As we get closer to the launch of Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland in Anaheim and Walt Disney World in Florida the news keeps on coming. In the last few hours we’ve learnt a lot about what food vendors and stores will be available to all in Batuu, and now we can share with you what merchandise we’ll be able to buy. The Droid Depot, in the market place, allows you to build your own R-series and BB-series droids, with additional programmable chips.
The Droid Depot is located in the market, inviting patrons to pick parts and pieces off a conveyor belt, then build and customize their astromech droids (R-series or BB-series); the droids are capable of interacting with elements in the land, responding to guests’ behaviors. Additional programming chips and accessories can be added to the droids to further customize their abilities. The Droid Depot will also offer guests pre-built droids, including a C-3PO who has quite a bit to say (especially if you “accidentally” take off his head and put it on backwards!) and a Rex who will happily play whatever music you have on your smartphone through an intergalactic Bluetooth connection. The shop also offers droid-inspired products and much more—and intergalactic tourists needn’t fret, as all merchandise will be labeled in dollars.
Meanwhile, at Savi’s Workshop, guests are given the opportunity to draw upon the Force as they build their own elegant lightsaber. At the heart of every saber is a kyber crystal, and during a guided tour, each guest will have four options to choose from: Peace Justice (modeled after Jedi from the Republic era); Power Control (a nod to the Sith); Elemental Nature (harnessing air, earth, fire, and water); and Defense (shrouded in mystery). Will you embrace the light side of the Force, like Luke Skywalker, or the dark side of the Force?
Inside Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities, visitors will find a selection of mysterious and rare items for sale representing different eras of the Star Wars galaxy, including ancient Jedi and Sith artifacts, holocrons, lightsabers, and more. As they explore the shop’s nooks and crannies, they will find Dok at his desk, checking his inventory, taking calls, and barking orders at his assistants.
Guests who venture to the Creature Stall will find some fascinating and unusual beasts from all across the galaxy, ranging from the friendly (porgs, tauntauns) to the not-so-friendly (rathtars, wampas). Nearby, you’ll find the Toydarian Toymaker stall, offering items crafted by its namesake alien, first seen buzzing around Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. It peddles artisan-style plush characters, wood and tin toys, and instruments.
Resistance Supply is a “makeshift” resource location at the Resistance’s hidden command post, selling badges, hats, pins, and other accessories to help guests feel like part of the cause. On the flip side, First Order Cargo is a temporary storage dock located near the market. Easily identified by a never-before-seen First Order TIE echelon, it gives interstellar tourists a chance to pledge their loyalty to the First Order by purchasing caps, gear, model ships, pins, and more.
“This is the first place they touched down,” Brad Schoeneberg, director, Merchandise Strategy & New Park Experience Development, Walt Disney World Resort, says of First Order Cargo’s vendors. “They are trying to win the hearts and minds of locals with propaganda and merch.”
One thing you won’t find: “evergreen” Star Wars products. Everything was created specifically for Galaxy’s Edge. Or, as Brad puts it, “We’re giving today’s consumers an experience only we can deliver.” Items reflect the stories of yore, as they’ve been told throughout Black Spire Outpost. With a vast array of innovative goods, he adds, “[There are] many levels of discovery.”
