A Friday Visit With Jim Korkis: Star Tours

Welcome back to Fridays with Jim Korkis! Jim, the dean of Disney historians and author of Jim’s Gems in The easy Guide, writes about Walt Disney World history every Friday on yourfirstvisit.net.

STAR TOURS: THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES

By Jim Korkis

Star Tours: The Adventures Continue debuted at Walt Disney World in 2011 and features a different storyline than its previous incarnation, Star Tours, which was in place from 1989 to 2010.

According to the Disney publicity release:

“It has been a long time since the end of the Clone Wars, and the evil Sith Lord Darth Vader continues to tighten his grip on the Empire as the galaxy moves closer to the brink of a great civil war.

“A new intergalactic spaceline, Star Tours, seeks to preserve unrestricted intergalactic travel in this age of tyranny. Freedom fighter Captain Raymus Antilles has assigned two droids, C-3P0 and R2-D2, to help launch the spaceline, fueling Imperial suspicion that Star Tours is part of the Rebel Alliance.

“Star Tours is about to open its first intergalactic space terminal in the Earth System as rumors of a fearsome weapon of mass destruction dash all hope for peace and freedom in the galaxy…”

Depending upon which of the possible visual combinations are randomly selected during the flight, guests get to visit the ice planet of Hoth, Tatooine for a podrace, Kashyyyk (the home planet of the Wookiees — including this was a suggestion of John Lasseter), Naboo, Coruscant or the Death Star above the planet Geonosis.

However, sharp-eyed Disney fans or Star Wars fans may catch a quick glimpse of some possible destinations that were abandoned or may give an indication of possible future adventures.

During the launch sequence, guests can see other Starspeeders painted with different color schemes and logos than the one they are on, with an Aurebesh letter emblazoned on the side of each of them.

Just like the airports we are familiar with today, this busy spaceport has other spacelines using the facilities and going to other destinations. Despite the rise of the galactic Empire, interstellar travel is still a thriving industry. Different tour companies, like Star Tours, carry tourists to the distant corners of the galaxy for exotic vacations.

Those other Starspeeder 1000s are:

• Dantooine Express: White with a brown diagonal at the rear with the letter “dora”. Dantooine Express provides tours of the grasslands, rivers and lakes on Dantooine, located in the Raioballo sector of the Outer Rim and far removed from most galactic traffic. On the tour, visitors see native wildlife, including the kath hound, the iriaz, the kinrath, and the graul.
• Tatooine Transit: Solid blue with a white letter “nern”. Tatooine Transit provides tours of the planet Tatooine in the Outer Rim Territories. This dangerous area is controlled by the Hutts, but travelers can still visit popular sites such as Mos Espa, The Dune Sea, moisture farms and even the infamous Mos Eisley Cantina.
• Bespin Direct: White with a brownish top with white letters outlined in red “wesk,” “dora,” “isk”. Bespin Direct offers tours of the gas planet in the Bespin system, located in the Outer Rim Territories. Tours include the refinery production facilities of the tibanna gas mines and the famous floating Cloud City luxury resort.
• Naboo Spacelines: Gold with a brown circle at the back with a white “nern”. Naboo Spacelines travels to Naboo near the Outer Rim territories. It is a largely unspoiled world with large plains, swamps, and seas. Tours include a visit to the capital city of Theed or the underwater Gungan city of Otoh Gunga.
• Air Alderaan: White with a brown “aurek” letter at the back. Air Alderaan offers tours of the second planet in the Alderaan system. This planet is considered the “Shining Star” of the Core Worlds. Wild grasslands, old mountain ranges and large oceans dominate the planet’s land surface. One of the highlights of the tour is a visit to the capital city of Aldera.

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Thanks, Jim. I’ve got a little more on Star Tours: The Adventure Continues here.

Moreover, as Josh and I note in our book, Disney is expected to add new scenes from Episode VII: The Force Awakens in late 2015.

And come back next Friday for even more from Jim Korkis!

In the meantime, check out his books, including The Vault of Walt, Who’s Afraid of the Song of the South?, and The Book of Mouse, and his contributions to The easy Guide to Your First Walt Disney World Visit, all published by Theme Park Press.

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