Scrim has been removed from the Star Tours façade at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, revealing the refreshed “Star Wars” Endor forest mural.
Endor Forest Mural
The scrim went up in June of this year. The mural had been in poor condition, faded and peeling. It’s looking much better now and stands out more behind the physical scenery.
The stage remains for the defunct Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple interactive show, but the sign was removed in 2022, signaling its permanent retirement.
The scene is supposed to replicate “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi,” where the Rebels fight the Empire on the moon while Luke faces Darth Vader and the Emporer on the second Death Star. The trees resemble California Redwoods, as the movie was shot in Del Norte and Humboldt counties. Sadly, most of the particular grove of Redwoods used for filming has been cut down.
The Sanctuary Moon is the 9th moon of the planet Endor, but is often known by the same name. It’s home to the fuzzy Ewoks as well as a terminal for the Star Tours tour company. Guests can depart aboard a StarSpeeder 1000 and are taken to many destinations across the galaxy (though trips are often waylaid in search of a Rebel spy stowaway). Star Tours — the travel service — is canon in the larger “Star Wars” universe, having briefly appeared in several episodes of “Star Wars: Clone Wars.” However, the events of the attraction are not considered canon.
Star Tours: The Adventures Continue
Star Tours: The Adventures Continue opened in 2011, replacing the original Star Tours attraction and utilizing a new ride system with an advanced motion simulator. The ride takes guests on a randomly selected adventure with four sequences: the Spaceport escape, the first planet, a hologram message, and a second planet. Each sequence has multiple variants, with a total of 54 possible combinations.
RX-24, the original pilot of the previous ship (the StarSpeeder 3000), was replaced by C-3P0 and R2-D2. He retired to work as DJ R3X at Oga’s Cantina. You can find his albums on Spotify, Apple Music, and more streaming services.
Sequel trilogy scenes were added in 2015, 2017, and 2019. On those journeys, the Rebel spy is referred to as a First Order traitor.
Watch our video below to see scenes from the 2019 update for “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” It includes a hologram message from Lando Calrissian before the StarSpeeder becomes involved in the Battle of Exegol.
During Star Wars Celebration 2022, Disney announced new destinations are coming to Star Tours at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris. At Star Wars Celebration 2023, it was noted that some “haven’t been seen before,” leading to speculation of planets from upcoming movies and series. At Destination D23, Disney announced Ahsoka Tano would be added to Star Tours.
Star Tours is technically part of the Echo Lake area of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, not the nearby Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. It’s separated from the “Star Wars” land by Grand Avenue and exists outside of the Galaxy’s Edge story.
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