Former Disney VP Admits Galaxy’s Edge Was Changed From Original Trilogy Because of Kathleen Kennedy and Bob Iger

In an interesting turn of events, a former Walt Disney World VP, Dan Cockerell, has just admitted that “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” was originally meant to be based on the original trilogy.

This has been obvious as the Millennium Falcon is in a Docking Bay 94-esque area. Oga’s Cantina was clearly intended to be Mos Eisley Cantina. Why is there an AT-AT walker and an Admiral Ackbar knockoff in Rise of the Resistance?

It’s because it was supposed to be themed to the original “Star Wars” films, and Kathleen Kennedy and Bob Iger decided to change it to their movies, which has turned out to be a mistake. It is also why fans are going crazy for the addition of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia.  Throw Darth Vader in, and people will lose their minds.

New CEO Josh D’Amaro seems to understand the core “Star Wars” fans want. 

Well, the fans who still care about “Star Wars”, as a lot of people have already walked away.

Here is what Cockerell told Fox News,

“We got a call one day. They said, ‘Well, we got some news for you all.’ And the Imagineering guys, they’ve heard this line many, many times during their careers. And I had never been through this.” “They said, ‘Well, yesterday Bob Iger met with Kathleen Kennedy, who as a lot people may know was sort of George Lucas’ protégé and headed up Lucasfilm. And they had a conversation. They had a meeting. And Kathleen Kennedy, her point of view was, there are way more Disney Star Wars stories ahead of us than behind us. So we really should think about do we want to build a Tatooine, and build what all the fifty-somethings remember Star Wars is or do we want to build something else which is going to appeal to all the upcoming generations who are going to know the new stories.’

I guess it was more than “fifty-somethings” who wanted the original trilogy “Star Wars.”

This attitude and behavior toward legacy characters is what has destroyed the franchise.

If you follow our blog, this isn’t new news.

We told you this back in 2019 when Imagineer J. Daniel Jenkins said this on a podcast.

So there was that expectation (of the original trilogy) which you know certainly I would say is probably equal with the expectations of the guests for Harry Potter.

So you have those expectations, you have the physical limitations that we had to deal with of getting that park ready for such large expansions, as toy story land and Star Wars. and then on top of the story line, the original concepts for Star Wars land was not going to be Batuu. it was going to be either one or two known planets within the STar Wars ecosphere if you will.

(…) so they had been working and I had been working on STar Wars Land and Toy Story Land simultaneously for a year and Bob Iger basically said he had seen some of the early dailies from the sequels and he said “No we’ve got to use the three new movies’ story line. We’re not going to be using the older 6 movies. just because he saw how good they were going to be.

Now, after both Bob Iger and Kathleen Kennedy are gone, Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland is getting redone to better reflect the original trilogy. The John Williams music is being added in, and familiar and beloved characters are finally appearing where they belonged six years ago!

Let’s not even get started on when they doubled down with the Galactic Starcruiser. Between the ridiculous cost and the Disney Star Wars theming, the hotel only stayed open for a year and a half. Now the building is becoming Imagineering offices.

Currently, only Disneyland is getting the Original Trilogy redo.  But we need it in Walt Disney World, too!

Someone needs to restore balance.

What do you think? Comment and let us know!

May the Force Be With You!