On April 29th, the timeline on Batuu West expanded, bringing in new characters like Darth Vader and General Leia, multiple shop updates, and iconic themes from John Williams. I had a wonderful experience! Overall, I'd say that besides the volume of the background music at the time, if felt like the Batuu I've loved visiting ever since it opened almost seven years ago. I'm sharing all my thoughts and lots of photos in today's blog post!
Upon entering, I was mesmerized by hearing the Star Wars Force Theme to the point where tears welled up in my eyes. It was beautiful! While, the original music that played will always have a special place in my heart because of how magical and calming it felt, there was something truly incredible about hearing this familiar piece that I grew up with.
As I walked towards the TIE Echelon, because obviously my priority was to see Darth Vader, I realized the music was much louder than what I expected it would be. I was told in a virtual meeting that I got to be a part of that there would be little notes of familiar themes, but they were anything but little! While I personally didn't find it difficult to have conversations with anyone, it was louder than I would've liked, and I couldn't really hear what Han and Leia were saying at the Millennium Falcon. I haven't been back since, but my friends told me that they noticed the music wasn't as loud recently. They may have just been experiencing with the volume on the first day.
So, about Vader. Witnessing him emerging from the TIE Echelon and demanding the attention of the crowd was astounding! He was so menacing that as he walked down towards the crowd, there was a silence I had never experienced before. Usually, Kylo Ren (you can now find him in Tomorrowland where Darth Vader used to be) would be in his place, and people would continue chatting and begin following him. However, no one made a peep when Vader moved, and no one dared to follow him on his mission to find Luke Skywalker. I don't know if everyone was as stunned as I was or if it was because it was one of his first appearances of the day, but it was quite a sight! As Darth Vader was making his way back, I spotted him and my husband helped me get these amazing shots!
We also crossed pathes with the OG Stormtroopers. It was fun seeing them there, even if something felt slightly off about their helmets. It wasn't enough to bother me though. The Troopers are some of my favorite characters to interact with on Batuu!
Besides Han Solo and General Leia, Luke Skywalker also returned. He was the only one I got to speak with out of the three. He said there was something familiar about my attire, which I absolutely loved. I was wearing a Queen Amidala cardigan from Her Universe with exquisite embroidery, along with a matching Queen Amidala sling bag by the brand Bioworld, also from Her Universe.
We also ran into Chewbacca, and as usual, he complimented my husband's beard! It was really heartwarming to see Chewbacca and Han Solo working on the Falcon together, and hilarious to witness Han and Leia casually bickering as usual.
Inside Dok Ondar's, there were many collectibles for The Mandalorian and Grogu, but a lot of the new relics I heard about seemed to have been delayed in shipment. It was still wonderful to see these new pieces for the upcoming movie! There were some new pieces and rearranging done with the decor, though since I am short and it's all overhead, it was hard to make out most of what was new. I did find a great roundup of what's new from Walt Disney Imagineering which you can find here if you're interested!
Black Spire Surplus, formerly known as the First Order Cargo Shop, had the best shop update in my opinion. The helmet decor was my favorite part about it! When I visited, there was still a lot of Darth Vader and Stormtrooper merchandise, and they also had the new Aurebesh collection, though you should know, it's not true Aurebesh. They recreated it to make it easier to read.
I have so many more photos from this shop update, way too many to include today, so I'm going to create a separate blog post once I'm finished with other posts in the queue. Stay tuned for that!
Have you experienced the new Timeline Expansion on Batuu West yet? What did you think? You can get in touch with me by leaving a comment below or following me on my social media channels: Instagram, X, Threads or Bluesky.
Disclaimer: Affiliate links were used in this post meaning if you purchase something, I will receive a commission.
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