"Kylo
Ren is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He first
appeared as the central antagonist of Star Wars: The Force Awakens
(2015), in which he is portrayed by Adam Driver. Driver reprised his
role in the sequel films Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) and Star Wars:
The Rise of Skywalker (2019), with the character also appearing in Star
Wars Resistance (2018–2020), The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special (2020)
and LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales (2021).
Kylo Ren is the
chosen name of Ben Solo,[a] the child of original Star Wars trilogy
characters Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa Skywalker. Though initially
trained as a Jedi by his uncle Luke Skywalker, Ben was seduced to the
dark side of the Force by Supreme Leader Snoke, and aspires to be as
powerful as his grandfather, the Sith Lord Darth Vader / Anakin
Skywalker. Throughout the sequel trilogy, Kylo Ren serves as the master
of the Knights of Ren,[7] a warlord of the First Order, and both an
adversary and romantic interest to Rey.[2][3][4] After he kills Snoke
and usurps his position as Supreme Leader, Ren discovers that he shares a
connection with Rey called a 'Force dyad'[8] and is eventually redeemed
like his grandfather when he sacrifices himself to help Rey defeat the
revived Emperor Palpatine.
In addition to appearing in the films
and television series, Kylo Ren has also appeared in related media and
merchandising. Driver's performance has received acclaim from critics
and fans. For his performance in The Force Awakens, Driver won the
Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor, making him the first Star Wars
actor since Alec Guinness to win the award. Driver received a second
nomination in the same category for his performance in The Rise of
Skywalker.
Concept and creation
Abrams requested that the
character's mask be designed to be memorable to a child.[9] As late as
March 2014, the film's main antagonist was only known to the production
team as "Jedi Killer", and had gone through numerous unapproved design
attempts, one of which was reused for Captain Phasma. The same month,
Glyn Dillon's design for the character's costume was finally
approved.[10] According to Abrams, "the design was meant to be a nod to
the Vader mask,"[11] and concept designer Doug Chiang says that the
character "takes on [the] persona of [Vader] to haunt Luke."[12]
According to The Force Awakens costume designer Michael Kaplan,
I don't know if it was the kind of spaghetti type lines on it or what,
but the next time J.J. came by that was what we presented to him and he
loved it. Also the silver in those lines kind of reflects and changes
color with the action. You know, if he's standing in front of fire you
see that, so it almost brings you into the mask.[9]
Driver's
casting in the film in an unnamed role was first announced on April 29,
2014.[13] Kylo Ren was first seen from behind, but still not named, in
the 88-second The Force Awakens teaser trailer released by Lucasfilm on
November 28, 2014,[14][15] wielding a jagged red lightsaber with a
crossguard.[16][17][18] The name Kylo Ren, as well as the character's
design, was revealed by Entertainment Weekly in a Lucasfilm-designed
Topps-style trading card mock-up on December 11, 2014; a character named
"Kybo Ren" was previously featured in the 1985 animated series Star
Wars: Droids.[19][20] A May 2015 Vanity Fair photo shoot by Annie
Leibovitz confirmed that Driver would be portraying Kylo.[21]
According
to other cast members, Driver is a method actor, which meant that he
sometimes stayed in character on set as Ren and left his mask on between
scenes.[22] Driver explained that his goal was "to forget you're in
Star Wars and treat it like any other job that's filled with moments and
problems," because from the perspective of the characters living within
the film's universe, "Darth Vader is real."[22]
Character
Abrams
told Empire in August 2015, "Kylo Ren is not a Sith. He works under
Supreme Leader Snoke, who is a powerful figure on the dark side of the
Force."[23] Abrams had previously stated that the character "came to the
name Kylo Ren when he joined a group called the Knights of Ren."[11][b]
Robbie Collin of The Telegraph described Ren as "a hot-headed,
radicalised dark side jihadi, whose red lightsaber splutters and
crackles as violently as his temper".[25] Abrams noted, "The lightsaber
is something that he built himself, and is as dangerous and as fierce
and as ragged as the character."[11] The Telegraph also explains that
Ren's wild and erratic temper and "angsty" instability make him
dangerous.[26] Melissa Leon of The Daily Beast describes Ren's use of
the Force as "formidable", citing his ability to stop a blaster shot
mid-air, immobilize victims and probe their minds against their
will.[27]
Kasdan told Entertainment Weekly in August 2015, "I've
written four Star Wars movies now, and there's never been a character
quite like the one that Adam plays. I think you're going to see
something that's brand new to the saga," noting that the character is
"full of emotion".[11] Abrams explained, "I think that what makes Ren so
unique is that he isn't as fully formed as when we meet a character
such as Darth Vader ... He is not your prototypical mustache-twirling
bad guy. He is a little bit more complex than that."[11] Driver said in
December 2015 that, despite the visual similarities to Darth Vader, Ren
is "unlike any villain the franchise has seen".[28] He explained:
I feel there's a recklessness about him that's maybe not normally
associated with the Dark Side. You normally think of order, and
structure, and full commitment and no hesitation ... he's just a little
bit more unpolished. It's in his costume, in his lightsaber—how you kind
of get the sense that it could just not work at any moment; that it
could just blow up. That’s kind of like a big metaphor for him.[28]
Driver
claimed that he was privy to several details of Kylo Ren's backstory
during the making of the films. According to Lev Grossman, who
interviewed the actor in the lead-up to The Rise of Skywalker, Driver
reported that “both Han Solo and Leia were way too self-absorbed and
into this idea of themselves as heroes to really be attentive parents in
the way a young and tender Kylo Ren really needed.”[29] The backstory
of how Ben Solo became Kylo Ren was elaborated upon in a prequel graphic
novel titled The Rise of Kylo Ren (written by Charles Soule and
illustrated by Will Sliney), which was published and released by Marvel
Comics from December 18, 2019 to March 11, 2020.[30]
Certain
aspects of Kylo Ren's overall arc across the three films of the Sequel
Trilogy were also known to Driver from the start of production on the
first film. He claimed that he “had one piece of information of where it
was all going...and things were building towards that.”[31] He later
clarified:
J.J. Abrams told me when I met him for the first
time that I should imagine a journey of a character completely opposite
to Darth Vader...someone who starts as a child and becomes a man over
the course of three movies. He becomes closer to his convictions,
becomes more assured about his choices, but has metaphorically and
physically killed his father to become his own person.[32]
When
asked by IGN in December 2017 if he believed Kylo Ren was capable of
redemption, The Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson replied, "Yeah...
Are you kidding? Vader was worse than Kylo ever was, I think, and Vader
got redeemed."[33] Citing the complexity of the character, Johnson
articulated, “I don’t see the point of trying to get behind his mask and
learn more about him if all we’re going to learn is ‘Yeah, he’s just an
evil bad guy that needs to be killed.’”[34] The Rise of Skywalker
co-writer Chris Terrio also supported this position through comparing
Kylo with Darth Vader. According to Terrio, “Vader was complicit in
genocide and cruelty and depravity. Yet there is this inherent optimism
in Star Wars that the light in you is never truly gone. That you can
still redeem yourself right up until the last minute – which, in Vader's
case, was literally true... Leia never really gave up hope that Kylo
could be redeemed, and she knew that Rey was probably the way that it
would happen.”[35] Abrams further elaborated on this point:
Maybe it's the optimist in me, but I would like to think that anyone,
even someone who does the most horrendous things, is redeemable. And
certainly because his mother, Leia, is a believer that there is still
light in him, it was hard to imagine that she would be wrong about
him.[36]
The Rise of Skywalker revealed that Kylo Ren and Rey
were two halves of a "dyad" in the Force, which Terrio alternatively
described as "sort of soulmate[s] in the Force" [37] and "twins of fate,
twins of destiny."[38] Their relationship was also described as a
romance by both J.J. Abrams[2][39] and Rian Johnson,[40][41][3] with
Abrams explaining that, during the production of The Force Awakens, he
perceived them having as much as a "brother-sister thing" as a "romantic
thing" because of their spiritual connection in the Force,[2][39] while
Johnson explains the intimacy developed between the two characters in
The Last Jedi because of their interactions during the Force
connections.[40] Johnson also explains about Kylo Ren's appeal for Rey
to join him during The Last Jedi comparing it with the love confession
in the film Notting Hill:
I'll say this – the moment when
Kylo makes his appeal for her to join him, and Adam captured it so well
in his little please, it was important to me that it wasn't a chess
game, it wasn't just a manipulation. It's unhealthy, and there's much
that is awful about the way that he is manipulative. From his point of
view, it's a very naked, open, emotional appeal. It's his version of,
'I'm just a girl standing in front of a guy'... The same way as when he
tells his version of the story with Luke, that's his experience of his
moment.[41]
Appearances
The Force Awakens (2015)
Main article: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Kylo
Ren first appears in The Force Awakens as a warlord of the First Order,
a tyrannical regime that has risen from the remains of the Galactic
Empire. After arriving at Jakku to retrieve a map containing the
coordinates where Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) is to be found, Ren kills
an old priest named Lor San Tekka (Max von Sydow), and captures
Resistance pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), who has also been sent to
recover the map by General Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher). Ren
soon learns that the pilot had entrusted his astromech droid, BB-8, with
the map. Poe flees with the help of rogue stormtrooper Finn (John
Boyega), who later finds BB-8, and the scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley).
Finn, Rey, and BB-8 escape Jakku in the Millennium Falcon, and are soon
intercepted by the ship's former owner, Han Solo (Harrison Ford), and
his co-pilot Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew).
It is revealed that Ren is
the son of Han and Leia, originally named Ben,[42] and was once one of
Luke's Jedi pupils. He was corrupted to the dark side of the Force by
the First Order's Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis), and helped destroy
Luke's new Jedi Academy. However, Ren still feels the pull of the light
side of the Force and seeks the strength to overcome it from his
grandfather Darth Vader, whose burnt helmet is in Ren's possession.
Arriving at Maz Kanata's (Lupita Nyong'o) castle on Takodana, Ren
captures Rey, who he senses has seen the map. While interrogating her,
he realizes that she is strong with the Force, though unaware of it. Rey
finds herself able to resist his powers and experience Ren's emotions,
and confronts him over his fear that he will never be as powerful as his
grandfather. She later uses the "Jedi mind trick" to compel her
stormtrooper guard to let her escape. Han arrives at the First Order's
planet-converted superweapon, Starkiller Base, as part of the
Resistance's plan to destroy it.
After Han plants explosives to
destroy the base, he confronts Ren calling him by his real name, Ben and
implores him to abandon the dark side, warning him that Snoke will kill
him once he has control of the galaxy. Ren tells Han he feels
conflicted, and asks his father for help, which Han promises to give;
Ren accidentally ignites his lightsaber, impaling and killing Han. An
angry Chewbacca fires at Ren, wounding him. As Finn and Rey leave the
damaged base, Ren pursues and confronts them. Finn fights Ren with Luke
Skywalker's lightsaber, but Ren overpowers and severely wounds him. Rey
then takes up the lightsaber and, using the Force, begins to overcome
Ren, striking him on the face with the lightsaber. Before the duel is
finished, they are separated by a seismic fissure created by the
collapsing base. Rey and the others escape as Snoke orders General Hux
(Domnhall Gleeson) to evacuate the base and bring Ren to him to complete
his training.
The Last Jedi (2017)
Main article: Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Ren's
inner conflict continues into The Last Jedi, particularly through his
conversations with Rey, with whom he connects through the Force. Rey
learns from Luke why Ben Solo turned to the dark side: Luke had seen a
vision of the destruction Ben would cause and was briefly tempted to
kill him in his sleep; when Ben awoke to see Luke with his lightsaber
drawn, he turned on his uncle and apparently destroyed the Jedi Temple.
Rey believes that there is still good in Ren, and resolves to bring him
back to the light side.
Meanwhile, Ren is reproached by Snoke for
his failure to defeat Rey, and Ren tries to prove himself by leading an
attack on a lead Resistance starship. He hesitates to destroy it after
sensing his mother's presence, but his wingmen destroy the ship's
bridge, almost killing Leia. Upon Rey's arrival, Ren captures her and
brings her to Snoke, who tortures her for Luke's location before
ordering Ren to kill her. Instead of complying, Ren uses the Force to
ignite Luke's lightsaber at Snoke's side and cut him in half, and
subsequently slays Snoke's royal guard with Rey's assistance. After the
guards are slain, Ren reveals to Rey his goal to create a new order in
the galaxy, separate from the legacies created by Snoke and Luke, and
beseeches Rey to join him. He gets her to acknowledge that her parents
abandoned her, and tells her that despite her being a nobody that comes
from nowhere, he truly cares about her. Rey hesitates and then refuses
to join him, realizing that Ren will not turn back to the light side;
the two briefly struggle over Luke's lightsaber with the Force,
resulting in the weapon breaking in half and knocking both warriors
unconscious.
After Rey escapes, Ren frames her for Snoke's
assassination, uses the Force to choke Hux until he acknowledges Ren as
the new Supreme Leader of the First Order, and orders his forces to
attack the Resistance base on Crait. When Luke appears during the
attack, Ren orders his men to fire on him, to no effect; Luke remains
standing, revealing that he is only present as a Force projection,
serving as a distraction to allow the Resistance to escape from the
First Order. After Luke vanishes, the First Order storms the base, but
the Resistance has already evacuated. Ren shares a final look with Rey
through the Force before Rey slams the door to the Millennium Falcon and
escapes with the Resistance.
The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Main article: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
In
The Rise of Skywalker, Ren has been ruling as the Supreme Leader of the
First Order for a year. In the film's beginning, Ren searches for a
Sith wayfinder on the planet Mustafar with an army of stormtroopers to
lead him to the Sith planet Exegol, with the hopes of killing the
resurrected Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) as a show of his power.
When Ren finds the wayfinder and arrives on Exegol, Palpatine reveals
that he has been manipulating Ren and the First Order, having created
Snoke as a means of turning Ren to the dark side. Palpatine unveils the
Final Order, a massive armada of Xyston-class Star Destroyers built by
the Sith Eternal. Palpatine offers the armada to Ren in a bid to form a
new Sith Empire with Ren as Emperor on the condition that he kill Rey.
Ren
searches the galaxy for Rey and continues corresponding with her
through the Force to discern her location. Rey has been searching for a
second wayfinder; Ren tries to stop her from finding it. Eventually, Ren
informs Rey that she is Palpatine's granddaughter, and furthermore,
they are a dyad in the Force with extremely powerful potential when
joined together. He urges her once more to take his hand and to
overthrow Palpatine together. Rey refuses, but Ren is unwilling to kill
her and follows her to Kef Bir, the location of the second wayfinder.
Meeting her on the wreckage of the second Death Star, Ren destroys the
second wayfinder and duels her. The duel ends with Rey impaling Ren, who
had been distracted by his dying mother, Leia, reaching out to him
through the Force. A guilt-ridden Rey (also sensing Leia's death) uses
the Force to heal Ren and leaves aboard his ship, after telling him that
she wanted to take Ben Solo's hand, but not Kylo Ren's. Alone on the
wreckage, Ren converses with a memory of his father, Han Solo; he tosses
away his lightsaber, renouncing his role as Supreme Leader and
reclaiming his old identity of Ben Solo.
Ben rushes to help Rey
defeat Palpatine on Exegol. Rey senses his presence and uses their Force
connection to give him Luke's lightsaber, which Ben uses to defeat the
Knights of Ren. Palpatine then senses Rey and Ben's connection as a dyad
in the Force, and absorbs their energy to restore his full power,
before casting Ben into an abyss. However, Rey manages to defeat and
kill Palpatine before dying from the effort. Ben climbs out of the abyss
and finds Rey's inert body. Ben transfers his life essence into her,
successfully resuscitating her but sacrificing his own life in the
process. They kiss passionately before Ben dies in Rey's arms. His body
fades away simultaneously as his mother's body becomes one with the
Force at the Resistance base.
The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special (2020)
Main article: The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special
In
The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special, Rey begins to train Finn as a Jedi
while mourning Ben's demise. On the Life Day after his demise, Rey uses a
blue-green crystal key from the Jedi Temple on Kordoku to open a portal
to the World Between Worlds, a dimension that exists outside of time
and space, and travel through time to witness the training methods of
Jedi Masters past on the Life Days of different years. After being
followed through time by Darth Vader (from shortly before his death
during the events of Return of the Jedi), Rey loses the key to him, who
delivers it to his time's Palpatine. Intruigued by the concept of
knowing his future, Palpatine travels thirty years into his future with
Vader to the Life Day between the events of The Last Jedi and The Rise
of Skywalker, meeting Supreme Leader Kylo Ren on his ship. Attributing
the duo's presence to a "Life Day miracle", Ren eagerly introduces
himself to Vader as his grandson, before informing Palpatine of his
apparent death at Vader's hand and his own rise as Supreme Leader of the
First Order. Unaware of his own subsequent resurrection, Palpatine
decides to recruit Ren as his new apprentice, bringing him to his throne
room onboard the second Death Star in the past with the intent of
having him kill Vader and his time's Luke Skywalker after sending the
former to retrieve the latter.
Upon travelling through time to
Palpatine's throne room alongside BB-8 and a pre-A New Hope-era Luke in
order to retrieve the key, Rey is shocked by Ren's presence, who
immediately engages her in a lightsaber duel upon recognising the
younger Luke. After being distracted by the arrival of Vader and his
time's Luke, Rey throws him into Vader, before enlisting Luke's help to
fight the pair; as Ren fights Luke, expressing his hatred for him, Luke
expresses puzzlement as to who Ren is. Avoiding Palpatine's Force
lightning, Rey is intercepted by Ren; to Rey's and Palpatine's surprise,
Ren deactivates his lightsaber and invites her again to rule the galaxy
alongside him, as BB-8 steals back the key from Palpatine. A saddened
Rey looks at Ren, and addressing him as Ben, uses the key to
Comics
Age of Resistance (2019)
Kylo
Ren appears in the Marvel Comics miniseries Age of Resistance, part of
the Age of Star Wars maxi-series composed of one-shot issues focusing on
various characters from each trilogy in the Skywalker saga. All of his
appearances are set prior to The Force Awakens. In his own self-titled
issue, Kylo Ren #1, Ren leads a First Order battalion to victory,
succeeding in conquering a planet that Darth Vader had failed to bring
under the Empire's control in the past.
In Finn #1, Finn briefly
encounters Kylo Ren during the former's time as a sanitation worker on
Starkiller Base. In General Hux #1, Ren and General Hux are stranded
together on a hostile planet and are forced to put their mutual enmity
aside in order to survive. Supreme Leader Snoke #1 showcases Ren's
training under Snoke, who subjects Ren to various physical and mental
torments in order to foster his anger and strength in the dark side of
the Force. Snoke takes Ren to Dagobah, where his uncle Luke Skywalker
was trained by Yoda decades before. Entering the cave where Luke once
faced a spectral image of Darth Vader, Ren is confronted by similar
visions of Luke, Han and Leia. While Ren vanquishes the vision of Luke,
he finds himself unable to fully banish the image of his parents, who
plead with him to return to the light.
The Rise of Kylo Ren (2019–2020)
Marvel
Comics' The Rise of Kylo Ren depicts how Ben Solo fell to the dark
side. As a child, he is trained as a Jedi by Luke Skywalker alongside
fellow students Voe, Hennix, and Tai. Voe grows jealous of Ben for his
superior Force capability and Luke's perceived favoritism. On a mission
to the planet Elphrona to investigate an ancient Jedi outpost with Luke
and Lor San Tekka, Ben telepathically communicates with Snoke. Upon
arriving on the planet, the trio encounters a group of Force-wielding
mercenaries known as the Knights of Ren (after their leader). After Ren
agrees to retreat, he unmasks and, placing his mask on the ground,
offers Ben an open invitation to the group's ranks if he ever desires in
the future.
Several years later, Luke apparently tries to kill
Ben in his sleep. Ben fights back and is terrified when a bolt of
lightning strikes the Jedi Temple, destroying it. Later that night, Voe,
Hennix, Tai return from off-planet to find Ben before the burning
Temple. Ben confesses his belief that he has killed Luke, and states
that he intends to leave the planet. Believing Ben to be responsible for
the Temple's destruction, Voe attacks Ben, leading to Hennix being
injured in the melee. Ben leaves the planet on a nearby shuttle, with
the trio in close pursuit. Ben goes to meet Snoke, who is scarred from a
previous encounter with Luke. Snoke encourages Ben to seek out the
Knights of Ren. Traveling to the outpost on Elphrona, Ben retrieves
Ren's mask and puts it on, putting the pair in communication. After
mentioning Snoke, Ren invites Ben to meet the Knights on Vanrak. Before
he can leave, he is confronted by his fellow Padawans.
Ben
defends himself from Voe's attacks, and uses the Force to catch her
after she falls off of a building. Hennix, believing Ben to have killed
her, throws his lightsaber at Ben; in deflecting it, Hennix is bisected.
Leaving, Ben collapses the bedrock around Voe and Tai and leaves the
planet. Later, Ben meets with Ren and his Knights, who informs him that
he will need to provide a "good death" for membership. Providing him
with a black outfit, the group proceeds to the mine moon of Mimban,
where Ben assists the Knights in stealing an artifact. The Knights
subsequently execute a group of locals, horrifying Ben. Suddenly, Voe
and Tai arrive, having followed Ben through the Force. Voe attacks the
Knights of Ren, while Tai reasons with Ben over his decision to leave.
Witnessing this, Ren snaps Tai's neck, killing him, and telling Ben that
Snoke was wrong about him. Enraged, Ben duels Ren. Meanwhile, Rey
senses Ben from across the galaxy without knowing why; Leia senses Ben's
fall, and Palpatine manipulates events from afar, having apparently
destroyed the Jedi Temple as well. Then, Ben impales Ren, providing him
the "good death" he asked for.
Ben proceeds to kill Voe with
Ren's lightsaber, then turns to find the Knights of Ren kneeling before
him. Later, Ben bleeds his blue Kyber crystal, cracking it in the
process, and forges himself a crossguard lightsaber as the voice of
Snoke asks him what his new name is.
Other works
Kylo Ren is a
point of view character in the 2015, 2017, and 2019 novelizations of
the Star Wars sequel trilogy by Alan Dean Foster, Jason Fry, and Rae
Carson.[43]
Kylo is a playable character in the 2015 The Force
Awakens add-on to the Disney Infinity 3.0 video game, with an Infinity
character figurine available separately.[44][45][46][47] He is also a
character in the strategy video game Star Wars: Force Arena.[48]
Hasbro
has released a 3+3⁄4-inch (9.5 cm) Kylo Ren action figure,[49] and a
6-inch (15 cm) figure in their Black Series line.[50] He is also
featured in the Lego Star Wars playsets Kylo Ren's Command Shuttle
(2015)[51][52] and Battle on Takodana (2016),[53][54] as well as a Lego
Buildable Figure.[55] The Lego version of Kylo also appears in the 2016
short form animated series Lego Star Wars: The Resistance
Rises,[56][57][58][59] and as a playable character in Lego Star Wars:
The Force Awakens.[60]
In January 2016, Driver reprised the role
for a Star Wars/Undercover Boss sketch on Saturday Night Live, with Kylo
Ren disguising himself as a radar technician named "Matt" to determine
what the Starkiller Base employees really think of him.[61] Driver again
reprised the role in January 2020 for a follow-up Saturday Night Live
sketch titled “Undercover Boss: Where Are They Now?” in which Kylo goes
undercover as “Randy,” an entry-level intern on a star destroyer.[62]
In
the 2017 Chuck Wendig novel Star Wars: Aftermath: Empire's End, Ben
Solo[c] is stated as having been born on the planet Chandrila on the
same day as a peace treaty is signed between the remnants of the Empire
and the New Galactic Republic[63] (about a year after Return of the
Jedi, or 29 years before The Force Awakens).[64] Kylo Ren is also
mentioned in the 2017 novel Star Wars: Phasma, which takes place before
The Force Awakens.
Kylo appears in Star Wars Battlefront II,
voiced by Matthew Wood and Roger Craig Smith, masked and unmasked
respectively. In the game, Kylo interrogates Del Meeko about Lor San
Tekka's location (who possess the map to Luke Skywalker) using his Force
abilities. When Del finally relents and reveals the map and Lor San
Tekka's location, Kylo leaves him for Hask, Del's former comrade in
Inferno Squad.[65]
Kylo Ren (voiced once again by Matthew Wood)
also appears in the Star Wars: Resistance series finale episode "The
Escape", where he kills Agent Tierny for failing to destroy the Colossus
Resistance.[66] Kylo Ren is also one of the numerous voices heard in
the fourth and final season of Star Wars: Rebels in the episode "A World
Between Worlds", with an excerpt of Driver's dialogue from The Force
Awakens being used.[1]
Kylo Ren appears as a walk-around
character within Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland and Disney's
Hollywood Studios. The character appears during Star Tours – The
Adventures Continue and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, with the
latter featuring the character in audio-animatronic form with Driver
providing the voice.[67]
On November 28, 2019, Ichikawa Ebizō XI
starred as Kairennosuke in Star Wars Kabuki: Kairennosuke and the Three
Shining Swords (スター・ウォーズ歌舞伎〜煉之介光刃三本〜, Sutā Uōzu Kabuki ~Rennosuke Kōjin
San-pon~), a kabuki production that re-enacted key events of Kylo Ren in
The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.[68]
Reception
Adam Driver received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Kylo Ren.
The
character and Driver's portrayal have received critical acclaim; Driver
won the 2016 Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his
portrayal.[69] In January 2018, Kylo was voted seventh greatest movie
villain of all time by the readers of Empire.[70] Many reviewers
commended Ren's conflicted nature and depth, as well as his costume
design, and noted there were many places the character could be taken in
future installments.[71][72][73] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian praised
the character and the actor alike, saying, "He is gorgeously cruel,
spiteful and capricious – and unlike the Vader of old, he is given to
petulant temper tantrums, with his lightsaber drawn."[74] Terri Schwartz
of IGN also called Driver's performance "spectacular", noting that "his
performance adds great depth to a character who could have come off as
one-dimensional, and the implications of his arc leave a viewer with
plenty to think about after they leave the theater."[75] Collin wrote,
"To describe Kylo Ren as this film's Vader would be accurate in a sense
... But it would also be to undersell the deep ingenuity with which this
astonishing character has been crafted by Abrams, Kasdan and Arndt, and
also the wells of emotional tumult Driver invests in him."[25]
Comparing the character to the one-note Vader of the 1977 film, Melissa
Leon calls Ren "a living battleground between darkness and light, making
him a far more resonant and familiar portrayal of that struggle than
we've ever seen in Star Wars ... [which] makes him a far more
interesting villain."[27] Abrams told Entertainment Weekly, "it was a
great joy to work with Adam Driver on this role, because he threw
himself into it in a deep and remarkable way."[11] Todd McCarthy of The
Hollywood Reporter noted, "Ren is given a pronounced inferiority
complex, a clever bad guy twist that could be taken to interesting
places both in the writing and performance."[76] Peter Travers of
Rolling Stone wrote, "The bald-faced attempt to clone Vader, one of the
greatest badasses in film history, is clankingly obvious, but Driver,
masked and unmasked, gives him hypnotic and haunting contours."[77] Kyle
Buchanan of Vulture.com was underwhelmed by the reveal of Driver under
the mask.[78] Leon, however, argued:
But that face—that of a
normal, vulnerable young man—is the most subversively terrifying thing
about J. J. Abrams' reimagining of A New Hope. Rather than pure evil,
Ren is something far more familiar: He is human. Just like the real-life
young men with minds clouded by fear, hate, and anger who commit
unspeakable acts in our world every day ... all the visual cues that
leave the character open to criticisms of not being "evil" enough—are
all signs of Ren's struggle between the Dark Side and the Light.[27]
Some
viewers noted that Ren's character arc shares similarities with that of
the Star Wars Expanded Universe character Jacen Solo, the son of Han
Solo and Princess Leia who threatens the galaxy as a fallen
Jedi.[79][80][81][82] Additionally, critics have noted a resemblance
between Ren's character design and that of Revan, the protagonist of
Knights of the Old Republic.[83][84]
Relationships
Family tree
Main articles: Skywalker family and Solo family
Skywalker family[85] tree
Aika Lars[n 1] Cliegg Lars Shmi
Skywalker-Lars Jobal Naberrie[n 2] Ruwee
Naberrie[n 2] House of Organa
Beru Whitesun Owen Lars Anakin Skywalker
Darth Vader Padmé Amidala Bail Organa Breha Organa
Luke Skywalker Leia Organa Han Solo
Ben Solo
Kylo Ren
Notes:
Appears in Pablo Hidalgo's Star Wars Character Encyclopedia: Updated and Expanded (2016)
Attack of the Clones (2002) and Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Mentorship tree
Main article: Jedi
Jedi Order master-apprentice relationship
Yoda
Count
Dooku Mace
Windu
Qui-Gon
Jinn Depa
Billaba
Younglings
Obi-Wan
Kenobi Kanan
Jarrus
Anakin
Skywalker Ezra
Bridger
Luke
Skywalker
Ahsoka
Tano
Grogu Leia
Organa
Ben Solo
Rey
Notes:
Ben Solo and Rey are a Force dyad" (wikipedia.org)
"Kylo
Ren's lightsaber was a crossguard lightsaber wielded by Kylo Ren,
Supreme Leader of the First Order and master of the Knights of Ren. The
lightsaber was previously Ben Solo's lightsaber, constructed by Ren in
his life as Ben Solo while training as a Jedi Padawan under his uncle,
the Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. Originally the weapon had a blue blade,
but after his destruction of the Jedi Temple and fall to the dark side
in 28 ABY, Ren modified it into one with a red blade. The modified
lightsaber incorporated a crossguard hilt based on an ancient design
dating back to the Great Scourge of Malachor and contained a cracked
Kyber crystal, requiring it to have lateral vents on either side of the
handle in order to divert the extra heat generated by the crystal.
