman of the Board, Eisner set his sights on strengthening the company’s bottom line and refreshing the brand, which in the nearly 20 years since Walt Disney had died, became a creaky dinosaur, badly out of step with modern audiences and accompanying cultural shifts. (The year before Eisner became CEO, the top grossing Disney movie was “Never Cry Wolf,” with a whopping $29.6 million .)

Similarly, the Disney Parks had been badly neglected despite accounting for nearly 70% of the company’s annual revenue, in part because of the wobbly, extremely over-budget opening of EPCOT Center in Florida, but more pressingly because Disney wasn’t producing anything that could be adapted into rides, shows, or attractions at the parks. While Katzenberg looked to return the studio’s feature animation unit to its former glory (it existed, in the early 1980s, as a partially mothballed group that was in constant danger of shuttering completely), Eisner looked to the parks. “You couldn’t walk through the theme parks and not recognize that they lacked contemporary development. But when Frank and I walked down Main Street for the first time, Frank turned to me and said, ‘There’s so much here. There’s so much potential,’” Eisner recounted in “The Imagineering Story” documentary on Disney+.

Imagineering had reached out to Lucas before Eisner had been installed. Marty Sklar had set up a meeting between Ron Miller, who was president and CEO of Disney before Eisner (he was also Walt’s son-in-law), and Imagineer Tony Baxter. Baxter was, and remains, a superstar of Walt Disney Imagineering, the kind of persona that Disney fanatics dress up as at Disney fan conventions. (Seriously.) At the time, Baxter wasn’t even 40 and had already contributed to the Disney portfolio in meaningful, some would argue profound, ways. He was behind the Journey into Imagination pavilion at EPCOT Center, which featured some truly next-level technological breakthroughs alongside a whimsical story about the power of creativity; and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland, a runaway train thrill ride that would become instantly beloved and replicated at Disney parks the world over. Miller was still stinging from the failure of “The Black Hole,” Disney’s bid to challenge “Star Wars,” but agreed with Baxter that “Disneyland did need an infusion of new IP for younger generations of visitors” (according to Baxter). Miller suggested that they meet with Lucas at Miller’s Silverado Ranch. In addition to Sklar and Miller, Imagineers Rick Rothschild and Gary Krisel were also at the meeting. “There was no lag time between those initial agreements at the Silverado Vineyard, the subsequent leaving of Ron Miller, and Michael and Frank’s arrival in September 1984,” Baxter said. (Another former Imagineer had told me that after that initial meeting, “those discussions went nowhere.”)

Interestingly, before Eisner was hired, Disney board members had originally turned to Lucas to run the entire company in the early 1980s. “It wasn’t what he wanted to do with his life,” said Howard Roffman, who was the chief operating officer of Lucasfilm, in The Cinema of George Lucas by Marcus Hearn. Instead, the board offered the job to Eisner, the man who had the guts and the creative ambition to back “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Now Eisner quietly reached out to Lucas about projects with the Disney Parks. Lucas had been a lifelong Disneyland fan (his family had first visited the park on July 19, 1955, two days after it had opened), making annual treks to the resort. And just as Eisner had gotten behind a lucrative deal (in Lucas’ favor) for “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” he offered Lucas an equally eye-popping arrangement for his services: for every Lucas-originated project, the filmmaker would get $1 million per attraction per park per year. Lucas happily agreed. This arrangement even applied to later attractions Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril (a fairly off-the-shelf rollercoaster with the Indiana Jones name) located in Disneyland Paris, and Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull (essentially a clone of the Disneyland attraction) at Tokyo Disney Sea.

According to Baxter, during their first week at Disney, Eisner and Wells asked several Imagineers to come in on a Saturday and pitch “everything we had in conceptual design.” For Baxter, that meant he showed off the “Star Wars” project and what would later be known as Splash Mountain. (This is the infamous meeting where Eisner brought along his son Breck. Eisner told Baxter that Breck “loved theme parks” and Michael knew little about theme parks.) Both Star Tours and Splash Mountain were “given the green light” during Baxter’s presentation but according to Baxter executives were “disturbed” by the proposed 3-year production time designated for Star Tours. Famously, Eisner willed the teen-oriented dance club Videopolis into existence at Disneyland in a mere 100 days, partially due to architect Chris Carradine salvaging structural elements from the 1984 Olympics. He wanted things in the parks and he wanted them now .

With Lucas onboard for a Disney Parks “Star Wars” attraction, Imagineering began spit-balling ideas. At a National Fantasy Fan Club meeting in July 1988 legendary Imagineer David Mumford, whose notable work includes the Land pavilion at EPCOT Center and the Mermaid Lagoon section of Tokyo DisneySea, spoke of a cutting-edge “Star Wars” rollercoaster that was originally proposed. In this attraction, guests in the ride vehicle would vote on whether they would follow Yoda and become a Jedi or instead choose the path illuminated by the Emperor, embracing the dark side of the Force. Depending on that decision, you would rocket past show scenes featuring animatronics of your favorite characters (Boba Fett, Darth Vader and Jabba the Hutt on one path or Leia, Luke and Han Solo on the other). It was a wonderful idea, utilizing interactivity and good old-fashioned Imagineering magic, but Mumford said that it would take at least five years just to design the complex mechanism that would allow the ride to work. They needed something sooner.

Enter Mark Eades. Eades was a young Imagineer who had moved over from the Walt Disney Studios to work on EPCOT Center. In the days after EPCOT Center’s opening, when Imagineering’s ranks shrank and viable new projects became scarce, Eades was tasked with researching motion simulator technology. He visited army bases and tested out rudimentary versions designed for entertainment purposes (including “one where they basically stuck a camera on a rollercoaster”). At the end of his exploratory journey, he wrote a memo outlining the potential uses of the technology in the parks (he notes that, contrary to much reporting, the technology was never looked at for a “Black Hole” attraction, but rather “The Black Hole” was thought of as a potential overlay for the aging Mission to Mars). “We either a) treat it as a Tomorrowland attraction where we talk about how the pilots of tomorrow are being trained and you get to go train with them,” Eades said of the simulator technology. “Or there could be other stories if we’re willing to not admit that it’s a simulator. One of them could be in the ‘Star Wars’ universe.” At the end of the memo, he even suggested a possible narrative, should the ‘Star Wars’ idea actually be chosen: “Take a ride on the Millennium Falcon and when we get off we can go over to the Mos Eisley cantina.” This exact idea would be recirculated, 30 years later, at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

At the urging of Imagineer Randy Bright, Baxter went to Retifusion London, a test facility, to see if the flight simulator technology could successfully be used “for entertainment purposes.” (According to Baxter, Bright had stopped at the facility following an Abbey Road recording session for some new orchestral elements for EPCOT.) “I took several leaders from Disneyland operations & maintenance along on the trip to validate the practicality,” Baxter said. Imagineers might design the attractions, but operations and maintenance keep it running. Baxter and the small group seem to have watched the same “rollercoaster” ride film that Eades had also seen. “The simulator was limited in what it could mimic, but we were impressed enough to begin the project in earnest,” Baxter said. Disney made a deal to buy one of the simulators. It was housed in a custom-designed building in the parking lot of Imagineering’s Glendale headquarters.  

In Spite of ‘Captain EO’

While work progressed on Star Tours, Michael Jackson had approached the company about joining forces for a new project. Jackson loved Disneyland and Walt Disney World (later he would fashion a Disneyland-style theme park at his home, Neverland Ranch). Eisner and Katzenberg were both dazzled by big name stars and made the Jackson project a priority. At the same meeting where Splash Mountain and Star Tours were greenlit, the executives first brought up the possibility of a Jackson project (according to Baxter). “Imagineering was challenged to give Michael Jackson three concepts to choose,” Baxter said. In his memoir, Eisner describes the concept: “Our notion was to put him in an extended 3D music video.”

One pitch had the entertainer at Disneyland after dark, when various attractions like Pirates of the Caribbean would spring to life. (It was deemed too similar to his beloved “Thriller” music video.) Another version had Jackson inhabiting the role of a Peter Pan-type character who battled an ice queen, eventually melting her heart. And yet another, dubbed the “intergalactic ‘Music Man’” had him visiting a cold, distant planet and bringing music to the people, literally transforming them. Jackson liked the space idea but had a list of demands, including hiring either George Lucas or Steven Spielberg to help oversee what would ultimately become a cumbersome, costly, 17-minute 3D film (a “miracle of a movie” according to Whoopi Goldberg in the “Captain EO: Backstage” episode of “The Disney SundayMovie”). Spielberg was busy with “The Color Purple.” But Lucas had just signed on with Disney and was happy to oblige. At the very least, it would mean another $1 million per year per park.

Instead of helming the project himself, Lucas would install Francis Ford Coppola, one of his oldest friends, in the director’s chair. And Jones pointed out, not only would Lucas be spared the drudgery of daily production (“Return of the Jedi” had nearly killed him), handing Coppola the Disney project meant that he’d be “giving his mentor a much-needed job” (this after the middling response to Coppola’s costly “The Cotton Club”). Since it was technically a film, the production for what was now known as “Captain EO” (named by Coppola after Eos, the Greek goddess of dawn) was handled mostly by the film studio and therefore overseen by Katzenberg. Initially, at least, Imagineering was consulted (they’d be brought back later to design the in-theater effects and motion). “I’d talked to them about it. I’d done an estimate and said it was going to cost $17 million,” Eades said. “The studio people said it would cost $10 million. I said, ‘Make that movie.’ They spent a lot more than $10 million and they spent a lot more than I said it would cost.”

As it turns out, considerably more than what Eades had quoted. The production of “Captain EO” was long and difficult, with original actress Shelley Long dropping out of the role as the evil queen because of the extensive prosthetics (Anjelica Houston replaced her) and Coppola struggling with the complicated requirements of shooting in 3D. (Coppola would lean on Lucas for guidance when it came to the visual effects and creatures.) Behind schedule, the production went over-budget and had to cut corners. On an episode of the “I Was There Too” podcast, comedian Doug Benson talked about his time as an extra on the movie; the production was so over-budget that they couldn’t afford to pay actual dancers anymore. Benson had to stand in the background and gyrate. While most cite the $17 million budget as the final cost, Eades told TheWrap that the actual figure was more than $22.7 million – “and that was in real money in those days.” At the time, per minute, it was the most expensive movie ever produced. Imagineers, still hard at work on Star Tours, printed out custom memo templates that read Star Tours – In Spite of EO .

The Star Tours team was assembled, involving some of Imagineering’s key talents, led by Baxter, and including Eades. Bruce Gordon was the original producer on the project and had, according to Baxter, “as to what you could and could not do in programming events to physically simulate an experience.” “You cannot just write a story and then film it. It’s impossible for many kinetic options to dovetail into one another, due to the limitations of the hydraulic system,” Baxter said. “After we matched the capability of the simulator to a list of ‘Star Wars’ ‘stunts,’ their running order became a dictate of what capabilities were available after the completion of the preceding stunt. The most notable example was being caught in a tractor beam . This motionless backward tilt was the only capability that could be achieved after exhausting the hydraulics in the preceding ice cave sequence.” They had worked out the runtime of the ride: 4 minutes and 35 seconds. “This was the maximum time before an increasing nausea curve would begin ticking upwards,” Baxter said. The Imagineers also learned that they had to put in story pauses every 45 seconds or so, “to let riders regain their bearings.” He also notes that this fact was ignored when developing Body Wars, a sort of “Fantastic Voyage”-type experience that would open with the Wonders of Life Pavilion at EPCOT Center in 1989. Guests got so sick that several seconds of the ride film were removed after Body Wars opened.

For Star Tours, Imagineering had some key collaborators in the form of the wizards at Industrial Light & Magic, the groundbreaking effects house that Lucas had started for the first “Star Wars,” although getting them to grasp the concept of the project (which Eisner wanted to call Star Ride) was difficult. There was a meeting beween Imagineering and ILM, where George Lucas, ILM artists Dennis Muran and Dave Carson (who would serve as the “directors” for ILM), and Imagineering personnel like Tom Fitzgerald, Randy Bright, Marty Sklar and Eades, discussed the project. Eades remembered the scene: “Dennis starts talking to George, ‘We could cut to this angle, cut to that angle.’ And I’m a neophyte at the time. I’m not even 31 years old. I’m the new kid on the block and I’m listening to this and thinking, They’re wrong . I stopped at one point and actually said, ‘Wait a minute, wait a minute. You guys don’t understand. This isn’t a movie. This is a window like in a jet. We can’t cut.’ And I’m looking right at Dennis. ‘However long this is, it’s a continuous take.’ He sat back and looked at me and said, ‘Gee, George. He’s right.’”

