The “Quintessential” Millennium Falcon for All Future Media Exists at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

Walt Disney Imagineering and Lucasfilm teamed to create the first-ever full scale Millennium Falcon, the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy once piloted by Han Solo and Chewbacca and now on loan to Hondo Ohnaka, who recruits guests visiting Black Spire Outpost on the planet Batuu to take control of the ship and embark on a thrilling mission in Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.

The 100-foot-long Falcon replica, on full display outside the premiere attraction anchoring Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at the Disneyland Resort, was created with Lucasfilm vice president and executive creative director Doug Chiang, whose film credits include Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

“For every iteration of the Millennium Falcon there’s always something a little bit different, but they went through and they chose all the best pieces of the Millennium Falcon. So the Millennium Falcon sitting in Black Spire Outpost, according to Doug Chiang, is now the quintessential Millennium Falcon,” said Walt Disney Imagineering creative director Cory Rouse.

“Yes, and that is the model that they’re going to go with from here on out,” stressed Galaxy’s Edge managing story editor Margaret Kerrison, who promised the land’s centerpiece “is going to be the model for future films and future storytelling in other mediums.”

Star Wars media, including novel Star Wars: Pirate’s Price and the Timothy Zahn-penned Thrawn: Alliances, have already journeyed to Batuu, the specially created outer rim planet that takes a starring role in the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge tie-in comic book series. When guests step foot on its soil, the iconic ship is a lifesize reminder they’ve entered into a galaxy far, far away.

“In designing the Star Wars universe, we don’t consider it science fiction or fantasy — we think of it more as a period piece, and we look at it almost from a documentary point of view. Star Wars design is grounded in reality, and we’re creating a place that is believable, authentic and real,” Chiang said of the land.

“Then we exaggerate that reality and add in a distinct visual vocabulary to turn the ordinary into something extraordinary. For this land, we wanted to create something fresh and also timeless — just like our films.”

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is now open at the Disneyland Resort. No reservations will be required after June 23.