During
the Cold War, Ren used the lightsaber to strike down Lor San Tekka, a
member of the Church of the Force. When his father, Han Solo beseeched
him to leave the First Order, Ren ignited the crossguard lightsaber
through Solo's torso in an act of patricide. He later dueled the former
stormtrooper known as Finn, and the Force-sensitive scavenger Rey,
though he lost to the latter.
After recovering from his defeat on
Starkiller Base, Ren assassinated his dark side master, Supreme Leader
Snoke, and fought alongside Rey against the Elite Praetorian Guard. He
killed several guards using his crossguard lightsaber before taking
control of the First Order as Snoke's successor. On Crait, he was
confronted by his uncle and former mentor, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker,
and attempted to strike him down in battle. However, Ren's lightsaber
was ineffective against his opponent as Skywalker had only projected his
appearance on Crait whereas his physical form was still on Ahch-To.
The
next year, Kylo Ren continued to use his lightsaber until he faced Rey
on the remains of the second Death Star on the ocean moon of Kef Bir.
Following their confrontation, Ren saw a vision of his late father, who
showed his son that he loved him. Ren ultimately cast his Sith
lightsaber into the ocean and, in doing so, became Ben Solo once more.
Contents
1 Description
2 History
2.1 Ben Solo's lightsaber
2.1.1 Jedi beginnings
2.1.2 A new purpose
2.2 Kylo Ren's lightsaber
2.2.1 Instrument of destruction
2.2.2 A sacrifice to the dark side
2.2.3 Killing the past
2.2.4 Reign of darkness
2.2.5 Journey's end
3 Behind the scenes
4 Appearances
4.1 Non-canon appearances
5 Sources
6 Notes and references
7 External links
Description
"To harness the damaged crystal's full fury, Kylo Ren modified his
weapon's hilt, adding quillon emitters to emulate an ancient crossguard
design once used by the Sith Lord Darth Atrius. The crystal's energy
remains raw and unfocused…just like Kylo Ren himself."
―Darth Sidious[11]
Jedi Padawan Ben Solo wielded a standard hilt lightsaber that emitted a blue plasma blade.
Ben
Solo's Jedi lightsaber originally emitted a blue plasma blade. Like all
Jedi lightsabers,[12] Solo's weapon used a kyber crystal as its power
source. It also contained a diatium power cell in the grip as an
additional power source. The blade was ignited using a sliding
activation switch located near the top of the hilt.[1]
Kylo Ren,
the dark side persona of Ben Solo, altered his lightsaber to suit his
new preferences as a dark Force-user, changing his Jedi weapon into a[1]
red-bladed[9] Sith lightsaber.[2] The lightsaber was further modified
with the addition of quillon emitters,[11] changing its original
standard-hilt design into a crossguard lightsaber.[1]
Emulating an ancient design, Kylo Ren's lightsaber housed an unstable kyber crystal.
The
crossguard was an ancient design that harkened back to the time of
Darth Atrius, a Sith Lord[11] who possessed a pair of crossguard
lightsabers,[13] as well as the Great Scourge of Malachor that occurred
millennia before the New Republic Era.[5] Nevertheless, Ren's lightsaber
incorporated modern components.[3] Although its crudely assembled
appearance and unstable condition suggested Ren's inexperience in
building a crossguard lightsaber,[14] he was in fact capable of
repairing his lightsaber but ultimately favored its unstable and
volatile nature.[1] In addition, the lightsaber's partially exposed
inner workings allowed for easy modifications and upkeep.[15]
The
lightsaber's redesign was a byproduct of the bleeding process that
damaged its kyber crystal,[4] rendering it dangerously flawed[8] and
unstable,[1] and necessitating the lateral vents were meant to prevent
the cracked kyber crystal from overloading. The focusing crystal
activators separated the lightsaber's red-yellow[8] plasma stream into
three channels, creating the quillons which appeared after the ignition
of the main blade.[5] The lateral vents, from which the quillons
emerged, diverted the extra heat produced by the crystal to either side
of the hilt, giving the crossguard lightsaber an unstable and serrated
appearance. The hilt of Ren's lightsaber also featured a black[3] burned
appearance as a result of its first activation without the vents to
compensate for the unstable power of a damaged kyber crystal.[16]
Ultimately, however, Ren's crossguard lightsaber reflected his raw and
untamed power in the Force,[11] yet also symbolized his inner doubt and
struggle to suppress the light side of the Force that remained within
him.[16]
History
Ben Solo's lightsaber
Jedi beginnings
Solo's lightsaber was constructed during his apprenticeship under his uncle, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker.
In
15 ABY,[17] Ben Solo began his Jedi training under the guidance of his
uncle, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. At some point between 15 ABY and 19
ABY,[6] Padawan Solo constructed his lightsaber[5] as was the tradition
of the Jedi Order[18] that Skywalker sought to revive following the
Great Jedi Purge.[1]
Having inherited his connection to the Force
through the bloodline of his grandfather, the Chosen One Anakin
Skywalker,[16] Solo became the "prize student" at his uncle's Jedi
temple, surpassing the combined strength of his fellow apprentices in
spite of Skywalker's insistence that they were all equal in the ways of
the Force.[19] The Jedi apprentice Voe aspired to rival Solo but could
never match his abilities in either lightsaber combat or Force
power,[16] failing to best him in their mock-lightsaber duels.[20]
In
addition to his training, Solo wielded his lightsaber for defense while
traveling throughout the galaxy with his master on a quest to recover
the lost artifacts of the Jedi Order. In 19 ABY,[21] Solo and Skywalker
encountered the Knights of Ren in an abandoned Jedi outpost on Elphrona
that dated back to the High Republic Era. Skywalker fought the Knights,
excluding their leader Ren, keeping his nephew and their companion Lor
San Tekka from harm. Solo ignited his own lightsaber in preparation to
join the fight, but the Knights ultimately retreated after failing to
defeat Skywalker.[22]
A new purpose
"After abandoning his Jedi training, Kylo Ren embarked on a journey to discover his true nature."
―Darth Sidious[11]
Skywalker probed Solo's mind while he was asleep, his lightsaber located on a nearby table in his cabin.
On
the night of the destruction of Skywalker's Jedi temple,[7] in 28
ABY,[23] Solo was asleep in his hut, his lightsaber placed beside his
calligraphy set on a table next to his bed. Having sensed the shadow of
the dark side within his nephew, Skywalker probed Solo's mind with the
Force and experienced premonitions of a future in which Solo heralded an
era of death and destruction on a galactic scale. Convinced that
Supreme Leader Snoke's influence had succeeded in turning Solo away from
the light side of the Force, the thought of losing all that he loved
drove Skywalker to instinctively ignite his green-bladed lightsaber,[7]
only to realize that he could not kill the son of his twin sister,
Princess Leia Organa.[24] Nevertheless, awakening to the sight of an
ignited lightsaber was regarded by Solo as an unforgiveable act of
betrayal that, in his mind, validated his worst fears about his
family.[1]
Overcome with emotion, Solo brandished his lightsaber in despair as a storm brewed above the Jedi Temple.
Believing
his life was in danger, Solo telekinetically pulled his lightsaber to
his hand[24] and attacked his uncle in self-defense.[16] Skywalker used
his own lightsaber to block Solo's attack; mindful of Skywalker's
greater experience with the Force, Solo used his powers to collapse the
cabin in a desperate effort to end the battle before Skywalker could
overpower him.[24] Solo left his master for dead beneath the ruins of
his dormitory, although Skywalker was only unconscious.[16] Consumed by
his emotions, Solo brandished his still-ignited lightsaber in despair
while crying out, confused as to why Skywalker had made an attempt on
his life. A great storm subsequently formed above the temple and
destroyed it, killing the other students.[19]
As the temple
burned, the Jedi apprentices Voe, Tai, and Hennix returned from an
off-world mission and confronted Solo, who revealed his intentions to
leave the Jedi Order in the wake of the temple's destruction. Although
the three Padawans each possessed a lightsaber, Solo left his weapon
clipped to his belt and instead warded off his opponents with only his
Force powers. Initially Solo acted with restraint, wishing to retreat to
his other mentor, Snoke, but without killing the apprentices[19] whom
he befriended during their time together with Skywalker. Nevertheless,
the three Padawans were relentless in their efforts to apprehend Solo,
whom they held responsible for their master's death.[16]
Ren was killed by Solo, who wielded two Jedi lightsabers in tandem to defeat the masked warrior.
None
of the surviving Padawans were killed by Solo's lightsaber blade,
however.[16] While Solo had used his Jedi weapon to defend himself
against the Padawans on Elphrona, Hennix was cut down by his own
lightsaber after he threw it at Solo, who deflected it while trying to
save Voe. Voe's lightsaber was knocked out of her hand and broke in half
on the rocks below, forcing her to use Hennix's lightsaber.[20] Tai was
killed on the Minemoon of Mimban by Ren;[4] enraged by his friend's
violent death,[16] Solo wielded Tai's lightsaber in tandem with his own
weapon to kill and ultimately replace the leader of the Knights of
Ren.[4] Out of the three apprentices that pursued Solo, Voe was the only
one whom Solo personally killed, using Ren's lightsaber to take Voe's
life.[16]
Having forsaken the way of the Jedi,[16] Solo took his
place among the remaining Knights of Ren as their new leader. With his
name changed to "Kylo Ren," the fallen Jedi embraced his new reputation
as the "Jedi Killer"[16] along with his roles as the master of the
Knights of Ren, a warlord of the First Order, and the dark apprentice of
Supreme Leader Snoke.[9]
Kylo Ren's lightsaber
Instrument of destruction
"As a final step on his path to the dark side, he bled his lightsaber's kyber crystal, only to fracture it in the process."
―Darth Sidious[11]
Reforged as a crossguard, Kylo Ren's lightsaber became a symbol of his raw power and conflicted soul.
Kylo
Ren was not a Sith Lord,[11] but as a convert of the dark side he
observed the traditions of the Sith Order such as the sacrificial act of
corrupting a kyber crystal. Ren chose the crystal from his own
lightsaber for this procedure, whereas his grandfather Darth Vader, the
Sith persona of Anakin Skywalker, bled the crystal of a lightsaber that
he claimed from Jedi Master Kirak Infil'a.[16] The color of Ren's
crystal changed from blue[4] to crimson, but became cracked in the
process, consequently causing his lightsaber to burn out upon its first
ignition.[16]
The damaged kyber crystal was still salvageable,
but due to the dangerous amount of power that it generated[25] Ren
refitted his lightsaber's hilt with quillon vents in order to stabilize
the crystal's energy. The result was a new crimson-bladed crossguard
lightsaber[4] that came to symbolize his power as well as his duality
between the dark side and the light.[16] Unbeknownst to Ren, his true
mentor in the ways of the dark side[26] was his grandfather's Sith
Master, the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious, who was resurrected on
the Sith world of Exegol in the Unknown Regions, whereas Snoke was a
Strand-Cast that served as Sidious' proxy in both the ruling of the
First Order and the training of Ren.[11]
Through Snoke's
training, Ren learned to channel his fears into focused rage, drawing
power from the Force through his anger but remained unable to control
his emotions.[16] At one point, Snoke brought Ren to the planet Dagobah
where Luke Skywalker was trained by Grand Master Yoda. At his master's
behest, Ren entered the Cave of Evil like Skywalker before him.[27] Just
as Skywalker once fought a vision of his father, Darth Vader, Ren
encountered an apparition of his uncle while under the cave's influence.
Overcome with hatred for the mentor whom he believed to have betrayed
him,[16] Ren battled the apparition of Skywalker in a lightsaber duel.
As they fought, Ren heard the voice of Snoke in his mind, echoing his
belief that Skywalker would have murdered him in his sleep.[27]
While
training on Dagobah, Ren used his lightsaber against the apparitions of
his family, but was unable to strike down the vision of his parents.
Although
Ren's anger drove him to strike down the vision of Skywalker, the forms
of Han Solo and Leia Organa manifested through the Force, urging their
son to reject the way of the dark side.[16] Rejecting his former
identity as Ben Solo,[27] Ren resolved to pass his latest trial by
cutting down his parents as he did to his uncle, damaging the cave's old
gnarltree with his lightsaber in the process. However, despite his
willingness to sever his connection to his family, the vision of his
mother and father remained intact, filling Ren with frustration at his
inability to destroy them.[16] In failing to destroy the apparitions
with his lightsaber,[27] Ren unleashed his raw power on the cave itself,
destroying the ancient grotto[16] and impressing Snoke in the
process.[27]
The Benathy surrendered to the First Order's champion after Ren succeeded in slaying their Zillo Beast.
Ren
wielded his lightsaber on multiple occasions[10][28] in his capacity as
a de facto leader of the First Order Army, despite not holding an
official rank in the First Order military.[3] Serving as the First
Order's champion,[2] Ren led his master's armies against the enemies of
the First Order, creating a trail of destruction from Tehar[10] to
Jakku.[9] Eila, a child from Tehar, witnessed the massacre of her
village by Ren and his soldiers. She remembered the dark warrior not
only by his black attire, but also his lightsaber which reminded her of
the stories told about the legendary Jedi Knights.[10] During the battle
against the Benathy, Ren invaded the Benathy homeworld with an army of
First Order stormtroopers. A number of the Benathy were cut down by
Ren's lightsaber, including King Kristoff, while their remaining forces
submitted to the First Order's champion after he personally killed the
Zillo Beast that they worshipped as a god.[28]
Ren came close to killing General Armitage Hux for reminding him of his Rebel heritage.
Aside
from massacring villages[10] and conquering planets for the First
Order,[28] Ren was known throughout the First Order's ranks for his
volatile temperament[29] which caused him to destroy his surroundings
with his lightsaber.[9] At one point he considered killing his rival,
General Armitage Hux, for mocking his helmet as an affectation designed
to imitate Darth Vader's mask and hide his Rebel parentage. Ren reasoned
that the cause of Hux's death was unlikely to be discovered since at
the time they were both stranded on an isolated world. However, Hux
warned Ren that Snoke would learn the truth and punish him accordingly,
forcing the dark apprentice to deactivate his lightsaber.[29]
A sacrifice to the dark side
"I know what I have to do, but I don't know if I have the strength to do it. Will you help me?"
"Yes. Anything."
―Kylo Ren and Han Solo[9]
Ren executed Lor San Tekka for refusing to cooperate in his hunt for the last Jedi, Luke Skywalker.
In
the last days of the Cold War, Ren oversaw the First Order's attack on
Tuanul, a village located on the desert world of Jakku,[9] in 34
ABY.[30] During the raid, Ren's troopers captured Lor San Tekka, who
refused to assist the fallen Jedi's hunt for Luke Skywalker in spite of
Ren's threats. As a consequence, the aged explorer was cut down by Ren's
lightsaber while the rest of the villagers were massacred on his
orders. Ren's actions on Jakku contributed to FN-2187's decision to
commit desertion and treason against the First Order, having witnessed
firsthand his comrades' willingness to comply with orders like those
given by Ren and Captain Phasma.[9]
Ren's anger manifested in violent outbursts, causing him to destroy a terminal due to the delay in his search for Skywalker.
Following
FN-2187's escape from the Resurgent-class Star Destroyer Finalizer,
Lieutenant Dopheld Mitaka informed Ren that the rogue stormtrooper's
actions further delayed their efforts to obtain the missing fragment of
the map to Skywalker. Mitaka's report caused Ren to destroy a computer
terminal with his lightsaber in a rage-induced temper tantrum,[9] for
which Ren was well known for.[29]
The First Order tracked the
map's location to the planet Takodana in the aftermath of the Hosnian
Cataclysm that destroyed the New Republic capital of Hosnian Prime.
During the Battle of Takodana, Ren ecountered Rey, a scavenger from
Jakku, while a division of stormtroopers searched for the map carried by
the Resistance droid BB-8. Possessing a latent connection to the Force,
Rey had seen Ren wielding his lightsaber in a vision that she
experienced upon discovering the lost Skywalker lightsaber,[9] an
heirloom of Ren's family[16] that once belonged to his grandfather and
uncle in turn. Rey fired her blaster pistol—an NN-14 model that had been
gifted to her by Ren's father, Han Solo—but Ren deflected the blaster
shots with his lightsaber before immobilizing her with the Force. Ren
brought Rey to Starkiller Base to interrogate her, but the scavenger
broke free of her restraints, causing Ren to destroy an interrogation
chair in another violent outburst of anger.[9]
Ren used his lightsaber to end the life of his father, Han Solo, taking a pivotal step in his journey toward the dark side.
While
Ren searched the facility for Rey, he was confronted by his father
during the onset of the Battle of Starkiller Base. Han Solo entreated
his son to reject the teachings of Snoke and return to his family that
missed him,[9] and though Ren struggled to hold fast to his convictions
in the dark side, his conscience directed him to the light. The light
side of the Force nearly caused Ren to surrender his lightsaber to Solo.
However, the sight of his former Jedi weapon, which he had converted
into an instrument of the dark side, served as a reminder of his own
transformation from Ben Solo to Kylo Ren. Recoiling at the thought of
weakness and returning to a life that he had forsaken, Ren's doubt and
indecision gave way to resolve and the desire to realize his ambition
for power.[16] His decision made, Ren turned his lightsaber on Solo,
using its blade to strike down his father in an act of patricide.[2]
After killing his father, Ren engaged Rey in a lightsaber duel while Starkiller Base collapsed around them.
Ren
was subsequently injured by a bolt fired from the bowcaster of his
surrogate uncle, Chewbacca,[16] but nonetheless pursued Rey into the
Starkiller planet's forest. Finn, the former stormtrooper originally
designated as FN-2187, wielded the lightsaber of Ren's grandfather in
defense of the scavenger.[9] Although Finn was a trained soldier, Ren
was a swordmaster in the ways of lightsaber combat.[1] As a result, Finn
was grievously wounded during his lightsaber duel with Ren.[31] Ren
also fought the scavenger after she seized the Skywalker lightsaber with
the Force, and though he pressed Rey to the edge of a cliff as the
planet collapsed around them,[9] his unbalanced mental state[7] and
physical injury hindered his combat abilities.[32] In addition, Rey
successfully channeled the Force's energy to disarm Ren of his
lightsaber.[9][33]
Killing the past
"I see him turning the lightsaber to strike true. And now, foolish child, he ignites it, and kills his true enemy!"
―Snoke, to Rey and Kylo Ren[7]
Following the Starkiller crisis, Ren continued to wield the lightsaber that killed his father.
Ren
continued to use his crossguard lightsaber in the wake of the
Starkiller crisis. Sensing Ren's conflict over his decision to kill his
father, Snoke chastised his apprentice who, in his view, failed to live
up to the legacy of Darth Vader. During the Battle of Oetchi, Ren
learned to communicate with Rey through the Force-bond that bridged
their minds,[7] allowing them to see and hear each other across space
and time.[1] Rey, having witnessed Han Solo's death by Ren's
lightsaber,[9] confronted Ren about his actions on Starkiller Base. She
later confronted him onboard his master's flagship, the Mega-class Star
Dreadnought Supremacy, intent on turning him back to the light side. Ren
instead brought Rey to Snoke's throne room, where the Supreme Leader
tortured the scavenger-turned-Jedi apprentice for the location of Luke
Skywalker.[7]
Surrounded by the Elite Praetorian Guard, Ren and Rey defended each other against the bodyguards of the fallen Supreme Leader.
Rey
initially resisted Snoke whom she attempted to assassinate with Ren's
own lightsaber, using the Force to take the dark warrior's weapon as he
knelt before his master. However, Snoke telekinetically disarmed Rey and
immobilized her with the Force. Retrieving his lightsaber,[7] Ren
deceived Snoke into believing that he was prepared to kill the
scavenger, when in fact his true intention was to kill Snoke.[1]
Distracted by his own exultation at the thought of Rey dying by Ren's
blade,[34] Snoke was killed when Ren used the Force to ignite the
Skywalker lightsaber by his master's side, fatally bisecting the Supreme
Leader at the waist. Afterward, Ren and Rey joined forces against the
Elite Praetorian Guard, wielding their respective lightsabers in tandem
to defeat the Supreme Leader's bodyguards.[7]
Ren's first act as Supreme Leader was to order the Resistance's destruction, but his plans were thwarted by Skywalker.
Having
slain his master, Ren gained direct control over the First Order as the
new Supreme Leader. At his command, the First Order's forces deployed
to the planet Crait to annihilate the last remnants of the Resistance.
Before Ren could achieve a decisive victory in the First
Order-Resistance War, his uncle Luke Skywalker appeared on the
battlefield during the Battle of Crait. When the artillery fire of his
All Terrain MegaCaliber Six walkers failed to kill Skywalker, Ren
resolved to fight his uncle in single combat, brandishing his crossguard
lightsaber while Skywalker wielded his original blade. The Jedi Master
evaded all of Ren's attacks, and by the time Ren realized that he had
been fighting a Force projection, the surviving members of the
Resistance had fled aboard the Millennium Falcon.[7]
Reign of darkness
"We have learned from the mistakes of the Empire—they were too lenient."
―Kylo Ren[35]
Ren enforced his reign as Supreme Leader by carrying out his own executions against the First Order's enemies.
Convinced
that the Galactic Empire had been too lenient in its policies against
rebellion,[35] Supreme Leader Ren marked his reign by initiating a
crackdown on the enemies of the First Order,[1] including supporters of
the Resistance[36] and other elements deemed subversive by the
fascist[37] neo-Imperialist regime.[38] As he oversaw the First Order's
hunt for the Resistance[39] and its conquest of the galaxy,[1] Ren made
an effort to personally execute traitors with his lightsaber.[32] When
the Resistance passed through Fondor's star system, Ren used his
lightsaber to decapitate a citizen of Fondor as a warning to the rest of
the galaxy that no form of the First Order's enemies would
be tolerated.[35]
The same punishment was meted out to the
Resistance sympathizer Boolio.[32] An Ovissian miner from the Sinta
Glacier Colony, Boolio was captured by the First Order due to his
connections with the Resistance. Taken before the Supreme Leader,
Boolio's lack of fear and open defiance only further motivated Ren to
execute the alien,[40] whose decapitated head was used to illicit fear
in the members of the Supreme Council.[32]
In addition to
utilizing his lightsaber as an executioner,[32] the Supreme Leader
wielded his weapon in combat, continuing to fight alongside his
forces[37] as he had done during his apprenticeship under Snoke.[28]
While surveying one of the various worlds subjugated by the First Order,
Ren's forces were openly attacked by local dissidents, prompting Ren to
ignite his lightsaber and lead a counterattack against the subversives.
During the skirmish, Ren confronted a female insurgent. He deactivated
his lightsaber, abandoning his initial intention to kill the girl in
order to learn the motives of her defiance.[37]
The Alazmec of Winsit was slaughtered on Mustafar by the Supreme Leader and his stormtroopers.
In
35 ABY,[41] while searching for his grandfather Sith wayfinder on
Mustafar, Ren led the extermination of the Alazmec of Winsit—a group of
Sith cultists who worshiped Vader—for defying him.[40] Ren accomplished
his objective in locating the wayfinder after cutting down the Alazmec
colonists with his lightsaber.[36] From a distance General Armitage Hux
and Allegiant General Enric Pryde monitored Ren's battle with the
colonists. Pryde openly expressed admiration for Ren's fighting skills, a
sentiment that Hux shared despite his secret opposition to Ren's
rule.[32]
Ren delayed his intention to kill the resurrected Darth Sidious in order to gain control of the Final Order.
Armed
with his lightsaber, Ren entered the Sith Citadel upon arriving on
Exegol with the help of Vader's wayfinder.[36] In the depths of the
Citadel he confronted Darth Sidious and,[36] determined to safeguard his
power by eliminating all threats to his reign,[1] raised his blade to
strike down the reborn Emperor's[36] cloned body.[32] However, Sidious
persuaded Ren to lower his weapon by unveiling his newly-built fleet,
the Final Order,[36] a force of Xyston-class Star Destroyers with planet
destroying capabilities.[11] In addition to the promise of the Sith
Eternal's forces, Ren was enticed by the opportunity of succeeding
Sidious as the new Dark Lord of the Sith[40] and Galactic Emperor.[36]
Journey's end
"I know what I have to do, but I don't know if I have the strength to do it."
"You do."
―Ben Solo and Han Solo (memory)[7]
The
rumors that led Ren to find Sidious inspired his Jedi rival Rey and her
allies to do to same. Their concurrent quests and Force-bond brought
them to the ocean moon of Kef Bir in the Endor system. Kef Bir was the
site of the ruins of the second Death Star and the location of the
Emperor's wayfinder.[36]
The final lightsaber duel between Kylo Ren and Rey took place in the ruins of the second Death Star.
On
Kef Bir, they faced each other in a final confrontation, Ren bearing
his lightsaber and Rey the repaired Skywalker lightsaber. He gained the
upper hand during their confrontation, but as they dueled his dying
mother Leia Organa reached out to him through the Force, distracting him
and causing him to drop his lightsaber. Rey seized the opportunity to
grab his weapon and impaled Ren with it, but after sensing Organa's
death, healed his grievous wound before departing. As Ren stood alone on
the battle station after the duel, he was overcome by a memory of his
deceased father Han Solo, who spoke to him and called to his son to
change, much as he had in their fateful confrontation on Starkiller
Base. Touched by the love of his mother and father and the compassion
shown by Rey in healing him, Kylo Ren ceased to exist and Ben Solo was
reborn. Having no further use of Ren's weapon,[36] Solo threw the Sith
lightsaber[2] towards the horizon so it could sink into the depths of
Kef Bir's oceans.[36]
Behind the scenes
Kylo Ren's lightsaber, as revealed in the teaser trailer for The Force Awakens
Kylo
Ren's lightsaber first appeared in Star Wars canon in the 2015 film
Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens.[9] The introduction of the
lightsaber was well-publicized in the media, including on The Colbert
Report and on Comedy Central. The lightsaber was also the
subject of a number of pieces of fan art released in the days after the
films first teaser trailer premiered.[42]
The lightsaber's
original form as Ben Solo's lightsaber first appeared in a flashback
scene in the 2017 film Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi, the sequel
to Episode VII.[7] Though similar in appearance to the weapon later
used by Solo as Kylo Ren, it was not confirmed to be the same lightsaber
until the 2019 reference book Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The
Visual Dictionary by Pablo Hidalgo.[1]
Lucasfilm's creative art
manager, Phil Szostak, states in a post on Twitter that the lateral
beams emanating from Luke Skywalker's lightsaber in Tom Jung's 1977
posters for the original Star Wars is what inspired the crossguard
design of Kylo Ren's lightsaber for The Force Awakens"
(starwars.fandom.com)
("The
Disneyland Resort, commonly known as Disneyland, is an entertainment
resort in Anaheim, California. It is owned and operated by The Walt
Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division and
is home to two theme parks (Disneyland Park and Disney California
Adventure), three hotels, and a shopping, dining, and entertainment
district known as Downtown Disney.
The resort was developed by
Walt Disney in the 1950s. When it opened to guests on July 17, 1955, the
property consisted of Disneyland, its 100-acre parking lot (which had
15,167 spaces),[1] and the Disneyland Hotel, owned and operated by
Disney's business partner Jack Wrather. After the success with the
multi-park, multi-hotel business model at Walt Disney World in Lake
Buena Vista, Florida, Disney acquired large parcels of land adjacent to
Disneyland to apply the same business model in Anaheim.
During
the expansion, the property was named the Disneyland Resort to encompass
the entire complex, while the original theme park was named Disneyland
Park. The company purchased the Disneyland Hotel from the Wrather
Company and the Pan Pacific Hotel from the Tokyu Group. The Pan Pacific
Hotel became Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel in 2000. In 2001 the property
saw the addition of Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, a second
theme park, named Disney California Adventure, and the Downtown Disney
shopping, dining, and entertainment district.
History
Concept and construction
See also: Disneyland § History
This
section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by
adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be
challenged and removed. (February 2020) (Learn how and when to remove
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Walt Disney's early concepts for an
amusement park called for a "Mickey Mouse Park" located adjacent to the
Walt Disney Studios in Burbank (presently the site of the West Coast
headquarters of ABC). As new ideas emerged, Walt and his brother Roy
realized that the Burbank location would be too small for the project,
and hired a consultant from Stanford Research Institute to provide them
with information on locations and economic feasibility. The consultant
recommended a remote location in Anaheim, adjacent to the
then-under-construction Santa Ana Freeway. The consultant correctly
predicted that the location – covered by orange groves at the time –
would become the population center of Southern California. Since the
location was far from Southern California population centers in the
1950s, Walt Disney wanted to build a hotel so that Disneyland visitors
traveling long distances could stay overnight. However, the park had
depleted his financial resources, so he negotiated a deal with Hollywood
producer Jack Wrather in which he would build and operate a hotel
called the Disneyland Hotel across the street from Disneyland.
