Star Wars fans are eagerly awaiting the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland and Walt Disney World later this year. We recently got a slew of new details about what to expect from the new immersive lands including food, rides, characters and some special retail experiences. Guests will be able to make realistic lightsabers complete with Kyber crystals as well as build their very own interactive droid. We now have a look at what guests can expect when they make their own robotic companion at the Droid Depot.
Each shop and eatery in the Black Spire Outpost area will have a special proprietor and a developed backstory that fits into the extensive Star Wars universe. The owner of the Droid Depot, Mubo, will welcome guests while audio-animatronic droids move about the area and interact with shoppers. “It’s kind of reminiscent of the droids in ‘Episode IV’ outside the sandcrawler that were for sale. These will look like droids that are for sale. You can come up and get your picture with them.” said Walt Disney Imagineering executive creative director Chris Beatty. Guests will also be able to explore the back of the shop where extra parts are kept as well as a couple of droids getting an oil bath.
The entire shop will be adorned with robot parts and animated elements that help bring the depot to life. “This shop will be polluted with droids that are full size,” said Beatty. “The whole back wall here is filled with astromechs and BB units. There’s an Imperial droid in here. There’s a medical droid. If you’re a fan of Star Wars droids, there’s a droid from almost every one of the franchise films. It’s going to be just chock full of fun characters that you know and love.”
To build a droid, guests will pick from two models: an R-series droid, like R2-D2 or a BB-series ball-shaped droid, like BB-8. From there, guests will move to a conveyer belt where they will pick their parts and then to a build station for assembly. Guests will use a mechanical screwdriver to assemble their droid, with the help of an information guide. All droid parts can be customized as well. The real fun begins when builders choose a personality circuit at a sound chip station. Each chip will give the droid a specific personality and can be quickly changed. From there, guests can activate their droid and have a diagnostic check run to make sure it’s in working order before being brought to life!
What’s truly exciting about the new Droid Depot is the ability for your new robotic companion to interact with you and certain parts of Galaxy’s Edge. “That droid that you just constructed, that droid’s your new friend,” said Disney World merchandise strategy director Brad Schoeneberg. “It knows a lot about Black Spire Outpost. It can sense the land and understands encounters that you are experiencing. In the land, your droid will be able to react to many of the same experiences that you are having.” We can’t wait for this and all of the other amazing offerings coming to Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios for Galaxy’s Edge.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens on May 31 in Disneyland, and August 29 in Walt Disney World.
Source: The OC Register
Photo Credit: Disney
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