‘Star Wars’ Creator Speaks Out on Major New Experience Following Galactic Starcruiser Downfall

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(L) Finn in 'The Force Awakens (R) Rey in 'The Rise of Skywalker (Background) Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser

Credit: Disney / Lucasfilm

An upcoming Star Wars experience may finally deliver what Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser failed to do.

Video games can hardly be compared to theme park experiences, but in the case of Star Wars, we’re willing to bend the rules. Fans have been hungry for an immersive experience that plunges them into the world of the faraway galaxy like no other for a very long time, which is why early excitement for the Starcruiser was completely understandable.

Sure, immersive theme park attractions such as Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and Star Tours — The Adventures Continues are all well and good, but we’ve been waiting for a Star Wars adventure that puts us in control — just without the $5,000 price tag.

Chewbacca with Guests on Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser
Credit: Disney

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Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, the defunct experience at Walt Disney World Resort famous for all the wrong reasons, promised to be the definitive faraway galaxy experience. But it suffered a spectacular downfall. Instead, it looks like the open-world video game Star Wars: Outlaws (2024) will scratch that itch at a far more affordable price, as Narrative Director Navid Khavari has offered even more insight as to what we can expect.

Designed as an extension to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Galactic Starcruiser gave fans willing to part ways with their life savings the chance to immerse themselves into the Star Wars universe by boarding a ship called the, er… Halcyon. But if you thought the Death Star met a disastrous ending, well

Guests aboard the Galactic Starcruiser
Credit: Disney/Matt Stroshane

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Why did Galactic Cruiser fail?

Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser was a hot mess (yes, more than The Rise of Skywalker). From the moment the hefty price tags were revealed, which left us all as slack-jawed as we were when we watched Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) milk that dumbfounded alien sea cow, the “two-day, two-night adventure” was met with more backlash than The Last Jedi can shake — sorry, throw — a lightsaber at.

Early photos of the Halcyon revealed windowless cabins and the ship’s bridge where guests could marvel at “views of space” (the latter looked mildly impressive). The official website — now about as operational as the ship itself — promised a roleplaying, choose-your-own-adventure experience. Intriguing? Sure. Enough to part ways with around $5,000 for two people over two nights? Erm

Stormtroopers aboard the Galactic Starcruiser
Credit: Steven Miller via Flickr

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The real nail in the carbonized coffin came when the corny, cheap-looking promotional trailer arrived, which harkened back to the cheese-fest that is The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978). So bad, in fact, that Disney swiftly pulled the ad due to the backlash.

There’s no denying that the Star Wars-themed experience was lavish, serving exquisite foods and drinks while giving guests that ever-sought-after VIP feeling. But did it plunge fans into the world of Star Wars like it was supposed to?

Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser concept art
Credit: Disney

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Before opening, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser was described as the most immersive hotel experience on the planet. The trouble is that, while there were a fair few iconic things in sight (Chewbacca, First Order troopers, Twi’leks, and so forth), it was hardly a familiar environment. And if there’s one thing Star Wars loves to do, it’s to make sure that fans are always screaming, “I know what that is!

Why not opt for the iconic sterile-white corridors of an Imperial Star Destroyer? Or at least place the Halcyon along the incredibly nostalgic original trilogy timeline? Why, of all things, did Disney choose the sequel trilogy as the basis for this experience, which had already left the fanbase in absolute tatters?

Galactic Starcruiser entrance
Credit: Steven Miller via Flickr

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Galactic Starcruiser’s time at Walt Disney World was short-lived. Just 18 months after opening, it closed its doors faster than you can say “Rian Johnson,” and fans cried out in a united voice, “We told you so.” And, as Padmé Amidala would say, that is how Galactic Starcruiser died — with thunderous applause.

Fortunately, fans will get another chance to choose their own Star Wars adventure while enjoying some roleplaying privileges.

Is Star Wars Outlaws an RPG?

Kay Vess on her speeder in 'Star Wars Outlaws'
Credit: Massive Entertainment / Ubisoft / Lucasfilm

Star Wars Outlaws‘ biggest selling point will be the immersion factor. The first open-world game in the franchise looks promising, with the official trailer giving us an idea of what life is like in the Star Wars franchise’s criminal underworld. And it looks far more pleasant than the Halcyon, that’s for sure (your hard-earned money will also go a lot further).