In
1963, city planner James Rouse, in a commencement speech at the Harvard
Graduate School of Design, called Disneyland “the greatest piece of
urban design in the United States today."[2]
1955–1998: one park, one hotel
Disneyland
opened on July 17, 1955, with a televised press preview event on ABC,
and the inauguration drew nearly 30,000 guests on the first day [3]
Despite the disastrous event, later dubbed "Black Sunday", during which
several rides broke down, and other mishaps occurred, Disneyland became a
huge success in its first year of operation. The hotel, which opened
three months after the park, enjoyed similar success. Walt Disney wanted
to build more facilities for Disneyland visitors to stay in Anaheim,
but since his financial resources were drained, entrepreneurs
established their own independent hotels in the area surrounding the
park and hotel to capitalize on Disneyland's success.[4]
Topographical map of Disneyland from 1965
To
Walt Disney's dismay, the city of Anaheim was lax in restricting their
construction, eager for the tax revenue generated by more hotels in the
city. The area surrounding Disneyland became suffused with the kind of
tacky atmosphere of colorful lights, flashy neon signs, and then-popular
Googie architecture which he had wanted to avoid (and which years
earlier had caused the city of Burbank to deny his initial request to
build his project in Burbank).[5] The Anaheim Convention Center was
built across the street from Disneyland's original parking lot, and
residences were constructed in the area as part of the city's growth in
the late 20th century. Eventually, Disneyland was "boxed in", a factor
which would later lead Walt Disney to acquire a significantly larger
parcel of land for the construction of Walt Disney World. The Walt
Disney Company gradually acquired the land west of the park, notably the
Disneyland Hotel in 1988 following Jack Wrather's death in 1984, the
Pan Pacific Hotel (now Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel) in 1995, and
several properties north of the Disneyland Hotel in the mid to late
1990s.[citation needed]
1998–2001: planning an expansion
After
Walt's and Roy's deaths in 1966 and 1971, respectively, the Walt Disney
Company would go on to achieve success with the multi-park, multi-hotel
resort complex business model of Walt Disney World in Florida, which
opened in 1971. In the 1990s, Disney decided to turn Disneyland into a
similar multi-park, multi-hotel resort destination. In 1991, Disney
announced plans to build WestCOT, a theme park based on Walt Disney
World's EPCOT Center, on the site of the original Disneyland parking
lot.[6] Its estimated cost was US$3 billion, largely due to the cost of
land that Disney would need to acquire. With the new Euro Disney Resort,
which opened in 1992, becoming a financial and public relations
albatross for the company, Disney was unable to finance the project, and
cancelled WestCOT in 1995. That summer, Disney executives gathered in
Aspen, Colorado for a 3-day retreat, where they came up with the idea
for a California-themed park, dubbed Disney's California Adventure Park,
to be built on the same site slated for WestCOT. $1.4 billion was
budgeted to build the park, a retail district, and hotels.[6]
2001–present: Disneyland Resort complex
Grizzly Peak at Disney California Adventure
In
January 2015, Tom Staggs, Disney Parks chair, and Steve Davison, VP of
Park Entertainment, announced upcoming changes to the park to celebrate
the park's 60th anniversary. The changes began on May 22, 2015, and ran
for sixteen months.[7] The updates included an updated World of Color
water show, Paint the Night parade, and a new fireworks show titled
Disneyland Forever. Disney California Adventure also received a
makeover, with Condor Flats remade into Grizzly Peak Airfield and
Soarin' Over California equipped with a new laser projection system.
Peter Pan's Flight reopened on July 1.
In October 2017, Disney
announced a new Pixar Pals parking structure for the resort, which
includes a 6,500-space parking structure, and a new transportation hub,
which opened in July 2019.[8] The parking structure opened in June 2019
and is now used daily.
In August 2015, it was announced that
Disneyland Park would receive a 14-acre Star Wars-themed land scheduled
to open in 2019.[9] It opened on May 31, 2019. Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
is home of two attractions, Millennium Falcon – Smugglers Run, and Star
Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
In March 2018, it was announced
that A Bug's Land would close in September 2018. It was replaced by
Avengers Campus which was set to open July 18, 2020, but was delayed due
to the COVID-19 pandemic[10][11] and opened on June 4, 2021.[12]
In
April 2019, Disneyland announced that Mickey & Minnie's Runaway
Railway would be coming to Disneyland in 2023. The attraction was built
behind Mickey's Toontown in a former backstage area and opened on
January 27, 2023. [13]
In January 2021, officials announced that
the resort will be the first "super" COVID-19 vaccination site in Orange
County, California. As one of several "super POD" (Point-of-Dispensing)
locations, it is expected that thousands of residents will be able to
be vaccinated against COVID-19 each day.[14]
Future expansion and proposed DisneylandForward
Disney
announced plans to build a fourth hotel at the resort in 2016, slated
for an opening in 2021.[15] In August 2018, the hotel was placed on hold
indefinitely because of a dispute with the city of Anaheim, which
concerned a tax rebate that would have subsidized the hotel's
construction.[16][17] Later, the hotel was cancelled as Disney and
Anaheim could not come to an agreement on the tax rebate.
In
March 2021, the Walt Disney Company announced a new project for the
Anaheim, California resort called Disneyland Forward. This proposal is
designed to change the city of Anaheim's zoning rules so that Disney can
build more theme park space for both Disneyland and Disney California
Adventure. Proposals have included building more space where Disney's
Paradise Pier hotel and the surrounding parking lots on the west-side of
the resort currently reside. Rumors have surfaced that a new version of
a mixed-use Disney Springs would be built near the Toy Story parking
lot.[18]
Location
Map of Disneyland Resort in 2012
The
Disneyland Resort is located several miles south of downtown Anaheim, in
an area branded by the city as the Anaheim Resort near the border of
neighboring Garden Grove. The resort is generally bounded by Harbor
Boulevard to the east, Katella Avenue to the south, Walnut Street to the
west and Ball Road to the north. Interstate 5 borders the resort at an
angle on the northeastern corner.
Not all land bordered by these
streets is part of the Disneyland Resort, particularly near the
intersection of Harbor Boulevard and Katella Avenue, and along Ball Road
between Disneyland Drive and Walnut Street. Disneyland Drive cuts
through the resort on a north–south route and provides access to the
Mickey & Friends Parking Structure, Downtown Disney, and the three
hotels. Magic Way connects Walnut Street to Disneyland Drive just south
of the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure and provides access to the
parking structure, Disneyland Hotel, and Downtown Disney.
Special
offramps from Interstate 5 combined with a reversible flyover over the
intersection of Ball Road and Disneyland Drive permit access into and
out of the Mickey & Friends parking garage during peak morning and
evening traffic times.
This
section is in list format but may read better as prose. You can help by
converting this section, if appropriate. Editing help is available.
(February 2016)
Parks
Disneyland Park, the original theme park built by Walt Disney, which opened on July 17, 1955.
Disney California Adventure Park, a theme park based on the history and
culture of California, which opened on February 8, 2001.
Shopping, Dining, and Entertainment
Downtown Disney, an outdoor retail, dining, and entertainment district
located between the entrance promenade of the Disneyland Resort theme
parks and the Disneyland Hotel.
Hotels
Disneyland
Hotel, the resort's original hotel built by Jack Wrather which opened on
October 5, 1955, and was purchased by Disney in 1988.
Disney's
Paradise Pier Hotel, a hotel themed after the section of Disney
California Adventure it overlooks. Formerly operated by the Tokyu Group
(opening in 1984 under the name Emerald of Anaheim),[20] the hotel was
purchased by Disney in December 1995, for a reported US$36 million, and
renamed the Disneyland Pacific Hotel.[21] As part of the 1998-2001
expansion of the resort, it was re-branded as Disney's Paradise Pier
Hotel.[22] The lobby and convention/banquet facilities have undergone
several renovations since the re-branding, most notably in 2004 and
2005. On April 27, 2022, Disney announced that the hotel will be
re-themed to the artwork of Pixar Animation Studios.[23] On September
11, 2022, it was announced that the name would be the Pixar Place Hotel.
Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, based on the Craftsman
style of architecture of the early 1900s, which opened on January 2,
2001." (wikipedia.org)
"Papermaking
is the manufacture of paper and cardboard, which are used widely for
printing, writing, and packaging, among many other purposes. Today
almost all paper is made using industrial machinery, while handmade
paper survives as a specialized craft and a medium for artistic
expression.
In papermaking, a dilute suspension consisting mostly
of separate cellulose fibres in water is drained through a sieve-like
screen, so that a mat of randomly interwoven fibres is laid down. Water
is further removed from this sheet by pressing, sometimes aided by
suction or vacuum, or heating. Once dry, a generally flat, uniform and
strong sheet of paper is achieved.
Before the invention and
current widespread adoption of automated machinery, all paper was made
by hand, formed or laid one sheet at a time by specialized laborers.
Even today those who make paper by hand use tools and technologies quite
similar to those existing hundreds of years ago, as originally
developed in China and other regions of Asia, or those further modified
in Europe. Handmade paper is still appreciated for its distinctive
uniqueness and the skilled craft involved in making each sheet, in
contrast with the higher degree of uniformity and perfection at lower
prices achieved among industrial products....
Manual
Papermaking,
regardless of the scale on which it is done, involves making a dilute
suspension of fibres in water, called "furnish", and forcing this
suspension to drain through a screen, to produce a mat of interwoven
fibres. Water is removed from this mat of fibres using a press.[15]
The
method of manual papermaking changed very little over time, despite
advances in technologies. The process of manufacturing handmade paper
can be generalized into five steps:
Separating the useful fibre from the rest of raw materials. (e.g. cellulose from wood, cotton, etc.)
Beating down the fibre into pulp
Adjusting the colour, mechanical, chemical, biological, and other
properties of the paper by adding special chemical premixes
Screening the resulting solution
Pressing and drying to get the actual paper
Screening
the fibre involves using a mesh made from non-corroding and inert
material, such as brass, stainless steel or a synthetic fibre, which is
stretched in a paper mould, a wooden frame similar to that of a window.
The size of the paper is governed by the open area of the frame. The
mould is then completely submerged in the furnish, then pulled, shaken
and drained, forming a uniform coating on the screen. Excess water is
then removed, the wet mat of fibre laid on top of a damp cloth or felt
in a process called "couching". The process is repeated for the required
number of sheets. This stack of wet mats is then pressed in a hydraulic
press. The fairly damp fibre is then dried using a variety of methods,
such as vacuum drying or simply air drying. Sometimes, the individual
sheet is rolled to flatten, harden, and refine the surface. Finally, the
paper is then cut to the desired shape or the standard shape (A4,
letter, legal, etc.) and packed.[16]
The wooden frame is called a
"deckle". The deckle leaves the edges of the paper slightly irregular
and wavy, called "deckle edges", one of the indications that the paper
was made by hand. Deckle-edged paper is occasionally mechanically
imitated today to create the impression of old-fashioned luxury. The
impressions in paper caused by the wires in the screen that run sideways
are called "laid lines" and the impressions made, usually from top to
bottom, by the wires holding the sideways wires together are called
"chain lines". Watermarks are created by weaving a design into the wires
in the mould. Handmade paper generally folds and tears more evenly
along the laid lines.
The International Association of Hand
Papermakers and Paper Artists (IAPMA) is the world-leading association
for handmade paper artists.
Handmade paper is also prepared in
laboratories to study papermaking and in paper mills to check the
quality of the production process. The "handsheets" made according to
TAPPI Standard T 205 [17] are circular sheets 15.9 cm (6.25 in) in
diameter and are tested for paper characteristics such as brightness,
strength and degree of sizing.[18] Paper made from other fibers, cotton
being the most common, tends to be valued higher than wood-based paper.
Industrial
Main article: Paper machine
See also: Paper mill and Pulp and paper industry
A
modern paper mill[when?] is divided into several sections, roughly
corresponding to the processes involved in making handmade paper. Pulp
is refined and mixed in water with other additives to make a pulp
slurry. The head-box of the paper machine called Fourdrinier machine
distributes the slurry onto a moving continuous screen, water drains
from the slurry by gravity or under vacuum, the wet paper sheet goes
through presses and dries, and finally rolls into large rolls. The
outcome often weighs several tons.[citation needed]
Another type
of paper machine, invented by John Dickinson in 1809, makes use of a
cylinder mould that rotates while partially immersed in a vat of dilute
pulp. The pulp is picked up by the wire mesh and covers the mould as it
rises out of the vat. A couch roller is pressed against the mould to
smooth out the pulp, and picks the wet sheet off the mould.[19][20]
Papermaking
continues to be of concern from an environmental perspective, due to
its use of harsh chemicals, its need for large amounts of water, and the
resulting contamination risks, as well as the carbon sequestration lost
by deforestation caused by clearcutting the trees used as the primary
source of wood pulp." (wikipedia.org)
"Star
Wars is an American epic space opera[1] multimedia franchise created by
George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film[b] and quickly
became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. The franchise has been
expanded into various films and other media, including television
series, video games, novels, comic books, theme park attractions, and
themed areas, comprising an all-encompassing fictional universe.[c] Star
Wars is one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.
The
original film (Star Wars), retroactively subtitled Episode IV: A New
Hope (1977), was followed by the sequels Episode V: The Empire Strikes
Back (1980) and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983), forming the
original Star Wars trilogy. Lucas later returned to the series to direct
a prequel trilogy, consisting of Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999),
Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002), and Episode III: Revenge of the
Sith (2005). In 2012, Lucas sold his production company to Disney,
relinquishing his ownership of the franchise. This led to a sequel
trilogy, consisting of Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Episode
VIII: The Last Jedi (2017), and Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker
(2019).
All nine films of the "Skywalker Saga" were nominated for
Academy Awards, with wins going to the first two releases. Together
with the theatrical live action "anthology" films Rogue One (2016) and
Solo (2018), the combined box office revenue of the films equated to
over US$10 billion, which makes it the second-highest-grossing film
franchise of all time.[3][4] Additional upcoming films are in the works,
including an untitled movie from Taika Waititi and Rogue Squadron
directed by Patty Jenkins, both currently without release dates.[5]
Premise
The
Star Wars franchise depicts the adventures of characters "A long time
ago in a galaxy far, far away",[6] in which humans and many species of
aliens (often humanoid) co-exist with robots (typically referred to in
the films as 'droids'), who may assist them in their daily routines;
space travel between planets is common due to lightspeed hyperspace
technology.[7][8][9] The planets range from wealthy, planet-wide cities
to deserts scarcely populated by primitive tribes. Virtually any Earth
biome, along with many fictional ones, has its counterpart as a Star
Wars planet which, in most cases, teem with sentient and non-sentient
alien life.[10] The franchise also makes use of other astronomical
objects such as asteroid fields and nebulae.[11][12] Spacecraft range
from small starfighters, to huge capital ships such as the Star
Destroyers, to space stations such as the moon-sized Death Stars.
Telecommunication includes two-way audio and audiovisual screens,
holographic projections, and HoloNet (internet counterpart).
The
universe of Star Wars is generally similar to ours but its laws of
physics are less strict allowing for more imaginative stories.[13] One
result of that is a mystical power known as the Force which is described
in the original film as "an energy field created by all living things
... [that] binds the galaxy together".[14] The field is depicted as a
kind of pantheistic god.[15] Through training and meditation, those whom
"the Force is strong with" exhibit various superpowers (such as
telekinesis, precognition, telepathy, and manipulation of physical
energy).[16] It is believed nothing is impossible for the Force.[17] The
mentioned powers are wielded by two major knightly orders at conflict
with each other: the Jedi, peacekeepers of the Galactic Republic who act
on the light side of the Force through non-attachment and arbitration,
and the Sith, who use the dark side by manipulating fear and aggression.
While Jedi Knights can be numerous, the Dark Lords of the Sith (or
'Darths') are intended to be limited to two: a master and their
apprentice.[18] Another notable fictional element of Star Wars is
hyperspace, an alternate dimension that allows faster-than-light travel.
Force-wielders
are very limited in numbers in comparison to the population. The Jedi
and Sith prefer the use of a weapon called a lightsaber, a blade of
plasma that can cut through virtually any surface and deflect energy
bolts. The rest of the population, as well as renegades and soldiers,
use plasma-powered blaster firearms. As a result of galaxy-scaled
politics (involving republics, empires, kingdoms, alliances, etc.), all
this weaponry is made use of in various military conflicts during which
most Star Wars material takes place. In the outer reaches of the galaxy,
crime syndicates such as the Hutt cartel are dominant. Bounty hunters
are often employed by both gangsters and governments. Illicit activities
include smuggling and slavery.
The combination of science
fiction and fantasy elements makes Star Wars a very universal franchise,
capable of telling stories of various genres.[19]
Films
Main article: List of Star Wars films
The Skywalker Saga
Film U.S. release date Directed by Screenplay by Story by Produced by Refs
Original trilogy: Episodes IV–VI
Star Wars May 25, 1977 George Lucas George Lucas Gary Kurtz [20][21]
The Empire Strikes Back May 21, 1980 Irvin Kershner Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan [22][23]
Return of the Jedi May 25, 1983 Richard Marquand Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas Howard Kazanjian [24][25]
Prequel trilogy: Episodes I–III
The Phantom Menace May 19, 1999 George Lucas George Lucas George Lucas Rick McCallum [26]
Attack of the Clones May 16, 2002 George Lucas and Jonathan Hales [27][28]
Revenge of the Sith May 19, 2005 George Lucas [29][30]
Sequel trilogy: Episodes VII–IX
The
Force Awakens December 18, 2015 J. J. Abrams Lawrence
Kasdan & J. J. Abrams and Michael Arndt Kathleen Kennedy, J. J.
Abrams and Bryan Burk [24][31]
The Last Jedi December 15, 2017 Rian Johnson Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman [32][33]
The
Rise of Skywalker December 20, 2019 J. J. Abrams Chris
Terrio & J. J. Abrams Derek Connolly & Colin Trevorrow and
J. J. Abrams & Chris Terrio Kathleen Kennedy, J. J. Abrams and
Michelle Rejwan [34][35]
Spin-off films
Film U.S. release date Directed by Screenplay by Story by Produced by Refs
Star
Wars: The Clone Wars August 10, 2008 Dave Filoni Henry
Gilroy, Steven Melching and Scott Murphy Catherine Winder [36]
Rogue
One: A Star Wars Story December 16, 2016 Gareth Edwards
Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy John Knoll and Gary Whitta Kathleen
Kennedy, Allison Shearmur and Simon Emanuel [37]
Solo: A Star Wars Story May 25, 2018 Ron Howard Jonathan Kasdan & Lawrence Kasdan [38]
Upcoming films
Film U.S. release date Directed by Screenplay by Story by Produced by Status Refs
Untitled
Star Wars film TBA Taika Waititi Taika Waititi and Krysty
Wilson-Cairns Kathleen Kennedy In development [39]
Rogue Squadron Patty Jenkins Matthew Robinson [40]
Untitled Star Wars film Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson [41]
Untitled Star Wars film Shawn Levy TBA TBA [42]
The
Star Wars film series centers around three sets of trilogies, the nine
films of which are collectively referred to as the "Skywalker Saga".[43]
They were produced non-chronologically, with Episodes IV–VI (the
original trilogy) being released between 1977 and 1983, Episodes I–III
(the prequel trilogy) being released between 1999 and 2005, and Episodes
VII–IX (the sequel trilogy), being released between 2015 and 2019. Each
trilogy focuses on a generation of the Force-sensitive Skywalker
family. The original trilogy depicts the heroic development of Luke
Skywalker, the prequels tell the backstory of his father Anakin, while
the sequels feature Luke's nephew, Ben Solo, and Luke's protegé Rey.
An
anthology series set between the main episodes entered development in
parallel to the production of the sequel trilogy,[44] described by
Disney chief financial officer Jay Rasulo as origin stories.[45] The
first entry, Rogue One (2016), tells the story of the rebels who steal
the Death Star plans just before Episode IV.[46][47] Solo (2018) focuses
on Han Solo's backstory, also featuring original trilogy
co-protagonists Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian and involving prequel
trilogy villain Darth Maul.
Lucasfilm has a number of Star Wars
films in development, two of which were confirmed during Disney Investor
Day 2020. The first will be an unspecified film from Taika Waititi, who
in May 2020 was announced to be directing a Star Wars film he was
co-writing with Krysty Wilson-Cairns.[48] The second is a film titled
Rogue Squadron, which is being directed by Patty Jenkins.[49]
Additionally, a trilogy independent from the Skywalker Saga is being
written by The Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson.[50][51] In
September 2019, it was announced that Kathleen Kennedy and Kevin Feige
would collaborate to develop a Star Wars film;[52] however, the film was
no longer in active development as of May 2022.[53] In February 2020, a
film was announced to be in development from director J. D. Dillard and
writer Matt Owens;[54] however, Dillard announced he was no longer to
direct that film in November 2022.[55] In May 2022, the Waititi film was
expected to be the next Star Wars film to be produced, ahead of the
previously announced Rogue Squadron, with Kennedy stating that they were
aiming for a late 2023 release date but had not yet officially
scheduled one.[53][56] As of September 2022, untitled films are
scheduled for release on December 19, 2025, December 17, 2027 and
December 21, 2029.[5]
History
Original trilogy
Main article: Star Wars original trilogy
The
original trilogy's main cast includes (from left to right) Mark Hamill
(Luke Skywalker), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Princess
Leia), and James Earl Jones (Darth Vader's voice).
In 1971,
George Lucas wanted to film an adaptation of the Flash Gordon serial,
but could not obtain the rights, so he began developing his own space
opera.[57][d] After directing American Graffiti (1973), he wrote a
two-page synopsis, which 20th Century Fox decided to invest in.[58][59]
By 1974, he had expanded the story into the first draft of a
screenplay.[60] Fox expected the film would be of limited financial
success, and so it was given a relatively low budget, with production
being moved to Elstree Studios in England to help save on cost.[61] Many
of the scenes were shot in England, and so featured a number of British
actors. The Star Wars robots were built by the small English company
Peteric Engineering. A 2019 BBC documentary revealed how the parts
required to create these machines and other now iconic film props,
including the light sabers (originally called 'laser guns'), were
ingeniously recycled from items scavenged in junk shops, ever conscious
of the need to spend as little money as possible.[62] The 1977 movie's
success led Lucas to make it the basis of an elaborate film serial.[63]
With the backstory he created for the sequel, Lucas decided that the
series would be a trilogy of trilogies.[64] Most of the main cast would
return for the two additional installments of the original trilogy,
which were self-financed by Lucasfilm.
Star Wars was released on
May 25, 1977, and first subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope in the 1979
book The Art of Star Wars.[65] Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back was
released on May 21, 1980, also achieving wide financial and critical
success. The final film in the trilogy, Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
was released on May 25, 1983. The story of the original trilogy focuses
on Luke Skywalker's quest to become a Jedi, his struggle with the evil
Imperial agent Darth Vader, and the struggle of the Rebel Alliance to
free the galaxy from the clutches of the Galactic Empire.
Prequel trilogy
Main article: Star Wars prequel trilogy
The
prequel trilogy's main cast includes (from left to right) Ewan McGregor
(Obi-Wan Kenobi), Natalie Portman (Padmé Amidala), Hayden Christensen
(Anakin Skywalker),[e] and Ian McDiarmid (Palpatine).
According
to producer Gary Kurtz, loose plans for a prequel trilogy were developed
during the outlining of the original two films.[66] In 1980, Lucas
confirmed that he had the nine-film series plotted,[67] but due to the
stress of producing the original trilogy, he had decided to cancel
further sequels by 1981.[68] In 1983, Lucas explained that "There was
never a script completed that had the entire story as it exists now ...
As the stories unfolded, I would take certain ideas and save them ... I
kept taking out all the good parts, and I just kept telling myself I
would make other movies someday."[69]
Technical advances in the
late 1980s and early 1990s, including the ability to create
computer-generated imagery (CGI), inspired Lucas to consider that it
might be possible to revisit his saga. In 1989, Lucas stated that the
prequels would be "unbelievably expensive".[70] In 1992, he acknowledged
that he had plans to create the prequel trilogy.[71] A theatrical
rerelease of the original trilogy in 1997 "updated" the 20-year-old
films with the style of CGI envisioned for the new trilogy.
Episode
I: The Phantom Menace was released on May 19, 1999, and Episode II:
Attack of the Clones on May 16, 2002. Episode III: Revenge of the Sith,
the first PG-13 film in the franchise, was released on May 19, 2005.[72]
The first two movies were met with mixed reviews, with the third being
received somewhat more positively. The trilogy begins 32 years before
Episode IV and follows the Jedi training of Anakin Skywalker, Luke's
father, and his eventual fall from grace and transformation into the
Sith lord Darth Vader, as well as the corruption of the Galactic
Republic and rise of the Empire led by Darth Sidious. Together with the
original trilogy, Lucas has collectively referred to the first six
episodic films of the franchise as "the tragedy of Darth Vader".[73]
Sequel trilogy
Main article: Star Wars sequel trilogy
The
sequel trilogy's main cast includes (from left to right) Adam Driver
(Kylo Ren), Daisy Ridley (Rey), John Boyega (Finn), and Oscar Isaac (Poe
Dameron).
Prior to releasing the original film, and made
possible by its success, Lucas planned "three trilogies of nine
films".[64][74] However, he announced to Time in 1978 that he planned
"10 sequels".[75] He confirmed that he had outlined the prequels and
sequels in 1981.[76] At various stages of development, the sequel
trilogy was to focus on the rebuilding of the Republic,[77] the return
of Luke in a role similar to that of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original
trilogy,[74] Luke's sister (not yet determined to be Leia),[66] Han,
Leia,[78] R2-D2 and C-3PO.[64][79] However, after beginning work on the
prequel trilogy, Lucas insisted that Star Wars was meant to be a
six-part series and that there would be no sequel trilogy.[80][81]
Lucas
decided to leave the franchise in the hands of other filmmakers,
announcing in January 2012 that he would make no more Star Wars
films.[82] That October, the Walt Disney Company agreed to buy Lucasfilm
and announced that Episode VII would be released in 2015.[83] The
co-chairman of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy, became president and served
as executive producer of new Star Wars feature films.[84] Lucas provided
Kennedy his story treatments for the sequels during the 2012 sale,[85]
but in 2015 it was revealed Lucas's sequel outline had been
discarded.[86][87] The sequel trilogy also meant the end of the existing
Star Wars Expanded Universe, which was discarded from canon to give
"maximum creative freedom to the filmmakers and also preserve an element
of surprise and discovery for the audience."[2]
Episode VII: The
Force Awakens was released on December 16, 2015, Episode VIII: The Last
Jedi on December 13, 2017, and Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker on
December 18, 2019, in many countries.[f] The Force Awakens and The Last
Jedi were both critical and box office successes.[88][89] Episode IX
received a mixed reception from critics and audiences.[90] The sequel
trilogy starts 30 years after Episode VI and focuses on the journey of
the Force-sensitive orphan Rey, guided by Luke Skywalker. Along with
ex-stormtrooper Finn and ace X-Wing pilot Poe Dameron, Rey helps the
Resistance, led by Leia, fight the First Order, commanded by Han and
Leia's son (and Luke's nephew), Kylo Ren.
Anthology films
The
anthology films' main casts include (from left to right) Felicity Jones
(Jyn Erso) and Diego Luna (Cassian Andor) from Rogue One: A Star Wars
Story and Alden Ehrenreich (Han Solo) and Woody Harrelson (Tobias
Beckett) from Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Lucasfilm and Kennedy have
stated that the standalone films would be referred to as the Star Wars
anthology series[46] (though the word anthology has not been used in any
of the titles, instead carrying the promotional "A Star Wars Story"
subtitle). Focused on how the Rebels obtained the Death Star plans
introduced in the 1977 film, the first anthology film, Rogue One: A Star
Wars Story, was released on December 16, 2016, to favorable reviews and
box office success. The second, Solo: A Star Wars Story, centered on a
young Han Solo with Chewbacca and Lando as supporting characters, was
released on May 25, 2018, to generally favorable reviews and
underperformance at the box office. The television series Obi-Wan Kenobi
was originally going to be a film instead but changed to a limited
series due to Solo underperforming.[91] Despite this, more anthology
films are expected to be released,[92] following a hiatus after 2019's
The Rise of Skywalker.[93]
Television
The Star Wars franchise
has been spun off to various television productions, including two
animated series released in the mid-1980s. Further animated series began
to be released in the 2000s, the first two of which focused on the
Clone Wars. After Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, only the later CGI
series remained canon. Eight live-action Star Wars series will be
released on Disney+. The first, The Mandalorian, premiered on November
12, 2019, and won the 2020 Webby Award for Television & Film in the
category Social.[94] Disney+ later released the Ewoks movies and
animated series, along with the animated first appearance of Boba Fett
from the Star Wars Holiday Special, and the Clone Wars animated
micro-series in a section called "Star Wars Vintage", which also
includes the Droids animated series.[95][96] Certain aspects of the
original Clone Wars micro-series are considered to not contradict the
canon, while others do.[97]
Series
Main article: List of Star Wars television series
Many
Star Wars series have been produced, both animated and live-action, the
first being Droids and Ewoks in 1985. The Mandalorian, the first
live-action series to take place in the Star Wars universe, has spawned
multiple spinoffs and inspired other live-action series to be created.
Confirmed upcoming animated series include Young Jedi Adventures, as
well as upcoming live-action series Ahsoka, Skeleton Crew, The Acolyte,
and Lando.