The concept of the attraction, where Star Tours was one of several “commercial companies have started business to take people across the galaxy” following the events of “Return of the Jedi,” coalesced quickly and stayed mostly in place. “That way we can give people a ride going through a ‘Star Wars’ movie without giving them a ‘Star Wars’ movie,” Eades explained. Other things remained in flux. The voice of Captain RX-24 (“Rex”), originally described by Lucas as a frazzled Clone Wars veteran named “Crazy Harry,” remained elusive, until Eades (also working as the casting director for the project) saw “Flight of the Navigator.” “Flight of the Navigator” (released by Disney) featured a UFO voiced by Paul Reubens, who had yet to gain fame as Pee-Wee Herman. Eades knew that Reubens was the perfect voice and urged Tom Fitzgerald to see “Flight of the Navigator.” After watching the film, Fitzgerald agreed. Reubens was in production on the first season of what would become the fabled television series “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse.” “We got ahold of [Reubens] on set and he agreed in principle, and we sent a recording to George and he said, ‘That’s it,’” Eades said.

At one point, Baxter and Muren went to Las Vegas to watch a demo of HD digital technology. They came back “pushing for the use of HD media rather than 70mm film.” “That decision was predicated on Sony being a sole source supplier of equipment. A safer decision was made to go with 70mm film rather than Sony HD, but it would set the variability of the ride experience back for 20 years,” Baxter said.

The troubled production of “Captain EO” actually gave the Star Tours team some cover. “They were so focused on ‘Captain EO’ and we were doing this thing and working with ILM and we were kind of ignored. Which was great for the team,” Eades said. “We had a budget and we stuck to the budget. We figured out how to get the most bang for our buck.” Somewhat amazingly, Eades explained: “We actually had Star Tours done first but they wanted to open ‘Captain EO’ and open Star Tours the next year. It was great because it gave the simulators some time to get some run time on them.”

After an equally arduous post-production, which saw Disney executives shocked at the number of crotch-thrusts Jackson squeezed into the choreographed dance numbers (amongst other woes), “Captain EO,” the tale of a singing, dancing space fighter (Jackson) and his band of puppet-y confederates, opened on Sept. 12, 1986 at EPCOT Center (then in desperate need of a starry attraction) and Sept. 18, 1986 at Disneyland. It had two new songs by the King of Pop that you could only hear in the movie (one of the songs would be reworked for “Bad”). An hour-long television special dedicated to its opening and featuring a laundry list of celebrities, including such 80s staples as Judge Reinhold (“I want to know how to dance leaving that theater”) and, um, OJ Simpson (with Nicole on his arm), aired nationally. Disneyland stayed open for 60 hours and ran the 3D film continuously just to meet demand. Disneyland was not only popular again; it was also hip .

Before Star Tours officially opened, Eades was joined by a clean-shaven Lucas, Oscar-winning sound designer Gary Rydstrom (who told me that he came up with the famous Star Tours “chime”), and many of the Imagineers who had worked on the project, for a soft opening. Eades had a good feeling about it but an attraction like Star Tours was the first of its kind. Nobody knew how guests were going to react. “The first group came off and I heard this guy say, ‘Can you imagine how many miles of track Disneyland had to build under the park for this ride?’” Eades remembered. The guest thought that he was actually moving through space. Eades and the rest of the team knew they had a hit.

A few months after “Captain EO,” on Jan. 9, 1987, Star Tours would open at Disneyland. Lucas and Eisner were on hand, with Mickey and Minnie in their iconic silver space suits (with the rainbow on the chest), joined by C-3PO. Instead of a pair of oversized scissors, they used a lightsaber to cut the ceremonial ribbon. Just like “Captain EO,” they left the park open for 60 hours straight to meet demand. It was a smash out of the gate. But the success of Star Tours ultimately derailed an aspect of the attraction Eades had designed for the project: that every three years, the ride film would change. (That’s right, he said at some point you were actually supposed to get to Endor.)

In the early 1980s, Disneyland management and Imagineering had noticed an uptick in guests visiting multiple times a year, so Eades and his team had a refresh built into their proposal so that Star Tours would never get stale. “But because the damn ride was so popular, the parks said, ‘Why do you want to spend money, because you don’t need it,’” Eades said. ”And they were right.” Undoubtedly the decision to go with 70mm film also set the multiple-planets conceit back, as Baxter previously alluded to. It would be much trickier to switch out the ride film or the projection system. And he was right: it would be decades before that idea would be revisited.

Galactic Expansion

With two successful Lucas-led projects, both Disney and the filmmaker were emboldened. This was especially heartening for Eisner, who was about to open a risky new theme park in Florida dedicated to the behind-the-scenes aspects of the entertainment business.

Disney-MGM Studios, as it was then known, was designed to be many things: a working, world class film and television production facility (complete with a satellite animation studio designed with animators in mind), a theme park, and giant middle-finger to Universal Studios, which was planning to open its own multiday resort in Orlando. (Eisner, while still at Paramount, was supposedly in the meeting where Universal executives revealed the Florida project and by 1985, just a year after he assumed power at Disney, Eisner had begun work on what would eventually be Disney-MGM Studios.) The debut of Disney-MGM Studios would also serve as the opening salvo for an ambitious, 10-year effort to rejuvenate the Disney Parks brand and expand that brand worldwide. Eisner would later publicly refer to this initiative as the Disney Decade.

By the end of 1989, Star Tours would be open at Tokyo Disneyland and Disney-MGM Studios in slightly modified configurations. Instead of the Disneyland version, which took over a pre-existing attraction (Adventure Thru Innerspace) and was converted under the supervision of legendary Imagineer Tom Morris, the Disney World version was a blank slate. This new Star Tours was just around the corner from the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, also based on a Lucas property, which also opened in 1989. A more intricate façade was developed with a full-sized AT-AT walker (that at the time shot water from its moving turrets) and forested Ewok village and a show building that still maintained the “backlot” look of the rest of the park. It’s just an illusion, this new show building said, but what an illusion.

The Japanese version of Star Tours was even more ornate. As Kevin Rafferty recalls in his memoir “Magic Journeys,” he was tasked with Astrozone, a “unique-to-Tokyo Disneyland part of the Star Tours complex.” This new area was to include an “enclosed skyway bridge that connected Star Tours and a new two-level dine-in restaurant,” hosted by an adorable animatronic alien and eventually dubbed the Pan Galactic Pizza Port. In 1992, Star Tours would open, with a full-sized X-Wing, at the Euro Disney theme park (now known as Disneyland Paris). Fun needs no translation.

But the biggest change for the attraction would happen in late summer 2010, when both the Disneyland and Walt Disney World versions of Star Tours would shut down completely. Years of rumors persisted that the attraction would be shuttered and reopened, this time themed around the pod-racing sequence from 1999’s prequel film “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.” As it turned out, the plans were much more ambitious.

Instead of a single new theme, the ride would be re-conceived, with the idea that Eades, Baxter and the other Imagineers had concocted during the blue-sky phase of the attraction’s development. You wouldn’t just be going to one planet, you would be going to all of your favorite “Star Wars” planets, including Tatooine (hello pod-race!), the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk, underneath the opulent planet of Naboo, and on the snowy planet of Hoth, made famous by the opening battle sequence from “The Empire Strikes Back.” Incredibly, you don’t visit Endor, the Ewok-filled planet that you were attempting to visit in the first iteration of the ride, despite the fact that early marketing materials suggested the forest moon would be part of the new version of the attraction.

This new Star Tours, now dubbed Star Tours: The Adventures Continue, allowed guests, thanks to a cutting-edge randomization feature, to visit many planets in the course of a single trip aboard your new Starspeeder. The new version of the ride featured additional in-theater effects and C-3PO as your new in-cabin pilot, as well, and the digital projection of the ride film could be enjoyed in 3D.

In 2011, Star Tours – The Adventures Continue opened at Disneyland and Walt Disney World (it would reach Tokyo Disneyland in 2013 and Disneyland Paris in 2017). Further randomization was added when planets and characters from the new “Star Wars” sequel trilogy, including Jakku and Kef Bir, were included. And in a full circle moment, there was a sequence now devoted to Crait from “The Last Jedi,” the planet that was inspired by the original version of Star Tours.

On Friday, May 20, 2011, there was an opening celebration at Walt Disney World for the new Star Tours – The Adventures Continue. The park that was once Disney-MGM Studios was now called Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but Star Tours was just as important to the park. Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger, who had succeeded Eisner, was there to inaugurate the new version of the attraction, as was Lucas. Darth Vader was on stage too, as was the creator of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” Dave Filoni, who would go on to shepherd “The Mandalorian.”

“Star Tours is a timeless adventure,” Iger said at the event. “Guests will be immersed in the Star Wars galaxy like never before.” He touted the “over 50” combinations that this new attraction would deliver, plus the fact that the Disneyland version would be open the following month. Lucas called the new attraction “amazing.” “It turned out better than we could ever imagine,” Lucas said. Lucas also cited the original plan to switch out the original ride film every few years. “This time we figured when we did it, we would give you all the reprogramming in one event,” Lucas said. He also referred to “secret cookies,” which were further randomizations (in one version you narrowly miss Jar Jar Binks who is seen swimming underneath Naboo, in another version you hit him dead on). These weren’t turned on until the “Force Awakens” additions in 2015.

After the event in Florida, Lucas and Iger convened to have lunch at the park’s Brown Derby restaurant. According to Iger, this is where he first floated an intriguing idea to Lucas – what if Disney bought Lucasfilm? Lucas listened. A few years later, he agreed. This conversation would lead to, amongst other things, the production of the sequel trilogy and the design and construction of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, a 14-acre land that would feature the Millennium Falcon simulator attraction Eades had dreamed up all those years ago, along with Rise of the Resistance, one of the most technologically innovative and immersive attractions in the history of Walt Disney Imagineering. There’s even a “Star Wars”-y cantina, which, just as Eades had imagined it, is a few steps from the Millennium Falcon.

That cantina’s DJ might seem familiar. It’s Rex from Star Tours, once again voiced by Paul Reubens. Wonder if he ever made it to Endor.   

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The unmissable addition to Disneyland’s Star Tours ride? Space whales

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Disneyland’s Star Tours: The Adventures Continue has proved to be one of the theme park’s most versatile attractions.

Though perhaps no longer the groundbreaking technological marvel that it was when it debuted in 1987, the flight simulator ride has shifted with the franchise, withstanding cultural trends and aligning with whichever version of “Star Wars” is popular at the moment — or in need of a marketing boost.

The latest update to Star Tours brings the ride into the Disney+ era, with nods to series such as “The Mandalorian,” “Ahsoka” and “Andor.” More noteworthy, at least for Disneyland guests, is that the centerpiece of the latest upgrades is a scene that provides a slight tonal shift for the attraction, one focused, albeit briefly, on slowing down and giving so-called starspeeder riders a look at one of “Star Wars’” more majestic creatures. Star Tours will now rocket guests straight to a moment that boasts a close-up with the purrgil, essentially large, mysterious space whales that move with a galactic grace.

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For the 3-D attraction, it’s a moment that provides a breather. The motion simulator lingers for a few seconds, and our makeshift animatronic captain, the golden droid C-3PO, turns to face riders. C-3PO shifts into tour guide mode, appearing in awe of the purrgil and commenting on how serene the animals are.

“This will be different from other sequences, to have a moment,” said Tom Fitzgerald, a senior creative executive with Walt Disney Imagineering, the company’s secretive arm devoted to theme park attractions, when asked about taking a patient approach to the scene. “You don’t get many moments. It’s so compact. But it’s a moment to let people look at the beauty of this, and the 3-D gives you the scale of those creatures.”

The additions to Star Tours are arguably the centerpiece of Disneyland’s all-things- “Star Wars” promotion Season of the Force , which debuted this past weekend and runs through June 2. The “Star Wars” festival also sees new droids making their way to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge through the duration of the event, as well as the return of Space Mountain overlay Hyperspace Mountain and a new free scavenger hunt that aims to get players to pay close attention to the minute details of Galaxy’s Edge.

