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Credit: DisneyIt’s been nearly four decades since Star Tours first opened — but is it time for its last flight?
While today we live in a world of Star Wars galore, back in the 1980s this wasn’t exactly the case. With George Lucas still at the helm, there were just three films to keep fans happy — and, as of 1987, one ride.
A Brief History of Star Tours
The original Star Tours, a groundbreaking simulator ride, debuted at Disneyland in 1987, marking Disney’s first collaboration with a franchise outside the Mouse’s domain.
Star Tours stepped in to replace Adventure Thru Inner Space as part of then-CEO Michael Eisner’s mission to attract more young people—teenagers and young adults, not kids—to Disney’s theme parks.
This innovative attraction combined cutting-edge technology with immersive storytelling to transport visitors to a galaxy far, far away. Directed by George Lucas himself, the experience merged his legendary sci-fi universe with Disney’s dedication to thrilling, family-friendly entertainment, creating a fan-favorite that captivated audiences for decades.
Set aboard the Starspeeder 3000, the ride immersed guests in a chaotic journey piloted by RX-24, affectionately known as “Rex,” a rookie droid voiced by Paul Reubens. The plot followed Rex’s accidental detour through an asteroid field, a Rebel battle, and the iconic Death Star trench run.
Utilizing state-of-the-art motion simulator technology, combined with dazzling visuals and sound effects, Star Tours gave fans an unprecedented sense of flying through the Star Wars universe. Its interactive queue, complete with animatronic droids and flight announcements, set the stage for the galactic adventure.
The attraction’s influence extended beyond Disneyland, with versions soon opening in Tokyo Disneyland, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disneyland Paris.
Becoming Star Tours: The Adventures Continue
After 23 years, the original Star Tours closed in 2010 to make way for Star Tours: The Adventures Continue. This debuted at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2011 and soon followed in each of the other Disney parks boasting a Star Tours.
For the most part, Star Tours: The Adventures Continue is extremely similar to its predecessor. The key difference is that it draws on all three trilogies (the original trilogy, prequels, and sequels), with C-3PO taking over as a reluctant guide after the StarSpeeder departs while he’s trying to perform maintenance.
The locations, characters, and sequences are randomized with every ride, making each experience different from the last. Disney’s upped the ante over the years by also adding in characters and destinations from new projects, such as Ahsoka, Andor, and The Mandalorian.
Is It Time for Star Tours To Bow Out for Good?
While Disney adds new elements to Star Tours all the time, there’s still part of us that feels like Star Tours is nearing the end of its lifespan.
Before you get mad, hear us out.
Back when the ride debuted, theme park goers were Star Wars-starved. While Star Tours is a legitimately good ride, the bar was far lower than it is today.
Case in point: Galaxy’s Edge.
Disney’s first Star Wars land opened at Disney World in 2019, located on the other side of the park from Star Tours. The same is true at Disneyland, where the land couldn’t be much further from Tomorrowland if it tried.
Both versions of the ride have received a lot of flak for their attractions. While Rise of the Resistance has been universally praised (and rightfully so – that thing is a technological marvel), Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run isn’t exactly the most popular ride in the world.
Disney reached really, really far when it built both of these rides, primarily because fans aren’t impressed by the simulator schtick in the same way today that they were in 1987. Parkgoers want to be totally immersed in an IP, à la Avatar: World of Pandora at Animal Kingdom and World of Frozen in Hong Kong Disneyland.
As much as it pains us to say it, Star Tours just doesn’t fit the bill anymore. If the ride was already located in the same space occupied by Galaxy’s Edge, we’d have far more patience. Instead, the frustrating reality is that Disney is occupying prime real estate in other lands that desperately need their own TLC — if not total rethemes — that just can’t happen with Star Tours in the way.
In an ideal world, we would pick Star Tours up, drop it by the entrance to Galaxy’s Edge, make every ride’s final destination Batuu, and call it a day. Really, this is what Star Tours should’ve always been — the entry point to Galaxy’s Edge, kind of like how guests can board the Hogwarts Express to go between the two sections of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort.
Of course, we know that the odds of that happening are slim. Disney has relocated rides before, with Dumbo the Flying Elephant making the jump from Fantasyland to Storybook Circus in Magic Kingdom. However, there’s a big difference technology-wise between a ride like Dumbo and Star Tours, with the latter likely proving too complex for Disney to ever even contemplate the idea.
Realistically, this is all just a pipe dream. We don’t think Disney’s going to give up on Star Tours — at least, not anytime soon. But, in the meantime, we can manifest a Disney park of thematic cohesiveness. In the words of Han Solo, never tell us the odds.
Do you think Star Tours has a long-term future at Disney?