Series Seasons Episodes Originally released Network
Animated series
Droids 1 13 September 7, 1985 – June 7, 1986 ABC
Ewoks 2 26 September 7, 1985 – December 13, 1986
The Clone Wars 7 133 October 3, 2008 – May 4, 2020 Cartoon Network / Netflix / Disney+
Rebels 4 75 October 3, 2014 – March 5, 2018 Disney XD
Resistance 2 40 October 7, 2018 – January 26, 2020 Disney Channel
The Bad Batch 2 27 May 4, 2021 – present Disney+
Visions 1 9 September 22, 2021 – present
Tales of the Jedi 1 6 October 26, 2022
Animated micro-series and shorts
Clone Wars 3 25 November 7, 2003 – March 25, 2005 Cartoon Network
Blips 1 8 May 3 – September 4, 2017 YouTube
Forces of Destiny 2 32 July 3, 2017 – May 25, 2018
Galaxy of Adventures 2 55 November 30, 2018 – October 2, 2020
Roll Out 1 16 August 9, 2019 – April 1, 2020
Galaxy of Creatures 2 24 October 14, 2021 – February 21, 2023 StarWarsKids.com
Galactic Pals 1 12 April 12 – November 1, 2022
"Zen – Grogu and Dust Bunnies" 1 1 November 12, 2022 Disney+
Live-action series
The Mandalorian 3 17 November 12, 2019 – present Disney+
The Book of Boba Fett 1 7 December 29, 2021 – February 9, 2022
Obi-Wan Kenobi 1 6 May 27 – June 22, 2022
Andor 1 12 September 21, 2022 – present
Game shows
Jedi Temple Challenge 1 10 June 10 – August 5, 2020 StarWarsKids.com
Films and specials
Film U.S. release date Director(s) Teleplay by Story by Producer(s) Network
Star
Wars Holiday Special November 17, 1978 Steve Binder Pat
Proft, Leonard Ripps, Bruce Vilanch, Rod Warren, and Mitzie Welch
Joe Layton, Jeff Starsh, Ken Welch, and Mitzie Welch CBS
The Ewok
Adventure November 25, 1984 John Korty Bob Carrau
George Lucas Thomas G. Smith and Patricia Rose Duignan ABC
Ewoks: The Battle for Endor November 24, 1985 Jim Wheat and Ken Wheat Thomas G. Smith and Ian Bryce
Fictional timeline
See also: Star Wars in other media § Legends fictional timeline
The
Star Wars canon fictional universe spans multiple eras, of which three
are focused around each of the film trilogies. The following eras were
defined in January 2021:[98]
The High Republic: The era of
the "High Republic", set 200 years before the prequel trilogy. It
includes the media released in The High Republic and the upcoming Young
Jedi Adventures and The Acolyte.[98]
Fall of the Jedi: The era of
the prequel trilogy,[g] in which the democratic Galactic Republic is
corrupted by the Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, who is secretly the Sith
Lord Darth Sidious. After orchestrating the Clone Wars between the
Republic and a Separatist confederation, Palpatine exterminates the Jedi
Order, overthrows the Republic, and establishes the totalitarian
Galactic Empire.[100][101] It includes the prequel trilogy films and the
animated The Clone Wars and Tales of the Jedi.[98]
Reign of the
Empire: The era after the prequel trilogy, exploring the reign of the
Empire. It includes the animated The Bad Batch, Solo: A Star Wars
Story[98] and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Age of Rebellion: The era of the
original trilogy,[h] in which the Empire is fought by the Rebel Alliance
in a Galactic Civil War that spans several years, climaxing with the
death of the Emperor and fall of the Empire.[103][104] It includes the
animated Star Wars Rebels, Andor, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and the
original trilogy films.[98]
The New Republic: The era after the
original trilogy, set during the formative years of the New Republic
following the fall of the Empire. It includes The Mandalorian and its
spin-off series, The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka, as well as the
upcoming Skeleton Crew.[98]
Rise of the First Order: The era of
the sequel trilogy,[i] in which the remnants of the Empire have reformed
as the First Order.[106] Heroes of the former Rebellion, aided by the
New Republic, lead the Resistance against the oppressive regime and its
rulers—the mysterious being known as Snoke and the revived
Palpatine.[107] It includes the animated Star Wars Resistance and the
sequel trilogy films.[98]
The Expanded Universe of spin-off media
depicts different levels of continuity, which were deemed non-canonical
and rebranded as Legends on April 25, 2014, to make most subsequent
works align to the episodic films, The Clone Wars film, and television
series.[2]
Other media
Main article: Star Wars in other media
From
1976 to 2014, the term Expanded Universe (EU) was an umbrella term for
all officially licensed Star Wars storytelling material set outside the
events depicted within the theatrical films, including novels, comics,
and video games.[108] Lucasfilm maintained internal continuity between
the films and television content and the EU material until April 25,
2014, when the company announced all of the EU works would cease
production. Existing works would no longer be considered canon to the
franchise and subsequent reprints would be rebranded under the Star Wars
Legends label,[108] with downloadable content for the massively
multiplayer online game The Old Republic the only Legends material to
still be produced. The Star Wars canon was subsequently restructured to
only include the existing six feature films, the animated film The Clone
Wars (2008), and its companion animated series. All future projects and
creative developments across all types of media would be overseen and
coordinated by the story group, announced as a division of Lucasfilm
created to maintain continuity and a cohesive vision on the storytelling
of the franchise.[2] Multiple comics series from Marvel and novels
published by Del Rey were produced after the announcement.
Print media
Star
Wars in print predates the release of the first film, with the November
1976 novelization of Star Wars, initially subtitled "From the
Adventures of Luke Skywalker". Credited to Lucas, it was ghostwritten by
Alan Dean Foster.[109] The first "Expanded Universe" story appeared in
Marvel Comics' Star Wars #7 in January 1978 (the first six issues being
an adaptation of the film), followed by Foster's sequel novel Splinter
of the Mind's Eye the following month.
Novels
Further information: List of Star Wars books
Timothy
Zahn authored the Thrawn trilogy, which was widely credited with
revitalizing the dormant Star Wars franchise in the early 1990s.
After
penning the novelization of the original film, Foster followed it with
the sequel Splinter of the Mind's Eye (1978). The novelizations of The
Empire Strikes Back (1980) by Donald F. Glut and Return of the Jedi
(1983) by James Kahn followed, as well as The Han Solo Adventures
trilogy (1979–1980) by Brian Daley,[110] and The Adventures of Lando
Calrissian trilogy (1983) by L. Neil Smith.[111][112]
Timothy
Zahn's bestselling Thrawn trilogy (1991–1993) reignited interest in the
franchise and introduced the popular characters Grand Admiral Thrawn,
Mara Jade, Talon Karrde, and Gilad Pellaeon.[113][114][115][116] The
first novel, Heir to the Empire, reached #1 on the New York Times Best
Seller list,[117] and the series finds Luke, Leia, and Han facing off
against tactical genius Thrawn, who is plotting to retake the galaxy for
the Empire.[118] In The Courtship of Princess Leia (1994) by Dave
Wolverton, set immediately before the Thrawn trilogy, Leia considers an
advantageous political marriage to Prince Isolder of the planet Hapes,
but she and Han ultimately marry.[119][120] Steve Perry's Shadows of the
Empire (1996), set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the
Jedi, was part of a multimedia campaign that included a comic book
series and video game.[121][122] The novel introduced the crime lord
Prince Xizor, another popular character who would appear in multiple
other works.[121][123] Other notable series from Bantam include the Jedi
Academy trilogy (1994) by Kevin J. Anderson,[124][125] the 14-book
Young Jedi Knights series (1995–1998) by Anderson and Rebecca
Moesta,[125][126] and the X-wing series (1996–2012) by Michael A.
Stackpole and Aaron Allston.[127][128][129]
Del Rey took over
Star Wars book publishing in 1999, releasing what would become a
19-installment novel series called The New Jedi Order (1999–2003).
Written by multiple authors, the series was set 25 to 30 years after the
original films and introduced the Yuuzhan Vong, a powerful alien race
attempting to invade and conquer the entire galaxy.[130][131] The
bestselling multi-author series Legacy of the Force (2006–2008)
chronicles the crossover of Han and Leia's son Jacen Solo to the dark
side of the Force; among his evil deeds, he kills Luke's wife Mara Jade
as a sacrifice to join the Sith. Although no longer canon, the story is
paralleled in The Force Awakens with Han and Leia's son Ben Solo, who
becomes the evil Kylo Ren.[132][133][134][135]
Three series set
in the prequel era were published by Scholastic for younger audiences:
the 18-book Jedi Apprentice (1999–2002) chronicles the adventures of
Obi-Wan Kenobi and his master Qui-Gon Jinn in the years before The
Phantom Menace; the 11-book Jedi Quest (2001–2004) follows Obi-Wan and
his own apprentice, Anakin Skywalker in between The Phantom Menace and
Attack of the Clones; and the 10-book The Last of the Jedi (2005–2008),
set almost immediately after Revenge of the Sith, features Obi-Wan and
the last few surviving Jedi. In 2019, a new prequel era novel, starring
Qui-Gon and the young Obi-Wan, was published by Del Rey under the title
Star Wars: Master and Apprentice.[136]
Although Thrawn had been
designated a Legends character in 2014, he was reintroduced into the
canon in 2016 for the third season of the Rebels animated series, with
Zahn returning to write more novels based on the character and set in
the new canon.[137][138]
Comics
Main articles: Star Wars comics and List of Star Wars comic books
Marvel
Comics published a Star Wars comic book series from 1977 to
1986.[139][140][141][142] Original Star Wars comics were serialized in
the Marvel magazine Pizzazz between 1977 and 1979. The 1977 installments
were the first original Star Wars stories not directly adapted from the
films to appear in print form, as they preceded those of the Star Wars
comic series.[143] From 1985 to 1987, the animated children's series
Ewoks and Droids inspired comic series from Marvel's Star Comics
line.[144][145][146] According to Marvel comics former Editor-In-Chief
Jim Shooter, the strong sales of Star Wars comics saved Marvel
financially in 1977 and 1978.[147] Marvel's Star Wars series was one of
the industry's top selling titles in 1979 and 1980.[148] The only
downside for Marvel was that the 100,000 copy sales quota was surpassed
quickly, allowing Lippincott to renegotiate the royalty arrangements
from a position of strength.[149]
In the late 1980s, Marvel
dropped a new Star Wars comic it had in development, which was picked up
by Dark Horse Comics and published as the popular Dark Empire series
(1991–1995).[150] Dark Horse subsequently launched dozens of series set
after the original film trilogy, including Tales of the Jedi
(1993–1998), X-wing Rogue Squadron (1995–1998), Star Wars: Republic
(1998–2006), Star Wars Tales (1999–2005), Star Wars: Empire (2002–2006),
and Knights of the Old Republic (2006–2010).[151][152]
After
Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, it was announced in January 2014 that
in 2015 the Star Wars comics license would return to Marvel
Comics,[153] whose parent company, Marvel Entertainment, Disney had
purchased in 2009.[154] Launched in 2015, the first three publications
were titled Star Wars, Darth Vader, and the limited series Princess
Leia.[155][156][157]
First announced as Project Luminous at Star
Wars Celebration in April 2019, the Star Wars: The High Republic
publishing initiative were revealed in a press conference in February
2020. Involving the majority of the then current officially licensed
publishers, a new era set 200 years before the Skywalker Saga was
explored in various books and comics. Including ongoing titles by Marvel
and IDW Publishing, written by Cavan Scott and Daniel José Older
respectively.[158]
Audio
Soundtracks and singles
Further information: Music of Star Wars
John
Williams composed the soundtracks for the nine episodic films; he has
stated that he will retire from the franchise with The Rise of
Skywalker.[159] He also composed Han Solo's theme for Solo: A Star Wars
Story; John Powell adapted and composed the rest of the score.[160]
Michael Giacchino composed the score of Rogue One.[160] Ludwig Göransson
scored and composed the music of The Mandalorian.[161] Williams also
created the main theme for Galaxy's Edge.[162]
Audio novels
Further information: The Story of Star Wars and List of Star Wars books
The
first Star Wars audio work is The Story of Star Wars, an LP using audio
samples from the original film and a new narration to retell the story,
released in 1977. Most later printed novels were adapted into audio
novels, usually released on cassette tape and re-released on CD. As of
2019, audio-only novels have been released not directly based on printed
media.[163]
Radio
Further information: Star Wars (radio)
Radio
adaptations of the films were also produced. Lucas, a fan of the
NPR-affiliated campus radio station of his alma mater the University of
Southern California, licensed the Star Wars radio rights to KUSC-FM for
US$1. The production used John Williams's original film score, along
with Ben Burtt's sound effects.[164][165]
The first was written
by science-fiction author Brian Daley and directed by John Madden. It
was broadcast on National Public Radio in 1981, adapting the original
1977 film into 13 episodes.[166][164][165] Mark Hamill and Anthony
Daniels reprised their film roles.[166][164]
The overwhelming
success, led to a 10-episode adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back
debuted in 1983.[167] Billy Dee Williams joined the other two stars,
reprising his role as Lando Calrissian.[citation needed]
In 1983,
Buena Vista Records released an original, 30-minute Star Wars audio
drama titled Rebel Mission to Ord Mantell, written by Daley.[165][168]
In the 1990s, Time Warner Audio Publishing adapted several Star Wars
series from Dark Horse Comics into audio dramas: the three-part Dark
Empire saga, Tales of the Jedi, Dark Lords of the Sith, the Dark Forces
trilogy, and Crimson Empire (1998).[168] Return of the Jedi was adapted
into 6-episodes in 1996, featuring Daniels.[164][168]
Video games
Further information: Star Wars video games and List of Star Wars video games
The
Star Wars franchise has spawned over one hundred[169] computer, video,
and board games, dating back to some of the earliest home consoles. Some
are based directly on the movie material, while others rely heavily on
the non-canonical Expanded Universe (rebranded as Star Wars Legends and
removed from the canon in 2014). Star Wars games have gone through three
significant development eras, marked by a change in leadership among
the developers: the early licensed games, those developed after the
creation of LucasArts, and those created after the closure of the
Lucasfilm division by Disney and the transfer of the license to
Electronic Arts.
Early licensed games (1979–1993)
The first
officially licensed electronic Star Wars game was Kenner's 1979
table-top Star Wars Electronic Battle Command.[170][171] In 1982, Parker
Brothers published the first Star Wars video game for the Atari 2600,
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back,[172] followed soon the year later by
Star Wars: Jedi Arena, the first video game to depict lightsaber
combat. They were followed in 1983 by Atari's rail shooter arcade game
Star Wars, with vector graphics to replicate the Death Star trench run
scene from the 1977 film.[173] The next game, Star Wars: Return of the
Jedi (1984), has more traditional raster graphics,[174] while the
following Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1985) has vector
graphics.[175]
Platform games were made for the Nintendo
Entertainment System, including the Japan-exclusive Star Wars (1987), an
international Star Wars (1991), and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
(1992). Super Star Wars (1992) was released for the Super Nintendo
Entertainment System, with two sequels over the next two years.
LucasArts and modern self-published games (1993–2014)
Main article: LucasArts
Lucasfilm
founded its own video game company in 1982, becoming best known for
adventure games and World War II flight combat games, but as George
Lucas took more interest in the increasing success of the video game
market, he wanted to have more creative control over the games and
founded his own development company, LucasArts. Improved graphics
allowed games to tell complex narratives, which allowed for the
retelling of the films, and eventually original narratives set in the
same continuity, with voice-overs and CGI cutscenes. In 1993, LucasArts
released Star Wars: X-Wing, the first self-published Star Wars video
game and the first space flight simulator based on the franchise.[176]
It was one of the bestselling video games of 1993 and established its
own series of games.[176] The Rogue Squadron series was released between
1998 and 2003, also focusing on space battles set during the films.
Dark
Forces (1995), a hybrid adventure game incorporating puzzles and
strategy,[177] was the first Star Wars first-person shooter.[178] It
featured gameplay and graphical features not then common in other games,
made possible by LucasArts' custom-designed game engine, the
Jedi.[178][177][179][180] The game was well received,[181][182][183] and
it was followed by four sequels.[184][185] The series introduced Kyle
Katarn, who would appear in multiple games, novels, and comics.[186]
Katarn is a former stormtrooper who joins the Rebellion and becomes a
Jedi,[178][187][188] a plot arc similar to that of Finn in the sequel
trilogy films.[132] A massively multiplayer online role-playing game,
Star Wars Galaxies, was in operation from 2003 until 2011. After Disney
bought Lucasfilm, LucasArts ceased its role as a developer in 2013,
although it still operates as a licensor.[189]
EA Star Wars (2014–present)
Following
its acquisition of the franchise, Disney reassigned video game rights
to Electronic Arts. Games made during this era are considered canonical,
and feature more influence from the Star Wars filmmakers. Disney
partnered with Lenovo to create the augmented reality video game Jedi
Challenges, released in November 2017.[190][191] In August 2018, it was
announced that Zynga would publish free-to-play Star Wars mobile
games.[192] The Battlefront games received a canonical reboot with Star
Wars: Battlefront in November 2015, which was followed by a sequel,
Battlefront II, in November 2017. A single-player action-adventure game,
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, with an original story and cast of
characters, was released in November 2019. A space combat game titled
Star Wars: Squadrons, which builds upon the space battles from
Battlefront, was released in October 2020.
Theme park attractions
Main article: List of Star Wars theme parks attractions
In
addition to the Disneyland ride Star Tours (1987) and its successor,
Star Tours: The Adventures Continue (2011), many live attractions have
been held at Disney parks, including the traveling exhibition Where
Science Meets Imagination, the Space Mountain spin-off Hyperspace
Mountain, a walkthrough Launch Bay, and the night-time A Galactic
Spectacular. An immersive themed area called Galaxy's Edge (2019) opened
at Disneyland and opened at Walt Disney World in mid-2019.[193] A
themed hotel, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, is currently under
construction at Walt Disney World.[194]
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Title Park(s) Opening date Closing date
Star Tours Disneyland January 9, 1987 July 27, 2010
Tokyo Disneyland July 12, 1989 April 2, 2012
Disney's Hollywood Studios December 15, 1989 September 7, 2010
Disneyland Paris April 12, 1992 March 16, 2016
Star Wars Weekends Disney's Hollywood Studios 1997 November 2015
Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination Multiple locations October 19, 2005 March 23, 2014
Jedi Training Academy Disneyland July 1, 2006 November 15, 2015
Disney's Hollywood Studios October 9, 2007 October 5, 2015
Star Tours: The Adventures Continue Disney's Hollywood Studios May 20, 2011 N/A (Operating)
Disneyland June 3, 2011
Tokyo Disneyland May 7, 2013
Disneyland Paris March 26, 2017
Star Wars: Hyperspace Mountain Disneyland November 14, 2015 May 31, 2017
Hong Kong Disneyland June 11, 2016 N/A (Operating)
Disneyland Paris May 7, 2017
Star Wars Launch Bay Disneyland November 16, 2015
Disney's Hollywood Studios December 4, 2015
Shanghai Disneyland Park June 16, 2016
Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple Disney's Hollywood Studios December 1, 2015
Disneyland December 8, 2015
Disneyland Paris July 11, 2015
Hong Kong Disneyland June 25, 2016
Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular Disney's Hollywood Studios June 17, 2016
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Disneyland May 31, 2019
Disney's Hollywood Studios August 29, 2019
Star Wars: Millennium Falcon - Smugglers Run Disneyland May 31, 2019
Disney's Hollywood Studios August 29, 2019
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Disney's Hollywood Studios December 5, 2019
Disneyland January 17, 2020
Multimedia projects
A
multimedia project involves works released across multiple types of
media. Shadows of the Empire (1996) was a multimedia project set between
The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi that included a novel by
Steve Perry, a comic book series, a video game, and action
figures.[121][122] The Force Unleashed (2008–2010) was a similar project
set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope that included a novel, a
2008 video game and its 2010 sequel, a graphic novel, a role-playing
game supplement, and toys.[195][196]
Merchandising
Main articles:
Kenner Star Wars action figures, List of Kenner Star Wars action
figures, Star Wars: The Vintage Collection, Lego Star Wars, Star Wars
trading card, and Star Wars role-playing games
George Lucas made much of his fortune by retaining his rights to the franchise's merchandising.
The
success of the Star Wars films led the franchise to become one of the
most merchandised franchises in the world. While filming the original
1977 film, George Lucas decided to take a $500,000 pay cut to his salary
as director in exchange for full ownership of the franchise's
merchandising rights. By 1987, the first three films have made US$2.6
billion in merchandising revenue.[197] By 2012, the first six films
produced approximately US$20 billion in merchandising revenue.[198]
Kenner
made the first Star Wars action figures to coincide with the release of
the original film, and today the original figures are highly valuable.
Since the 1990s, Hasbro holds the rights to create action figures based
on the saga. Pez dispensers began to be produced in 1997.[199] Star Wars
was the first intellectual property to be licensed in Lego
history.[200] Lego has produced animated parody short films and
mini-series to promote their Star Wars sets.[201] The Lego Star Wars
video games are critically acclaimed bestsellers.[202][203]
In
1977, the board game Star Wars: Escape from the Death Star was
released.[204][j] A Star Wars Monopoly and themed versions of Trivial
Pursuit and Battleship were released in 1997, with updated versions
released in subsequent years. The board game Risk has been adapted in
two editions by Hasbro: The Clone Wars Edition (2005)[206] and the
Original Trilogy Edition (2006).[207] Three Star Wars tabletop
role-playing games have been developed: a version by West End Games in
the 1980s and 1990s, one by Wizards of the Coast in the 2000s, and one
by Fantasy Flight Games in the 2010s.
Star Wars Trading Cards
have been published since the first "blue" series, by Topps, in
1977.[208] Dozens of series have been produced, with Topps being the
licensed creator in the United States. Each card series are of film
stills or original art. Many of the cards have become highly collectible
with some very rare "promos", such as the 1993 Galaxy Series II
"floating Yoda" P3 card often commanding US$1,000 or more. While most
"base" or "common card" sets are plentiful, many "insert" or "chase
cards" are very rare.[209] From 1995 until 2001, Decipher, Inc. had the
license for, created, and produced the Star Wars Customizable Card Game.
Themes
See also: Star Wars sources and analogues
Star
Wars features elements such as knighthood, chivalry, and Jungian
archetypes such as "the shadow".[210] There are also many references to
Christianity, such as in the appearance of Darth Maul, whose design
draws heavily from traditional depictions of the devil.[211] Anakin was
conceived of a virgin birth, and is assumed to be the "Chosen One", a
messianic individual. However, unlike Jesus, Anakin falls from grace,
remaining evil as Darth Vader until Return of the Jedi. According to
Adam Driver, sequel trilogy villain Kylo Ren, who idolizes Vader,
believes he is "doing what he thinks is right".[212] George Lucas has
said that the theme of the saga is redemption.[213]
The saga
draws heavily from the hero's journey, an archetypical template
developed by comparative mythologist Joseph Campbell.[211] Each
character—primarily Anakin, Luke, and Rey—follows the steps of the cycle
or undergoes its reversal, becoming the villain.[214] A defining step
of the journey is "Atonement with the Father".[215] Obi-Wan's loss of a
father figure could have impacted his relationship with Anakin,[216]
whom both Obi-Wan and Palpatine are fatherlike mentors to.[217] Luke's
discovery that Vader is his father has strong repercussions on the saga
and is regarded as one of the most influential plot twists in
cinema.[218] Supreme Leader Snoke encourages Kylo Ren to kill his
father, Han Solo.[212] Kylo uses the fact that Rey is an orphan to tempt
her into joining the dark side.[219] According to Inverse, the final
scene in The Last Jedi, which depicts servant children playing with a
toy of Luke and one boy using the Force, symbolizes that "the Force can
be found in people with humble beginnings."[220]
Historical influences
Political
science has been an important element of Star Wars since the franchise
launched in 1977, focusing on a struggle between democracy and
dictatorship. Battles featuring the Ewoks and Gungans against the Empire
and Trade Federation, respectively, represent the clash between a
primitive society and a more advanced one, similar to the
Vietnam-American War.[221][222] Darth Vader's design was initially
inspired by Samurai armor, and also incorporated a German military
helmet.[223][224] Originally, Lucas conceived of the Sith as a group
that served the Emperor in the same way that the Schutzstaffel served
Adolf Hitler; this was condensed into one character in the form of
Vader.[225] Stormtroopers borrow the name of World War I German "shock"
troopers. Imperial officers wear uniforms resembling those of German
forces during World War II,[226] and political and security officers
resemble the black-clad SS down to the stylized silver death's head on
their caps. World War II terms were used for names in the films; e.g.
the planets Kessel (a term that refers to a group of encircled forces)
and Hoth (after a German general who served on the snow-laden Eastern
Front).[227] Shots of the commanders looking through AT-AT walker
viewscreens in The Empire Strikes Back resemble tank interiors,[228] and
space battles in the original film were based on World War I and World
War II dogfights.[229]
Palpatine being a chancellor before
becoming the Emperor in the prequel trilogy alludes to Hitler's role
before appointing himself Führer.[226] Lucas has also drawn parallels to
historical dictators such as Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, and
politicians like Richard Nixon.[230][231][k] The Great Jedi Purge
mirrors the events of the Night of the Long Knives.[233] The corruption
of the Galactic Republic is modeled after the fall of the democratic
Roman Republic and the formation of an empire.[234][235]
On the
inspiration for the First Order formed "from the ashes of the Empire",
The Force Awakens director J. J. Abrams spoke of conversations the
writers had about how the Nazis could have escaped to Argentina after
WWII and "started working together again."[106]
The aerial warfare of WWII inspired the space fights.
The aerial warfare of WWII inspired the space fights.
The flag and iconography of the Empire resembles those of the Nazi Party and Germany during its rule.
The flag and iconography of the Empire resembles those of the Nazi Party and Germany during its rule.
Cultural impact
Main article: Cultural impact of Star Wars
The lightsaber and the blaster are iconic elements of the franchise.
The
Star Wars saga has had a significant impact on popular culture,[236]
with references to its fictional universe deeply embedded in everyday
life.[237] Phrases like "evil empire" and "May the Force be with you"
have become part of the popular lexicon.[238] The first Star Wars film
in 1977 was a cultural unifier,[239] enjoyed by a wide spectrum of
people.[240] The film can be said to have helped launch the
science-fiction boom of the late 1970s and early 1980s, making
science-fiction films a mainstream genre.[241] The widespread impact
made it a prime target for parody works and homages, with popular
examples including Hardware Wars, Spaceballs, The Family Guy Trilogy and
Robot Chicken: Star Wars.
In 1989, the Library of Congress
selected the original Star Wars film for preservation in the U.S.
National Film Registry, as being "culturally, historically, or
aesthetically significant."[242] The Empire Strikes Back was selected in
2010,[243][244] and Return of the Jedi was selected in 2021.[245] 35 mm
reels of the 1997 Special Editions were the versions initially
presented for preservation because of the difficulty of transferring
from the original prints,[246][247] but it was later revealed that the
Library possesses a copyright deposit print of the original theatrical
releases.[248]
Industry
The original Star Wars film was a huge
success for 20th Century Fox, and was credited for reinvigorating the
company. Within three weeks of the film's release, the studio's stock
price doubled to a record high. Prior to 1977, 20th Century Fox's
greatest annual profits were $37 million, while in 1977, the company
broke that record by posting a profit of $79 million.[229] The franchise
helped Fox to change from an almost bankrupt production company to a
thriving media conglomerate.[249]
Star Wars fundamentally changed
the aesthetics and narratives of Hollywood films, switching the focus
of Hollywood-made films from deep, meaningful stories based on dramatic
conflict, themes and irony to sprawling special-effects-laden
blockbusters, as well as changing the Hollywood film industry in
fundamental ways. Before Star Wars, special effects in films had not
appreciably advanced since the 1950s.[250] The commercial success of
Star Wars created a boom in state-of-the-art special effects in the late
1970s.[249] Along with Jaws, Star Wars started the tradition of the
summer blockbuster film in the entertainment industry, where films open
on many screens at the same time and profitable franchises are
important.[251][240] It created the model for the major film trilogy and
showed that merchandising rights on a film could generate more money
than the film itself did.[239]
Film critic Roger Ebert wrote in
his book The Great Movies, "Like The Birth of a Nation and Citizen Kane,
Star Wars was a technical watershed that influenced many of the movies
that came after." It began a new generation of special effects and
high-energy motion pictures. The film was one of the first films to link
genres together to invent a new, high-concept genre for filmmakers to
build upon.[252] Finally, along with Steven Spielberg's Jaws, it shifted
the film industry's focus away from personal filmmaking of the 1970s
and towards fast-paced, big-budget blockbusters for younger
audiences.[229][253][254]
Some critics have blamed Star Wars and
Jaws for "ruining" Hollywood by shifting its focus from "sophisticated"
films such as The Godfather, Taxi Driver, and Annie Hall to films about
spectacle and juvenile fantasy, and for the industry shift from
stand-alone, one and done films, towards blockbuster franchises with
multiple sequels and prequels.[255] One such critic, Peter Biskind,
complained, "When all was said and done, Lucas and Spielberg returned
the 1970s audience, grown sophisticated on a diet of European and New
Hollywood films, to the simplicities of the pre-1960s Golden Age of
movies... They marched backward through the looking-glass."[255][256] In
an opposing view, Tom Shone wrote that through Star Wars and Jaws,
Lucas and Spielberg "didn't betray cinema at all: they plugged it back
into the grid, returning the medium to its roots as a carnival sideshow,
a magic act, one big special effect", which was "a kind of
rebirth".[254]
The original Star Wars trilogy is widely
considered one of the best film trilogies in history.[257] Numerous
filmmakers have been influenced by Star Wars, including Damon Lindelof,
Dean Devlin, Roland Emmerich, John Lasseter,[258] David Fincher, Joss
Whedon, John Singleton, Kevin Smith,[252] and later Star Wars directors
J. J. Abrams and Gareth Edwards.[259] Lucas's concept of a "used
universe" particularly influenced Ridley Scott's Blade Runner (1982) and
Alien (1979), James Cameron's Aliens (1986) as well as The Terminator
(1984), George Miller's Mad Max 2 (1981), and Peter Jackson's The Lord
of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003).[252] Christopher Nolan cited Star Wars
as an influence when making the 2010 blockbuster film Inception.[260]
Fan works
Main article: Star Wars fan films
The
Star Wars saga has inspired many fans to create their own non-canon
material set in the Star Wars galaxy. In recent years, this has ranged
from writing fan fiction to creating fan films. In 2002, Lucasfilm
sponsored the first annual Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards,
officially recognizing filmmakers and the genre. Because of concerns
over potential copyright and trademark issues, however, the contest was
initially open only to parodies, mockumentaries, and documentaries. Fan
fiction films set in the Star Wars universe were originally ineligible,
but in 2007, Lucasfilm changed the submission standards to allow
in-universe fiction entries.[261] Lucasfilm has allowed but not endorsed
the creation of fan fiction, as long as it does not attempt to make a
profit.[262]
Academia
As the characters and the storyline of
the original trilogy are so well known, educators have used the films in
the classroom as a learning resource. For example, a project in Western
Australia honed elementary school students storytelling skills by
role-playing action scenes from the movies and later creating props and
audio/visual scenery to enhance their performance.[263] Others have used
the films to encourage second-level students to integrate technology in
the science classroom by making prototype lightsabers.[264] Similarly,
psychiatrists in New Zealand and the US have advocated their use in the
university classroom to explain different types of psychopathology."