Fitzgerald has been with Star Tours since the ride’s beginning, and oversaw the latest Star Tours additions, which further deviate the attraction from any strict “Star Wars” timeline and instead focus it on being a sort of “greatest hits” for the brand. The purrgil scene also features Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka Tano and the character’s svelte, fast-rotating starship above the planet of Seatos. Tano’s ship inspired Imagineers to see if they could add some new tricks to the attraction, mainly in the way the simulator can move. When Tano’s vessel twists and spins, for instance, the starspeeder attempts to mimic it, endeavoring to create the feeling of a 360-barrel roll. At other times, the starspeeder glides among the purrgil.

Key to Star Tours’ longevity, and what makes it the rare motion simulator that doesn’t feel rooted in the 1980s, is its ability to create new sensations via its movements. The ride now has more than 250 storyline variations, and when adding to the attraction, Imagineers are looking for ways to heighten the contrast among its various scenes, both tonally and in its maneuvers. Though Star Tours is typically randomized — for the foreseeable future, and definitely throughout Disneyland’s spring Season of the Force promotion — all riders are guaranteed to visit the new location and receive an early-flight transmission from one of the recently added characters.

“How do we make each of the places we go have a different color palette?” says Fitzgerald, who then recalls different “Star Wars” planets that can be featured in the attraction’s random programming. “Mustafar is all lava. Kashyyyk is all green jungle. So they feel very different when you get the combos. And then motion-based. Could we do a barrel roll? That’s the fun of doing it, and programming it and trying it. And we needed something else. What have we not done? So with the purrgils, what if we do skiing through the tentacles? We had never done that. So those are the two big motion changes.”

The attraction is also livened up by appearances from Dawson’s Tano, Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor and a masked Din Djarin from “The Mandalorian.” While the latter is played and portrayed by Pedro Pascal on the Disney+ series, many have noted that the Djarin on “Star Tours” features a slightly different vocal cadence than Pascal, and an Imagineering spokesperson says the company is not revealing its voice actors for the attraction. Nevertheless, “The Mandalorian” moment features some comic relief — and clever 3-D usage — courtesy of Grogu, colloquially refered to as “baby Yoda,” and his penchant to use Force powers to toy with and eat frogs.

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The three appear as transmissions that help define the suddenly urgent narrative of Star Tours. “Each one is different,” Fitzgerald says. “Mando and Grogu we played for comedy. And Andor is mysterious. You don’t see his face. You see this thing coming toward you. Is that a friend or foe? And then he pulls his hood and the music changes.” Tano, meanwhile, arrives like an old friend who knows C-3PO and fellow droid R2-D2. Riders are advised to pay close attention to the opening cinematic in a ship’s hangar, as there is a new randomized opening that features Tano in a lightsaber battle with Stormtroopers.

As for why the new additions perhaps lean a bit more heavily on “Ahsoka,” as it is that series that features the planet of Seatos and the purrgil, Fitzgerald had a simple answer: Yes, it’s the space whales.

With access to early scripts from Lucasfilm, Fitzgerald says he singled out the purrgil scenes. “Reading about that, not knowing what they looked like initially, I was going, that’s going to be really cool.” And, at least for a few seconds, relatively calming.

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Star Tours: The Adventures Continue

An Attraction in Disneyland

Last updated: November 25, 2023

At a Glance

• Lightning Lane via Genie+
• Video Captioning
• Must Transfer From Wheelchair/ECV
• No Service Animals

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The History Of Disneyland's Star Tours: How Star Wars Came To The Disney Parks Long Before Galaxy's Edge

A look back at how Disneyland's first Star Wars ride came to be.

For more than 10 years Star Wars has been the property of the Walt Disney Company . In that time, the studio have produced several hit films for the franchise, more than one popular TV series and even expanded the Star Wars universe through a brand new series of novels . But the biggest addition to the Star Wars universe may be in the theme parks. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland and Walt Disney World brought the galaxy far, far away to life for people in a way that movies never could, but the first Star Wars attraction, Star Tours,  happened decades before any of that.

Ever since Galaxy’s Edge opened, many fans have wondered if Star Tours was not long for this world. But during the recent Star Wars Celebration it was confirmed that next year, new segments will be added to the popular attraction. Since this one isn’t going anywhere, let’s take a look at where it came from and the incredible history of Star Tours.

Star Wars Comes To Disneyland Thanks To Indiana Jones

The story of Star Wars at Disneyland actually begins with another franchise entirely, which wouldn’t make it to the park until years later. When Michael Eisner became the CEO of The Walt Disney Company one of his major initiatives was bringing young people into the parks. Disney was seen as a park for kids and their parents, but not so much for teenagers or young adults. The hunt was on for new attractions based on franchises that were popular with this demographic. 

Eisner had previously been the President of Paramount Pictures, the studio behind the Indiana Jones movies, and so he had a relationship with George Lucas . The idea was floated of turning Indiana Jones , Star Wars and more into attractions at Disneyland, and Lucas was interested in the idea.

Walt Disney Imagineering and Lucas’ own Industrial Light and Magic came together to put together the attraction, which would use a motion simulator combined with a projection screen that would give the guests the feeling of flying through outer space. A number of technical hurdles had to be overcome, including the fact that the motion simulator wasn’t originally designed to do all the things Disney would need it to do in order to properly give guests a Star Wars experience. The projection system mounted to the front also threw off the system’s weight.

Eventually these issues were dealt with, a story and a film were put together, and Star Tours opened at Disneyland in 1987. And if you thought a new ride draws crowds now, Disneyland was open for 60 straight hours to accommodate the crowds for this one.

The Original Star Tours

The concept of the ride is that guests are tourists taking a trip to visit the forest moon of Endor. Unfortunately, the pilot for your journey, RX-24, also called R3X, is new at the job, so after taking a couple of wrong turns just getting out of the dock, he overshoots his mark and flies right by the moon. Numerous other unfortunate things take place, like flying through a comet cluster. The craft gets knocked around before flying through a large comet and barely escaping.

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After that, the speeder is captured in the tractor beam of a Star Destroyer, but is freed by a fleet of X-Wings. The Star Tours ship then travels with the X-wings where they find a Death Star, and guests get to experience a trench run like the one we saw in Star Wars: A New Hope . After successfully destroying the Death Star, R3X returns the ship back to the dock so guests can depart.

The Star Wars Prequels And Star Tours The Adventure Continues

Roughly 10 years after the original Star Tours opened, George Lucas began working on his Star Wars prequel trilogy . Very early on, Imagineering began to consider updating Star Tours to tie it into the new trilogy, but eventually it was decided to wait until the new set of movies was complete before deciding just what story to tell or what world, or worlds, to visit.

After a decade, technology had progressed enough that some of the initial concepts that had been considered for Star Tours were able to be revisited. From the beginning, the idea that Star Tours could be updated or changed over time with new films had been on the wish list, but it had never happened.

With the advent of digital film, the massive projection system on the front of the motion simulator could be replaced with something less fragile. In addition, digital projection allowed for a system that could put together different pieces of film chosen randomly.

Opening on the same day at both Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the new Star Tours, Star Tours: The Adventure Continues, replaced RX-24 with C-3PO, who found himself in the pilot’s seat accidentally. From there, guests are treated to a story broken into four main segments, but each segment has multiple options, and what you get is chosen randomly. It's all focused around keeping a Rebel spy safe. The spy is a randomly selected person on the ride.

Guests may visit Tatooine during a pod race on one ride, and go to Hoth on another. A trip may end on Coruscant or it could go to Kashyyyk. It’s unlikely that you’ll have two rides that are exactly the same, and you'll need to go on the attraction several times in order to see everything. 

The Addition Of The Star Wars Sequel Trilogy

But the real benefit to the new Star Tours system came later, after Disney had purchased Lucasfilm from George Lucas and began to make all new movies. Because with each new movie came a new addition to Star Tours.

A new addition to Star Wars was released more or less alongside each entry in the Sequel Trilogy. A flight through a crashed Star Destroyer on Jakku from The Force Awakens , a flight on the salt planet of Crait from The Last Jedi , ( a part of the movie that was actually inspired by the original Star Tours ), and a couple of different segments were added with The Rise of Skywalker . 

Each of these new additions also includes cameo appearances by members of the cast of the films, so fans can see Rey, Finn and Poe as part of the ride. Each new segment was simply added to the existing ride, increasing the number of options and making the chances of getting the same ride twice even less likely.

The Adventure Will Continue For Star Tours

Since 2019, there had been no additional updates or changes to Star Tours: The Adventure Continues , and considering that both Disneyland Resort’s and Walt Disney World’s versions of Star Tours are in the same park as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, many wondered if Star Tours might eventually get replaced. 

But it looks like that won’t be happening anytime soon. At Star Wars Celebration in London, Walt Disney Imagineer Scott Trowbridge revealed that not only will additional destinations be added to Star Tours in 2024 , but the locations aren’t even places we’ve ever seen before.

Considering that we’re not expecting new Star Wars movies until at least 2025, it seems like we could be getting new destinations based on Disney+ shows rather than movies. Assuming we will see these worlds before the ride adds them, or at least at the same time, we could be talking about seeing a planet from Ahsoka or The Acolyte becoming part of this iconic attraction. And we could still see some new additions that we have seen before alongside those we have not, like Mandalore.

What’s clear is that after more than 35 years, Star Tours is still going strong. If the Disneyland and Walt Disney World attraction is getting fresh investment now, there are obviously no plans to retire it anytime soon. And with Disney continuing to expand the Star Wars universe, the opportunity for new additions will always be there. This adventure will continue for many more years to come. 

CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian, Dirk began writing for CinemaBlend as a freelancer in 2015 before joining the site full-time in 2018. He has previously held positions as a Staff Writer and Games Editor, but has more recently transformed his true passion into his job as the head of the site's Theme Park section. He has previously done freelance work for various gaming and technology sites. Prior to starting his second career as a writer he worked for 12 years in sales for various companies within the consumer electronics industry. He has a degree in political science from the University of California, Davis.  Is an armchair Imagineer, Epcot Stan, Future Club 33 Member.

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While the upcoming Galactic Starcruiser hotel at Disney World might be advertising an out-of-this-world vacation, Disneyland 's Star Tours has been offering tourism-themed Star Wars experiences for 35 years. The attraction was met with a passionate enthusiasm from the shaded Venn diagram of theme park fans and George Lucas devotees when it opened on Jan. 9, 1987. 

Speaking with ET in December at the Make-A-Wish’s Galaxy of Wishes event at Disneyland, Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill , shared his initial reaction to the groundbreaking ride. The actor recalled putting to Lucas if he could ever have imagined one of his movies “inspiring a ride at Disneyland” and told the iconic director, “‘We’ll never top this, George.’” 

True to the reputation of Disney Imagineers, the actor’s expectations were later blown away by the fantastical, immersive park regions now at Disneyland Park and Disney World’s Hollywood Studios that go far beyond motion simulator experiences. Nevertheless, Star Tours is still a hallmark attraction at Disney parks around the world, also boasting locations at Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disney.  

Let’s take a look at the audacious beginnings of Star Tours and how its imaginative conception built the foundation of an enduring Disney Parks legacy. 

“Lightspeed to Endor!”

A LONG, LONG TIME AGO, IN ANAHEIM…

Following a slump in Disney’s Imagineering efforts in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, renewed interest in the department picked up when Michael Eisner was installed as CEO of the House of Mouse in 1984. The executive, who remained at the helm until Bob Iger took the reins in 2005, is often credited with igniting new vigor into the legendary team of creatives.

Speaking with ET in 1985, Eisner teased the upcoming ride as one “several exciting things” in the works for Disney parks. Along with the now defunct 3-D space musical Captain EO  starring the late Michael Jackson , and also produced by Lucas, Star Tours was selected to be one of the first projects to benefit from this renaissance. For Lucas, who can boast he walked through Disneyland’s gates on its second day of operation in July of 1955 , he counted both the park and Walt Disney’s animated classics as some of his earliest creative influences. 

