Advanced Technology Supports the Story of Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser

Shannen Ace

Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser atrium

Advanced Technology Supports the Story of Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser

With the media embargo on Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser lifted, fans are getting some of their first looks at aspects of the new experience. Dewayne Bevil with the Orlando Sentinel spoke to Walt Disney Imagineers about the behind-the-scenes technology supporting the story.

Starcruiser Datapad
Guests using the Datapad for a secret mission at the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser

“It’s a technologically woven experience between a lot of different pieces of technology that typically don’t touch each other in our normal parks experience,” Walt Disney Imagineering creative producer Anisha Deshname said. “Doing it for a little bit of time would be one thing, but doing it for two days with people sleeping onboard the ship and having cabins and everything is a whole other level.”

A computer system tracks all of the actions aboard the ship to create individual journeys. It connects to each guest’s Datapad (available via the Play Disney Parks app) and D3-O9 (available in each guest’s cabin). It works with the choices of guests and the acting of Cast Members to create a seamless story.

The interconnection between technology and storytelling was a core component for Imagineers when crafting Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser.

“That sort of underwrote a lot of the decisions throughout the experience, even down to the architecture of the building, like where are we putting certain things so that we can make sure to tell that connected story in a way that makes sense and that is operable,” Deshmane said.

The missions are built around planned dinners, so guests still have time to eat, although Bevil shared stories of guests who were itching to play instead of sitting down for a meal.

The story ends the same way on each cruise, but the path to that climax is affected by individual guest decisions.

“Whether you’re in with the underworld and helping some of our more nefarious characters or you’re helping out the First Order,” Walt Disney Imagineer Sara Thacher said, “giving each of these has a sense of belonging and accomplishment and things that they’re actually contributing to. So, all of those paths weave together at the end, and every person, depending on their journey, are seeing that kind of crescendo moment at the end of the voyage in a different way because of how they got there.”

The “replayability” of Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser remains to be seen, especially at its high price point.

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