Walt Disney Imagineering and Lucasfilm have come up with a clever storytelling twist to explain why Darth Vader will be standing in front of Kylo Ren’s TIE fighter when the Star Wars timeline expands in Disneyland’s Galaxy’s Edge to include the original trilogy of movies.
Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia meet-and-greet characters will make appearances in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at the Anaheim theme park starting on April 29 when Imagineering introduces storylines from the “Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi” eras of the sweeping space opera.
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The storytelling shift moves the Star Wars timeline in Galaxy’s Edge back three decades before the birth of Kylo Ren — who has been the central villain of the unfolding story in Black Spire Outpost on the Star Wars planet of Batuu ever since Galaxy’s Edge debuted at Disneyland in 2019.
Imagineering and Lucasfilm knew that Darth Vader and Kylo Ren could never appear side by side in Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland since the two Star Wars villains were never alive at the same time during the sweeping epic.
Darth Vader dies a year before the birth of Kylo Ren in the Star Wars saga.
Darth Vader (born Anakin Skywalker) is the grandfather of Kylo Ren (born Ben Solo). Anakin Skywalker was the father of Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker. Leia Organa and Han Solo are the parents of Ben Solo, who becomes Kylo Ren.
Starting on April 29, the Kylo Ren meet-and-greet character will leave Galaxy’s Edge and head over to Star Wars Launch Bay in Tomorrowland for photo ops — replacing Darth Vader once he moves to Black Spire Outpost.
Darth Vader and a pair of Imperial Stormtroopers will make appearances near the TIE Echelon with a show moment before roaming Galaxy’s Edge.
The only problem: Imagineering has always described the menacing starfighter in Galaxy’s Edge as Kylo Ren’s TIE Echelon.
How can Darth Vader be standing in front of Kylo Ren’s ship if Darth died before Kylo was ever born?
The answer is simple: It wasn’t always Kylo Ren’s TIE Echelon. The starfighter was built during the Imperial era that preceded the First Order era in the Star Wars canon.
“One of the lesser-known facts about the TIE Echelon is that it’s actually an Imperial-era ship,” Imagineering Executive Vice President Asa Kalama told the official Star Wars website. “It carries the same color and markings of all the TIEs from that era.”
The First Order TIE Echelon was manufactured by Sienar Fleet Systems, one of the Empire’s foremost military manufacturers, according to StarWars.com.
The ion engine-powered TIE Echelon is equipped with a cockpit turret, heavy laser cannons, shield generator and advanced communications sensors, according to the official Star Wars website. The assault shuttle is used mainly for troop and cargo transport.
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That makes Kylo Ren’s TIE Echelon “sort of like a vintage car,” Kalama told StarWars.com.
“So canonically, it aligns with the new, updated timeline we’re celebrating now,” Kalama told the official Star Wars website.
Will Darth Vader be running into Luke, Leia or Han in Batuu?
Disneyland isn’t saying just yet — but here’s what we do know.
Luke Skywalker will roam Black Spire Outpost seeking knowledge of the Force and kyber crystals that power lightsabers. Han Solo will linger near the Millennium Falcon and Oga’s Cantina. Leia Organa will also show up near the Falcon recruiting travelers and locals to help keep Luke safe. And Darth Vader will make appearances with a pair of Imperial Stormtroopers near the TIE Echelon.
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Disneyland promises to share more details about Galaxy’s Edge character interactions before the April timeline reset.
The Star Wars storyline expansion is only coming to the West Coast version of Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland. The Batuu East version of Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida will maintain its current experience and Star Wars timeframe.