With the filmmaker lending his world of lightsabers and Wookies to the parks, Star Tours became the first attraction adapted from non-Disney IP. In promotional materials at the time, Lucas explained in an interview, “I wanted to have an involvement in Tomorrowland. I thought that was a portion of the park that had been a little less than what it could have been, so they've given me the opportunity to include my characters into that part of the park and try to come up with some new ideas.”

As Lucas and Imagineers set out to adapt Star Wars for Disneyland, the collaborators wished to expedite the traditional five-year development process. In this pursuit, they turned to advanced military flight simulator technology that had never been applied to theme park attractions before (an image from one of the original simulation sequences is on the left). The ride’s designers, including legendary Imagineers Tony Baxter and Tom Fitzgerald, recognized the potential for the system’s hydraulic lifts to create a hyper realistic Star Wars adventure. 

For the location, Star Tours took over the show building for Adventure Thru Inner Space (ending its run after 18 years of operation) near the Tomorrowland entrance. With the hardware on standby, stakeholders turned to their biggest challenge: making another Star Wars movie. 

The idea: guests enter Star Tours, an interstellar travel agency promising voyages to multiple deep space locales following the climatic events of Return of the Jedi . Forty “tourists” at a time board their space vessel, the Starspeeder 3000, and sit facing what looks like the craft’s front window. But with a first-time pilot at the helm, a droid named RX-24 -- nicknamed “Rex” (voiced by Paul Reubens) -- complications ensue, as they historically do in Star Wars tales.

Designers at Industrial, Light and Magic spent a year and a half working on Star Tours’ four-minute special effects extravaganza (with the added difficulty of creating a movie without noticeable editing cuts). While passengers are scheduled for a flight to the Moon of Endor, Rex's maiden voyage quickly involves unplanned near-collisions with icy comets and evasive maneuvers against Imperial fighters. Riders drop, rise and tilt -- meticulously in sync with the viewscreen images -- as their rookie pilot narrowly manages to secure everyone's safe return.

THE PREMIERE

Over 65 years after its debut, there’s not many exciting “firsts” or “records” which aren’t routinely broken year after year at Disneyland. But the exception which proves this rule lies with the opening of Star Tours in 1987. For the first, and presumably final time, the park remained open for 60 hours straight to celebrate the attraction’s highly anticipated debut. 

The state-of-the-art motion simulator experience was a hit with parkgoers. ET went on the $35 million ride later that year with Facts of Life star Mackenzie Astin. “It was very bouncy. You shake around a whole lot,” he remarked after exiting Star Tours. “But I loved every minute of it.” 

The ride’s inaugural guests were treated to a commonplace experience today at most theme parks, but was revolutionary at the time: an entertaining queue. As people waited in line, they wound through a spaceport where a big-screen played vacation promotional reels for Star Wars destinations (like Hoth, promoted as "the galaxy's greatest ice planet”). Plus, awaiting passengers walked by a full-size Starspeeder 3000 being repaired by none other than familiar droids C-3PO and R2-D2, who didn’t hold back their trademark bickering as guests inched closer to the boarding zone.

Star Tours made its way to Florida a few years later when it premiered at Disney/MGM Studios (now Hollywood Studios). Following its well-documented popularity in Anaheim, Imagineers chose to provide this location with six Starspeeder cars, as opposed to the four at Disneyland. In addition, the ride exterior was fleshed out with an Endor forest and a 35-foot AT-AT walker looming over the entrance, much like the ones seen today while riding Rise of the Resistance. 

The “Endor Express” became a staple attraction at Disney parks over the next decade, often spoken in the same breath as Matterhorn and Spaceship Earth. In the early '90s, Star Tours gained extra significance when Lucas began teasing his long-awaited prequel trilogy . As fans waited for these new films, they could at least stop by Tomorrowland for an interactive Star Wars experience to hold them over. 

To celebrate its 10th anniversary in 1997, Disneyland invited Carrie Fisher to re-dedicate the attraction. In a ceremony pointedly reminiscent of the end of A New Hope , Fisher was presented with a “Disneyland Medal of Honor,” seemingly the only person to ever been given such an award. 

In promotional materials at the time, Fisher referenced daughter Billie Lourd  as the reason why she loved going to the park. “The easiest mothering thing I have to do is bring my kid to Disneyland, so I can't tell you how many times we've come here. This represents my best maternal zone, [because] I never grew up to the extent that I grew past the ability to enjoy a great amusement park. And this is the best,” Fisher explained.

THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES 

In 2011, a new version of the ride opened in Florida and California titled Star Tours: The Adventure Continues. This iteration, which is the standing version at the parks today, features different variations of opening sequences, primary destinations, holographic messages and finale set pieces. All to say, the random shuffle of scenes ensures no rider will have the same Star Tours experience twice in their lifetime. 

The updated ride system features a high-definition 3-D experience (requiring guests to wear "flight goggles"), several new special effects and most crucial: a new position on the Star Wars timeline. Star Tours now existed in the prequel era, leading to several changes to retrofit the attraction from its post-Episode VI origin date (the Starspeeder 3000 was now the Starspeeder 1000, etc). But one of the most evident was Rex's demotion from captain to unproven droid placed in the ride queue in order to keep up with this new continuity (but more on Rex later). 

Following the sale of Lucasfilm to The Walt Disney Company in 2012 and the ensuing sequel trilogy, the franchise's latest heroes and villains were integrated into the ride’s experience. During this era, Star Tours also became a go-to place of celebration as new Star Wars movies and TV shows rolled out. To hype the premiere of The Last Jedi , Hamill stopped by Tomorrowland (see below) and to blow the minds of some passengers who can now say they jumped to lightspeed with a Jedi legend. 

Of course, its present-day version fudges the ride's temporal landscape a bit. Guests might run into any characters and locations depicted across Episodes I-XI , be it jumping into a podrace from The Phantom Menace or exploring the Death Star ruins on Kef Bir as seen in The Rise of Skywalker (and who’s to say riders might eventually see TV characters such as The Mandalorian on the Starpeeder viewscreen at some point, let's be realistic).

“STAR TOURS ON STEROIDS”

In 2015, Imagineers announced it would fulfill the ultimate dream of Star Wars fans by creating an entire land within the parks dedicated to Lucas’ space opera. This vision included two new attractions, eateries, character interactions, gift shops and even droid footprints embedded in the cement walkways. As the initial concept art proved, not since the debut of Cars Land at Disney California Adventure had there been such an ambitious execution of placemaking in theme parks. 

When Galaxy’s Edge opened at Disneyland in 2019 , the impact of Star Tours could be seen in both a physical and spiritual sense throughout the 14-acre region. At the opening ceremony, this connection was given the ultimate confirmation when Lucas referred to Black Spire Outpost as “Star Tours on steroids.” 

But the most tangible of these influences was the resurrection of Rex. As fans now know, Rex’s tenure as a Star Tours pilot came to an end after crash landing on Batuu, where he took up a new vocation as Oga Cantina’s DJ (taking on the aptly named title “DJ Rex”). The retired pilot spins records as guests sip libations with names like “Coruscant Cooler” and “Gold Squadron Lager.” Following Rex’s cameo in the first season for Star Wars: Rebels , a couple of his RX-series peers have also been spotted in The Book of Boba Fett . 

Another sign of Star Tours’ enduring legacy is the sense of longing it inspired among theme park fans amid the coronavirus pandemic. Avid Disneyland-goers Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker have made up for plenty of lost time in the park after it reopened in April of 2021. But staying away from Harbor Boulevard stung for the drummer and his band, Blink 182. The proof is in a catchy chorus from their song, “Quarantine,” released in August of 2020. 

"Quarantine, f**k this disease / I'd rather be on Star Tours or stuck at the DMV…”

But maybe the DMV can learn from Star Tours -- or get a permanent music residency -- as a spectacular line queue experience can go a long, long way. 

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The New Star Tours Update: Everything You Need, and Want, to Know

Characters from the mandalorian, ahsoka, and andor are now part of the legendary disney attraction..

Before Disney bought Star Wars , the two brands began their courtship with a ride . Star Tours opened in 1987 and has seen many new upgrades and additions over the years . This week, for its Season of the Force event , Disney gave the ride another refresh. And this time, for the first time, it’s with characters from Disney+.

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So, starting today, if you are at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, or Disneyland Paris, Star Tours now features characters from Ahsoka, Andor and The Mandalorian . But what’s new? How does it work? io9 was among a group of journalists Disney invited to an early preview of the new Star Tours at Disneyland in Anaheim, so we’ll explain.

How many new Star Tours locations are there?

Though you may have assumed otherwise, only one new, full planet has been added to Star Tours this time around: Seatos from Ahsoka. However, there are three different variations going into that. One featuring Ahsoka (with Rosario Dawson reprising the role), one featuring Cassian Andor (with Diego Luna reprising), and one featuring both the Mandalorian and Grogu.

What can happen on the new Star Tours ?

So, you get on the ride and start to pull out of the spaceport. Here’s where, potentially, your first new change will be. In the past, riders would usually see the Millennium Falcon sitting there as the ship was stopped by Darth Vader, Kylo Ren, or a Probe Droid. And while that’s still more likely to happen than not, if you happen to see a new ship there, you know exactly where this particular ride will take you.

Yes, in some Star Tours rides not only is Ahsoka Tano’s T-6 Jedi Shuttle in the first scene, you can see Ahsoka herself there in the frame. She’s talking to Stormtroopers and, when they discover the Rebel spy, Ahsoka turns on her lightsabers and battles off the troopers before jumping in the ship.

If you see that, you can impress your friends and tell them what’s going to happen next. After you visit one of many, many planets that were previously on the ride (I did it twice on Friday and both times it was podracing on Tatooine from Episode I ), you’ll then get one of the three new transmissions. However, if you got Ahsoka’s ship at the start, you are guaranteed to get Ahsoka in this moment. She’ll say “Hi” to C-3PO, and be excited to see her friend R2-D2 again, before asking to deliver a very important person—the Rebel spy. As she’s talking, we see Chopper and Huyang in the background, getting into shenanigans.

What are the two other transmissions?

These transmissions is the part of this new Star Tours that will be the most random. If you don’t get Ahsoka, maybe you’ll get the Mandalorian and Grogu. As Mando (who does not sound like it’s Pedro Pascal but we’ve asked Disney for confirmation) talks about a dangerous mission and fight, Grogu is eating one of his frogs. He then spits it out and it floats toward your face in 3D. It’s very cute and funny and just as the one-eyed creature gets close enough to almost touch it, Grogu sucks him back in. “This is the way,” Mando says, and you’re off to the final part of your mission.

Note: unfortunately, we didn’t get to see Cassian’s transmission but, from what we were told, it’s very different tonally than the other two, on purpose. While Ahsoka’s is friendly and Mando’s is funny, Cassian’s is mysterious. He comes out in a hood, lurking in a shadow, then reveals himself to the audience and asks for help with the spy. The key was that each one feels completely unique.

What happens on Seatos?

No matter what transmission you get though, everything is the same after that. Star Tours is off to Seatos, the planet from the final episodes of Ahsoka where they showdown with Thrawn. You arrive in some kind of shadow, only to emerge from the clouds flying among the majestic Purrgil (aka Space Whales). Ahsoka hails you on the side monitor and asks for help with the two ships attacking her, which R2 is more than happy to do. You fly up and around the Purrgil, along their backs, weaving in and out of its fins, and at one point almost even getting sucked in and eaten. Finally, there’s a perfect moment, which R2 uses to land the perfect shot and save the day. Ashoka thanks you, has a special goodbye for her old pal R2, and it’s back home.

Are the new additions to Star Tours good?

Yes and no. Yes, because anytime you can get to sit down and experience a new piece of Star Wars , especially on a ride that’s been around for almost 40 years, that’s a good thing. However, do I think Seatos as a planet is one of the better destinations in the ride? No. In fact, it may be one of my least favorites. It’s drastically lacking in drama compared to, say, Geonosis, Coruscant, or Naboo. But Ahsoka is great and it’s fun to follow a different ship around.

Oh, and the new transmissions (at least the ones we saw) were phenomenal. Much more detailed and eventful than the previous ones.

How long is the new ride happening?

“For a limited time” everyone who boards Star Tours will get the new planet of Seatos every time, as well as one of the new transmissions. Whether or not that’s just through the Season of the Force event or longer is unclear, and Disney wouldn’t commit to specifics. It might be a park to park decision. But, for at least a few weeks or months, if you go on Star Tours , you’ll get the new stuff.

