Star Tours: The Adventure Continues

Star Tours: The Adventure Continues is motion simulator attraction located in Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Attraction History

Star Tours (1989-2010)

The creation of Star Tour actually began in Disneyland. In 1984, then Disney CEO, Michael Eisner wanted to find a way to attract the teenage demographic back to the park. Disneyland had been losing guest attendance to other theme parks in the area, so Eisner was determined to "update" Disneyland by replacing some of it's more dated attractions. One such attraction, Adventure Through Inner Space was an obvious candidate for replacement. Built during the space race, the attraction had begun to show it's age.

While Eisner was looking to renovate Disneyland, Imagineer Charles Bright was studying flight simulators in the United Kingdom. Although Disney had planned on a motion simulator attraction in 1976 for the proposed Discovery Bay expansion, the technology was seen as too primitive to be feasible. Now however, using motion simulation was a real possibility, Disney began making plans for an outer space attraction or an undersea adventure.

While rough plans were being made for the motion simulator attraction, Michael Eisner invited George Lucas to visit the Imagineering department. Eisner had known Lucas since is his days at Paramount Pictures. Eisner wanted Lucas to help him attract more teens to the park, and when Lucas saw the plans for the outer space flight simulator, he agreed to work on the project. As part of the partnership, Disney agreed to give Lucas a percentage of the merchandise fees from the attraction, as well as a six million dollar fee to create the film for the attraction. After reaching an agreement, Lucas told the press that if he was going to work on a theme park attraction wanted it to be Disney. The motion simulator project was then given a 27 million dollar budget, and a November 1986 opening date.

The original plot for the space motion simulator, focused on an intergalactic travel agency. The attraction itself would be housed within a spaceport. The stars of both the preshow and the attraction would be R2D2 and C3PO from the Star Wars franchise. A new character, known as RX-24, or Rex would pilot the attraction. The initial film created by George Lucas's ILM was 20 minutes long, and featured various special effects. The film was then cut down to three minutes, before it was changed again to a four minute film.

During construction, four 40 person simulator cabins were dropped in through the roof, before being sealed in. Although the construction started smoothly, the attraction soon ran into a series of delays. The first problem Imagineers faced, was that they could not get the motion simulator to synchronize with the film properly. Then, it was discovered that the roof of the building would need to be raised, meaning that the structural work of the building would also have to be redone. Furthermore, George Lucas decided that the Audio Systems in the ride vehicles would need upgrading, this cost another 100,000 dollars. Despite being over budget and 3 months late, Star Tours eventually opened to the public in Disneyland on January 9th 1987.

Due to the huge success of Star Tours in Disneyland, it was eventually decided that Imagineers would add the attraction to Disney World's newest park, the Disney MGM Studios. Although Disney's MGM Studios was originally envisioned as a half day park, Disney executives were worried that the park did not have the capacity for the projected crowds. In order to fit in with the rest of the park, the exterior of Disney World's Star Tours was designed to look like both a stage, and a movie set. The attraction itself was a carbon copy of the Disneyland version, but the capacity of the ride was increased by 50%. Due to the attraction's late addition, Star Tours did not open until December 15, 1989.

The first change to Star Tours came, in 1999. Initially, the attraction's exit store was designed to look like an Imperial Bunker. In 1999, the store was expanded, and rethemed. When the store reopened on September 10, 1999 it was known as Tatooine Traders. In 2007, the entrance to the attraction was also changed when a permanent Jedi Training Academy stage was built.

Star Tours: The Adventure Continues (2010-Present)

After much speculation that Star Tours would be updated, in April 2005, George Lucas confirmed that Star Tours II was in production. Disney finally acknowledged the update in 2009, and also informed guests that the current version of Star Tours would be closing in October of 2010, before reopening as Star Tours II in 2011. The next big announcement regarding the Star Tours update came in September of 2012, when the new characters, Ace (the attractions new pilot), and a droid named Aly San San were revealed.