(wikipedia.org)
"Star
Wars: Galaxy's Edge is a themed area inspired by the Star Wars
franchise, located in Disneyland Park at the Disneyland Resort in
Anaheim, California, and Disney's Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney
World Resort in Orlando, Florida.[2] It encompasses 14 acres (5.7 ha) at
each park,[3] and is set in the village of Black Spire Outpost, on the
remote frontier planet of Batuu, featuring attractions, shops,
restaurants and entertainment.
The lands were announced on August
15, 2015,[4] and construction at both parks began on April 14, 2016.[5]
The Disneyland version opened May 31, 2019, and Disney's Hollywood
Studios' version opened August 29, 2019.[1] Walt Disney Imagineering
executive Scott Trowbridge supervised development and construction at
both parks.[6][7]
History
Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI)
initially developed plans in the early 2010s for a Star Wars-themed land
at Disney's Hollywood Studios.[8] Based on characters and settings from
the original trilogy of Star Wars films, including Tatooine and Endor,
the area would have encompassed the park's Echo Lake area, replacing the
Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular and Sounds Dangerous attractions and
incorporating the existing Star Tours – The Adventures Continue.[9]
However in 2014, after consultation with Lucasfilm president Kathleen
Kennedy, The Walt Disney Company CEO and chairman Bob Iger cancelled all
of WDI's development on Star Wars-themed projects, postponing any
creative development until the release of the sequel trilogy and
anthology films.[8]
After a creative shift in design, a Star
Wars-themed land was first publicly announced by Iger for both Disney's
Hollywood Studios and Disneyland at the D23 Expo on August 15, 2015.
According to Iger, the unnamed land would be "occupied by many
inhabitants; humanoids, aliens and droids … the attractions, the
entertainment, everything we create will be part of our storytelling.
Nothing will be out of character or stray from the mythology."[2] Bob
Chapek, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, stated that the land
"will introduce you to a Star Wars planet you've never seen before — a
gateway planet located on the outer rim, full of places and characters
familiar and not so familiar."[3]
In an interview for the winter
2015 issue of the official Disney fan club publication Disney
twenty-three, Trowbridge stated: "[O]ur intent is to make it feel as if
you just walked into one of the movies... Bringing Star Wars to life in
the physical world gives us the opportunity to play with a whole bunch
of things we've never done before... to really engage all of the senses.
What does that street feel like? What does that animal smell like? What
does blue milk taste like?"[7]
Construction of the landscape at Disney's Hollywood Studios in December 2017
Iger
announced in March 2016 that construction on both versions of the land
would begin in April 2016.[10] Construction began at both locations on
April 14, 2016.[5] In February 2017, Iger stated that the lands are
scheduled to open in 2019 at both Disneyland and Hollywood
Studios.[11][12] In July 2017, at the D23 Expo, Chapek revealed that the
themed lands would be called Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. Chapek also
announced that the Disneyland version would open first.[13]
In
November 2017, Trowbridge announced that the planet portrayed by the
land is called Batuu,[14] which appears in the 2018 novel Star Wars:
Thrawn: Alliances.[15]
In May 2018, Trowbridge revealed the
village in which the land is set would be called Black Spire
Outpost,[16] a location briefly mentioned in the 2018 film Solo: A Star
Wars Story.[17] It was also announced that the Disneyland version of the
land would open in summer 2019, followed by the Disney's Hollywood
Studios version in late fall 2019.[11][12] The names of the two new
attractions at each location were announced in November 2018, during the
D23 Destination D event held at Walt Disney World.[18] A five-issue
comic miniseries by Marvel Comics introduced the area's location in
April 2019.[19] Iger announced the opening dates for both locations on
March 7, 2019.[1]
The Disneyland version was dedicated on May 29,
2019. In attendance at the dedication ceremony were Iger, Star Wars
creator George Lucas, and series actors Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and
Billy Dee Williams.[20] The Disneyland version opened to the public on
May 31, and because of its high popularity, a virtual queuing system was
implemented on June 24.[21] The land at Disney's Hollywood Studios
opened on August 29, 2019.[1]
Design
Walt Disney Imagineering
(WDI) designed the project in collaboration with the Lucasfilm Story
Group, with Imagineer Scott Trowbridge supervising the project, Asa
Kalama and Chris Beatty serving as executive creative directors,Bryshere
Casiano as the structural engineer, and Lucasfilm's Pablo Hidalgo and
designer Doug Chiang of Industrial Light & Magic involved as
consultants.[22] Together, the team decided to set the lands on a new
planet, located within the Outer Rim of the Unknown Regions.[23]
Described as a "remote frontier outpost", the planet Batuu has not
previously appeared in other media, although it has existed within canon
"for thousands and thousands of years."[24][23][14] The team chose to
create a newly designed world instead of using an existing planet from
the films, such as Tatooine or Hoth, because those locations evoked a
pre-existing familiarity with guests, with Trowbridge explaining, "We
wanted to build new Star Wars stories, new Star Wars destinations." He
says of the new planet,
This used to be a vibrant trading
port back in the old sub-lightspeed days, but now with advent of
hyperspace, its prominence has kind of fallen and faded a little bit
which has made it a great spot for those who didn't want to be on that
kind of mainstream path. The smugglers, the bounty hunters, the rogue
adventurers looking to crew up, the people who don't want to be found —
basically all the interesting people.[23]
The distinct rock spires found within Galaxy's Edge at Disney's Hollywood Studios
The
development team drew inspiration from real-world locations, including
Istanbul, Morocco, Jerusalem and Egypt and traveled there to study the
architecture, culture, and weather.[25][26] The team also cited Ralph
McQuarrie's concept art for the original Star Wars trilogy as a basis
for the architecture and aesthetic look of the land.[25] The landscape
of Galaxy's Edge features 135 foot (41 m)-tall spires standing amongst
the rockwork that are intended to be the petrified remains of massive
trees of an ancient forest; Imagineers based this landscape from the
Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona.[27] WDI used in-house virtual
reality programs to realize where to use forced perspective and place
thematic details in relation to sightlines to hide the park's show
buildings from guest view.[28] Disney consciously modified traditional
theme park attributes throughout the lands—such as having signs written
in the fictional Aurebesh language rather than English, and omitting
attraction marquees and Star Wars-branded merchandise—as a way of
maintaining the natural theming of the land.[29] Being located in
California and Florida, both iterations of Galaxy's Edge are situated at
different latitudes and also face in separate cardinal directions;
Disneyland has an east-west orientation and Disney's Hollywood Studios
has a north-south orientation.[30] This contrast in layout means both
locations receive different amounts of sunlight at various angles
throughout the seasonal year.[30] As a result, both locations were
designed with distinct shades of paint and color palettes in mind.[30]
The
story events are set between the films Episode VIII – The Last Jedi and
Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker,[31] and depicts the presence of
both the First Order and Resistance.[22][24] At the time of their
openings, both locations of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge had one attraction:
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, which allows riders to control the
Falcon during a "customized secret mission".[32] This would be followed
by Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, that places guests into the middle
of a battle between the First Order and the Resistance.[33][34] Concept
art depicted a full-size Millennium Falcon situated among alien
buildings built into tall cliffs.[33] Rise of the Resistance is a 28
minute long experience with more than 300 animated objects; housed
within one of the largest show buildings Disney has ever built for a
dark ride.[35] Film actors Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, Adam
Driver, Domhnall Gleeson, and Kipsang Rotich reprised their roles in the
attraction as Rey, Poe Dameron, Finn, Kylo Ren, General Hux, and the
voice of Nien Nunb, respectively.[36][37][38] Frank Oz also reprised the
role as the voice of Yoda, for the character's vocal appearance in
Savi's Workshop.[39][40]
In addition, the area features Oga's
Cantina,[41] which is the first location in Disneyland Park to sell
alcoholic drinks to the public.[42] Riders' performances on the
Millennium Falcon influence how they are treated at the cantina, adding
to the immersive experience. According to the Disney Parks Blog,
"perform with skill and you may earn extra galactic credits, while
bringing the ship back banged up could put you on the list of a bounty
hunter. End up on Harkos' list and you may face a problem if you show up
at the local cantina."[43] The cantina's music is provided by R-3X, a
droid that was first seen as RX-24 (a.k.a. Captain Rex) in Star Tours,
and is now the cantina's DJ.[44] Paul Reubens returned to voice the
character.[37]
The Black Spire Outpost marketplace contains a toy
stall run by a Toydarian, an alien species that was seen on Tatooine in
Episode I – The Phantom Menace.[45] There is also a creature stall.[46]
A TIE Echelon, where Kylo Ren makes his daily appearance, was developed
by Colin Trevorrow during his work on Episode IX before being replaced
as the film's director.[47]
Music
Longtime Star Wars composer
John Williams returned to compose the main musical theme for Galaxy's
Edge.[18] Williams' theme is interpolated and arranged diversely
throughout the land as ambient music, instead of in its traditional
symphonic format.[48] William Ross, who conducted the symphonic
recording of the theme with the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) on
Williams' behalf, was also responsible for arranging Williams' original
composition in different musical contexts for use. Ross and the LSO
recorded nearly an hour of musical material at Abbey Road Studios in
November 2018.[48] The musical score for Smugglers Run and Rise of the
Resistance attractions feature reprisals of previous Star Wars themes
written by Williams, adapted and conducted by Ross. A five-minute
symphonic suite was released digitally by Walt Disney Records on May 3,
2019.[49][18] The suite was first heard in its entirety at Star Wars
Celebration Chicago in 2019. In addition to Williams's score, 29
original songs were commissioned to the music team for use as ambience
as well.[40] On September 6, 2019, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Oga's
Cantina: R-3X's Playlist #1 was released by Walt Disney Records,
featuring eighteen tracks heard at Oga's Cantina inside Galaxy's
Edge.[50] Music from Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Oga's Cantina: R-3X's
Playlist #1 was publicly played for the first time at Star Wars
Celebration Chicago 2019.
Williams won the Grammy Award for Best
Instrumental Composition for the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Symphonic
Suite. The suite currently has over 313,000 views on YouTube.[51]
Locations
Disneyland Park
Oga's Cantina at Disneyland Park
At
Disneyland Park, Galaxy's Edge is located in the northwest portion of
the park, with three entries from Frontierland, Critter Country, and
Fantasyland.[41] As a result of the expansion, Disney closed Big Thunder
Ranch and adjacent backstage areas, and purchased nearby properties to
relocate the office and warehouse space that was on the land.[52]
One
of the backstage areas thus closed was Circle D Ranch, a facility for
training and exercising the park's horses.[53] To replace it, Disney
purchased an existing ranch in Norco, California and renovated the
facility into the new Circle D Ranch, which opened in June 2017.[53]
Since then, the park's horses have commuted to Disneyland in special
trailers in groups of four at a time.[53] Each group spends three or
four days working in the park (and resting in a backstage barn), then
the horses are driven back to the Norco ranch.[53]
The
construction of Galaxy's Edge required a reconfigured route for the
Disneyland Railroad and Rivers of America. A first look at how these
changes would impact the park was revealed in January 2016, when concept
art was released depicting the northern bank of the river after
construction was completed.[54] On January 11, 2016, several attractions
in Frontierland and Critter Country were closed. Big Thunder Ranch
closed permanently, including the multifunction event space, barbecue
restaurant and petting zoo. Other attractions closed temporarily,
including the Disneyland Railroad and Rivers of America. Tom Sawyer
Island reopened on June 16, 2017, Fantasmic! reopened on July 17, and
the Disneyland Railroad, Mark Twain Riverboat, Sailing Ship Columbia,
and Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes all reopened on July 29.[55][56][57]
The land opened on May 31, 2019.[1]
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Black Spire Outpost at Disney's Hollywood Studios
At
Disney's Hollywood Studios, Galaxy's Edge is located in the southwest
portion of the park, with two entries from Grand Avenue and Toy Story
Land. Galaxy's Edge replaced the majority of the park's former Streets
of America area, including the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt
Show and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: Movie Set Adventure attractions,
which closed on April 2, 2016, as well as the surrounding New York-San
Francisco backlot facades, restaurants, and shops.[3][58][59][60][61]
The remaining operating portion of Streets of America, containing
Muppet*Vision 3D, and a surviving block of the New York facades, was
rethemed as Grand Avenue, a Los Angeles-themed street.[62][63] An
earthen berm with a Figueroa Street themed-tunnel was constructed
between Galaxy's Edge and Grand Avenue to divide and connect the two
lands.[64] The land opened on August 29, 2019.[1] The land is
accompanied by the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser themed
hotel.[13][65][66][67]
Attractions
Star Wars: Millennium Falcon – Smugglers Run – a simulator ride in which guests pilot the Millennium Falcon.[18]
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance – a dark ride in which guests are
involved in a battle between the First Order and the Resistance.[18] The
attraction opened at Disney's Hollywood Studios on December 5,
2019,[68] and at Disneyland Park on January 17, 2020.[69]
Restaurants and shops
Oga's Cantina – a restaurant to sample custom drinks and snacks.[70]
Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo – a restaurant inside a hangar bay
Ronto Roasters – a stand for grilled sausage and roasted pork wraps.
Kat Saka's Kettle – a stand for popcorn snack.
Savi's Workshop – a shop for custom lightsabers[71]
Dok-Ondar's Den of Antiquities – a store for Jedi or Sith Holocrons, artifacts, and lightsabers
Mubo's Droid Depot – a shop for custom droids
Bina's Creature Stall – a shop with plush creatures and critters from around the galaxy
Toydarian Toymaker – a workshop with handcrafted toys made by local artisans
First Order Cargo – a shop with outfits aligned with the First Order
Resistance Supply – a shop with outfits aligned against the First Order
The Milk Stand – a stand for blue or green milk.
Black Spire Outfitters – an apparel shop to dress like the citizens of Batuu
Reception
The
Disneyland version was named one of Time magazine's "World's Greatest
Places 2019".[72][73] While the themed area initially drew crowds to the
point of leaving the rest of Disneyland relatively empty,[74] a drop in
attendance after the first few months led to the resignation of
Catherine Powell, who oversaw the U.S. themed areas.[75] However, in
October 2019, some visitors reported that Disney's Hollywood Studios
area was crowded during their visit.[76]
Other media
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
Original work Theme park land
based on
Star Wars
by George Lucas
Owner Disney Parks
Print publications
Book(s) Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge: Black Spire
Novel(s) A Crash of Fate
Short stories Star Wars: Myths and Fables
Comics 5 issue mini-series
Audio
Original music John Williams composition
Miscellaneous
Theme park attraction(s)
Star Wars: Millennium Falcon – Smugglers Run
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Theme parks (pending)
Disneyland
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Music:
The land's theme music was composed by John Williams and then recorded
by the London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios conducted by
William Ross. A 5-minute symphonic suite was released digitally by Walt
Disney Records on May 3, 2019,[18] which won a Grammy Award for Best
Instrumental Composition.[77]
Comic books:
Batuu's
Black Spire Outpost is the focus of the five-issue mini-series Star
Wars: Galaxy's Edge from Marvel Comics. It was written by Ethan Sacks
with art by Will Sliney, and began in April 2019.[19]
Prose books:
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge: Black Spire or simply Black Spire (Del Rey,
September 2019) by Delilah Dawson; General Leia Organa dispatches a spy
to the planet Batuu looking for possible Resistance allies.
A
Crash of Fate, a young-adult novel (Disney Lucasfilm Press) by Zoraida
Cordova; childhood friends reunited as they are chased by the planet's
smugglers.
Star Wars: Myths and Fables, a middle reader novel
(Disney Lucasfilm Press) written by George Mann, with art by Grant
Griffin; an anthology that includes two stories based on Batuu.[78]
TV special:
A two-hour behind-the-scenes TV special, titled Star Wars: Galaxy's
Edge – Adventure Awaits, premiered on September 29, 2019.[79]
Virtual reality:
Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge, a virtual reality experience for Oculus platforms." (wikipedia.org)
"Disneyland
is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the
first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one
designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney.
Disney initially envisioned building a tourist attraction adjacent to
his studios in Burbank to entertain fans who wished to visit; however,
he soon realized that the proposed site was too small for the ideas that
he had. After hiring the Stanford Research Institute to perform a
feasibility study determining an appropriate site for his project,
Disney bought a 160-acre (65 ha) site near Anaheim in 1953. The park was
designed by a creative team hand-picked by Walt from internal and
outside talent. They founded WED Enterprises, the precursor to today's
Walt Disney Imagineering. Construction began in 1954 and the park was
unveiled during a special televised press event on the ABC Television
Network on July 17, 1955. Since its opening, Disneyland has undergone
expansions and major renovations, including the addition of New Orleans
Square in 1966, Bear Country in 1972, Mickey's Toontown in 1993, and
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge in 2019.[2] Additionally, Disney California
Adventure Park opened in 2001 on the site of Disneyland's original
parking lot.
Disneyland has a larger cumulative attendance than
any other theme park in the world, with 757 million visits since it
opened (as of December 2021).[3] In 2018, the park had approximately
18.6 million visits, making it the second most visited amusement park in
the world that year, behind only Magic Kingdom, the very park it
inspired.[4] According to a 2005 Disney report, 65,700 jobs are
supported by the Disneyland Resort, including about 20,000 direct Disney
employees and 3,800 third-party employees (independent contractors or
their employees).[5] Disney announced "Project Stardust" in 2019, which
included major structural renovations to the park to account for higher
attendance numbers.[6]
History
Original dedication
To
all who come to this happy place: Welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here
age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the
challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the
ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America, with
the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the
world.
Walter E. Disney, July 17, 1955[7][8][9][10]
20th century
Origins
Walt Disney with Orange County officials
Walt Disney (center) showing Orange County officials plans for Disneyland's layout, December 1954
The
concept for Disneyland began when Walt Disney was visiting Griffith
Park in Los Angeles with his daughters Diane and Sharon. While watching
them ride the merry-go-round, he came up with the idea of a place where
adults and their children could go and have fun together, though his
dream lay dormant for many years.[11][12] The earliest documented draft
of Disney's plans was sent as a memo to studio production designer Dick
Kelsey on August 31, 1948, where it was referred to as a "Mickey Mouse
Park", based on notes Disney made during his and Ward Kimball's trip to
the Chicago Railroad Fair the same month, with a two-day stop in Henry
Ford's Museum and Greenfield Village, a place with attractions like a
Main Street and steamboat rides, which he had visited eight years
earlier.[13][14][15][16]
When people wrote letters to Disney to
inquire about visiting the Walt Disney Studios, he realized that a
functional movie studio had little to offer to visiting fans, and began
to foster various ideas about building a site near the Burbank studios
for tourists to visit. His ideas evolved to a small play park with a
boat ride and other themed areas. The initial park concept, the Mickey
Mouse Park, was originally planned for an eight-acre (3.2 ha) plot to
the south, across Riverside Drive from the studio. Besides Greenfield
Village and the Chicago Railroad Fair, Disney was also inspired by
Tivoli Gardens in Denmark, Knott's Berry Farm, Colonial Williamsburg,
the Century of Progress in Chicago, and the New York's World Fair of
1939.[17]
His designers began working on concepts, though the
project grew much larger than the land could hold.[18] Disney hired
Harrison Price from Stanford Research Institute to identify the proper
area in which to position the planned theme park based on expected
future growth. Based on Price's analysis (for which he would be
recognized as a Disney Legend in 2003), Disney acquired 160 acres (65
ha) of orange groves and walnut trees in Anaheim, southeast of Los
Angeles in neighboring Orange County.[18][19] The small Burbank site
originally considered by Disney is now home to Walt Disney Animation
Studios and ABC Studios.
Difficulties in obtaining funding
prompted Disney to investigate new methods of fundraising, and he
decided to create a show named Disneyland. It was broadcast on
then-fledgling ABC. In return, the network agreed to help finance the
park. For its first five years of operation, Disneyland was owned by
Disneyland, Inc., which was jointly owned by Walt Disney Productions,
Walt Disney, Western Publishing and ABC.[20] In addition, Disney rented
out many of the shops on Main Street, U.S.A. to outside companies. By
1960, Walt Disney Productions bought out all other shares, but the
partnership had already led to a lasting relationship with ABC which
would eventually culminate in the Walt Disney Company's acquisition of
ABC in the mid-1990s. Construction began on July 16, 1954, and cost $17
million to complete (equivalent to $138 million in 2021[21]). The park
was opened one year and one day later.[22] U.S. Route 101 (later
Interstate 5) was under construction at the same time just north of the
site; in preparation for the traffic Disneyland was expected to bring,
two more lanes were added to the freeway before the park was
finished.[19]
Opening day
Disneyland was dedicated at an
"International Press Preview" event held on Sunday, July 17, 1955, which
was open only to invited guests and the media. Although 28,000 people
attended the event, only about half of those were invitees, the rest
having purchased counterfeit tickets,[23] or even sneaked into the park
by climbing over the fence.[24] The following day, it opened to the
public, featuring twenty attractions. The Special Sunday events,
including the dedication, were televised nationwide and anchored by
three of Walt Disney's friends from Hollywood: Art Linkletter, Bob
Cummings, and Ronald Reagan.[25] ABC broadcast the event live, during
which many guests tripped over the television camera cables.[26][page
needed] In Frontierland, a camera caught Cummings kissing a dancer. When
Disney started to read the plaque for Tomorrowland, he read partway
then stopped when a technician off-camera said something to him, and
after realizing he was on-air, said, "I thought I got a
signal",[26][page needed] and began the dedication from the start. At
one point, while in Fantasyland, Linkletter tried to give coverage to
Cummings, who was on the pirate ship. He was not ready and tried to give
the coverage back to Linkletter, who had lost his microphone. Cummings
then did a play-by-play of him trying to find it in front of Mr. Toad's
Wild Ride.[26][page needed]
Traffic was delayed on the two-lane
Harbor Boulevard.[26][page needed] Famous figures who were scheduled to
show up every two hours showed up all at once. The temperature was an
unusually high 101 °F (38 °C), and because of a local plumbers' strike,
Disney was given a choice of having working drinking fountains or
running toilets. He chose the latter, leaving many drinking fountains
dry. This generated negative publicity since Pepsi sponsored the park's
opening; disappointed guests believed the inoperable fountains were a
cynical way to sell soda, while other vendors ran out of food. The
asphalt that had been poured that morning was soft enough to let women's
high-heeled shoes sink into it. Some parents threw their children over
the crowd's shoulders to get them onto rides, such as the King Arthur
Carrousel.[27] In later years, Disney and his 1955 executives referred
to July 17, 1955, as "Black Sunday". After the extremely negative press
from the preview opening, Walt Disney invited attendees back for a
private "second day" to experience Disneyland properly.
At the
time, and during the lifetimes of Walt and Roy Disney, July 17 was
considered merely a preview, with July 18 the official opening day.[24]
Since then, aided by memories of the television broadcast, the company
has adopted July 17 as the official date, the one commemorated every
year as Disneyland's birthday.[24]
1950s and 1960s
Disneyland aerial view, 1963, which includes the new Melody Land Theater at the top of the photo
In
September 1959, Soviet First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev spent thirteen
days in the United States, with two requests: to visit Disneyland and
to meet John Wayne, Hollywood's top box-office draw. Due to the Cold War
tension and security concerns, he was famously denied an excursion to
Disneyland.[28] The Shah of Iran and Empress Farah were invited to
Disneyland by Walt Disney in the early 1960s.[29] There was moderate
controversy over the lack of African American employees. As late as
1963, civil rights activists were pressuring Disneyland to hire black
people,[30] with executives responding that they would "consider" the
requests.[citation needed] The park did however hire people of Asian
descent, such as Ty Wong and Bob Kuwahara.[31]
As part of the
Casa de Fritos operation at Disneyland, "Doritos" (Spanish for "little
golden things") were created at the park to recycle old tortillas that
would have been discarded. The Frito-Lay Company saw the popularity of
the item and began selling them regionally in 1964, and then nationwide
in 1966.[32]
1970s
On August 6, 1970, an estimated 300+
anti-war Yippies entered Disneyland in a planned protest against the
Vietnam War. The protestors held grievances with specific aspects of the
theme park itself, such as the Aunt Jemima-themed pancake restaurant in
Frontierland and the park's association with Bank of America, a subject
of controversy at the time for its lending to military contractors such
as Boeing.[33] The Yippies were met by an estimated 100 riot police who
established lookouts within the park and another 300 on standby just
outside of the entrance gates. Around 4:00 p.m., many of the Yippies
occupied Tom Sawyer Island, purportedly smoking cannabis and causing
cast members to halt park guests from boarding rafts to the island. An
hour later, the group of Yippies converged at Main Street, U.S.A. and
became confrontational with other park guests and riot police after
tearing down patriotic bunting while unfurling Viet Cong and Youth
International Party flags. Standby riot police entered and the park was
evacuated around 5:00 p.m. when some of the insurgents approached the
park's Bank of America branch, sparking concern that the building could
be burned in a similar fashion to the arson of a Bank of America in Isla
Vista in February 1970. Police arrested 23 park guests and it was only
the second unexpected early closure in park history, the first being in
response to the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963. The incident
was cited as a clash of the park management's perceived appeal to
tradition following the death of Walt Disney and the growing
counterculture movement among young people in the United States.[34][35]
Despite
the opening of the more expansive Walt Disney World resort in 1971,
Disneyland continued to set attendance records and maintained its status
as a major tourist attraction. In 1972, the Bear Country land was
opened and the Main Street Electrical Parade was introduced.
Disneyland
underwent several changes in preparation for the United States
Bicentennial. In 1974, Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress was replaced
with America Sings, an audio-animatronic theater show featuring the
history of American music. America on Parade debuted in 1975 and ran
through 1976 in celebration of the bicentennial.
Several of the
park's earliest attractions received major changes or were replaced in
the mid-to-late 1970s. The Flight to the Moon attraction was rethemed as
Mission to Mars in March 1975, five years after Apollo 11 had
successfully landed humans on the moon. Construction of Space Mountain
began that same year adjacent to the new Mission to Mars attraction but
was delayed by El Niño-related weather complications. The ride opened in
1977 to much acclaim as lines would often stretch all the way to Main
Street, U.S.A. The final major change of the decade came in 1977 when
the slow-paced Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland was closed and
replaced by the similarly-themed Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
rollercoaster in 1979.[36]
1980s
Fantasyland was closed for refurbishment in 1982 and reopened to the public in 1983 as "New Fantasyland."
On
December 5, 1985, to celebrate Disneyland's 30th year in operation, one
million balloons were launched along the streets bordering Disneyland
as part of the Skyfest Celebration.[37]
1990s
In the late
1990s, work began to expand the one-park, one-hotel property. Disneyland
Park, the Disneyland Hotel, the site of the original parking lot, and
acquired surrounding properties were earmarked to become part of the
Disneyland Resort. At that time, the property saw the addition of the
Disney California Adventure theme park, a shopping, dining and
entertainment complex named Downtown Disney, a remodeled Disneyland
Hotel, the construction of Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa,
and the acquisition and re-branding of the Pan Pacific Hotel as Disney's
Paradise Pier Hotel. The park was renamed "Disneyland Park" to
distinguish it from the larger complex under construction. Because the
existing parking lot (south of Disneyland) was repurposed by these
projects, the six-level, 10,250-space Mickey and Friends parking
structure was constructed in the northwest corner. Upon completion in
2000, it was the largest parking structure in the United States.[38]
The
park's management team during the mid-1990s was a source of controversy
among fans and employees. In an effort to boost profits, various
changes were begun by then-executives Cynthia Harriss and Paul Pressler.
While their initiatives provided a short-term increase in shareholder
returns, they drew widespread criticism for their lack of foresight. The
retail backgrounds of Harriss and Pressler led to a gradual shift in
Disneyland's focus from attractions to merchandising. Outside
consultants McKinsey & Company were brought in to help streamline
operations, resulting in many changes and cutbacks. After nearly a
decade of deferred maintenance, the original park was showing signs of
neglect. Fans of the park decried the perceived decline in customer
value and park quality and rallied for the dismissal of the management
team.[39]
21st century
Disneyland in 2005
An aerial view of Disneyland in 2004
Matt
Ouimet, the former president of the Disney Cruise Line, was promoted to
assume leadership of the Disneyland Resort in late 2003. Shortly
afterward, he selected Greg Emmer as Senior Vice President of
Operations. Emmer was a long-time Disney cast member who had worked at
Disneyland in his youth prior to moving to Florida and held multiple
executive leadership positions at the Walt Disney World Resort. Ouimet
quickly set about reversing certain trends, especially concerning
cosmetic maintenance and a return to the original infrastructure
maintenance schedule, in hopes of restoring Disneyland's former safety
record. Similarly to Disney himself, Ouimet and Emmer could often be
seen walking the park during business hours with members of their
respective staff, wearing cast member name badges, standing in line for
attractions, and welcoming guests' comments. In July 2006, Ouimet left
The Walt Disney Company to become president of Starwood. Soon after, Ed
Grier, executive managing director of Walt Disney Attractions Japan, was
named president of the resort. In October 2009, Grier announced his
retirement, and was replaced by George Kalogridis.
The "Happiest
Homecoming on Earth" celebrated the 50th anniversary of the theme park.
Sleeping Beauty Castle was altered for the occasion.
The
"Happiest Homecoming on Earth" was an eighteen-month-long celebration
(held through 2005 and 2006) of the fiftieth anniversary of Disneyland
Park, also celebrating Disneyland's milestone throughout Disney parks
worldwide. In 2004, the park underwent major renovations in preparation,
restoring many attractions, notably Space Mountain, Jungle Cruise, the
Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Walt Disney's Enchanted
Tiki Room. Attractions that had been in the park on opening day had one
ride vehicle painted gold, and the park was decorated with fifty Golden
Mickey Ears. The celebration started on May 5, 2005, and ended on
September 30, 2006, and was followed by the "Year of a Million Dreams"
celebration, lasting twenty-seven months and ending on December 31,
2008.