Though Outlaws promises an open-world experience, its focused setting is the world of scum and villainy that spans the iconic galaxy, pitting players, who will assume the role of scoundrel and outlaw Kay Vess (Humberly González), against crime syndicates, both familiar and new, as well as iconic villains like Jabba the Hutt (Dee Bradley Baker).

Kay Vess with Nix on her shoulder in 'Star Wars Outlaws'
Credit: Massive Entertainment / Ubisoft / Lucasfilm Games

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Since the trailer dropped earlier this year, plenty of details for Outlaws have emerged, from gameplay overviews to interviews with Creative Director Julian Gerighty. And in a recent interview with Kotaku, Narrative Director Navid Khavari dives deeper into what makes Outlaws unique and exciting for fans, and what we can expect from Kay Vess.

“We always knew we wanted to create an original scoundrel story,” he said. “There was something exciting about looking at [this universe] from the perspective of a scoundrel like Kay, who has no experience with the Empire, Jedi, Rebellion, or the Sith.”

This will be music to the ears of fans who’ve grown tired of seeing Star Wars content revolve around the Jedi, who are apparently supposed to be on the brink of extinction despite there being far more now than ever before (Order 66 was obviously a huge waste of time, a bit like Galactic Starcruiser).

Kay Vess in 'Star Wars Outlaws'
Credit: Massive Entertainment / Ubisoft / Lucasfilm

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“This is a character [Kay] who is just trying to get by — stealing, outwitting, and conning folks,” Khavari went on. “I would love for folks playing the game to really get a sense of what it might feel like to step into the underworld.”

Outlaws takes place between Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi (1983) to find the galaxy rife with corruption and illegal activity, fertile ground for a story set in the criminal underworld.

Jabba the Hutt in 'Star Wars Outlaws'
Credit: Massive Entertainment / Ubisoft / Lucasfilm Games

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But how might Outlaws compare to an experience like Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser? Well, as we’ve already said, the two might not be comparable, but the upcoming open-world game is an RPG (roleplaying game). Khavari goes on to say that he hopes “players will see a bit of themselves in Kay,” who, like many of us, “hasn’t figured it all out yet and doesn’t have all the right answers all the time.”

We also know that you will have the “opportunity to betray” Jabba the Hutt, which would lend to that choose-your-own-adventure feel.

As for the immersion factor, Khavari explained how the game will be composed of “dense cities bustling with activity and lively cantinas where you might find criminal syndicates and corrupt Imperials mingling together,” “vast, mysterious, and stunning open environments,” and “space, which players can explore on Kay’s ship.”

Kay Vess and Nix running in 'Star Wars Outlaws'
Credit: Massive Entertainment / Ubisoft / Lucasfilm Games

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Perhaps the latter is where the biggest comparison between the video game and the Galactic Starcruiser can be made. Unlike the Halcyon, Kay’s ship will be yours. “One of the core parts of the scoundrel fantasy is having your own ship and that essentially being your home,” Khavari explains. “Outlaws are traveling constantly and need to be on the move all the time — that’s no different for Kay. You’ll be able to go from on foot to speeder to your ship and easily jump between planets.”

Of course, the Halcyon was centered around the concept of space tourism, with an infusion of the battle between the Resistance and the First Order, but apparently, the exploration side of things won’t be entirely lacking in Outlaws. “We want to allow fans to indulge in some intergalactic tourism,” Khavari said. “But we’re also really excited for them to experience new characters and planets in this iconic era as well.”

In explaining how players can “go off the beaten path” in the game, Khavari said that Outlaws “will reward your curiosity,” which suggests that the game won’t force players onto a strict path with no opportunity for extra-curricular exploration.

Kay Vess looking out at the landscape in 'Star Wars Outlaws'
Credit: Massive Entertainment / Ubisoft / Lucasfilm Games

Per Ubisoft, here’s the synopsis for Outlaws:

Experience the first-ever open-world Star Wars game, set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Explore distinct planets across the galaxy, both iconic and new. Risk it all as Kay Vess, a scoundrel seeking freedom and the means to start a new life, along with her companion Nix. Fight, steal, and outwit your way through the galaxy’s crime syndicates as you join the galaxy’s most wanted.

If you’re willing to take the risk, the galaxy is full of opportunity.

Check out the trailer for Outlaws below, per Ubisoft:

Outlaws will be released on PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S in 2024.

Do you think Star Wars Outlaws will immerse us into the faraway galaxy in the way the Halcyon should have? Let Inside the Magic know your thoughts in the comments down below!

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