Then, eventually, the three new transmissions and one new planet will be slotted into the ride’s randomizer. When that happens, it takes the number of possible combinations up to over 250.

Why Seatos over anything else?

In the last few years, thanks to Disney+, Star Wars has seen more new planets, characters, and creatures than ever. So why Seatos and the Purrgil? Well, Tom Fitzgerald, one of Star Tours ’ original Imagineers—who also worked on this one —said it was all about picking a planet that was different from all the others. Something unique. Maybe that’s colors or maybe, in this case, it’s a unique creature. So by choosing Seatos, not only do you get to see these massive, new, unique creatures, but those creatures allow the ride to do moves it’s never done before. That’s how we get the first barrel roll ever in Star Tours as well as a sequence he refers to as the “slalom ski run.”

How long did the new upgrade take?

Fitzgerald said he and his team first started working on these new additions sometime between 18 months and two years ago.

Could another ride get this treatment?

Since Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012, Star Tours has been updated about every two or three years. This update is the first since 2019 though—so it makes you wonder, what’s next? And, will it even be Star Tours ?

When Galaxy’s Edge opened in 2019, Disney said that the Millennium Falcon ride, Smugglers Run , was designed in a similar fashion to Star Tours and that the actual visuals in the ride could be changed to take guests on new adventures. But now, that ride has been the same for five years. Could a change be coming? Unfortunately, no one from Imagineering or Lucasfilm would comment, confirm, or deny—but, fingers crossed.

The Ahsoka, Andor and Mandalorian additions to Star Tours: The Adventures Continue are now running at Disneyland, Hollywood Studios, and Disneyland Paris as part of the Season of the Force event. For more on that, check out this link.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel , Star Wars , and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV , and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who .

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Star Tours: The Adventures Continue

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Star Tours: The Adventures Continue is a Disney simulator ride theme park attraction located in Disneyland at Disneyland Resort in California , Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Florida , Tokyo Disneyland at Tokyo Disney Resort in Tokyo , Japan and Disneyland Park at Disneyland Paris in Paris , France . It officially opened in Florida on May 20 , 2011 , [4] in California on June 3 , 2011, [5] in Tokyo on May 7 , 2013 and in Paris on March 18 , 2017 . [6] Early promotional materials referred to the ride as Star Tours II , [3] while the alternate name Star Tours 3-D was used when the ride first opened. [7]

The attraction replaced the original Star Tours attraction and serves as its prequel, taking place between Episodes III and IV and tying both trilogies together. Additional elements from Episode VII were added in late 2015 to promote the new film, while scenes depicting the planets Crait and Batuu from Episode VIII and Star Wars : Galaxy's Edge respectively were added on November 17 , 2017 . Additions from Episode IX featuring the moon of Kef Bir and Exegol debuted on December 20 , 2019 . [8] At the Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023 , it was announced that more destinations would be added to the rides in California, Florida and Paris in 2024 [9] , with Disneyland's debut of the those scenes taking place during the Season of the Force event from April 5th to June 2nd . [10]

Some footage from the initial version of the ride appeared years later as part of a flight simulator in the Star Wars : Millennium Falcon themed area of the Disney Dream cruise ship. [11]

• 1 Opening crawl
• 2.1 Queue and boarding
• 2.2 Spaceport escape
• 2.3 Planet 1
• 2.4 Hologram message
• 2.5 Planet 2
• 3 Development
• 4 Merchandise
• 5.1 In the queue
• 5.2 On the ride
• 6 Continuity
• 7.1 Poster gallery
• 8 Appearances
• 10 Notes and references
• 11 External links

Opening crawl [ ]

This crawl was shown at the attraction's grand opening ceremony. [12]

Plot summary [ ]

The ride's passenger cabin

Unlike the original Star Tours , the ride has twenty-one (originally eleven) segments that are randomly chosen during each viewing. In all, the various options resulted in 54 possible combinations. [13] [14] Two new segments added in 2015 to promote The Force Awakens were locked into place for the duration of the Season of the Force event, after which the randomization was re-enabled. Additionally, variations of existing segments created in 2011 were activated for the first time, [15] increasing variability further during the lock. The 2017 addition of material to promote The Last Jedi brought in more sequel trilogy content to create a full experience focused on the era as a result of criticism of the Jakku segment mismatching the rest of the attraction. The 2019 addition of The Rise of Skywalker material, initially presented as a locked experience, allowed the sequel trilogy to share more of the original unpredictability by providing two additional planets to shuffle through when the lock was removed. 2024 would see the addition of Seatos as a second planet option and additional hologram messages from Cassian Andor , Ahsoka Tano with Huyang and Chopper , and Din Djarin with Grogu . While Ahsoka and Cassian specifically reference the Rebellion, Din's message is more ambiguous, potentially allowing him to play within either era. Scenes based on the Sequel trilogy and new Canon TV series are considered non-canon here, since the original ride is part of the Legends continuity .

Queue and boarding [ ]

In one feature exclusive to the version of the ride at Tokyo Disneyland, guests first enter a room with a large video billboard advertising various travel destinations and revealing other details of the story, such as identifying the Star Tours terminal as only one part of Spaceport THX1138 . Also in the version of the ride in Tokyo Disneyland guests pass RX-23 and HHG-RX and two other droids standing in poses in reference to the hitchhiking ghosts from the Haunted Mansion.

The ride queue

In every version of the ride, guests then enter a hangar where C-3PO and R2-D2 are busy repairing a StarSpeeder 1000 while a large screen displays commercials (some hosted by droid Aly San San ), messages, flight lists and exterior views of a space station that presumably the waiting passengers are now inside, just like in the original attraction.

Guests pass by security droid G2-9T X-raying luggage, where a monitor displays various items inside the luggage (including many Star Wars and Disney references). Guests also pass by droid customs, where RX-24 is malfunctioning with a sticker labeled "Defective: return to factory."

After passing another droid screening passengers, G2-4T , guests reach the boarding area and watch video screens that display the outside of the StarSpeeder maintenance area where C-3PO speaks with the ships' pilot droid, AC-38 , also known as Ace. C-3PO needs to sit in the pilot's seat to repair the binary motivator. Ace leaves to inspect the outside of the ship and then gets called away from the area. Guests then watch a safety video hosted by Aly San San. Ace does not return before the ship is elevated to the passenger boarding level, leaving C-3PO and R2-D2 on board the flight with passengers. Star Tours Flight 1401 is then cleared for take off despite C-3PO's protests, and R2-D2 takes control of the vessel.

Spaceport escape [ ]

This segment includes one of five scenes. Sequel-trilogy-era variants are non-canon.

• Darth Vader and a group of stormtroopers arrive to prevent the ship from leaving. A video screen identifies one of the passengers as a Rebel spy . Vader uses the Force to stop the ship until R2-D2 fires the laser cannons , and the StarSpeeder exits the hangar backwards and is a chased by TIE fighters . The ship then evades Star Destroyers and escapes into hyperspace . In one later variant of the scene, Boba Fett is part of Vader's entourage.
• While the StarSpeeder is docked near the Millennium Falcon and Han Solo , a droid scans the ship and one of the passengers is identified as a Rebel spy, while outside Solo gets into a firefight with stormtroopers. The StarSpeeder then follows the Falcon as it flees the hangar and flies past Star Destroyers (causing severe damage to the bridge of one) before entering hyperspace. An alternate version of this scene added in 2024 has us following the T-6 1974 out of the spaceport instead.
• Non-canon: In a scene patterned after the earlier Darth Vader scene, Kylo Ren and First Order stormtroopers arrive, and Ren uses the Force to prevent the ship from leaving. After he identifies a spy and "traitor to the First Order ," R2-D2 opens fires, and the ship flees as in the earlier version.

Planet 1 [ ]

The ship exits hyperspace above one of five planets. Sequel-trilogy-era variants are non-canon.

• The ship reaches the surface of Hoth and follows snowspeeders in an attack run on an AT-AT . The ship hits the ground and slides down an icy mountain before flying back into space.
• On Kashyyyk , the ship is caught in a speeder bike chase through the forest with some Wookiees . Chewbacca is thrown from his bike and hits the ship's windshield. The speeder then leaves the forest and heads for space.
• The ship arrives at Tatooine and drops through the atmosphere into the middle of a pod race . After getting stuck to a pod racer and crossing the finish line, the ship heads back into space.
• Non-canon: The ship arrives on Jakku in the midst of a chase between the Millennium Falcon and a squad of First Order TIE fighters through the wreckage. Finn or Rey appears on the screen asking what Star Tours is doing here and tells them to stay low. Diving into a wrecked Star Destroyer and avoiding debris, the ship stumbles into a group of scavengers, who steal the Star Tours seal. The ship then leaves before more damage can be done and heads for space.
• Non-canon: The ship drops from hyperspace flying past Endor , which 3PO comments on, and lands in the oceans of the moon of Kef Bir near the ruins of the DS-2 Death Star II Mobile Battle Station . When ocean waves send the StarSpeeder inside these remnants of the Battle of Endor, the ship encounters a pack of Dianoga before R2 gets the ship able to take off and leave the moon.

Hologram message [ ]

Once back in space, the StarSpeeder receives a holographic message from one of ten different characters. Scenes based on the Sequel trilogy and new Canon TV series are considered non-canon here, since the original ride is part of the Legends continuity.

• Yoda , Admiral Gial Ackbar , Princess Leia , Cassian Andor or Ahsoka Tano , who explains that you must help get the Rebel on board safely to a rendezvous point, and then sends the coordinates to R2-D2.
• Non-canon : Din Djarin accompanied by Grogu tells us we can no longer stand in the shadows and asks us to join an unspecified battle while Grogu uses the Force to play with a frog before swallowing it.
• Non-canon: BB-8 asks for help with a secret mission to deliver vital information. 3PO refuses, but R2 accepts and makes a hyperspace jump; Maz Kanata , in the middle of a combat situation, asks the crew to join the Resistance; Poe Dameron , asking for help, is surprised at seeing R2 and 3PO before getting right to business and sending them the coordinates for their next destination; Lando Calrissian asks for help to join a battle against the First Order, while being happy to see R2 and 3PO.

Planet 2 [ ]

After jumping through hyperspace, the ship reaches one of six destinations. The sequel-trilogy-era scenes are non-canon.

• Incident above Coruscant : The ship ends up in the middle of a battle high above Coruscant , and is attacked by Buzz droids . R2 takes care of one droid, while the others are knocked off in the battle. The ship then flies through the city traffic below before reaching a landing platform, where a number of parked StarSpeeders can be found. An alternate option added later has the Millennium Falcon and Chewbacca appear on the platform instead.
• Skirmish over Naboo : The StarSpeeder reaches Naboo in the middle of a space battle. The ship then follows a group of N-1 starfighters to the surface, and eventually lands in the ocean near a Gungan city, either dodging or crashing into Jar Jar Binks upon arrival. After traveling through the planet core and encountering dangerous sea creatures, the ship launches back to the surface and crash-lands in a Rebel hangar, where it crashes into an N-1. The N-1's tail ends up inside the craft, smashing into the viewport, as a pit droid angrily shouts at Threepio. Alternatively, the StarSpeeder only breaks the tail of the N-1 off, angering the pit droid working on it, resulting in him throwing paint onto the viewport.
• Skirmish at Geonosis : In the Geonosis asteroid belt , the StarSpeeder is chased by Boba Fett in Slave I . The ship escapes but then encounters the incomplete, first Death Star while pursued by Vader and his TIE pilots . The ship escapes by flying right through the unfinished Death Star, but are then met again by Boba, who shoots a seismic charge at the ship. The StarSpeeder shoots it back, evading him and then heads into hyperspace to meet up with the Rebel fleet and land in the Home One ' s hangar bay.
• Non-canon: Battle of Crait : The StarSpeeder arrives on Crait in the middle of the battle between the First Order and the Resistance . After escaping Tie Fighters by going through a cave, the StarSpeeder re-emerges in the midst of a battle with a group of All Terrain MegaCaliber Sixes and after taking down a few, the ship escapes to hyperspace.
• Non-canon: Battle of Exegol : The StarSpeeder arrives in the skies over Exegol, where the Resistance is engaging the Sith Eternal forces . As we dodge shots and debris in the chaotic battle, a frightened 3PO tells us he was happy to have us as passengers assuming we won't make it. After knocking a broken Sith TIE fighter off the ship's viewport, the StarSpeeder helps take out a Xyston -class Star Destroyer and then jumps back into hyperspace.
• Non-canon : Incident on Seatos : Arriving in the skies of Seatos , the StarSpeeder finds themselves in the middle of a pod of Purrgil while the T-6 1974 is engaged in battle with two RP82 Fiend fighters , with Ahsoka asking for assistance. Weaving through the tentacles and avoiding being swallowed by one of the Purrgils, the StarSpeeder is able to take out one of the fighters and R2 has the ship spin in triumph to imitate Ahsoka's ship. Before the ship jumps away, Ahsoka wishes us safe travels and remarks that it was good to see R2 again.
• Non-canon: If visiting sequel trilogy locations and Seatos, one of two additional ending scenes occurs. In one version, the ship escapes to Batuu , where C-3PO muses that their adventure is just beginning . Alternatively, the StarSpeeder returns to Spaceport THX1138 . After dodging several outgoing ships, we land on a lower level, frightening a group of pit droids and catching the ire of AC-38 , who approaches StarSpeeder demanding an explanation before the viewport shield closes.

