A new book about the creation of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World has revealed details about scrapped plans from the land.

“The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” is a coffee-table book by Nerdist managing editor Amy Ratcliffe, who spoke to more than twenty people involved in the land’s creation. This includes Scott Trowbridge of Walt Disney Imagineering, who also provides the book’s forward. The 256-page book includes more than 300 images, including concept art and descriptions of ideas that made it into Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and some that were scrapped.

Among these scrapped ideas was a table-service restaurant called the “Kalikori Club.” It would have been operating out of a converted two-level bathhouse. Chris Beatty of Walt Disney Imagineering described it as “almost a speak-easy.” Concept art in the book depicted a blue Twi’lek woman who was both owner and entertainment at the restaurant.

A Spice Den lounge would have featured a two-story aquarium with kelp visible on top that was revealed to be a sea monster at the bottom.

Different animatronic bartenders were considered for Oga’s Cantina. “We knew that if it was a cast member wearing a suit, it would be a lot of prep and not the most practical way to go about it, so maybe the better way was to have an animatronic bartender,” Doug Chiang, Lucasfilm vice president and executive creative director, said.

The concept art in the book depicts alien bartenders with four eyes, pig faces, and fish features. Chiang also described an underwater animatronic that would have been the owner, living in a tank behind the bar.

“It was one of those sad moments where it was a great idea,” Chiang said, “we just didn’t have the technology or the resources to do it at this time.”

The book has several different iterations of the blue milk stand, including one that would have floated above the ground.

Other early concepts included a bounty-hunter chase ride, a fast-action speeder bike chase, and a therii named Elee that guests would be able to ride through the land.

“We liked the idea of a big beast lumbering through the land and having a very personal connection with you,” Imagineer Margaret Kerrison said of Elee. “So you would go up and pat her muzzle and she would react to you. So you would go on rides. We actually had a path that went around the land.”

“We did some models and figured out how we could bring her to life technically,” Trowbridge said, “and then ultimately what we realized is, with the kind of population we expect in the land, we won’t really be able to have her feel authentic.”

“The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” is available for pre-order ahead of its release on April 27, 2021.

Source: Orlando Sentinel