As we previously discussed, the Star Tours attraction at both Disneyland and Disney World will be closing for renovations--which means, yes, we'll have to soon say good-bye to the daily express tourist ship to Endor. Instead, we'll be boarding Starspeeders "in a high-speed pod race through the desert canyons of Tatooine." Which also means, yes, Star Tours 2.0 will include scenes from the prequels.
Star Tours' final flights at Disneyland will take place on July 26, but let's savor our favorite parts about the original attraction until then. Who knows: Maybe these features will still be there when the ride re-opens again in about a year, but more than likely with the new Phantom Menace-y storyline in place... they won't.
1. Those Travel Posters
After completing your misguided journey with RX-24 aboard the Endor Express--don't forget your stuff stored under the seat--you file into an exit ramp where the walls are lined with these neato travel posters. As a kid, I wondered what the rides for each place could be like: Hell, we never even got to see the Forest Moon of Endor, after all... and all I wanted to do was see an Ewok.
2. That Hairstyle
One of the most memorable parts of Star Tours has to be that queue experience, which looks like the boarding area of spaceship terminal: Items are being transported in baskets suspended from a track on the ceiling, an audio-animatronic C-3PO seems to interact with people in line. But what has to be the best part? That pre-flight safety video, shown on the now archaic television screens just above the entrance to the "spacecraft." The clip actually features several intergalactic alien lifeforms (most of which are totally adorable) and even Disney Imagineers and their families. The gal with the totally '80s, totally awesome, architectural side-'do above instructs audiences on how to fasten seat belts, where to store your personal items ("Galactic regulations require that all carry-on items be stored underneath the seat.") and warns you against flash photography and smoking. Which brings us to...
3. Chewie and Akbar About to Regulate on a Flash-Happy Kid At about :45 seconds in. Take note of Akbar's pimp hand.
4. RX-24, AKA Rex Poor Rex. Still confused and bumbling even after 23 years. With his obviously Paul Reubens-voiced nervous laugh, Rex is the brand new RX-series pilot droid aboard your journey on the StarSpeeder 3000 Endor Express--he's so new, in fact, that it's his first flight. During the four-minute ride, Rex manages to send the StarSpeeder down the wrong take-off tunnel, overshoots our Endor moon destination after sending you into light speed and gets caught up in a cluster of comets. The flight ends with an X-wing fly-along during an assault on an enemy Star Destroyer. Lasers are shot as Rex says "I've always wanted to do this!"
Us, too, Rex. Us, too.
Choice Rex quotage:
"I know this is probably your first flight... and it's mine, too. (Laughter)"
"I have a very bad feeling about this."
5. Jumping to Light Speed
"Traveling through hyperspace ain't like dusting crops, boy!"
Okay, now, as adults, we (probably) now realize the feeling of Light Speed is achieved by the ride vessel simply tilting back--but that doesn't make the idea of zooming through space any less fun. And that, friends, is something podracing could never achieve.
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the lady on #2 inspires me for some reason she seems cool
I loved the old ride better. I thought it was just me cuz I'm older, but my 14yr od daughter and 8 yr old son, as soon as getting off the new one and with no idea how I felt about it, said "THE OLD ONE WAS SO MUCH BETTER, WE REALLY REALLY MISS IT!!" (not to mention the new line pre show sucks compared to the old one. They "walled in" the line for Space Mountain, and now they did the same for Star Tours. I don't get it. How about a petition to BRING REX BACK!!!!
The new Star Tours will be set in-between epsidoes 3 and 4.
And it was recently revealed by Disneyland president George Kalogridis that the? new Star Tours will have 54 different experiences possible.
This is a sad day indeed. What made Star Tours so cool was the fact that it was the classic Original Trilogy Star Wars, with the Rebels vs. the Empire. Now it's going to be just a....well.. Nascar from outer space? Bleh. Hopefully the queue will be modeled after the insides of the arena complete with beer swilling, ballcap wearing, redneck aliens sporting dixie flag tattoos. THEN, it would be gold.
I'm looking forward to the update. I love the prequels as much as the original three movies and I have no problem with any "Phantom Menace-y" storyline. And I know I'm not alone. Subtly or unsubtly bashing "The Phantom Menace" is so ten years ago. Eleven years ago, actually. And sniping at the prequels isn't the "badge of coolness" it used to be.
Nice article! :)
The latest information released by Disney is that the updated ride will be called "Star Tours: The Adventures Continue"
There will be multiple destinations, including Tatooine and Coruscant. Other than those, Disney has not yet announced what other destinations there will be.
And for the sake of citing, all of the most recent information about the new Star Tours ride can be read here;(near the bottom of the page)
http://d23.disney.go.com/articles/061410_NF_BN_DisneylandHorizons.html
@Mogimbu: Oops! You're right, I forgot to edit out the "-esque" after I remembered it really is Reubens behind Rex's voice, hence the "obviously Reubens-voiced." Thanks!
Forget "Rubenesque", that actually was Paul Rubens.
I attended a 10th Anniversary Star Wars convention, and they played the "Pee Wee" version of the audio for the crowd.
"I meant to do that"
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