Development [ ]

A scene from the re-vamped Star Tours

After years of rumors and speculation of an updated version of Star Tours , it was confirmed in April 2005, at Celebration III , where creator George Lucas announced that a Star Tours II was in production. [16]

It was claimed at the 2009 D23 Expo, the official Disney fan convention, that there would not be a second ride introduced, but that instead the existing ride would be updated and improved. The original rides closed in 2010 ( July 27 in California and September 8 in Florida) to allow Disney engineers to begin the updates and renovations. This new iteration of Star Tours re-opened on May 20 , 2011 at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida, [4] and June 3 , 2011 at Disneyland in California. [5]

The new ride is in 3-D, and features the StarSpeeder 1000 , [17] bursting into the Boonta Eve Classic pod race. In a high-resolution image of the scene provided to various media outlets, the 1000 designation on the speeder could be seen. It was also confirmed that the new ride would take passengers to Coruscant among other destinations, and there were rumors that the Endor flight would be reworked as well so that passengers would actually go to Endor this time. A new queue video "commercial" for the attraction was released in August 2010 at Celebration V which showed the StarSpeeder traveling to Bespin , Endor and Alderaan , though it was not confirmed that these would be destinations within the ride. [18] In April, the final destination list was released, adding Naboo , Geonosis with the Death Star I under construction, Kashyyyk , and Hoth joining the already announced Tatooine and Coruscant. [19]

Due to timeline concerns by the Imagineers, they changed the plan for the Hoth sequence from featuring Imperial walkers to focusing on wampas and tauntauns . However, when the plans for this version of the sequence were presented to George Lucas, he insisted on using the walkers and offered a continuity explanation that the Rebels and the Empire had a skirmish there before, and the reason the Rebels went back to establish Echo Base was that they believed the Empire would never suspect they would return there. [20]

In September, the official Disney Parks Blog revealed two droids from the new attraction: a pilot droid from the AC series named Ace (a predecessor to RX-24 from the original) and a "spokesbot" named Aly San San , voiced by actress Allison Janney . The blog also revealed that the ride's story takes place between Episode III and Episode IV ( 19 BBY and 0 BBY ). [21] The Destination D23 event that announced these new droids also revealed that there would be 54 different experiences of the attraction. [22]

In October, it was revealed that, although Star Tours uses AC Droid pilots, C-3PO would pilot the StarSpeeder 1000 in the attraction, through some chaotic mistake. [23] The article also revealed that RX-24 would return, due to his popularity with thousands of fans.

The score of the ride was composed by Oscar winner Michael Giacchino , who, according to some reports, was a big fan of the original attraction. [24] [25]

In January, it was announced that Star Tours: The Adventures Continue would open on May 20 , 2011 at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida. [4] In February, it was announced that the ride would open on June 3 , 2011 at Disneyland in California. [5] That same month, the Disney Parks Blog revealed that ride passengers would encounter Darth Vader , Boba Fett and Imperial jumptroopers . [26] A May 2011 interview with Tom Fitzgerald revealed that Jar Jar Binks would also appear, and that James Earl Jones and Frank Oz would reprise their roles as Vader and Yoda . [1] The interview also revealed that the StarSpeeders would travel underwater and slide on ice. On May 14, almost a week before its official opening, early previews of the ride began at Disney Hollywood Studios in Florida.

Star Tours: The Adventures Continue entrance at Tokyo Disneyland

Similar to the original Star Tours , the ride varied depending on the theme park location. In November 2011, it was announced that a new ride would open at Tokyo Disneyland in Spring of 2013. Tokyo Disneyland featured most of the characters and aspects of the original American version of the rides at Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios. However, it also featured some additional content, such as an in-depth explanation of the spaceport shown in the queue area and rides, including the name of the spaceport in question (Spaceport THX1138). It also showed additional info about the location advertisements, as well as additional characters and droid models. It also featured three language settings: Aurebesh , English , and Japanese. At the end of the ride, three droids— F-25-OJSx , F-24-AMTx , and HHG-RX —were in poses mirroring that of the Hitchhiking Ghosts from the Disney ride Haunted Mansion . [27]

On November 16 , 2015, a new segment set on Jakku debuted as part of Disneyland's "Season of the Force" event in order to promote The Force Awakens [28] , then premiered at Disney's Hollywood Studios on December 1 of that year. [29] Additionally, variants of existing segments created for the original 2011 show were activated for the first time, [15] such as a version of the Vader opening featuring Boba Fett, an altered Naboo segment where the StarSpeeder hits the Gungan while visiting Otoh Gunga and the windshield is splattered with paint at the hangar, and a version of the Coruscant ending where Chewbacca greets guests from the Millennium Falcon cockpit. [28]

On March 18, 2017, the Disneyland Paris version opened. While similar to its counterparts, Paris expanded on the "old droids in shipping containers" idea and relocated ROX-N and the original Goose Droids to additional shipping containers, with new builds of the upgraded GT droids taking over those spots.

On April 15, 2017, it was announced at Star Wars Celebration Orlando that a new segment set on Crait would be added in order to promote The Last Jedi . [30] The segment was activated on November 17 , 2017, and also included Batuu , a planet created for Star Wars : Galaxy's Edge . [31] The update also included a scene of Kylo Ren and the First Order , patterned after the similar Darth Vader scene that opened earlier ride variations. On October 23 , 2019 , it was announced that The Rise of Skywalker content would be added on December 20 . [32]

On March 5, 2024, it was announced that segments based around The Mandalorian , Ahsoka , and Andor would be added to the attraction, with the new segments set to debut on April 5. This will bring the number of sequence combinations up to 250. [33]

Merchandise [ ]

Bree Starlighter , a character used only in promotional material and mall tours prior to the opening of the new ride

As with the original version, upon exiting the ride, passengers are led to a store which sells merchandise based on Star Wars and the ride itself. This includes action figures, clothing, etc. At Disneyland the store is The Star Trader . [34] At Disney's Hollywood Studios, the store is Tatooine Traders , themed to resemble the buildings of Mos Eisley and Mos Espa. [35] Both stores include some exclusive merchandise sold only at Disney theme parks, including action figures of the various droids seen in the ride and queue, and StarSpeeder 1000 toys. [36]

Easter eggs [ ]

In the queue [ ].

The G2 repair droids in the queue line (also found in the original version of the queue) are actually the skeletons of Audio-Animatronic geese from an old Disneyland show, America Sings . They were removed from the show during the last 2 years of its run. The droids can be heard singing variations of "I've been working on the railroad, all the livelong day," a reference to the song sung by the geese. The New Essential Guide to Droids nicknamed the G2s "Goose droids" as a nod to this show. [37]

In the ride queue, after G2-9T somehow starts causing alarms to go off and gets a call from his supervisor, the droid at one point says "Uh, everything's perfectly alright now, w-we're fine. We're all fine here now, thank you. Uh, how are you?," a paraphrase of what Han Solo said when trying to maintain cover after killing most of the security detail for the Detention Block AA-23 in A New Hope . He also says "Boring conversation, anyway" after cutting his supervisor off mid-sentence, which was also from the same film.

One of the items scanned in the luggage by G2-9T was a Goofy doll, prompting him to say that the design was "really goofy." When finding a Goofy hat in another luggage set, G2-9T will mistake it for a Jar Jar Binks styled hat. A Chip and Dale doll set seen in scanned luggage has G2-9T calling them clones . Upon discovering the magic lamp from Aladdin , he mentions that the Star Tours' non-smoking policy extends to luggage as well.

WALL-E , from the Pixar film of the same name, can also be seen in one of the scans, attempting to get G2-9T's attention. G2-9T fails to see this, and clears the suitcase without noticing. Other luggage cameos include Madame Leota from the Haunted Mansion , [37] a Stitch plush, Sorcerer Mickey's hat from Fantasia, Mike Wazowski's teddy bear from Monsters Inc., Indiana Jones's hat and whip, the Mighty Microscope and a snowflake from Adventure Thru Inner Space, and V.I.N.CENT from The Black Hole .

On the ride [ ]

The idea of going to Kashyyyk was suggested by John Lasseter , principal creative adviser at Walt Disney Imagineering, and chief creative officer at Disney and Pixar Animation Studios . [38] During the droid's scan in the stormtrooper opening, two of the images that flash by in the video hologram are photos of Lasseter and George Lucas.

In the scene on Coruscant, a video billboard can be seen advertising " Tomorrowland " in Aurebesh . Disneyland's Star Tours attraction is located in that park's Tomorrowland themed area.

References to the original ride are included when Threepio echoes a line from RX-24, saying, "I've always wanted to do this" (referring to a pod race, instead of the original's Death Star trench run), and again when he yells, "Brakes! Brakes! Where are the brakes?!" while careening through the Naboo hangar. [37] A third quotation was added in 2019 when the StarSpeeder arrives at Kef Bir, where Threepio comments, "R2, we've passed the Endor moon!"

Continuity [ ]

According to " The Incredible Journey ," an article in Star Wars Insider 127 , the events of Star Tours: The Adventures Continue occurred at some point between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope . [39] While the attraction itself did not provide precise data about its chronology, [40] Admiral Ackbar's appearance set it after his rescue from Imperial slavery in 1 BBY , and droid G2-9T's comment about the Yavin 4 Rebel headquarters also places it after that date. [41] The Star Wars Blog article Convenient Daily Departures: The History of Star Tours finally placed the ride's date at about 1 BBY. [2]

The seasonal Season of the Force version of the attraction, which included a scene set on Jakku, characters Finn and BB-8 , and the First Order , is anachronistic with the timeline presented throughout the rest of the attraction. In one scene, riders were confronted by Darth Vader, and encounter Finn in the next, even though Vader would have been long dead by the time of the latter scene. It can be assumed that the events presented in these scenes are non-canon. Further sequel-trilogy additions in 2017 smoothed out some of these issues by creating a new Kylo Ren intro and a reworked version of the stormtrooper intro featuring First Order stormtroopers. The attraction is still randomized, but each flight includes either original content entirely based on Episodes I to VI, or entirely based on Episodes VII to IX. This avoids the most glaring continuity issues.

Poster gallery [ ]

Appearances [ ]

Droid models

Organizations and titles

Sentient species

Vehicles and vessels

Weapons and technology

Miscellanea

Sources [ ]

Notes and references [ ], external links [ ].

• Tokyo Disneyland: Star Tours: The Adventures Continue on TokyoDisneyResort.jp (archived from the original on December 19 , 2019 )
• Disneyland Paris: Star Tours: The Adventures Continue on DisneylandParis.com (archived from the original on December 19 , 2019 )

• 1 The Bad Batch Season 3
• 2 Beldorion
• 3 Darth Bane

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{:title=>"Disney Parks", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/disney-parks"} {:title=>"Ahsoka", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/ahsoka"}

Behind the scenes of the latest star tours - the adventures continue update.

Walt Disney Imagineer Tom Fitzgerald gives StarWars.com a peek behind the curtain of the latest updates to the beloved Disney Parks attraction.

As Lando Calrissian once said, “You truly belong here with us among the clouds…of purrgil .”