Beginning on January 1, 2010, Disney Parks hosted the Give a
Day, Get a Disney Day volunteer program, in which Disney encouraged
people to volunteer with a participating charity and receive a free
Disney Day at either a Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World park. On
March 9, 2010, Disney announced that it had reached its goal of one
million volunteers and ended the promotion to anyone who had not yet
registered and signed up for a specific volunteer situation.
In
July 2015, Disneyland celebrated its 60th Diamond Celebration
anniversary.[40] Disneyland Park introduced the Paint the Night parade
and Disneyland Forever fireworks show, and Sleeping Beauty Castle is
decorated in diamonds with a large "60" logo. The Diamond Celebration
concluded in September 2016 and the whole decoration of the anniversary
was removed around Halloween 2016.
Disneyland Park, along with
Disney California Adventure, Downtown Disney, and the resort hotels,
closed indefinitely starting March 14, 2020, in response to the
coronavirus pandemic.[41][42] After nearly four months of closure,
Downtown Disney reopened on July 9, 2020.[43] The parks had been
scheduled to reopen on Disneyland's 65th anniversary on July 17, 2020,
but due to rising cases in California, the parks' reopening was once
again postponed.[44][45] It was expected to stay closed until at least
December 31, 2020.[46] In February 2021, Disneyland announced a
limited-capacity ticketed event called “A Touch of Disney”, which would
offer guests to shop at stores and enjoy eateries around the park from
March 18 through April 19, 2021.[47][48] On March 5, 2021, it was
announced by the California Department of Public Health that Disneyland
could reopen with capacity restrictions beginning April 1, 2021.[49][50]
The following week, Disney CEO Bob Chapek said that the company is
planning on officially reopening the park in late April 2021.[51]
Disneyland along with Disney California Adventure officially reopened on
April 30, 2021 with limited capacity and social distancing/mask
guidelines in effect.[52][53] The following week, the company announced a
plan titled DisneylandForward to expand the park with more rides,
restaurants, and shops with The Anaheim City Council expected to receive
the development plans for approval by 2023.[54][55] On June 15, 2021,
Disneyland, Disney California Adventure and other theme parks in
California were permitted to return to full capacity with most Covid-19
pandemic restrictions lifted per California governor Gavin Newsom's
Blueprint for a Safer Economy phased re-opening. Prior to this,
Disneyland was operating at reduced guest capacity since it re-opened on
April 30, 2021 after 13 months of closure due to the pandemic.[56]
On
January 27, 2023, Disneyland kicked off the year-long celebration of
the centennial of The Walt Disney Company, Disney100. Disneyland Park
introduced the Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway attraction and
Wondrous Journeys fireworks show. Disney California Adventure introduced
a new iteration of World of Color, World of Color - ONE.
Park layout and attractions
This
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Main articles: List of Disneyland attractions and List of former Disneyland attractions
Disneyland
Park consists of nine themed "lands" and a number of concealed
backstage areas, and occupies over 100 acres (40 ha) with the new
addition of Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway that's coming to Mickeys
Toontown in 2022.[18] The park opened with Main Street, U.S.A.,
Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland, and has
since added New Orleans Square in 1966, Bear Country (now known as
Critter Country) in 1972, and Mickey's Toontown in 1993, and Star Wars:
Galaxy's Edge in 2019.[57] In 1957, Holidayland opened to the public
with a nine-acre (3.6 ha) recreation area including a circus and
baseball diamond, but was closed in late 1961. It is often referred to
as the "lost" land of Disneyland. Throughout the park are "Hidden
Mickeys", representations of Mickey Mouse heads inserted subtly into the
design of attractions and environmental decor. An elevated berm
supports the 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge Disneyland Railroad that
circumnavigates the park.
Lands of Disneyland
Main Street, U.S.A. (2010)
Main Street, U.S.A.
(2010)
Adventureland (themed for a 1950s view of adventure, capitalizing on the post-war Tiki craze)
Adventureland
(themed for a 1950s view of adventure, capitalizing on the post-war Tiki craze)
Frontierland (Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in 2008)
Frontierland
(Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in 2008)
New Orleans Square (the Haunted Mansion and Fantasmic! viewing area in 2010)
New Orleans Square
(the Haunted Mansion and Fantasmic! viewing area in 2010)
Critter Country (Splash Mountain in 2010)
Critter Country
(Splash Mountain in 2010)
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge (Star Wars: Millennium Falcon – Smugglers Run in 2019)
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
(Star Wars: Millennium Falcon – Smugglers Run in 2019)
Fantasyland (Peter Pan's Flight and the Matterhorn Bobsleds)
Fantasyland
(Peter Pan's Flight and the Matterhorn Bobsleds)
Mickey's Toontown (2010)
Mickey's Toontown
(2010)
Tomorrowland (Space Mountain in 2010)
Tomorrowland
(Space Mountain in 2010)
Main Street, U.S.A.
Main article: Main Street, U.S.A. § Disneyland
Main
Street, U.S.A. is patterned after a typical Midwest town of the early
20th century, and took much inspiration from Walt Disney's hometown,
Marceline, Missouri.[58] Main Street, U.S.A. has a train station, town
square, movie theater, city hall, firehouse with a steam-powered pump
engine, emporium, shops, arcades, double-decker bus, horse-drawn
streetcar, and jitneys.[59] Main Street is also home to the Disney Art
Gallery and the Opera House which showcases Great Moments with Mr.
Lincoln, a show featuring an Audio-Animatronic version of the president.
At the far end of Main Street, U.S.A. is Sleeping Beauty Castle, the
Partners statue, and the Central Plaza (also known as the Hub), which is
a portal to most of the themed lands: the entrance to Fantasyland is by
way of a drawbridge across a moat and through the castle.[60]
Adventureland, Frontierland, and Tomorrowland are on both sides of the
castle. Several lands are not directly connected to the Central
Plaza—namely, New Orleans Square, Critter Country, Star Wars: Galaxy's
Edge and Mickey's Toontown.
The design of Main Street, U.S.A.
uses the technique of forced perspective to create an illusion of
height.[61] Buildings along Main Street are built at 3⁄4 scale on the
first level, then 5⁄8 on the second story, and 1⁄2 scale on the
third—reducing the scale by 1⁄8 each level up.
Adventureland
Main article: Adventureland (Disney) § Disneyland
Adventureland
is designed to recreate the feel of an exotic tropical place in a
far-off region of the world. "To create a land that would make this
dream reality", said Walt Disney, "we pictured ourselves far from
civilization, in the remote jungles of Asia and Africa." Attractions
include opening day's Jungle Cruise, the Indiana Jones Adventure, and
Tarzan's Treehouse, which is a conversion of Swiss Family Treehouse from
the Walt Disney film Swiss Family Robinson. Walt Disney's Enchanted
Tiki Room which is located at the entrance to Adventureland was the
first feature attraction to employ Audio-Animatronics, a computer
synchronization of sound and robotics.
New Orleans Square
Main article: New Orleans Square
New
Orleans Square is based on 19th-century New Orleans, opened on July 24,
1966.[62] It is home to Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted
Mansion, with nighttime entertainment Fantasmic!. This area is the home
of the private Club 33.
Frontierland
Main article: Frontierland § Disneyland
Frontierland
recreates the setting of pioneer days along the American frontier.
According to Walt Disney, "All of us have cause to be proud of our
country's history, shaped by the pioneering spirit of our forefathers.
Our adventures are designed to give you the feeling of having lived,
even for a short while, during our country's pioneer days."[63]
Frontierland is home to the Pinewood Indians band of animatronic Native
Americans, who live on the banks of the Rivers of America. Entertainment
and attractions include Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the Mark Twain
Riverboat, the Sailing Ship Columbia, Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer
Island, and Frontierland Shootin' Exposition. Frontierland is also home
to the Golden Horseshoe Saloon, an Old West-style show palace.
Critter Country
Main article: Critter Country § Disneyland
Critter
Country opened in 1972 as "Bear Country", and was renamed in 1988.
Formerly the area was home to Indian Village, where indigenous
tribespeople demonstrated their dances and other customs. Today, the
main draw of the area is Splash Mountain, a log-flume journey based on
the animated segments of Disney's 1946 film Song of the South. In 2003, a
dark ride called The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh replaced the
Country Bear Jamboree, which closed in 2001.
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
Main article: Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge § Disneyland Park
Star
Wars: Galaxy's Edge is set within the Star Wars universe, in the Black
Spire Outpost village on the remote frontier planet of Batuu.
Attractions include the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and Star Wars:
Rise of the Resistance.[64] The land opened in 2019, replacing Big
Thunder Ranch and former backstage areas.[65][66]
Fantasyland
Main article: Fantasyland § Disneyland
Fantasyland
is the area of Disneyland of which Walt Disney said, "What youngster
has not dreamed of flying with Peter Pan over moonlit London, or
tumbling into Alice's nonsensical Wonderland? In Fantasyland, these
classic stories of everyone's youth have become realities for youngsters
– of all ages – to participate in." Fantasyland was originally styled
in a medieval European fairground fashion, but its 1983 refurbishment
turned it into a Bavarian village. Attractions include several dark
rides, the King Arthur Carrousel, and various family attractions.
Fantasyland has the most fiber optics in the park; more than half of
them are in Peter Pan's Flight.[67] Sleeping Beauty's Castle features a
walk-through storytelling of Briar Rose's adventure as Sleeping Beauty.
The attraction opened in 1959, was redesigned in 1972, closed in 1992
for reasons of security and the new installation of pneumatic ram
firework shell mortars for "Believe, There's Magic in the Stars", and
reopened 2008 with new renditions and methods of storytelling and the
restored work of Eyvind Earle.
Mickey's Toontown
Main article: Mickey's Toontown § Disneyland
Mickey's
Toontown opened in 1993 and was partly inspired by the fictional Los
Angeles suburb of Toontown in the Touchstone Pictures 1988 release Who
Framed Roger Rabbit. Mickey's Toontown is based on a 1930s cartoon
aesthetic and is home to Disney's most popular cartoon characters.
Toontown features two main attractions: Gadget's Go Coaster (reopening
on March 19, 2023 as Chip and Dale's Gadget Coaster) and Roger Rabbit's
Car Toon Spin. The "city" is also home to cartoon character's houses
such as the house of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Goofy, as well as
Donald Duck's boat. The 3 ft (914 mm) gauge Jolly Trolley was removed
during the 2022-23 refurbishment. On January 27, 2023, Mickey &
Minnie's Runaway Railway opened in Mickey's Toontown. The new
family-friendly dark ride increased the size of Toontown as well as the
size of Disneyland from 99 to 101 acres (40 to 41 ha). Half of the land
is currently closed for refurbishment and will reopen on March 19, 2023.
Tomorrowland
Main article: Tomorrowland § Disneyland
During
the 1955 inauguration, Walt Disney dedicated Tomorrowland with these
words: "Tomorrow can be a wonderful age. Our scientists today are
opening the doors of the Space Age to achievements that will benefit our
children and generations to come. The Tomorrowland attractions have
been designed to give you an opportunity to participate in adventures
that are a living blueprint of our future."
Disneyland producer
Ward Kimball had rocket scientists Wernher von Braun, Willy Ley, and
Heinz Haber serve as technical consultants during the original design of
Tomorrowland.[68] Initial attractions included Rocket to the Moon,
Astro-Jets and Autopia; later, the first incarnation of the Submarine
Voyage was added. The area underwent a major transformation in 1967 to
become New Tomorrowland, and then again in 1998 when its focus was
changed to present a "retro-future" theme reminiscent of the
illustrations of Jules Verne.
Current attractions include Space
Mountain, Star Wars Launch Bay, Autopia, Jedi Training: Trials of the
Temple, the Disneyland Monorail Tomorrowland Station, Astro Orbitor, and
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage opened on
June 11, 2007, resurrecting the original Submarine Voyage which closed
in 1998. Star Tours was closed in July 2010 and replaced with Star
Tours–The Adventures Continue in June 2011.
Operations
Backstage
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Major buildings backstage include the Frank
Gehry-designed Team Disney Anaheim,[69] where most of the division's
administration currently works, as well as the Old Administration
Building, behind Tomorrowland.
Photography is forbidden in these
areas, both inside and outside, although some photos have found their
way to a variety of web sites. Guests who attempt to explore backstage
are warned and often escorted from the property.[70]
Transportation
Disneyland Railroad
Disneyland Railroad Engine 2
Walt
Disney had a longtime interest in transportation, and trains in
particular. Disney's passion for the "iron horse" led to him building a
miniature live steam backyard railroad—the "Carolwood Pacific
Railroad"—on the grounds of his Holmby Hills estate. Throughout all the
iterations of Disneyland during the 17 or so years when Disney was
conceiving it, one element remained constant: a train encircling the
park.[12] The primary designer for the park transportation vehicles was
Bob Gurr who gave himself the title of Director of Special Vehicle
Design in 1954.[71]
Encircling Disneyland and providing a grand
circle tour is the Disneyland Railroad (DRR), a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow
gauge short-line railway consisting of five oil-fired and steam-powered
locomotives, in addition to three passenger trains and one
passenger-carrying freight train. Originally known as the Disneyland and
Santa Fe Railroad, the DRR was presented by the Atchison, Topeka and
Santa Fe Railway until 1974. From 1955 to 1974, the Santa Fe Rail Pass
was accepted in lieu of a Disneyland "D" coupon. With a 3 ft (914 mm)
gauge, the most common narrow track gauge used in North America, the
track runs in a continuous loop around Disneyland through each of its
realms. Each 1900s-era train departs Main Street Station on an excursion
that includes scheduled station stops at: New Orleans Square Station;
Toontown Depot; and Tomorrowland Station. The Grand Circle Tour then
concludes with a visit to the "Grand Canyon/Primeval World" dioramas
before returning passengers to Main Street, U.S.A.[72]
photo of new Monorail
Monorail Red travels over the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage in Tomorrowland.
One
of Disneyland's signature attractions is its Disneyland Monorail System
monorail service, which opened in Tomorrowland in 1959 as the first
daily-operating monorail train system in the Western Hemisphere. The
monorail guideway has remained almost exactly the same since 1961, aside
from small alterations while Indiana Jones Adventure was being built.
Five generations of monorail trains have been used in the park since
their lightweight construction means they wear out quickly. The most
recent operating generation, the Mark VII, was installed in 2008. The
monorail shuttles visitors between two stations, one inside the park in
Tomorrowland and one in Downtown Disney. It follows a 2.5-mile-long (4.0
km) route designed to show the park from above. Currently, the Mark VII
is running with the colors red, blue and orange. The monorail was
originally a loop built with just one station in Tomorrowland. Its track
was extended and a second station opened at the Disneyland Hotel in
1961. With the creation of Downtown Disney in 2001, the new destination
is Downtown Disney, instead of the Disneyland Hotel. The physical
location of the monorail station did not change, but the original
station building was demolished as part of the hotel downsizing, and the
new station is now separated from the hotel by several Downtown Disney
buildings, including ESPN Zone and the Rainforest Café.[73]
Horseless carriage
Main Street at Disneyland, as seen from a horseless carriage
All
of the vehicles found on Main Street, U.S.A., grouped together as the
Main Street Vehicles attraction, were designed to accurately reflect
turn-of-the-century vehicles, including a 3 ft (914 mm) gauge[74]
tramway featuring horse-drawn streetcars, a double-decker bus, a fire
engine, and an automobile.[75] They are available for one-way rides
along Main Street, U.S.A. The horse-drawn streetcars are also used by
the park entertainment, including The Dapper Dans. The horseless
carriages are modeled after cars built in 1903 and are two-cylinder,
four-horsepower (3 kW) engines with manual transmission and steering.
Walt Disney used to drive the fire engine around the park before it
opened, and it has been used to host celebrity guests and in the
parades. Most of the original main street vehicles were designed by Bob
Gurr.
From the late 1950s to 1968, Los Angeles Airways provided
regularly scheduled helicopter passenger service between Disneyland and
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and other cities in the area.
The helicopters initially operated from Anaheim/Disneyland Heliport,
located behind Tomorrowland. Service later moved, in 1960, to a new
heliport north of the Disneyland Hotel.[76] Arriving guests were
transported to the Disneyland Hotel via tram. The service ended after
two fatal crashes in 1968: The crash in Paramount, California, on May
22, 1968, killed 23 (the worst helicopter accident in aviation history
at that time). The second crash in Compton, California, on August 14,
1968, killed 21.[77]
Effects on commercial aviation
The United
States Federal Aviation Administration has declared a zone of
prohibited airspace around both Disneyland and some of the surrounding
areas at Sleeping Beauty Castle. No aircraft, including recreational and
commercial drones, are permitted to fly within this zone; this level is
only shared with Walt Disney World, other pieces of critical
infrastructure (military bases, Pantex) in the United States and
whenever the President of the United States travels outside of
Washington, D.C.[78]
Live entertainment
Disneyland Musical Chairs
Alice
and characters from her movie host "Disneyland Musical Chairs" at
Coca-Cola Refreshment Corner, accompanied by a ragtime pianist.
Fantasmic
Fantasmic! finale on July 4, 2010
In
addition to the attractions, Disneyland provides live entertainment
throughout the park. Most of the mentioned entertainment is not offered
daily, but only on selected days of the week, or selected periods of the
year.
Many Disney characters can be found throughout the park,
greeting visitors, interacting with children, and posing for photos.
Some characters have specific areas where they are scheduled to appear,
but can be found wandering as well. Some of the rarest are characters
like Rabbit (from Winnie-the-Pooh), Max, Mushu, and Agent P.[79]
Periodically through recent decades (and most recently during the
summers of 2005 and 2006), Mickey Mouse would climb the Matterhorn
attraction several times a day with the support of Minnie, Goofy, and
other performers. Other mountain climbers could also be seen on the
Matterhorn from time to time. As of March 2007, Mickey and his "toon"
friends no longer climb the Matterhorn but the climbing program
continues. Every evening at dusk, there is a military-style flag retreat
to lower the U.S. Flag by a ceremonial detail of Disneyland's Security
staff. The ceremony is usually held between 4:00 and 5:00 pm, depending
on the entertainment being offered on Main Street, U.S.A., to prevent
conflicts with crowds and music. Disney does report the time the Flag
Retreat is scheduled on its Times Guide, offered at the entrance
turnstiles and other locations. The Disneyland Band, which has been part
of the park since its opening, plays the role of the Town Band on Main
Street, U.S.A. It also breaks out into smaller groups like the Main
Street Strawhatters, the Hook and Ladder Co., and the Pearly Band in
Fantasyland. However, on March 31, 2015, the Disneyland Resort notified
the band members of an "end of run". The reason for doing so is that
they would start a new higher energy band. The veteran band members were
invited to audition for the new Disneyland band and were told that even
if they did not make the new band or audition, they would still play in
small groups around the park. This sparked some controversy with
supporters of the traditional band.[80]
Parades
Disneyland has
featured a number of different parades traveling down the park's
central Main Street – Fantasyland corridor. There have been daytime and
nighttime parades that celebrated Disney films or seasonal holidays with
characters, music, and large floats. One of the most popular parades
was the Main Street Electrical Parade, which recently ended a
limited-time return engagement after an extended run at the Magic
Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. From May 5,
2005, through November 7, 2008, as part of Disneyland's 50th
anniversary, "Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams" was presented, celebrating
several Disney films including The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Alice
in Wonderland, and Pinocchio. In 2009, "Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams"
was replaced by "Celebrate! A Street Party", which premiered on March
27, 2009. Disney did not call "Celebrate! A Street Party" a parade, but
rather a "street event." During the Christmas season, Disneyland
presents "A Christmas Fantasy" Parade. "Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams"
was replaced by "Mickey's Soundsational Parade", which debuted on May
27, 2011.[81] Disneyland debuted a new nighttime parade called "Paint
the Night", on May 22, 2015, as part of the park's 60th anniversary.[82]
For two weeks in 2020 before the closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic,
the parade "Magic Happens" debuted. There was also a virtual parade
available for a limited time.[83] At D23 Expo 2022, it was announced
that "Magic Happens" would return to Disneyland in spring 2023.[84]
Fireworks shows
Disneyland fireworks
Disneyland fireworks from Sleeping Beauty Castle
Elaborate
fireworks shows synchronized with Disney songs and often have
appearances from Tinker Bell (and other characters) flying in the sky
above Sleeping Beauty Castle. Since 2000, presentations have become more
elaborate, featuring new pyrotechnics, launch techniques, and story
lines. In 2004, Disneyland introduced a new air launch pyrotechnics
system, reducing ground-level smoke and noise and decreasing negative
environmental impacts. At the time the technology debuted, Disney
announced it would donate the patents to a non-profit organization for
use throughout the industry.[85] Projection mapping technology debuted
on It's a Small World with the creation of The Magic, the Memories and
You in 2011, and expanded to Main Street and Sleeping Beauty Castle in
2015 with the premiere of Disneyland Forever.
Regular fireworks shows:
1958–1999; 2015: Fantasy in the Sky
2000–2004: Believe... There's Magic in the Stars
2004–2005: Imagine... A Fantasy in the Sky
2005–2014; 2017–2019: Remember... Dreams Come True
2009–2014 (summer): Magical: Disney's New Nighttime Spectacular of Magical Celebrations
2019 and 2022 (summer): Disneyland Forever
Seasonal fireworks shows:
September to October: Halloween Screams
Independence Day Week: Disney's Celebrate America: A 4th of July Concert in the Sky
November to January: Believe... In Holiday Magic
Limited edition fireworks shows
60th Anniversary: Disneyland Forever
Pixar Fest: Together Forever
Get Your Ears On – A Mickey and Minnie Celebration: Mickey's Mix Magic
Disney100: Wondrous Journeys
Since 2009, Disneyland has moved to a rotating repertoire of firework spectaculars.
Scheduling
of fireworks shows depends on the time of year. During the slower
off-season periods, the fireworks are only offered on weekends. During
the busier times, Disney offers additional nights. The park offers
fireworks nightly during its busy periods, which include Easter/Spring
Break, Summer and Christmas time. Disneyland spends about $41,000 per
night on the fireworks show. The show is normally offered at 8:45 or
9:30 pm if the park is scheduled to close at 10 pm or later, but shows
have started as early as 5:45 pm. A major consideration is the weather
and wind, especially at higher altitude, which can force the delay or
cancellation of the show. In response to this, alternate versions of the
fireworks spectaculars have been created in recent years, solely using
the projections and lighting effects. With a few minor exceptions, such
as July 4 and New Year's Eve, shows must finish by 10:00 pm due to the
conditions of the permit issued by the City of Anaheim.
In recent
years, Disneyland uses smaller and mid-sized fireworks shells and more
low-level pyrotechnics on the castle to allow guests to enjoy the
fireworks spectaculars even if there is a weather issue such as high
wind. This precedent is known as B-show. The first fireworks show to
have this format was Believe... In Holiday Magic from the 2018 holiday
season." (wikipedia.org)
"The
Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (/ˈdɪzni/),[5] is an
American multinational, mass media and entertainment conglomerate that
is headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank,
California. Disney was founded on October 16, 1923, by brothers Walt and
Roy O. Disney as Disney Brothers Studio; it also operated under the
names Walt Disney Studio and Walt Disney Productions before changing its
name to The Walt Disney Company in 1986. Early in its existence, the
company established itself as a leader in the animation industry, with
the creation of the widely popular character Mickey Mouse, who first
appeared in Steamboat Willie, which used synchronized sound, to become
the first post-produced sound cartoon.[6] The character would go on to
become the company's mascot.
After becoming a major success by
the early 1940s, the company diversified into live-action films,
television, and theme parks in the 1950s. Following Walt Disney's death
in 1966, the company's profits, especially in the animation division,
began to decline. Once Disney's shareholders voted Michael Eisner as the
head of the company in 1984, it became overwhelmingly successful during
a period called the Disney Renaissance. In 2005, under new CEO Bob
Iger, the company started to expand and acquire other corporations. Bob
Chapek became the head of Disney in 2020 after Iger's retirement. Chapek
was ousted in 2022 and Iger was reinstated as CEO.
Since the
1980s, Disney has created and acquired corporate divisions to market
more mature content than is typically associated with its
family-oriented brands. The company is known for its film-studio
division Walt Disney Studios, which includes Walt Disney Pictures, Walt
Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, 20th Century
Studios, 20th Century Animation, and Searchlight Pictures. Disney's
other main business units include divisions in television, broadcasting,
streaming media, theme park resorts, consumer products, publishing, and
international operations. Through these divisions, Disney owns and
operates the ABC broadcast network; cable television networks such as
Disney Channel, ESPN, Freeform, FX, and National Geographic; publishing,
merchandising, music, and theater divisions; direct-to-consumer
streaming services such as Disney+, Star+, ESPN+, Hulu, and Hotstar; and
Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, which includes several theme
parks, resort hotels, and cruise lines around the world.
Disney
is one of the biggest and best-known companies in the world, and has
been ranked number 53 on the 2022 Fortune 500 list of biggest companies
in the United States by revenue. Since its founding, the company has won
135 Academy Awards, 26 of which have been awarded to Walt. The company
has been said to have produced some of the greatest films of all time,
as well as revolutionizing the theme park industry. Disney has been
criticized for supposed plagiarism, depicting racial stereotypes in the
past, and both including and lacking LGBT-related elements in its films.
The company, which has been public since 1940, trades on the New York
Stock Exchange (NYSE) with ticker symbol DIS and has been a component of
the Dow Jones Industrial Average since 1991. In August 2020, just under
two-thirds of the stock was owned by large financial institutions.
History
This
section may be too long to read and navigate comfortably. Please
consider splitting content into sub-articles, condensing it, or adding
subheadings. Please discuss this issue on the article's talk page.
(January 2023)
For a chronological guide, see Timeline of The Walt Disney Company.
1923–1934: Founding, Mickey Mouse, and Silly Symphonies
Publicity photo of Walt Disney from the Boy Scouts of America. Disney was given an award by them in 1946.
Roy
O. Disney (1893–1971), the American businessman; partner and co-founder
of The Walt Disney Company with his brother Walt Disney. This 1965
photograph shows Roy Disney and his brother with Florida's Governor W.
Haydon Burns (1912–87), announcing plans to create a Disney theme park
in the state. Walt Disney World opened in 1971. Located just southwest
of Orlando, Florida, the attraction grew to become the largest resort in
the world, covering 47 square miles (122 square kilometers) and
encompassing four theme parks, two water parks, a wilderness preserve,
and numerous hotels.
(left to right) Walt Disney and his brother Roy
O. Disney co-founded The Disney Brothers Studios in 1923, which later
became The Walt Disney Company
Walt Disney and his friend
animator Ub Iwerks had founded a film studio named Laugh-O-Gram Studio
in Kansas City.[7] Iwerks and Disney made a short film entitled Alice's
Wonderland that depicted child actor Virginia Davis interacting with
animated characters. In 1923, soon after the short was made,
Laugh-O-Gram Studio went bankrupt but the film later became a hit after
New York film distributor Margaret J. Winkler purchased it. Disney
signed a contract to create six series of Alice Comedies with an option
for two more six-episode series.[8][9] Before signing the contract,
Disney decided to move to Hollywood, Los Angeles, to join his brother
Roy O. Disney, who had tuberculosis.[10] Walt and Roy founded Disney
Brothers Studio on October 16, 1923, to produce the films.[11] Walt
later persuaded Iwerks' and Davis' families to move to Hollywood as
well.[9]
In January 1926, the Disney studio on Hyperion Street
was completed, and Disney Brothers Studio's name was changed to Walt
Disney Studio.[12] After producing several Alice films for the next four
years, Winkler handed the role of distributing films to her husband
Charles Mintz. In 1927, Mintz asked for a new series of films to be made
under Universal Pictures. In response, Walt created his first series of
fully animated films, which featured the character Oswald the Lucky
Rabbit.[13] Walt Disney Studio created 26 films with Oswald in them.[14]
In
1928, Walt wanted a larger fee for his films but Mintz wanted to reduce
the price. Soon after, Walt discovered Universal Pictures owned the
intellectual property rights to Oswald, and Mintz threatened to produce
the films without him if he did not accept the reduction in
payment.[14][15] Walt declined and Mintz signed four of Walt Disney
Studio's primary animators to start his own studio; Iwerks was the only
top animator to remain with the Disney brothers.[16] Walt and Iwerks
replaced Oswald with a mouse character that was originally named
Mortimer Mouse but Walt's wife urged him to change the name to Mickey
Mouse.[17][18] In May 1928, the studio made the silent films Plane Crazy
and The Gallopin' Gaucho as test screening for the new character. Later
that year, the studio produced its first sound film—the third short in
the Mickey Mouse series—Steamboat Willie, which was made using
synchronized sound, becoming the first post-produced sound cartoon.[6]
The sound was created using Powers’ Cinephone system, which used Lee de
Forest's Phonofilm system.[19] Pat Powers’ distribution company
distributed Steamboat Willie, which became an immediate hit.[17][20][21]
In 1929, the company successfully re-released the two earlier films
with synchronized sound.[22][23]
Black and white rabbit in pants jumping
One of Disney's first animated characters Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, which Disney lost the rights to
After
the release of Steamboat Willie at the Colony Theater in New York,
Mickey Mouse became an immensely popular character.[23][17] Disney
Brothers Studio made several cartoons featuring Mickey and other
characters.[24] In August 1929, the company began making the Silly
Symphony cartoon series with Columbia Pictures as the series'
distributor because the Disney brothers felt they were not receiving
their share of profits from Powers.[21] Powers ended his contract with
Iwerks, who later started his own studio.[25] Carl W. Stalling played an
important role in starting the series, and composed the music for early
films but left the company after Iwerks' departure.[26][27] In
September, theater manager Harry Woodin requested permission to start a
Mickey Mouse Club at his theater the Fox Dome to boost attendance. Walt
agreed but David E. Dow started the first-such club at Elsinore Theatre
before Woodin could start his. On December 21, the first meeting for the
club at Elsinore Theatre was attended by around 1,200 children.[28][29]
On July 24, 1930, Joseph Conley, president of King Features Syndicate,
wrote to the Disney studio and asked the company to produce a Mickey
Mouse comic strip; production started in November and samples were sent
to King Features, which approved them.[30] On December 16, 1930, the
Walt Disney Studios partnership was reorganized as a corporation with
the name Walt Disney Productions, Limited, which had a merchandising
division named Walt Disney Enterprises, and subsidiaries called Disney
Film Recording Company, Limited and Liled Realty and Investment Company;
the latter of which managed real estate holdings. Walt and his wife
held 60 percent (6,000 shares) of the company, and Roy owned 40
percent.[31]
The comic strip Mickey Mouse debuted on January 13,
1930, in New York Daily Mirror and by 1931, the strip was published in
60 newspapers in the U.S., and in twenty other countries.[32] After
realizing releasing merchandise based on the characters would generate
more revenue for the company, in New York, a man asked Walt for the
license to put Mickey Mouse on writing tablets he was manufacturing for
$300. Walt agreed and Mickey Mouse became the first licensed
character.[33][34] In 1933, Walt asked Kay Karmen, the owner of an
Kansas City advertising firm, to run Disney's merchandising; Karmen
agreed and transformed Disney's merchandising. Within a year, Kamen had
40 licenses for Mickey Mouse and within two years, had made $35 million
worth of sales. In 1934, Walt said he made more money from the
merchandising of Mickey Mouse than from the character's films.[35][36]
Later,
the Waterbury Clock Company created a Mickey Mouse watch, which became
so popular it saved the company from bankruptcy during the Great
Depression. During a promotional event at Macy's, 11,000 Mickey Mouse
watches sold in one day; and within two years, two-and-a-half million
watches were sold.[37][32][36] As Mickey Mouse become a heroic character
rather than a mischievous mouse, Disney needed another character that
could produce gags.[38] Walt invited radio presenter Clarence Nash to
the animation studio; Walt wanted to use Nash to play Donald Duck, a
talking duck character that would be the studio's new gag character.
