10 secrets of Disneyland's new Star Wars land, from droid tracks to Princess Leia's jewelry

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When Disney Imagineers dared to design their own little corner of the Star Wars galaxy, they were well aware of the fans who immersed themselves in the movies, books and graphic novels, looking for anything that may not belong in this fictional world.

Happily taking on the challenge, many of those who worked on Disneyland's new Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge land went to the ends of the universe — Morocco, for example — to ensure that the 14-acre attraction measured up to expectations, if not imaginations.

As a result, the land is filled with references to the "Star Wars" films, from the original "A New Hope" to "The Last Jedi."

Here are 10 things you likely haven't heard yet about Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge:
1. The droid tracks you see along one of the paved trails were made, in a roundabout way, from the ones R2-D2 used in "A New Hope." Imagineers took rubbings from the droid's tread, turned them into wheels and rolled them through wet cement.

2. Imagineers wanted to recreate the necklace worn by Princess Leia at the end of "A New Hope," so they tracked down the European designer who made the original and happened to have the original mold. Guests can purchase replicas at Dok Ondar's Den of Antiquities.

3. When it came to merchandise, no moment was too small to provide inspiration. In "The Empire Strikes Back," Luke Skywalker is seen eating from a ration kit. Imagineers asked actor Mark Hamill what was in the kit and recreated some of those items for the version available at Galaxy's Edge.

4. The Millennium Falcon at Galaxy's Edge marks the first time a full-size, fully complete, Han Solo-ready ship has been built.

5. Want to build your own lightsaber at Savi's Workshop? There are 120,000 possible combinations. And while you won't need the Force, you will need $199.99 plus tax.

6. Those towering spires that lend Black Spire Outpost its name are actually Disney's version of ancient petrified trees. Imagineers traveled to Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona for the necessary details.

7. Imagineers went far and wide in search of authenticity. They accessed George Lucas' private archives to study original "Star Wars" artwork, and traveled to Morocco and Turkey to study outdoor marketplaces.They even dropped in on current "Star Wars" film sets to take notes.

8. The Jedi robes and tunics at Black Spire Outfitters are modeled after the fashions worn by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. This could be the perfect look for your next comic convention.

9. If the droid spinning tunes inside Oga's Cantina seems familiar, that's because it's DJ R-3X, the unskilled (and former) Starspeeder 3000 pilot from the Star Tours attraction in Tomorrowland. He's still voiced by Paul Reubens of Pee-wee Herman fame.

10. Roughly 6,700 construction workers and artisans were employed in the building of Galaxy's Edge. More than 1,600 new jobs were created to operate it.
Source: https://www.usatoday.com

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