OK, we may have added that last bit. Lately, some travelers aboard the Star Tours - The Adventures Continue Starspeeder have been finding themselves sailing through the air above Seatos , a new destination where a pod of purrgil puts you smack in the middle of a moment inspired by the Ahsoka series, now streaming on Disney+.

Associate Editor Kristin Baver is the author of Star Wars: 100 Objects and other books, host of This Week! In Star Wars , and an all-around sci-fi nerd who always has just one more question in an inexhaustible list of curiosities. Sometimes she blurts out “It’s a trap!” even when it’s not. Follow her on Instagram @KristinBaver .

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TM & © Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved

Star Tours — The Adventures Continue

Disney's Hollywood Studios

Guests Must Be

40" (102 cm) or Taller

Age Interest

Kids, Tweens, Teens, Adults

Thrill Level

Small Drops

Make the jump to hyperspace as you ride aboard a 3D, motion-simulated space flight to popular destinations from Star Wars .

Explore a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Blast off on a thrilling tour of the Star Wars galaxy aboard a Starspeeder 1000. Come face-to-face with Kylo Ren, Boba Fett or Darth Vader as you voyage to amazing alien worlds like Jakku, Coruscant, Naboo or even Crait—an all-new planet from Star Wars: The Last Jedi!

Featuring state-of-the-art technology—including a flight simulator, digital 3D video, Audio-Animatronics characters and "in cockpit" special effects and music—Star Tours — The Adventures Continue immerses you in the Star Wars mythology for an unforgettable intergalactic adventure.

Pre-Boarding Hurry along the forest moon of Endor—home to rustic Ewok cottages and a towering AT-AT—and make your way through a sleek Rebel bunker to a bustling Star Tours spaceport. Inside, behold R2-D2 and C-3PO tinkering away on a Starspeeder 1000—your cosmic transportation vehicle—amid a throng of projection screens, glowing scanners and blinking droids.

Weave your way up a ramp past customs and baggage screening before picking up a pair of 3D flight glasses and continuing to your departure gate. Following instructions from an overhead monitor, board your interstellar vehicle for your journey through outer space.

Become a Hero of the Rebellion! As you prepare for lift-off, a series of mishaps unwittingly causes your starship to launch and C-3PO to take control. Suddenly, your space cruiser is intercepted by Imperial forces. Fearing capture, C-3PO pilots your ship on an unpredictable flight that will rocket you to the farthest reaches of the galaxy and back!

Tour the Universe During your voyage, interact with many of the otherworldly characters and places made famous in the Star Wars saga.

Hold on tight as you exit hyperspace and find yourself in the middle of a furious battle on Crait. Plunge into the oceans of Naboo and avoid the clutches of monstrous sea creatures. Retreat inside the dreaded Death Star to escape Darth Vader before facing off with Boba Fett.

Will your starspeeder elude capture and safely transport you—and the rebel spy—safely back to the Alliance base? May the Force be with you.

Star Tours – The Adventures Continue

Disney's Hollywood Studios

Guests Must Be

Age interest.

Kids, Tweens, Teens, Adults

Thrill Level

Small Drops

Accessibility and Other Information - Opens Dialog

Accessibility

• Must Transfer to Wheelchair, Then to Ride Vehicle
• Transfer Access Vehicle Available
• Video Captioning
• Handheld Captioning
• Supervise children at all times. Children under age 7 years must be accompanied by a person age 14 years or older.

Service Animals Not Permitted

Indoor, Star Wars

Rider Switch

• Rider switch offered. More Information - This attraction offers rider switch, which allows 2 or more adults to take turns waiting with children who are too small to ride, without the need to wait in line twice. Please ask a Cast Member at the attraction entrance for assistance. Beginning of tooltip content This attraction offers rider switch, which allows 2 or more adults to take turns waiting with children who are too small to ride, without the need to wait in line twice. Please ask a Cast Member at the attraction entrance for assistance. End of tooltip content

Make the jump to hyperspace on a thrilling 3D space flight to legendary destinations from the Star Wars saga.

Explore a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Suddenly, the ship is intercepted by Imperial—or First Order—forces searching for a Rebel spy. To avoid capture, you’ll embark on a thrilling, unpredictable flight that rockets you to the farthest reaches of the galaxy.

Featuring a flight simulator, digital 3D video, Audio-Animatronics characters and “in-cockpit” special effects and music, this attraction immerses you in the Star Wars mythology for an unforgettable intergalactic adventure.

Will your Starspeeder elude capture and make it back to the base? May the Force be with you—always.

Featuring Favorite Star Wars Characters

Your adventure may take you face-to-face with First Order villain Kylo Ren, menacing bounty hunter Boba Fett, ace pilot Poe Dameron, Princess Leia or Jedi Master Yoda—plus many more.

Always a New Adventure

Starting April 5, 2024, embark on exciting new Star Wars adventures featuring characters and locations from some of your favorite Disney+ series. With these additions, you’ll have the opportunity to experience one of more than 250 storyline variations, including a visit to the planet Seatos from Ahsoka . Because the many story twists are random, you never know where you’ll go or who you may encounter along the way!

©Disney/Lucasfilm Ltd.

Know Before You Go

This attraction simulates space flight and may affect people who are sensitive to motion—and disturbances in the Force.

Play Disney Parks Achievement Available

Download the Play Disney Parks app to earn digital achievements for experiencing attractions and entertainment, including Star Tours – The Adventures Continue! You can also earn achievements for playing games and other fun activities—both in the parks and at home.

Star Wars : Galaxy’s Edge

Explore a land where you can live your own Star Wars story in a galaxy far, far away.

Even More Magic – As You Wish!

Let Disney Genie service summon the attractions, entertainment and dining you love most.

More Star Wars

Discover other galactic attractions, entertainment and shopping at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Earn the Achievement, Get the Pin

When you earn the Play Disney Parks achievement for this attraction, you’re eligible to purchase a pin.

• 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM

Thursday, May 02, 2024

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Star Tours (company)

• View history

Star Tours is the titular fictional travel agency found in the Star Tours and Star Tours: The Adventures Continue Disney theme park attractions. It is set in the Star Wars universe created by George Lucas .

Star Tours offers intergalactic sightseeing tours of celestial bodies throughout the galaxy, utilizing transports from the StarSpeeder family of spacecraft among others. Droids represented a large part of Star Tours' workforce.

• 2.1 StarSpeeder 1000
• 2.2 StarSpeeder 3000
• 3 Incidents and accidents
• 4 Destinations
• 7 References
• 8 External Links

History [ ]

Star Tours was founded sometime before the Clone Wars initially providing travel packages to only a few destinations such as Glee Anselm and Naboo .

The business had greatly expanded, however, in the years within the Galactic Civil War . During this time, Star Tours faced considerable scrutiny from The Empire because the spaceline was merely a front for the Rebel Alliance . After the Battle of Endor , the agency attempted to expand its business to planets that had played a key role in the Galactic Civil War, but the new RX-series pilot droids were infamously-defective, and after several incidents (including one where a StarSpeeder was caught in the middle of a battle between New Republic and Imperial forces), Star Tours went out of business.

Most appearances of Star Tours before 2012 — including both versions of the titular attraction — fall within the Star Wars Legends continuity, and are not considered part of the official Star Wars canon . However, story elements of Star Tours, such as Captain Rex , the StarSpeeder 3000 , and the company itself have been reintroduced into the current Star Wars canon by way of works like Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars : Galaxy's Edge .

StarSpeeder 1000 [ ]

Terminal Flight Status Display.

During the years in between the Clone Wars and Galactic Civil War, Star Tours was known to operate the StarSpeeder 1000 spacecraft. Star Tours' paint scheme for the StarSpeeder 1000 consisted of orange and gray stripes on white, with the Star Tours logo displayed underneath the front windscreen. Star Tours was not the only company during this time to operate the StarSpeeder 1000 spacecraft. [1] The StarSpeeder 1000 was usually operated by a crew of two: one AC-series pilot droid and one astromech droid .

StarSpeeder 3000 [ ]

A StarSpeeder 3000 undergoing pre-flight checks at a Star Tours spaceport.

Towards the end of the Galactic Civil War, Star Tours operated the StarSpeeder 3000, an updated or upgraded version of the 1000 model. Essentially, the StarSpeeder 3000 could only be told apart from the StarSpeeder 1000 predecessors by the paint scheme.

Star Tours' livery for the StarSpeeder 3000 consisted of an almost completely white paint scheme with two thin light blue stripes running along the sides of the fuselage, with the Star Tours logo or flight number displayed adjacent to the entry and exit doors to the front passenger seating row. Similar to its predecessor, the StarSpeeder 3000 was operated by a crew of two: one RX-series pilot droid and one astromech droid .

Incidents and accidents [ ]

Main Terminal

• 4.3 ABY - Star Tours Flight 45 was a flight involving a StarSpeeder 3000 en route to Endor , which found itself in a series of several dangerous incidents attributed to pilot error . The ship, piloted by inexperienced pilot droid RX-24 AKA "Rex," nearly crashed upon takeoff, suddenly making a sharp turn toward the spaceport's maintenance bay instead of the spaceport's launch corridor. With the pilot unable to stop the craft, the ship crashed through the hangar bay doors and fell precariously towards the bottom of the hangar before recovering and escaping the spaceport. This was followed by a miscalculated jump to hyperspace , in which the ship overshot the moon of Endor, instead of ending up in a field of comets. Captain Rex dangerously but successfully navigated the ship through a massive comet, only to be caught in the tractor beam of an Imperial Star Destroyer during a space battle between Imperial forces and the New Republic , which involved a third Imperial Death Star battle station (in truth, this apparent Death Star III was actually an incomplete worldcraft that had been modified to resemble a Death Star, but it lacked a functioning superlaser; it was part of a plan by an Imperial splinter faction, known as the Kaarenth Dissention, to steal ships from New Republic shipyards while they were distracted; the plans used to construct the station were based on those of the first station, and thus had the same thermal exhaust port vulnerability). With the assistance of a Republic X-wing pilot , the StarSpeeder escaped the tractor beam and found itself accompanying an entire squadron of New Republic X-wing starfighters on its assault on the Death Star. As the squadron and StarSpeeder made their way down the Death Star's trench, Captain Rex used the StarSpeeder's forward laser cannons to fend off Imperial TIE fighters while an X-wing pilot fired proton torpedoes into the Death Star's thermal exhaust port to destroy the battle station. The X-wing fighters and StarSpeeder immediately jumped to lightspeed as the Death Star disintegrated in a fiery explosion. Flight 45 did make its way back to the spaceport, but came out of lightspeed too fast, narrowly missing a fuel truck in the spaceport before landing safely.

Destinations [ ]

Star Tours offered flights to the following destinations throughout its history:

Star Tours advertisement for the planet Glee Anselm, the Nautolan homeworld

• Christophsis
• Glee Anselm

C-3PO and R2-D2 were employed at the agency several times.

The following have been known to work for Star Tours at some point in time.

Security checkpoint in Sector 2.

• Aly San San
• Officer Zzzzyxxx
• Star Tours shares some similarities with Alpha Centauri Expeditions from Pandora: The World of Avatar , both being interstellar travel-agencies created as a tie in for a science-fiction/fantasy blockbuster film in the Disney Parks .
• Chewbacca .
• E-3PO (in luggage).
• G2-5T (in luggage)
• Jar Jar Binks (as luggage while frozen in carbonite).
• Lando Calrissian .
• Stormtrooper TK-421 .
• Astronauts from Space Mountain .
• Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story (in luggage; likely owned by a separate character).
• Captain Hook from Peter Pan ; possibly alongside other pirates.
• Chip & Dale (being smuggled in through luggage).
• The Genie from Aladdin .
• Indiana Jones from Raiders of the Lost Ark .
• Major Domo and Minor Domo from Captain EO (in luggage; possibly in the possession of an owner such as Captain EO.
• Madame Leota from the Haunted Mansion (in luggage; possibly in the possession of a separate character).
• The Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland .
• Mickey Mouse (likely via his Star Wars counterpart of, "Jedi Mickey"). Likely accompanied by his droid R2-MK and potentially by his master Yen Sid .
• Mike Wazowski from Monsters, Inc. .
• Mr. Incredible from The Incredibles .
• Programs such as Tron or Sam Flynn from TRON .
• Tom Morrow from Rocket to the Moon .
• V.I.N.CENT from the Black Hole (in luggage; likely in the possession of an owner such as Dan Holland using Star Tours)
• WALL-E from WALL-E .