Donald Duck made his first appearance in 1934 in The Wise Little Hen.
Though he did not become popular as quickly as Mickey Mouse had, Donald
Duck had a featured role in Donald and Pluto (1936), and eventually was
given his own series.[39]
After a disagreement with Columbia
Pictures about the Silly Symphonies cartoons, Walt signed a distribution
contract with United Artists from 1932 to 1937 to distribute the
series.[40] In 1932, Disney signed an exclusive contract with
Technicolor to produce cartoons in color until the end of 1935,
beginning with the Silly Symphonies short Flowers and Trees (1932).[41]
The film was the first full-color cartoon and later that year, it won
the Academy Award for the Best Cartoon.[6] In 1933, The Three Little
Pigs, another popular Silly Symphonies short, was released and also won
the Academy Award for Best Cartoon.[24][42] The song from the film
"Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?", which was composed by Frank
Churchill—who wrote other Silly Symphonies songs—became popular and
remained so throughout the 1930s, and became one of the best-known
Disney songs.[26] Other Silly Symphonies films won the Best Cartoon
award from 1931 to 1939, except for 1938, when another Disney film
Ferdinand the Bull won it.[24]
1934–1949: The Golden Age of Animation, strike, and World War II
Three story building with green stripes surrounded by some trees
The original animation building at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, which they fully moved into in 1940
In
1934, Walt decided to make the feature-length animated film Snow White
and the Seven Dwarfs— Walt Disney Productions' first full-length feature
film. He told his animators by acting out the story. Roy tried to stop
Walt from making it, saying it would bankrupt the studio, and in
Hollywood it was called "Disney's Folly", but Walt continued production
on the film.[43][44] He took a realistic approach to the film and
created scenes as though they were live action.[45] While making the
film, the company created the multiplane camera, which was pieces of
glass upon which drawings were placed at different distances to create
an illusion of depth in the backgrounds.[46] After United Artists
attempted to attain future television rights to the Disney shorts, Walt
signed a distribution contract with RKO Radio Pictures on March 2,
1936.[47] Walt Disney Productions exceeded its original budget of
$150,000 for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by ten times; it production
eventually cost the company $1.5 million.[43]
Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs took three years to make, debuting on December 12, 1937.
It became the highest-grossing film of all time up to that point,
grossing $8 million equivalent to $150,796,296 in 2021; after several
re-releases, the film grossed a total of $998,440,000 in the U.S.
adjusted for inflation.[48][49] After the profits of Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs, Disney financed the construction of a new studio complex
of 51 acres (20.6 ha) in Burbank, California, which the company fully
moved into in 1940.[50][51] On April 2 of the same year, Disney had its
initial public offering, with the common stock remaining with Walt and
his family. Walt did not want to go public but the company needed the
money.[52]
Shortly before Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'
release, work began on the company's next films Pinocchio and Bambi;
Bambi was postponed.[47] Pinocchio won the Academy Awards for Best Song
and Best Score, and was said to have made groundbreaking achievements in
animation.[53] Pinocchio, however, performed poorly at the box office
upon its release on February 23, 1940, because its international
releases were prevented due to World War II.[54][55]
The
company's next film Fantasia also performed poorly at the box office but
during its production, he company made advancements in cinema
technology, inventing Fantasound, an early surround sound system, for
the film's soundtrack, making it the first commercial film to be shown
in stereo.[56][57][58] In 1941, Walt Disney Studio experienced a major
setback when 300 of its 800 animators, led mainly by one of the
company's top animators Art Babbitt, went on strike for five weeks for
unionization and higher pay. Walt thought the strikers were secretly
communists and he fired many of the studios' animators, including some
of its best ones.[59][60] Roy Disney tried to persuade the company's
main distributors to invest in the studio and to secure more production
funds for the studio, which could no longer afford to offset production
costs with employee layoffs, but was unsuccessful.[61] During the
premiere of The Reluctant Dragon (1941), Disney's fourth film, Robert
Benchley toured the company's studio; protesters from the strike arrived
and the film was $100,000 short of its production cost.[62]
Man dressed as a gaucho with someone dressed as Donald Duck
Walt (right) dressed as a gaucho next to Donald Duck on the company's goodwill trip to South America in Argentina.
While
negotiations with the strikers were underway, Walt accepted an offer
from the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs to make a
goodwill visit, along with some of his animators, to South America,
ensuring Disney would be absent during the deal because he knew the
results would not be in his favor.[63] During the twelve-week visit, the
animators began plotting for films and were inspired by local
music.[64] As a result of the strike, Federal mediators compelled the
studio to recognize the Screen Cartoonist's Guild and several animators
left the company, leaving it with 694 employees.[65][60] To recover from
their financial losses, Disney, hurriedly and with a lower budget,
created the studio's fifth animated film Dumbo, which performed well at
the box office and made a much-needed financial gain for the
company.[53][66] After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, many of the
companies animators would be drafted into the army.[67] Later, 500
United States Army soldiers occupied the studio for eight months to
protect a nearby Lockheed aircraft plant. While they were there, the
soldiers fixed equipment in large soundstages and converted storage
sheds into ammunition depots.[68] On December 8, 1941, the United States
Navy asked Walt to create propaganda films to gain support for the war.
He agreed and signed a contract with the navy for 20 war-related shorts
for $90,000.[69] Most of the company's employees worked on the project
and created films such as Victory Through Air Power, and included some
of the company's characters in several of the films.[70][67]
In
August, 1942, Bambi was released as Disney's sixth animated film and
performed poorly at the box office.[71] In 1943, following the trip to
South America, the studio made Saludos Amigos and The Three
Caballeros;[67][72] the two films are package films, several short
cartoons grouped together to make a feature film. Both films performed
poorly upon their releases. Disney made more package films, including
Make Mine Music (1946), Fun and Fancy Free (1947), Melody Time (1948),
and The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949), to try to recover
from its financial losses.[67] The studio started production on
less-expensive live-action films with a mixture of animation, starting
with Song of the South which became Disney's most controversial
film.[73][74] Because the company was short of money, in 1944, it
planned to re-release its feature films to create much-needed
revenue.[74][75] In 1948, Walt Disney Studio began the nature
documentary series,True-Life Adventures, which ran until 1960 and won
eight Academy Awards.[76][77] In 1949, during production of the animated
film Cinderella (1950), the Walt Disney Music Company was founded to
help with profits for merchandising, hoping the music from Cinderella
would be a hit.[78]
1950–1967: Live-action films, television, Disneyland, and Walt Disney's death
In
1950, Cinderella, Disney's first animated film in eight years, was
released and was considered a return to form for the studio. With a
production cost of costing $2.2 million, it was Disney's most
financially successful film since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,
making $8 million in its first year. Walt had not been as involved as he
was with earlier films because he was distracted with trains and
visited England to make Disney's first fully live-action film Treasure
Island (1950).[79] Because Treasure Island was a success, Walt returned
to England to produce The Story of Robin Hood and His Merry Men.[80] In
1950, the television industry began to grow, and on 25 December, NBC
aired the company's first television production "One Hour in
Wonderland", which was a promotional program for Disney's next animated
film Alice in Wonderland (1951) and sponsored by Coca-Cola.[81] While
Walt was in England, Alice in Wonderland was released; it was
financially unsuccessful, falling $1 million short of the production
budget.[82] Upon his return, Walt started planning the construction of
an amusement park called Mickey Mouse Park on an eight-acre (3.2 ha)
site near the studio; its attractions would include a steamboat ride but
business interrupted the plan and production for a third British film
The Sword and the Rose began.[83] Walt supervised the film's production,
which was financed by a new subsidiary called Walt Disney British Films
Limited.[84]
Several men looking at plans together
Walt (center) showing the plans of Disneyland to officials from Orange County in December 1954
According
to Walt, he had the idea of an amusement park during a visit to
Griffith Park with his daughters. He said he watched them ride a
carousel there and that he thought there "should be ... some kind of
amusement enterprise built where the parents and the children could have
fun together".[85][86] Walt changed the planned amusement park's name
to Disneylandia, then to Disneyland.[83] Because Roy was doubtful about
the park, Walt formed a new company called Walt Disney Enterprise on
December 16, 1952, to fund the park. Shortly after, its name was changed
to Walt Disney Incorporated, and again to WED Enterprises[a] (now Walt
Disney Imagineering) in November 1953.[87] He hired a group of designers
to work on the plans; these became known as "Imagineers".[88] Walt and
his friends visited parks in the U.S. and Europe to get ideas on how to
build one.[89] His plan to build the park in Burbank near the studio
quickly changed when he realized that 8 (3.2 ha) acres would not be
enough land. Walt acquired 160 acres (65 ha) of orange groves in
Anaheim, southeast of Los Angeles in neighboring Orange County, at
$6,200 per acre to build the park.[90] Construction on the park began on
July 12, 1954; Walt wanted it to be completed by 1955, with
storytelling attractions and areas, as well as being clean and
perfect.[91] By the time the park opened, it cost the company $17
million to construct.[92]
In February 1953, Disney's next
animated film Peter Pan was a financial success but Walt wanted to
improve the standard of animation without raising the cost.[93] When
Disney wanted to create The Living Desert, a feature with two short
films, for the True-Life documentary, RKO's lawyer believed it would
break the 1948 antitrust Supreme Court ruling if it was sold as a
package. Roy thought the company would thrive without RKO and Disney
created its own distribution company Buena Vista Distribution, named
after the street where the studio was located.[94] In 1954, Disney's
first American live action film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which was
one of the first films to use CinemaScope, was released.[95][96] From
the early-to-mid 1950s, Walt began to devote less attention to the
animation department, entrusting most of its operations to his key
animators the Nine Old Men, although he was always present at story
meetings. Instead, he started concentrating on television, Disneyland,
and other company affairs.[97]
Children wearing white shirts with their names on them and Mickey Mouse ears
Man dressed as Davy Crockett with a rifle in his hand, alongside two men in the background
(left
to right) Cast for The Mickey Mouse Club, which over 10 million
children would watch every day, and Fess Parker as Davy Crockett in the
show of the same name, which sold 10 million Crockett coonskin caps and
over 10 million records of its theme song
To finance the
construction of Disneyland, Walt sold his home at Smoke Tree Ranch in
Palm Springs Ca. and the company promoted it with a television series.
After unsuccessful negotiations with NBC and CBS to sign on, in 1954,
American Broadcasting Company (ABC) contracted with Disney for an
hour-long, weekly series starting in October called Disneyland an
anthology series consisting of animated cartoons, live-action features,
and other materials from the studio's library; and would depict four
segments of the amusement park's four areas.[98] The series was a
success and garnered over 50% of viewers in its time slot, along with
increasing audiences and praise from critics.[99] In August, Walt formed
another company Disneyland, Inc. to finance the theme park, with Walt
Disney Productions, Walt, Western Publishing—which had been the
publisher of Disney books for over twenty years—and ABC all holding
stock in the company.[100]
In October, with the success of
Disneyland, ABC allowed Disney to produce The Mickey Mouse Club, a
variety show for children; the show included a daily Disney cartoon, a
children's newsreel, and a talent show. It was presented by a host, and
talented children and adults called "Mousketeers" and "Mooseketeers",
respectively.[101] After the first season, over ten million children and
five million adults watched it daily; and two million Mickey Mouse
ears, which the cast wore, were sold.[102] On December 15, 1954,
Disneyland aired an episode of the five-part miniseries Davy Crockett,
which stars Fess Parker as the title character. According to writer Neal
Gabler, "[It] became an overnight national sensation", selling 10
million Crockett coonskin caps.[103] The show's theme song "The Ballad
of Davy Crockett" became a part of American pop culture, selling 10
million records. Los Angeles Times called it "the greatest merchandising
fad the world had ever seen".[104][105] In June 1955, Disney's 15th
animated film Lady and the Tramp was released and performed better at
the box office than any other Disney films since Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs.[106]
Walt Disney at the grand opening of Disneyland on July 17, 1955
Disneyland
opened on Sunday, July 17, 1955.[b] Only Main Street and rides in some
of the "lands" were completed, a total of 20 attractions. Entry to the
park cost $1 and guests had to pay for each individual ride.[107] They
were ready for 11,000 guests but around 28,000 people arrived due to
sales of counterfeit tickets. The opening was aired on ABC with actors
Art Linkletter, Bob Cummings, and Ronald Reagan, who were all friends of
Walt, hosting it. It garnered over 90 million viewers, becoming the
most-watched live broadcast to that date.[108] The opening was
disastrous, and was dubbed as "Black Sunday" by the employees.
Restaurants ran out of food, the Mark Twain Riverboat began to sink,
several rides malfunctioned, and the drinking fountains were not working
in the 100 °F. (38 °C) heat.[109][92] Within its first week of being
open, Disneyland had had 161,657 visitors, and by its first month the
park had over 20,000 visitors each day. After its first year, 3.6
million people had visited the park, and after its second year, four
million more guests came, making it more popular than the Grand Canyon
and Yellowstone National Park. That year, the company earned a gross
total of $24.5 million compared to the $11 million the previous
year.[110]
two older men looking into the camera
The Sherman Brothers, who composed many of the Disney songs throughout the 1960s, in 2002
Though
Walt focused more of the park than on films, the company produced an
average of five releases per year throughout the 1950s and 1960s.[111]
The animated feature films included Sleeping Beauty (1959), One Hundred
and One Dalmatians (1961), and The Sword in the Stone (1963).[112]
Sleeping Beauty was a financial loss for the company, and at $6 million,
it had the highest production costs for a film up to that point.[113]
One Hundred and One Dalmatians introduced animation technique using the
xerography process to electromagnetically transfer the drawings to
animation cels.[114] In 1956, the Sherman brothers, Robert and Richard,
were asked to produce a theme song for the television series Zorro.[115]
The company later hired them as exclusive staff songwriters, an
arrangement that lasted 10 years. They wrote many of the songs for
Disney's films and theme parks, and several of them were commercial
hits.[116][117] In the late 1950s, Disney ventured into comedy with the
live-action films The Shaggy Dog (1959), which became the
highest-grossing film in the U.S. and Canada for Disney at over $9
million,[118] and The Absent Minded Professor (1961), both starring Fred
MacMurray.[112][119]
Teenage girl with blonde hair in a white dress looking into the camera
Black and white photo of a young man looking into the camera
(left to right) Hayley Mills and Kurt Russell were two of Disney's most prominent child actors in the 1960s.
Disney
also made several live-action films based on children's books including
Pollyanna (1960) and Swiss Family Robinson (1960). Child actor Hayley
Mills starred in Pollyanna, for which she won an Academy Juvenile Award.
Mills also starred in five other Disney films, including a dual role as
the twins in The Parent Trap (1961).[120][121] Another child actor
Kevin Corcoran was a prominent figure in many of Disney's live-action
films, first appearing in a serial for The Mickey Mouse Club, where he
would play a boy named Moochie. He worked alongside Mills in Pollyanna,
and starred in features such as Old Yeller (1957), Toby Tyler (1960),
and Swiss Family Robinson.[122] In 1964, the live action/animation
musical film Mary Poppins was released and became the year's
highest-grossing film. It won five Academy Awards, including Best
Actress for Julie Andrews as Poppins and Best Song for the Sherman
Brothers', who also won Best Score for the film's "Chim Chim
Cher-ee".[123][124]
Black and white photo of a man posing and looking into the camera
Black and white photo of a man looking into the camera
(left
to right) Dean Jones, who was considered "the figure who most
represented Walt Disney Productions in the 1960s",[125] and Fred
MacMurray, who starred in several of Disney's comedies in the 1960s
Throughout
the 1960s, Dean Jones, whom The Guardian called "the figure who most
represented Walt Disney Productions in the 1960s", starred in ten Disney
films, including That Darn Cat! (1965), The Ugly Dachshund (1966), and
The Love Bug (1968).[125][126] Disney's last child actor of the 1960s
was Kurt Russell, who had signed a ten-year contract with the
company.[127] He featured in films such as The Computer Wore Tennis
Shoes (1969), The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit (1968) alongside Dean
Jones, The Barefoot Executive (1971), and The Strongest Man in the World
(1975).[128]
Three men at a table with microphones in front of them announcing something
Walt, then Florida Governor Hayden Burns, and Roy announcing the plans for Disney World
In
late 1959, Walt had an idea to build another park in Palm Beach,
Florida, called the City of Tomorrow, a city that would be full of
technological improvements.[129] In 1964, the company chose land
southwest of Orlando, Florida to build the park and quickly acquired
27,000 acres (10,927 ha) of land for it. On November 15, 1965, Walt,
along with Roy and Florida's governor Haydon Burns, announced plans for
another park called Disney World, which included Magic Kingdom—a larger
version of Disneyland—and the City of Tomorrow, which would be at the
park's center.[130] By 1967, the company had made several expansions to
Disneyland, and more rides were added in 1966 and 1967, at a cost of
$20 million.[131] The new rides included Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki
Room, which was the first attraction to use audio-animatronics; Walt
Disney's Carousel of Progress, which debuted at the 1964 New York
World's Fair before moving to Disneyland in 1967; and Dumbo the Flying
Elephant, which opened a month after the park.[132]
On November
20, 1964, Walt sold most of WED Enterprise to Walt Disney Productions
for $3.75 million after being persuaded to by Roy, who thought Walt
having his own company would cause legal problems. Walt formed a new
company called Retlaw to handle his personnel business, primarily
Disneyland Railroad and Disneyland Monorail.[133] When the company
started looking for a sponsor for the project, Walt renamed the City of
Tomorrow Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT).[134]
Walt, who had been a heavy smoker since World War I, experienced
deteriorating health; he visited St. Joseph Hospital on November 2,
1966, for tests. Doctors discovered a walnut-sized spot on his left lung
and a few days later, they found the lung was cancerous and removed it.
Walt was released from hospital after two weeks. He died on December
15, 1966, at the age of 65, of circulatory collapse caused by lung
cancer.[135][136]
1967–1984: Roy O. Disney's leadership and death, Walt Disney World, animation industry decline, and Touchstone Pictures
In
1967, the last two films Walt had worked on were released; the animated
film The Jungle Book, which was Disney's most successful film for the
next two decades, and the live-action musical The Happiest
Millionaire.[137][138] After Walt's death, the company largely abandoned
the animation industry but make several live-action films.[139][140]
Its animation staff declined from 500 to 125 employees, with the company
only hiring 21 people from 1970 to 1977.[141]
Disney's first
post-Walt animated film The Aristocats was released in 1970; according
to Dave Kehr of Chicago Tribune, "the absence of his [Walt's] hand is
evident".[142] The following year, the anti-fascist musical Bedknobs and
Broomsticks was released and won the Oscar for Best Special Visual
Effects.[143] At the time of Walt's death, Roy was ready to retire but
wanted to keep Walt's legacy alive; he became the first CEO and chairman
of the company.[144][145] In May 1967, Roy had legislation passed by
Florida's legislatures to grant Disney World its own quasi-government
agency in an area called Reedy Creek Improvement District. Roy also
changed Disney World's name to Walt Disney World to remind people it was
Walt's dream.[146][147] Over time, EPCOT became less of the City of
Tomorrow and developed more into another amusement park.[148]
After
18 months of construction at a cost of around $400 million, Walt Disney
World's first park the Magic Kingdom, along with Disney's Contemporary
Resort and Disney's Polynesian Resort,[149] opened on October 1, 1971,
with 10,400 visitors. A parade with over 1,000 band members, 4,000
Disney entertainers, and a choir from the U.S. Army marched down Main
Street. The icon of the park was the Cinderella Castle. Three months
later on Thanksgiving day, cars traveling to the Magic Kingdom caused
traffic jams along interstate roads.[150][151]
On December 21,
1971, Roy died of cerebral hemorrhage at St. Joseph Hospital.[145] After
Roy's death, Donn Tatum, a senior executive and former president of
Disney, became the first non-Disney-family-member to become CEO and
chairman of the board. Card Walker, who had been with the company since
1938, became its president.[152][153] By June 30, 1973, Disney had over
23,000 employees and had a gross revenue of $257,751,000 over a
nine-month period, compared to the year before when it made
$220,026,000.[154] In November, Disney released the animated film Robin
Hood (1973), which became Disney's biggest international-grossing movie
at $18 million.[155] Throughout the 1970s, Disney released several more
live-action films such as The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes' sequel Now You
See Him, Now You Don't;[156] The Love Bug sequels Herbie Rides Again
(1974) and Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977);[157][158] Escape to Witch
Mountain (1975);[159] and Freaky Friday (1976).[160] In 1976, Card
Walker became CEO of the company, with Tatum remaining as chairman until
1980, when Walker replaced him.[144][153] In 1977, Roy E. Disney, Roy
O. Disney's son and the only Disney working for the company, resigned
from his job as an executive because of disagreements with the company's
decisions.[161]
In 1977, Disney released the successful animated
film The Rescuers, which grossed $48 million at the box office.[162]
The live-acton/animated musical Pete's Dragon was released in 1977,
grossing $16 million in the U.S. and Canada, but was considered a
disappointment to the company.[163][164] In 1979, Disney's first
PG-rated film and most expensive film up to that point at $26 million
dollars The Black Hole was released, showing Disney could use special
effects. It grossed $35 million, which was a disappointment to the
company, which thought it would be a hit like Star Wars (1977). The
Black Hole was a response to other Science fiction films of the
era.[165][166]
In September, 12 animators, which was over 15
percent of the department, resigned from the studio. Led by Don Bluth,
they left because of a conflict with the training program and the
atmosphere at the studio, and started their own company Don Bluth
Productions.[167][168] In 1981, Disney released Dumbo to VHS and Alice
in Wonderland the following year, leading Disney to eventually release
all its films on home media.[169] On July 24, Walt Disney's World on
Ice, a two-year tour of ice shows featuring Disney charters, made its
premiere at the Brendan Byrne Meadowlands Arena after Disney licensed
its characters to Feld Entertainment.[170][171] The same month, Disney's
animated film The Fox and the Hound was released and became the
highest-grossing animated film to that point at $39.9 million.[172] It
was the company's first film that did not involve Walt and was the last
major work done by Disney's Nine Old Men, who were replaced with younger
animators.[141]
A castle painted blue and pink with the bottom layer being made of stone bricks
Blue and white castle with the bottom layer being made of stone bricks
ginormous ball made of triangles
(left
to right) Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle, Magic Kingdom's
Cinderella Castle, and Epcot's Spaceship Earth are each of the park's
main icon.
As profits for the company started to decline, on
October 1, 1982, Epcot, then known as EPCOT Center, opened as the second
theme park in Walt Disney World, with around 10,000 people in
attendance during the opening.[173][174] The park cost over $900 million
to construct, and consisted of the Future World pavilion and the World
Showcase representing Mexico, China, Germany, Italy, America, Japan,
France, the United Kingdom, and Canada; Morocco and Norway were added in
1984 and 1988, respectively.[173][175] The animation industry continued
to decline and 69% of the company's profits were from its theme parks;
in 1982, there were 12 million visitors to Walt Disney World, a figure
that declined by 5% the following June.[173] On July 9, 1982, Disney
released Tron, one of the first films to extensively use
computer-generated imagery (CGI). Tron was a big influence on other CGI
movies, although it received mixed reviews.[176] In total, in 1982, the
company lost $27 million.[177]
On April 15, 1983, Disney's first
park outside the U.S. Tokyo Disneyland, opened in Urayasu, Japan.[178]
Costing around $1.4 billion, construction of the park started in 1979
when Disney and The Oriental Land Company agreed to build a park
together. Within its first ten years, the park had over 140 million
visitors.[179] After an investment of $100 million, on April 18, Disney
started a pay-to-watch cable television channel called Disney Channel, a
16-hours-a-day service showing Disney films, twelve programs, and two
magazines shows for adults. Although it was expected to do well, the
company lost $48.3 million after its first year, with around 916,000
subscribers.[180][181]
In 1983, Walt's son-in-law Ron W. Miller,
who had been president of the company since 1978, became its CEO, and
Raymond Watson became chairman.[144][182] Miller wanted the studio to
produce more content for mature audiences,[183] and as a result, Disney
founded the film distribution label Touchstone Pictures to produce
movies geared toward adults and teenagers in 1984.[177] Splash (1984)
was the first film released under the label, and was a much-needed
success for the studio, grossing over $6.1 million in its first week of
screening.[184] Later, Disney's first R-rated film Down and Out in
Beverly Hills (1986) was released and was another hit for the company,
grossing $62 million.[185] The following year, Disney's first PG-13
rated film Adventures in Babysitting was released.[186] In 1984, Saul
Steinberg attempted to buy out the company, holding 11.1% of the stocks.
He offered to buy 49% of the company for $1.3 billion or the entire
company for $2.75 billion. Disney, which had less than $10 million,
rejected Steinberg's offer and offered to buy all of his stock for
$325.5 million. Steinberg agreed, and Disney paid it all with part of a
$1.3 billion bank loan, putting the company $866 million in
debt.[187][188]
1984–2005: Michael Eisner's leadership, the Disney Renaissance, merger, and acquisitions
Man in a tuxedo giving a speech
Michael Eisner replaced Ron Miller as CEO.
In
1984, the company's shareholders Roy E. Disney, Sid Bass, Lillian and
Diane Disney, and Irwin L. Jacobs—who together owned about 35.5% of the
shares of the company, forced out CEO Miller and replaced him with
Michael Eisner, a former president of Paramount Pictures, and also
appointed Frank Wells as president.[189] Eisner's first act at Disney
was to make it a major film studio, which at the time it was not
considered. Eisner appointed Jeffrey Katzenberg as chairman and Roy E.
Disney as head of the animation division. Eisner wanted the company to
produce an animated film every 18 months rather than every four years,
as the company had been doing. To help with the film division, the
company started making Saturday-morning cartoons to create new Disney
characters for merchandising, and produced several films through
Touchstone. Under Eisner, Disney became more involved with television,
creating Touchstone Television and producing the television situation
comedy The Golden Girls, which was a hit. The company also spent $15
million promoting its theme parks, raising visitor numbers by
10%.[190][191] In 1984, Disney produced The Black Cauldron, then the
most-expensive animated movie at $40 million, their first animated film
to feature computer-generated imagery, and also their first PG-rated
animated film because of its adult themes. The film was a box-office
failure, leading the company to move the animation department from the
studio in Burbank into a warehouse in Glendale, California.[192] The
film-financing partnership Silver Screen Partners II, which was
organized in 1985, financed films for Disney with $193 million. In
January 1987, Silver Screen Partners III began financing movies for
Disney with $300 million raised by E.F. Hutton, the largest amount
raised for a film-financing limited partnership.[193] Silver Screen IV
was also set up to finance Disney's studios.[194]
In 1986, the
company changed its name from Walt Disney Productions to The Walt Disney
Company, stating the old name only referred to the film industry.[195]
With Disney's animation industry declining, the animation department
needed its next movie The Great Mouse Detective to be a success. It
grossed $25 million at the box office, becoming a much-needed financial
success for the company.[196] To generate more revenue from
merchandising, the company opened its first retail store Disney Store in
Glendale in 1987. Because of its success, the company opened two more
stores in California, and by 1990, it had 215 stores throughout the
U.S.[197][198] In 1989, the company garnered $411 million in revenue and
made a profit of $187 million.[199] In 1987, the company signed an
agreement with the Government of France to build a resort named Euro
Disneyland in Paris; it would consist of two theme parks named
Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park, a golf course, and six
hotels.[200][201]
Hollywood Studios' park icon, the Chinese Theatre
In
1988, Disney's 27th animated film Oliver & Company was released the
same day as that of former Disney animator Don Bluth's The Land Before
Time. Oliver & Company out-competed The Land Before Time, becoming
the first animated film to gross over $100 million in its initial
release, and the highest-grossing animated film in its initial
run.[202][203] At the time, Disney became the box-office-leading
Hollywood studio for the first time, with films such as Who Framed Roger
Rabbit (1988), Three Men and a Baby (1987), and Good Morning, Vietnam
(1987). The company's gross revenue went from $165 million in 1983 to
$876 million in 1987, and operating income went from −$33 million in
1983 to +130 million in 1987. The studio's net income rose by 66%, along
with a 26% growth in revenue. Los Angeles Times called Disney's
recovery "a real rarity in the corporate world".[204] On May 1, 1989,
Disney opened Disney-MGM Studios, its third amusement park at Walt
Disney World, and later became Hollywood Studios. The new park
demonstrated to visitors the movie-making process, until 2008, when it
was changed to make guests feel as though they are in movies.[205]
Following the opening of Disney-MGM Studios, Disney opened the water
park Typhoon Lagoon on June 1, 1989; in 2008, it had 2.8 million
visitors.[206] Also in 1989, Disney signed an agreement-in-principle to
acquire The Jim Henson Company from its founder Jim Henson. The deal
included Henson's programming library and Muppet characters—excluding
the Muppets created for Sesame Street—as well as Henson's personal
creative services. Henson, however, died in May 1990 before the deal was
completed, resulting in the two companies terminating merger
negotiations the following December.[207][208][209]
On November
17, 1989, Disney released The Little Mermaid, which is considered to be
the start of the Disney Renaissance, a period in which the company
released hugely successful and critically acclaimed animated films.
