How Disney Tech Can Immerse Park Guests in ‘Star Wars’

Disney's planned attractions for a Star Wars theme park include requiring visitors to help pilot the Millennium Falcon through danger and fight off TIE Fighters. Credit: Disney Disney tech is getting ready to grant the wish of any Star Wars fan who ever wished to stand inside the cavernous space of a Star Destroyer hanger or help fly the Millennium Falcon during a space battle. The entertainment giant has promised a "revolutionary new vacation experience" at its theme parks that will supposedly include getting visitors dressed up in proper Star Wars attire and even allowing families to stay at a 100-percent immersive Star Wars hotel where everyone is in character all the time. The new Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge "lands" scheduled to open at both Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort in 2019 appear to go well beyond Disney's famed dedication to having costumed staff stay in character. They seem designed around creating "living adventures"—set within the conflict between the First Order and the Resistance as depicted in the newest Star Wars films—in which visitors could earn extra galactic credits for doing well on a mission or end up being pursued by local bounty hunters if they barely pull it off. Crucially, Disney has already demonstrated or patented a wide array of technologies that could help create the Star Wars illusion for guests. "Once you leave Earth, you will discover a starship alive with characters, stories, and adventures that unfold all around you," Chapek said in a Disney blog post. "It is 100 percent immersive, and the story will touch every single minute of your day, and it will culminate in a unique journey for every person who visits." Disney "imagineers" described some of the details such as the 100-percent immersive hotel during Disney's biennial D23 fan expo 2017, according to Gizmodo. That hotel will only be built at the Walt Disney World Resort, but both Disney World and Disneyland will feature other immersive storytelling adventures built around two major Star Wars attractions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP1jcbPRxc8 The larger attraction will take place within a Star Destroyer's hangar bay and potentially involve being shot at by giant AT-AT walkers, whereas the second attraction will include the opportunity for visitors to help pilot the space freighter Millennium Falcon or take control of quad laser cannons to fend off enemy spacecraft. But even the more ordinary experiences of standing in line for the rides, staying at the resort hotel, or checking out the DJ in the local cantina will supposedly all have storytelling elements to provide a personalized Star Wars experience for guests. To heighten the immersion, Disney may rely on technological tricks such as real-looking lightsabers, rides that require visitors to scramble away from danger rather than just sit inside a vehicle, and huggable robots roaming the buildings and streets.