References [ ]

• ↑ http://attractionsmagazine.com/blog/2010/08/13/new-disney-merchandise-revealed-at-star-wars-celebration/

External Links [ ]

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Bon Jovi docuseries 'Thank You, Goodnight' is an argument for respect

Eric Deggans

Jon Bon Jovi at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., in 2013. David Bergman/Hulu hide caption

Jon Bon Jovi at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., in 2013.

Hulu's docuseries Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story , spends a lot of time building up the Bon Jovi legend — exploring the band's almost unbelievable 40-plus-year run from playing hardscrabble rock clubs in New Jersey to earning platinum albums and entry into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

But what moved me most in the four-part series was something more revealing: its close look at the struggle by lead singer Jon Bon Jovi to overcome vocal problems which nearly led him to quit the band.

Footage of the singer croaking through vocal exercises, undergoing laser treatments, enduring acupuncture and finally turning to surgery is sprinkled throughout the series, which toggles back and forth between his problems in 2022 and a chronological story of the band's triumphs and tragedies from its earliest days.

Refusing to be Fat Elvis

Jon Bon Jovi was interviewed for Thank You, Goodnight . Disney/Hulu hide caption

Jon Bon Jovi was interviewed for Thank You, Goodnight .

Through it all, a question hangs: Will Bon Jovi ever recover enough vocal strength to lead a 40th anniversary tour?

"If I can't be the very best I can be, I'm out," he tells the cameras, still looking a bit boyish despite his voluminous gray hair at age 62. "I'm not here to drag down the legacy, I'm not here for the 'Where are they now?' tour ... I'm not ever gonna be the Fat Elvis ... That ain't happening."

Filmmaker Gotham Chopra — who has also directed docuseries about his father, spiritualist Deepak Chopra, and star quarterback Tom Brady — digs deeply into the band's history, aided by boatloads of pictures, video footage and early recordings provided by the group.

Former Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora in Thank You, Goodnight Disney/Hulu hide caption

Former Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora in Thank You, Goodnight

Chopra gets folks from the group's tight inner circle to speak up, including former manager Doc McGhee and guitarist Richie Sambora, who quit the band in 2013. ("Are we telling the truth, or are we going to lie, what are we going to do?" Sambora cracks to his offscreen interviewer. "Let's figure it out.")

But anyone expecting gossipy dish will walk away disappointed. Even major scandals in the band's history are handled with care, including the firing of founding bassist Alec John Such in 1994 (and the admission that his replacement, Hugh McDonald, already had been secretly playing bass parts on their albums for years), drummer Tico Torres' stint in addiction treatment and Sambora's decision to quit midway through a tour in 2013, with no notice to bandmates he had performed alongside for 30 years.

Alec John Such, a founding member of Bon Jovi, dies at 70

Sambora's explanation: When issues with substance use and family problems led him to miss recording sessions, Bon Jovi got producer John Shanks to play more guitar on their 2013 record What About Now . And Sambora was hurt.

"[Bon Jovi] had the whole thing kinda planned out," Sambora says, "which basically was telling me, um, 'I can do it without you.'"

Building a band on rock anthems

Jon Bon Jovi with guitarist Phil X. Disney/Hulu hide caption

Jon Bon Jovi with guitarist Phil X.

The docuseries shows how young New Jersey native John Bongiovi turned a job as a gofer at legendary recording studio The Power Station – owned by a cousin — into a recording of his first hit in the early 1980s, Runaway . His song eventually caught the ear of another little-known artist from New Jersey called Bruce Springsteen.

"The first demo I got of Jon's was a good song," says Springsteen, a longtime friend of Bon Jovi. "I mean, Jon's great talent is these big, powerful pop rock choruses that just demand to be sung by, you know, 20,000 people in an arena."

Music Interviews

Rock star jon bon jovi comes full 'circle'.

Thank You, Goodnight shows the band really took off by honing those rock anthems with songwriter Desmond Child, while simultaneously developing videos that showcased their status as a fun, rollicking live band. Hits like You Give Love a Bad Name, Livin' on a Prayer and Wanted: Dead or Alive made them MTV darlings and rock superstars.

Through it all, the singer and bandleader is shown as the group's visionary and spark plug, open about how strategically he pushed the band to write hit songs and positioned them for commercial success.

"It wasn't as though I woke up one morning and was the best singer in the school, or on the block, or in my house," he tells the camera, laughing. "I just had a desire and a work ethic that was always the driving force."

I saw that dynamic up close in the mid-1990s when I worked as a music critic in New Jersey, spending time with Jon Bon Jovi and the band. Back then, his mother ran the group's fan club and was always trying to convince the local rock critic to write about her superstar son – I was fascinated by how the band shrugged off criticisms of being uncool and survived changing musical trends, led by a frontman who worked hard to stay grounded.

Bon Jovi was always gracious and willing to talk; he even introduced me to then-New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman at one of his legendary Christmas charity concerts. (And in a crazy coincidence, the band's backup singer Everett Bradley is an old friend from college.)

I think the docuseries captures Bon Jovi's skill at leading the group through challenges musical and otherwise — from metal's slow fade off the pop charts to the rise of grunge rock — something the singer rarely gets credit for achieving.

Still, much of Thank You, Goodnight feels like an extended celebration of the band and its charismatic frontman, leavened by his earnest effort to regain control of his voice. If you're not a Bon Jovi fan, four episodes of this story may feel like a bit much (I'd recommend at least watching the first and last episodes.)

More than anything, the docuseries feels like an extended argument for something Bon Jovi has struggled to achieve, even amid million selling records and top-grossing concert tours – respect as a legendary rock band.

The audio and digital versions of this story were edited by Jennifer Vanasco .

Moscow Metro Tour

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Description

Moscow metro private tours.

• 2-hour tour $87:  10 Must-See Moscow Metro stations with hotel pick-up and drop-off
• 3-hour tour $137:  20 Must-See Moscow Metro stations with Russian lunch in beautifully-decorated Metro Diner + hotel pick-up and drop off. 
• Metro pass is included in the price of both tours.

Highlight of Metro Tour

• Visit 10 must-see stations of Moscow metro on 2-hr tour and 20 Metro stations on 3-hr tour, including grand Komsomolskaya station with its distinctive Baroque décor, aristocratic Mayakovskaya station with Soviet mosaics, legendary Revolution Square station with 72 bronze sculptures and more!
• Explore Museum of Moscow Metro and learn a ton of technical and historical facts;
• Listen to the secrets about the Metro-2, a secret line supposedly used by the government and KGB;
• Experience a selection of most striking features of Moscow Metro hidden from most tourists and even locals;
• Discover the underground treasure of Russian Soviet past – from mosaics to bronzes, paintings, marble arches, stained glass and even paleontological elements;
• Learn fun stories and myths about Coffee Ring, Zodiac signs of Moscow Metro and more;
• Admire Soviet-era architecture of pre- and post- World War II perious;
• Enjoy panoramic views of Sparrow Hills from Luzhniki Metro Bridge – MetroMost, the only station of Moscow Metro located over water and the highest station above ground level;
• If lucky, catch a unique «Aquarelle Train» – a wheeled picture gallery, brightly painted with images of peony, chrysanthemums, daisies, sunflowers and each car unit is unique;
• Become an expert at navigating the legendary Moscow Metro system;
• Have fun time with a very friendly local;
• + Atmospheric Metro lunch in Moscow’s the only Metro Diner (included in a 3-hr tour)

Hotel Pick-up

Metro stations:.

Komsomolskaya

Novoslobodskaya

Prospekt Mira

Belorusskaya

Mayakovskaya

Novokuznetskaya

Revolution Square

Sparrow Hills

+ for 3-hour tour

Victory Park

Slavic Boulevard

Vystavochnaya

Dostoevskaya

Elektrozavodskaya

Partizanskaya

Museum of Moscow Metro

• Drop-off  at your hotel, Novodevichy Convent, Sparrow Hills or any place you wish
• + Russian lunch  in Metro Diner with artistic metro-style interior for 3-hour tour

Fun facts from our Moscow Metro Tours:

From the very first days of its existence, the Moscow Metro was the object of civil defense, used as a bomb shelter, and designed as a defense for a possible attack on the Soviet Union.

At a depth of 50 to 120 meters lies the second, the coded system of Metro-2 of Moscow subway, which is equipped with everything you need, from food storage to the nuclear button.

According to some sources, the total length of Metro-2 reaches over 150 kilometers.

The Museum was opened on Sportivnaya metro station on November 6, 1967. It features the most interesting models of trains and stations.

Coffee Ring

The first scheme of Moscow Metro looked like a bunch of separate lines. Listen to a myth about Joseph Stalin and the main brown line of Moscow Metro.

Zodiac Metro

According to some astrologers, each of the 12 stops of the Moscow Ring Line corresponds to a particular sign of the zodiac and divides the city into astrological sector.

Astrologers believe that being in a particular zadiac sector of Moscow for a long time, you attract certain energy and events into your life.

Paleontological finds 

Red marble walls of some of the Metro stations hide in themselves petrified inhabitants of ancient seas. Try and find some!

• Every day each car in  Moscow metro passes  more than 600 km, which is the distance from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
• Moscow subway system is the  5th in the intensity  of use (after the subways of Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul and Shanghai).
• The interval in the movement of trains in rush hour is  90 seconds .

What you get:

• + A friend in Moscow.
• + Private & customized Moscow tour.
• + An exciting pastime, not just boring history lessons.
• + An authentic experience of local life.
• + Flexibility during the walking tour: changes can be made at any time to suit individual preferences.
• + Amazing deals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the very best cafes & restaurants. Discounts on weekdays (Mon-Fri).
• + A photo session amongst spectacular Moscow scenery that can be treasured for a lifetime.
• + Good value for souvenirs, taxis, and hotels.
• + Expert advice on what to do, where to go, and how to make the most of your time in Moscow.

Write your review

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Moscow Metro 2019

Will it be easy to find my way in the Moscow Metro? It is a question many visitors ask themselves before hitting the streets of the Russian capital. As metro is the main means of transport in Moscow – fast, reliable and safe – having some skills in using it will help make your visit more successful and smooth. On top of this, it is the most beautiful metro in the world !

. There are over 220 stations and 15 lines in the Moscow Metro. It is open from 6 am to 1 am. Trains come very frequently: during the rush hour you won't wait for more than 90 seconds! Distances between stations are quite long – 1,5 to 2 or even 3 kilometers. Metro runs inside the city borders only. To get to the airport you will need to take an onground train - Aeroexpress.

RATES AND TICKETS

Paper ticket A fee is fixed and does not depend on how far you go. There are tickets for a number of trips: 1, 2 or 60 trips; or for a number of days: 1, 3 days or a month. Your trips are recorded on a paper ticket. Ifyou buy a ticket for several trips you can share it with your traveling partner passing it from one to the other at the turnstile.

On every station there is cashier and machines (you can switch it to English). Cards and cash are accepted. 1 trip - 55 RUB 2 trips - 110 RUB

Tickets for 60 trips and day passes are available only at the cashier's.

60 rides - 1900 RUB

1 day - 230 RUB 3 days - 438 RUB 30 days - 2170 RUB.

The cheapest way to travel is buying Troyka card . It is a plastic card you can top up for any amount at the machine or at the ticket office. With it every trip costs 38 RUB in the metro and 21 RUB in a bus. You can get the card in any ticket office. Be prepared to leave a deposit of 50 RUB. You can get it back returning the card to the cashier.

SamsungPay, ApplePay and PayPass cards.

One turnstile at every station accept PayPass and payments with phones. It has a sticker with the logos and located next to the security's cabin.

GETTING ORIENTED

At the platfrom you will see one of these signs.

It indicates the line you are at now (line 6), shows the direction train run and the final stations. Numbers below there are of those lines you can change from this line.

In trains, stations are announced in Russian and English. In newer trains there are also visual indication of there you are on the line.

To change lines look for these signs. This one shows the way to line 2.

There are also signs on the platfrom. They will help you to havigate yourself. (To the lines 3 and 5 in this case). 

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• Travel Tips
• Upcoming group tours
• Moscow events

Moscow metro of the last 20 years

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