On August 14, 2010, Walt Disney World held the "Last Tour to Endor" event, exclusively for Celebration V (a Star Wars convention) attendees. At the event, Star Tours was officially "powered down". Instead of R2-D2 shutting down the ride as intended, Bobba Fett "blew up" the soon to be closed attraction using a thermal detonator.

Star Tours closed for good on September 8, 2010. Construction on Star Tours II started almost immediately, and the attraction opened to the public on May 20, 2011. The new attraction features more than 30 different experiences, a high definition screen, and an improved motion simulator.

Attraction Plot

Original Star Tours (1989-2010)

The original Star Tours took place sometime during the original Star Wars series, possibly following the events of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.

Preshow

In the preshow for Star Tours, is themed to look like a galactic travel agency. Guests are about to take a trip to Endor, although posters around the room advertise for services to various planets. Inside the preshow, guests see R2D2 and C3PO working as Starspeeder maintenance workers. C3PO informs guests that R2D2 will be traveling with them on their trip to Endor. R2 and C3PO seem to be inferring that something is wrong with the ship they are working on, although nothing specific is mentioned. While the robots are talking, an advertisement appears on a large screen in the room. A male announcer then tells guests:

Star Tours is now offering convenient daily

departures to the exotic moon of Endor. Come spend a afternoon or the entire day with the lovable Ewoks, in their charming tribal villages. It's a fun filled visit you and your family will remember forever! Just ask for the Endor Express. Available only from Star Tours. Non-stop flights leave ever few minutes, so don't delay. Visit Endor today.

C3PO then comments that Endor has certainly changed since the last time they were there. He then mentions that last time they were there, he thought they were doomed for sure but that in the end they survived. After a short exchange with R2D2, a female announcer informs guests that flight 55 (guests flight) is now ready for boarding at gate number 3.

R2D2 and C3PO the systems check on the ship they are working on. Following a slight scare with the laser system, C3Po once again tells guests that he wishes he was going with them to Endor. After this exchange, guests move into a second room, where more repair droids are station. On the way, guests pass by the Starspeeder that they will soon by riding in.

The droids in the next room are known as G214 and G219. These robots interact with guests, informing them about the Starspeeder. Following the interaction with droids, a cast member explains the boarding process, and informs them that they will be boarding in a few moments. Following one more announcement, guests board their Starspeeder.

Main Ride

The original Star Tours began, with the robot pilot (rex), informing guests that this is his first flight. Guests are traveling to Endor, with R2D2 as their navigator.

As the ship takes off warning sirens begin to sound. Rex has inadvertently sent the ship in the wrong direction. The starship then hectically maneuvers through a maintenance bay, narrowly avoiding being crushed in the processes. Rex is finally able to navigate the ship out of the bay and into space. He then tells R2D2 to put the ship into light speed, so that the ship can reach Endor. After jumping out of light speed, Rex nervously exclaims, "We've passed the Endor moon". Instead of reaching their destination safely, guests have been taken into the middle of a comet field. After a series of close calls, Rex is able to get out of the field. He then assures guests that they will soon be on their way to Endor without any further delays. Right on cue, the Starspeeder runs into a large Star Destroyer, one of the capital ships in the Empire's fleet.

Guests Starspeeder is quickly caught in the Star Destroyer's tractor beam, and the ship is slightly damaged. Fortunately, a rebel fighter flies by and frees guests from the tractor beam by shooting its generator. Rex then follows the Rebellion ships as the launch an attack on the Empire's Death Star. Rex participates in the battle with the Death Star, while a rebel destroys the ship, in the same manner that Luke Skywalker did in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Rex, along with the rest of the rebel fighters, then jumps into light speed. The jump to light speed takes guests back to the spaceport where the attraction started, with guests narrowly avoiding a collision with fuel truck.

Star Tours: The Adventure Continues (2010-Present)

Star Tours: The Adventure Continues takes place in-between the events of Episode III and Episode IV of Star Wars.

Opening Crawl

At the grand opening of Star Tours: The Adventure Continues an opening crawl was shown, giving guests the background for the attraction's plot. The crawl said:

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 See-Threepio and Artoo-Detoo, 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..."