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Credit: LucasfilmNobody in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge knew what was about to happen.
Pedro Pascal, the actor behind Din Djarin in The Mandalorian, appeared at Disneyland’s Galaxy’s Edge dressed in full Mandalorian armor and spent time doing a meet-and-greet with guests in character before revealing his face. The reaction when he did was immediate and overwhelming. Guests who had been interacting with what they believed was a costumed character suddenly realized they were standing in front of one of the most recognizable actors in Hollywood. The Star Wars official TikTok account captured the moment and shared it with a note that doubled as promotion for the upcoming theatrical release: “Pedro Pascal creates the surprise of a lifetime at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland. Experience Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu in theaters and IMAX May 22. Tap the link in bio to get tickets now.”
@starwars Pedro Pascal creates the surprise of a lifetime at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland. Experience Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu in theaters and IMAX May 22. Tap the link in bio to get tickets now.
It is the kind of moment that Galaxy’s Edge was built to produce, even if it does not happen every day.
The visit arrived during one of the more significant periods of new content and activity the land has seen, timed around the May 22nd theatrical debut of The Mandalorian and Grogu, Lucasfilm’s first theatrical Star Wars release since The Rise of Skywalker. Pascal’s appearance was one piece of a larger activation that has been reshaping what a night in Galaxy’s Edge looks like right now.
The New Show, the First Performance, and Who Was There
A new projection show called The Curious Child has debuted in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland. It runs following Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga on the spires surrounding the Millennium Falcon in Batuu. The show focuses on Grogu as he uses his Force abilities to recall memories of his adventures with the Mandalorian. As nighttime experiences go in Galaxy’s Edge, it is an unusually intimate piece of storytelling for a projection format.
The first performance of The Curious Child brought out the people most responsible for the story it depicts. Jon Favreau, Sigourney Weaver, Pedro Pascal, and Dave Filoni arrived at Galaxy’s Edge just before Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga began. The guests who happened to be in the area that night had no advance warning. The reaction when the crowd recognized who had shown up was captured on video by Daps Magic, who was on hand for the evening. All four watched both projection shows. When The Curious Child ended, they waved to the fans around them. Pascal was visible on video catching a plush Grogu that someone in the crowd below had tossed up to him. He held it and kissed it in a moment that landed exactly the way something like that lands when the crowd has been watching it unfold in real time.
Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland has been receiving additional updates alongside the new projection show. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is adding new adventures and expanded crew roles, giving returning guests a different version of an attraction they may have experienced before. The land has also gone through a broader timeline expansion that brought Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Han Solo, and Darth Vader with stormtroopers into Black Spire Outpost. Updated props, shops, expanded storytelling, and the addition of John Williams’ Star Wars music throughout the ambient soundscape of the land have all been part of this expansion as well.
What Pedro Pascal Has Said About What Comes Next
The appearance at Disneyland came at a moment when Pascal’s future as Din Djarin is a genuine topic of conversation in the fan community. The Mandalorian launched Disney+ in 2019 and became Lucasfilm’s most successful post-sequel trilogy project across three seasons and an appearance in The Book of Boba Fett. But with The Mandalorian and Grogu heading to theaters and no additional Disney+ seasons currently confirmed, some fans have started wondering whether the film might mark the end of Din Djarin’s story.
Pascal has pushed back on that framing during the press tour for the film. When asked directly by Discussing Film about whether Din Djarin still has a future in the franchise, he said: “You know, age is a real thing. Whatever my body can do, and however long people want to experience these stories with these characters, is how long I want it to last.”
He said something similar at a Q&A session, reflecting on the length of the role itself: “It’s the longest creative relationship I’ve had, it’s the character that I’ve played the longest. Hopefully, I get to continue playing him for as long as my body, or as many bodies as we put into the suit, can take it.”
His co-star Sigourney Weaver, who plays New Republic officer Colonel Ward in the film, has been even more direct about wanting to continue. “In an ideal world, I’d love to make another Mandalorian and Grogu, because it was so much fun to work with Jon Favreau,” she told Geek Tyrant. “And I’m a huge admirer, and just to be in this world, for me, it was cool. And I really like my character, and I’d love to do more work with Pedro and his sidekick. So, I think that, secretly, we’re all hoping maybe this could produce another one that would take us further into the Outer Rim and more adventures.”
Whether a sequel materializes depends in part on how the film performs. Current projections estimate an opening weekend of more than $80 million domestically, with the four-day Memorial Day frame potentially pushing past $95 million. The path forward for Din Djarin in theaters after this film is not currently confirmed, but both Pascal and Weaver have made clear they want there to be one.
What This Means for a Disneyland Visit Right Now
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland is currently running with more content than it has had in years. The Curious Child projection show, the Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga show that precedes it, the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run updates, the expanded character roster from across the Star Wars timeline, and the updated ambient music throughout the land collectively represent a version of Galaxy’s Edge that rewards an evening visit in a way it has not always been able to do.
The Pedro Pascal appearance is not a scheduled recurring event. Surprise celebrity visits to Galaxy’s Edge happen when they happen, and they cannot be planned around. What guests can plan around is the nighttime entertainment that has been added to the land, which is running on a scheduled basis and represents the most consistent reason to stay in Galaxy’s Edge after dark right now.
If Disneyland is in your plans before or around the Mandalorian and Grogu theatrical release on May 22nd, check the current Galaxy’s Edge entertainment schedule for show times before your visit. The nighttime projection shows run on a schedule and are worth building your evening around if the Mandalorian is part of what draws you to the land. Our Disneyland guide has current park hours and entertainment listings so you can plan your day accordingly.