During its release, it became the animated film with the highest gross
from its initial run and garnered $233 million at the box office; it
also won two Academy Awards; Best Original Score and Best Original Song
for "Under the Sea".[210][211] During the Disney Renaissance, composer
Alan Menken and lyricist Howard Ashman wrote several Disney songs until
Howard died in 1991. Together they wrote six songs that were nominated
for Academy Awards; with two winning songs—"Under the Sea" and "Beauty
and the Beast".[212][213] To produce music geared for the mainstream,
including music for movie soundtracks, Disney founded the recording
label Hollywood Records on January 1, 1990.[214][215] In September 1990,
Disney arranged for financing of up to $200 million by a unit of Nomura
Securities for Interscope films made for Disney. On October 23, Disney
formed Touchwood Pacific Partners, which replaced the Silver Screen
Partnership series as the company's movie studios' primary source of
funding.[194] Disney's first animated sequel The Rescuers Down Under was
released on November 16, 1990, and was created using Computer Animation
Production System (CAPS), a digital software that was developed by
Disney and Pixar—the computer division of Lucasfilm—becoming the first
feature film to be entirely created digitally.[211][216] Although the
film struggled in the box office, grossing $47.4 million, it received
positive reviews from critics.[217][218] In 1991, Disney and Pixar
agreed to a deal to make three films together, the first one being Toy
Story.[219]
Dow Jones & Company, wanting to replace three
companies in its industrial average, chose Disney in May 1991, statement
Disney "reflects the importance of entertainment and leisure activities
in the economy".[220] Disney's next animated film Beauty and the Beast
was released on November 13, 1991, and grossed nearly $430
million.[221][222] It was the first animated film to win a Golden Globe
for Best Picture, and it received six Academy Award nominations,
becoming the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture Oscar;
it won Best Score, Best Sound, and Best Song for "Beauty and the
Beast".[223] The film was critically acclaimed, with some critics
considering it to be the best Disney film.[224][225] To coincide with
the 1992 release of The Mighty Ducks, Disney founded National Hockey
League team The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.[226] Disney's next animated
feature Aladdin was released on November 11, 1992, and grossed $504
million, becoming the highest-grossing animated film up to that point,
and the first animated film to gross a half-billion dollars.[227][228]
It won two Academy Awards—Best Song for "A Whole New World" and Best
Score;[229] and "A Whole New World" was the first-and-only Disney song
to win the Grammy for Song of the Year.[230][231] For $60 million,
Disney broadened its range of mature-audience films by acquiring
independent film distributor Miramax Films in 1993.[232] The same year,
in a joint venture with The Nature Conservancy, Disney purchased 8,500
acres (3,439 ha) of Everglades headwaters in Florida to protect native
animals and plant species, establishing the Disney Wilderness
Preserve.[233]
Man in suit and glasses
Jeffrey Katzenberg was chairman of Walt Disney Studios from 1984 to 1995.
On
April 3, 1994, Frank Wells died in a helicopter crash; he, Eisner, and
Katzenberg helped the company's market value go from $2 billion to $22
billion since taking office in 1984.[234] On June 15 the same year, The
Lion King was released and was a massive success, becoming the
second-highest-grossing film of all time behind Jurassic Park and the
highest-grossing animated film of all time, with a gross total of $968.5
million.[235][236] It was critically praised and garnered two Academy
Awards—Best Score and Best Song for "Can You Feel the Love
Tonight".[237][238] Soon after its release, Katzenberg left the company
after Eisner refused to promote him to president. After leaving, he
co-founded film studio DreamWorks SKG.[239] Wells was later replaced
with one of Eisner's friends Michael Ovitz on August 13, 1995.[240][241]
In 1994, Disney wanted to buy one of the major U.S. television networks
ABC, NBC, or CBS, which would give the company guaranteed distribution
for its programming. Eisner planned to buy NBC but the deal was canceled
because General Electric wanted to keep a majority stake.[242][243] In
1994, Disney's annual revenue reached $10.1 billion, 48% coming from the
film industry, 34% from theme parks, and 18% from merchandising.
Disney's total net income was up 25% from the previous year at $1.1
billion.[244] Grossing over $346 million, Pocahontas was released on
June 16, garnering the Academy Awards for Best Musical or Comedy Score
and Best Song for "Colors of the Wind".[245][246] Pixar's and Disney's
first co-release was the first-ever fully computer-generated film Toy
Story, which was released on November 19, 1995, to critical acclaim and
an end-run gross total of $361 million. The film won the Special
Achievement Academy Award and was the first animated film to be
nominated for Best Original Screenplay.[247][248]
In 1995, Disney
announced the $19 billion acquisition of television network Capital
Cities/ABC Inc., which at the time was the second-largest corporate
takeover in U.S. history. Through the deal, Disney would obtain
broadcast network ABC, an 80% majority stake in sports networks ESPN and
ESPN 2, 50% in Lifetime Television, a majority stake of DIC
Entertainment, and a 37.5% minority stake in A&E Television
Networks.[244][249][250] Following the deal, the company started Radio
Disney, a youth-focused radio program on ABC Radio Network, on November
18, 1996.[251][252] The Walt Disney Company launched its official
website disney.com on February 22, 1996, mainly to promote its theme
parks and merchandise.[253] On June 19 the same year, the company's next
animated film The Hunchback of Notre Dame was released, grossing $325
million at the box office.[254] Because Ovitz's management style was
different from Eisner's, Ovitz was fired as the company's president in
1996.[255] Disney lost a $10.4 million lawsuit in September 1997 to
Marsu B.V. over Disney's failure to produce as contracted 13 half-hour
Marsupilami cartoon shows. Instead, Disney felt other internal "hot
properties" deserved the company's attention.[256] Disney, which since
1996 had owned a 25% stake in World Series baseball team California
Angels, bought out the team in 1998 for $110 million, renaming it
Anaheim Angels and renovating their stadium for $100 million.[257][258]
Hercules (1997) was released on June 13, and underperformed at the box
office compared to earlier films, grossing $252 million.[259] On
February 24, Disney and Pixar signed a ten-year contract to make five
films together with Disney as the distributor. They would share the
cost, profits, and logo credits, calling the films Disney-Pixar
productions.[260] During the Disney Renaissance, film division
Touchstone also saw success with film such as Pretty Woman (1990), which
has the highest number of ticket sales in the U.S. for a romantic
comedy and grossed $432 million;[261][262] Sister Act (1992), which was
one of the more financially successful comedies of the early 1990s,
grossing $231 million;[263] action film Con Air (1997), which grossed
$224 million;[264] and the highest-grossing film of 1998 at $553 million
Armageddon (1998).[265]
Ginormous tree along with other shrubbery
Mainly white cruise ship out in the ocean
(left
to right) Disney's Animal Kingdom's, the largest theme park, main icon
the Tree of Life, and Disney Cruise Line's first cruise ship Disney
Magic, which first set sail on July 30, 1998
At Disney World, the
company opened Disney's Animal Kingdom, the largest theme park in the
world covering 580 acres (230 ha) on Earth Day, April 22, 1998. It had
six animal-themed lands, over 2,000 animals, and the Tree of Life at its
center.[266][267] Receiving positive reviews, Disney's next animated
films Mulan and Disney-Pixar film A Bug's Life were released on June 5
and November 20, 1998, respectively.[268][269] Mulan became the yea's
sixth-highest-grossing film at $304 million, and A Bug's Life was the
year's fifth-highest at $363 million.[265] In a $770-million
transaction, on June 18, Disney bought a 43% stake of Internet search
engine Infoseek for $70 million, also giving it Infoseek-acquired
Starwave.[270][271] Starting web portal Go.com in a joint venture with
Infoseek on January 12, 1999, Disney acquired the rest of Infoseek later
that year.[272][273] After unsuccessful negotiations with cruise lines
Carnival and Royal Caribbean International, in 1994, Disney announced it
would start its own cruise-line operation in 1998.[274][275] The first
two ships of the Disney Cruise Line would be named Disney Magic and
Disney Wonder, and would be built by Fincantieri in Italy. To accompany
the cruises, Disney bought Gorda Cay as the line's private island, and
spent $25 million remodeling it and renaming it Castaway Cay. On July
30, 1998, Disney Magic set sail as the line's first voyage.[276]
man in a chair
Roy E. Disney, Roy O. Disney's son, was head of the animation department until 2003.
Marking
the end of the Disney Renaissance, Tarzan (1999) was released on June
12, garnering $448 million at the box office and critical acclaim; it
also claimed the Academy Award for Best Original Song for Phil Collins'
"You'll Be in My Heart".[277][278][279][280] Disney-Pixar film Toy Story
2 was released on November 13, garnering praise and $511 million at the
box office.[281][282] To replace Ovitz, Eisner named ABC network chief
Bob Iger Disney's president and chief operating officer on January 25,
2000.[283][284] In November, Disney sold DIC Entertainment back to Andy
Heward, although still doing business with it.[285] Disney had another
huge success with Pixar when they released Monsters, Inc. in 2001.
Later, Disney bought children's cable network Fox Family Worldwide for
$3 billion and the assumption of $2.3 billion in debt. The deal also
included 76% stake in Fox Kids Europe, Latin American channel Fox Kids,
more than 6,500 episodes from Saban Entertainment's programming library,
and Fox Family Channel.[286] In 2001, Disney's operations had with a
net loss of $158 million after a decline in viewership of the ABC
television network, as well as decreased tourism due to the September 11
attacks. Disney earnings in fiscal 2001 were $120 million compared with
the previous year's $920 million. To help reduce costs, Disney
announced it would be lay off 4,000 employees and close 300 to 400
Disney Store outlets.[287][288] After winning the World Series in 2002,
Disney sold Anaheim Angels to businessman Arturo Moreno for $180 million
in 2003.[289][290] In 2003, Disney became the first studio to garner $3
billion in a year at the box office.[291] The same year, Roy Disney
announced his retirement because of the way the company was being run,
calling on Eisner to retire; the same week, board member Stanley Gold
retired for the same reasons. Gold and Disney formed the "Save Disney"
campaign.[292][293]
Gold letters
Disney bought The Muppets from the Jim Henson Company in 2004.
In
2004, at the company's annual meeting, the shareholders in a 43% vote
voted Eisner out of his position as chairman of the board.[294] On March
4, George J. Mitchell, who was a member of the board, was named as
Eisner's replacement.[295] In April, Disney purchased the Muppets
franchise from the Jim Henson Company for $75 million, founding Muppets
Holding Company, LLC.[296][297] Following the success of Disney-Pixar
films Finding Nemo (2003), which became the second highest-grossing
animated film of all time at $936 million, and The Incredibles
(2004),[298][299] Pixar looked for a new distributor once its deal with
Disney ended in 2004.[300] Disney sold the loss-making Disney Stores
chain of 313 stores to Children's Place on October 20.[301] Disney also
sold the NHL team Mighty Ducks to Henry Samueli and his wife Susan in
2005.[302] Roy E. Disney decided to rejoin the company and was given the
role of consultant with the title "Director Emeritus".[303]
2005–2020: Bob Iger's leadership, expansion, and Disney+
Man in suit looking into the distance, with a blue background with words behind him
Bob Iger became CEO of Disney in 2005, expanding the company's properties
In
March 2005, Bob Iger, president of the company, became CEO of Disney
after Eisner's retirement in September; Iger was officially named head
of the company on October 1.[304][305] Disney's eleventh theme park Hong
Kong Disneyland opened on September 12, costing the company $3.5
billion to construct.[306] On January 24, 2006, Disney began talks to
acquire Pixar from Steve Jobs for $7.4 billion, and Iger appointed Pixar
Chief creative officer (CCO) John Lasseter and president Ed Catmull the
heads of the Walt Disney Animation Studios.[307][308] A week later,
Disney traded ABC Sports commentator Al Michaels to NBCUniversal in
exchange for the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and 26 cartoons
featuring the character.[309] On February 6, the company announced it
would be merging its ABC Radio networks and 22 stations with Citadel
Broadcasting in a $2.7 billion deal, though which Disney acquired 52% of
television broadcasting company Citadel Communications.[310][311] The
Disney Channel movie High School Musical aired and its soundtrack was
certified triple platinum, becoming the first Disney Channel film to do
so.[312]
Disney's 2006 live-action film Pirates of the Caribbean:
Dead Man's Chest was Disney's biggest hit to that date and the
third-highest-grossing film ever, making a little over $1 billion at the
box office.[313] On June 28, the company announced it was replacing
George Mitchell as chairman with one of its board members and former CEO
of P&G John E. Pepper Jr. in 2007.[295] The sequel High School
Musical 2 was released in 2007 on Disney Channel and broke several cable
rating records.[314] In April 2007, the Muppets Holding Company was
moved from Disney Consumer Products to the Walt Disney Studios division
and renamed the Muppets Studios as part of efforts to relaunch the
division.[315][316] Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End became the
highest-grossing film of 2007 at $960 million.[317] Disney-Pixar films
Ratatouille (2007) and WALL-E (2008) were a tremendous success, with
WALL-E winning the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.[318][319][320] After
acquiring most of Jetix Europe through the acquisition of Fox Family
Worldwide, Disney bought the remainder of the company in 2008 for $318
million.[321]
Bob Iger introduced D23 in 2009 as Disney's
official fan club, with a biennial exposition event named D23
Expo.[322][323] In February, Disney announced a distribution deal with
DreamWorks Pictures to distribute 30 of their films over the next five
years through Touchstone Pictures, with Disney getting 10% of the
gross.[324][325] The 2009 film Up garnered Disney $735 million at the
box office, and the film won Best Animated Feature at the Academy
Awards.[326][327] Later that year, Disney launched a television channel
named Disney XD, which was aimed at older children.[328] The company
bought Marvel Entertainment and its assets $4 billion in August, adding
Marvel's comic-book characters to its merchandising line-up.[329] In
September, Disney partnered with News Corporation and NBCUniversal in a
deal in which all parties would obtain 27% equity in streaming service
Hulu, and Disney added ABC Family and Disney Channel to the streaming
service.[330] On December 16, Roy E. Disney died of stomach cancer; he
was the last member of the Disney family to work for Disney.[331] In
March 2010, Haim Saban reacquired from Disney the Power Rangers
franchise, including its 700-episode library, for around $100
million.[332][333] Shortly after, Disney sold Miramax Films to an
investment group headed by Ronald Tutor for $660 million.[334] During
that time, Disney released the live-action Alice in Wonderland and the
Disney-Pixar film Toy Story 3, both of which grossed a little over $1
billion, making them the sixth-and-seventh films to do so; and Toy Story
3 became the first animated film to make over $1 billion and the
highest-grossing animated film. That year, Disney became the first
studio to release two $1-billion-dollar-earning films in one calendar
year.[335][336] In 2010, the company announced ImageMovers Digital,
which it started in partnership with ImageMovers in 2007, would be
closing by 2011.[337]
black letters spelling out the word Pixar
Pixar had been making films with Disney from 1995 to 2005, until Disney bought them out in 2006 as one of their subsidiaries.
Red background with white letters spelling out Marvel
Marvel became a subsidiary of Disney in 2009 after Disney acquired them for $4 billion.
Black letters spelling out Lucasfilm in a slight arch
After purchasing Lucasfilm in 2012, Disney vowed to make more Star Wars films.
black logo with a big 20 on the left side and underlined words on the right
In
2019, as Disney's biggest move yet, they bought most of 21st Century
Fox's assets for $71 billion, rebranding some of them like the studio
20th Century Fox as 20th Century Studios.
The following year,
Disney released its last traditionally animated film Winnie the Pooh to
theaters.[338] The release of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger
Tides garnered a little over $1 billion, making it the eighth film to do
so and Disney's highest-grossing film internationally, as well as the
third-highest ever.[339] In January 2011, the size of Disney Interactive
Studios was reduced and 200 employees were laid off.[340] In April,
Disney began constructing its new theme park Shanghai Disney Resort,
costing $4.4 billion to build.[341] In August, Bob Iger stated after the
success of the Pixar and Marvel purchases, he and the Walt Disney
Company were planning to "buy either new characters or businesses that
are capable of creating great characters and great stories".[342] On
October 30, 2012, Disney announced it would be buying Lucasfilm for
$4.05 billion from George Lucas. Through the deal, Disney gained access
to franchises such as Star Wars, for which Disney said it would make a
new film for every two-to-three years, first one being released in 2015.
The deal also gave Disney access to the Indiana Jones franchise,
visual-effects studio Industrial Light & Magic, and video game
developer LucasArts.[343][344] The sale was completed on December 21,
2012.[345]
In early February 2012, Disney completed its
acquisition of UTV Software Communications, expanding its market further
into India and the rest of Asia.[346] By March, Iger became Disney's
chairman.[347] Marvel film The Avengers became the
third-highest-grossing film of all time with an initial-release gross of
$1.3 billion.[348] Making over $1.2 billion at the box office, the
Marvel film Iron Man 3 was released in 2013.[349] The same year,
Disney's animated film Frozen was released and became the
highest-grossing animated film of all time at $1.2 billion.[350][351]
Merchandising for the film became so popular it made the company $1
billion within a year, and a global shortage of merchandise for the film
occurred.[352][353] In March 2013, Iger announced Disney had no 2D
animation films in development, and a month, later the hand-drawn
animnation division was closed, and several veteran animators were laid
off.[338] On March 24, 2014, Disney acquired Maker Studios, an active
multi-channel network on YouTube, for $950 million.[354]
On
February 5, 2015, Disney announced Thomas O. Staggs had been promoted to
COO.[355] In June, the company stated its consumer products and
interactive divisions would merge to become new a subsidiary called
Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media.[356] In August, Marvel
Studios was reorganized and placed under the division Walt Disney
Studios.[357] The cmpany's 2015 releases include the successful animated
film Inside Out, which grossed over $800 million, and the Marvel film
Avengers: Age of Ultron, which grossed over $1.4 billion.[358][359] Star
Wars: The Force Awakens was released and grossed over $2 billion,
making it the third-highest-grossing film of all time.[360] In October,
Disney announced the television channel ABC Family would be changing its
name to Freeform in 2016 to broaden its audience.[361][362] On April 4,
2016, Disney announced COO Thomas O. Staggs, who was thought to be next
in line after Iger, would leave the company in May 2016, ending his
26-year career with Disney.[363] Shanghai Disneyland opened on June 16,
2016, as the company's sixth theme-park resort.[364] In a move to start a
streaming service, Disney bought 33% of the stock in Major League
Baseball technology company BAMtech for $1 billion in August.[365] In
2016, four Disney film releases made over $1 billion; these were the
animated film Zootopia, Marvel film Captain America: Civil War, Pixar
film Finding Dory, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, making Disney the
first studio to surpass $3 billion at the domestic box office.[366][367]
Disney also made an attempt to buy social media platform Twitter to
market their content and merchandise but ultimately canceled the deal;
Iger stated this was because he thought Disney would be taking on
responsibilities it did not need and that it did not "feel Disney" to
him.[368]
On March 23, 2017, Disney announced Iger had agreed to a
one-year extension of his term as CEO to July 2, 2019, and to remain
with the company as a consultant for three years.[369][370] On August 8,
2017, Disney announced it would be ending its distribution deal with
streaming service Netflix, with the intent of launching its own
streaming platform built with BAMtech's technology by 2019. During that
time, Disney paid $1.5 billion to acquire a 75% stake in BAMtech. Disney
also planned to start an ESPN streaming service with about "10,000 live
regional, national, and international games and events a year" by
2018.[371][372] In November, CCO John Lasseter said he would take a
six-month absence from the company because of "missteps", which were
later reported to be sexual misconduct allegations.[373] The same month,
Disney and 21st Century Fox started negotiating a deal in which Disney
would acquire most of Fox's assets.[374] Beginning in March 2018, a
strategic reorganization of the company led to the creation of business
segments Disney Parks, Experiences and Products and Direct-to-Consumer
& International. Parks & Consumer Products was primarily a
merger of Parks & Resorts and Consumer Products & Interactive
Media, while Direct-to-Consumer & International took over for Disney
International and global sales, distribution, and streaming units from
Disney-ABC TV Group and Studios Entertainment plus Disney Digital
Network.[375] CEO Iger described it as "strategically positioning our
businesses for the future" while according to The New York Times, the
reorganization was done in expectation of the 21st Century Fox
purchase.[376]
In 2017, two of Disney's films had revenues of
over $1 billion; the live-action Beauty and the Beast and Star Wars: The
Last Jedi.[377][378] Disney launched subscription sports streaming
service ESPN+ on April 12.[379] In June 2018, Lasseter's departure from
the company by the end of the year was announced; he would stay as a
consultant until then.[380] To replace him; Disney promoted Jennifer
Lee, co-director of Frozen and co-writer of Wreck-it Ralph (2012), as
head of Walt Disney Animation Studios; and Pete Docter, who had been
with Pixar since 1990 and directed Up, The Incredibles, and Inside Out,
as head of Pixar.[381][382] Later that month, Comcast offered to buy
21st Century Fox for $65 billion over Disney's $51 billion bid but
withdrew its offer after Disney countered with a $71 billion bid; and
Comcast shifted focus to buy Fox's Sky plc instead. Disney obtained an
AntiTrust approval from the United States Department of Justice to
acquire Fox.[383][384] Disney again made $7 billion at the box office
with three film that made $1 billion; Marvel films Black Panther and
Avengers: Infinity War—the latter taking over $2 billion and becoming
the fifth-highest-grossing film ever— and Pixar film Incredibles
2.[385][386]
blue letters with a plus sign at the end and an arch above the letters
Disney's
video streaming subscription service Disney+ was launched in 2019,
which has a total of over 135 million subscriptions as of June 2022.
On
March 20, 2019, Disney acquired 21st Century Fox's assets for $71.3
billion from Rupert Murdoch, making it the biggest acquisition in
Disney's history. After the purchase, The New York Times described
Disney as "an entertainment colossus the size of which the world has
never seen".[387] Through the acquisition, Disney gained 20th Century
Fox; 20th Century Fox Television; Fox Searchlight Pictures; National
Geographic Partners; Fox Networks Group; Indian television broadcaster
Star India; and streaming services Star+, and Hotstar; and a 30% stake
in Hulu, bringing its ownership on Hulu to 60%. Fox Corporation and its
assets were excluded from the deal because of antitrust laws.[388][389]
Disney also became the first film studio to have seven films gross $1
billion: Marvel's Captain Marvel, the live action Aladdin, Pixar's Toy
Story 4, the CGI remake of The Lion King, Star Wars: The Rise of
Skywalker, and the highest-grossing film of all time up to that point at
$2.797 billion Avengers: Endgame.[390][391] On November 12, Disney's
subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service Disney+,
which had 500 movies and 7,500 episodes of television shows from Disney,
Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and other brands, was
launched in the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands. Within the
first day, the streaming platform had over 10 million subscriptions; and
by 2022 it had over 135 million subscribers, and was available in over
190 countries.[392][393] At the beginning of 2020, Disney removed the
Fox name from its assets, rebranding them as 20th Century Studios and
Searchlight Pictures."(wikipedia.org)
"Star
Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (also known as Star Wars: Episode IX – The
Rise of Skywalker) is a 2019 American epic space opera film produced,
co-written, and directed by J. J. Abrams. Produced by Lucasfilm and
Abrams' production company Bad Robot Productions, and distributed by
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the third installment of the
Star Wars sequel trilogy, following The Force Awakens (2015) and The
Last Jedi (2017), and the final episode of the nine-part "Skywalker
saga".[a] Its ensemble cast includes Carrie Fisher,[b] Mark Hamill, Adam
Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Anthony Daniels, Naomi
Ackie, Domhnall Gleeson, Richard E. Grant, Lupita Nyong'o, Keri Russell,
Joonas Suotamo, Kelly Marie Tran, Ian McDiarmid, and Billy Dee
Williams. The Rise of Skywalker follows Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron as
they lead the Resistance's final stand against Supreme Leader Kylo Ren
and the First Order, who are aided by the return of the Galactic
Emperor, Palpatine.
Following initial reports that The Last Jedi
director Rian Johnson would write the script for Episode IX, in August
2015, Colin Trevorrow was hired to direct and to write a script with his
collaborator Derek Connolly; both ultimately retain story credit with
Abrams and Chris Terrio. In September 2017, Trevorrow left the project
following creative differences with producer Kathleen Kennedy, and
Abrams returned as director. John Williams, composer for the previous
episodic films, returned to compose the score—his final score for the
franchise.[6] Principal photography began in August 2018 at Pinewood
Studios in England and wrapped in February 2019, with post-production
completed in November 2019. With an estimated budget of $275 million, it
is one of the most expensive films ever made.
The Rise of
Skywalker premiered in Los Angeles on December 16, 2019, and was
released in the United States on December 20. It received mixed reviews
from critics, who praised the performances, direction, action sequences,
visual effects, and musical score, but criticized the story and pacing.
It grossed over $1.074 billion worldwide, making it the
seventh-highest-grossing film of 2019; although it was the
lowest-grossing installment of the trilogy, it turned an estimated net
profit of $300 million.[7] It received three nominations at the 92nd
Academy Awards (Best Original Score, Best Visual Effects, and Best Sound
Editing) as well as three at the 73rd British Academy Film Awards (also
Best Special Visual Effects, Best Original Music, and Best Sound). It
won five awards at the 46th Saturn Awards, including Best Science
Fiction Film.
Plot
Following a threat of revenge by the
resurrected Emperor Palpatine, Kylo Ren obtains a Sith wayfinder that
leads to the planet Exegol. There, he finds Palpatine, who reveals that
he created Snoke to rule the First Order and lure Kylo to the dark side.
Palpatine unveils the Final Order—a massive armada of Sith Star
Destroyers—and orders Kylo to find and kill Rey, who is continuing her
Jedi training under Resistance leader Leia Organa. Poe Dameron and Finn
deliver intelligence from a spy in the First Order that Palpatine is on
Exegol; Rey reads in Luke Skywalker's notes that a Sith wayfinder can
lead them there. Rey, Finn, Poe, Chewbacca, BB-8, and C-3PO depart in
the Millennium Falcon to Pasaana, to find a hidden clue leading to a
wayfinder.
Kylo initiates a Force bond with Rey to discover her
location. He travels to Pasaana with his warrior subordinates, the
Knights of Ren. With Lando Calrissian's help, Rey and her friends find
the clue—a dagger inscribed with Sith text, which C-3PO's programming
forbids him from interpreting—and the remains of a Sith assassin named
Ochi and his ship. Rey senses Kylo nearby, and faces him. The First
Order capture the Falcon, Chewbacca, and the dagger. Attempting to save
Chewbacca, Rey accidentally destroys a First Order transport with Force
lightning. Believing Chewbacca is dead, the group escape on Ochi's ship.
They
travel to Kijimi, where a droidsmith extracts the Sith text from
C-3PO's memory, revealing coordinates to a wayfinder. Rey senses
Chewbacca is alive, and the group mount a rescue mission to a First
Order Star Destroyer. Rey recovers the dagger and has visions of Ochi
killing her parents. Kylo informs her that she is Palpatine's
granddaughter. When Palpatine had ordered Ochi to recover the young Rey,
her parents hid her on Jakku. General Hux saves Poe, Finn, and
Chewbacca from execution, revealing himself as the spy. After allowing
the group to escape, Hux is discovered and executed by Allegiant General
Pryde. The group fly the Falcon to the wayfinder's coordinates on a
moon in the Endor system.
Rey retrieves the wayfinder from the
wreckage of the second Death Star, but she is met by Kylo, who destroys
the wayfinder and duels her. In a dying act, Leia calls to Kylo through
the Force, distracting him as Rey impales him. Sensing Leia's death, Rey
is overcome by guilt. She heals Kylo and takes his TIE fighter to exile
herself on Ahch-To. Meanwhile, Kylo converses with a memory of his
father, Han Solo. He throws away his lightsaber and reclaims his
identity as Ben Solo. Sensing Leia's death and Ben's redemption,
Palpatine sends a Star Destroyer to destroy Kijimi with its superlaser
as a show of force. On Ahch-To, Luke's Force spirit encourages Rey to
face Palpatine and gives her Leia's lightsaber. Rey leaves for Exegol in
Luke's X-wing fighter, using the wayfinder from Kylo's ship.
Rey
transmits her coordinates to R2-D2, allowing the Resistance, now led by
Poe and Finn, to follow her to Exegol. There, she confronts Palpatine.
He demands she kill him to allow his spirit to pass into her. The
Resistance launch an attack on the Sith fleet and Lando arrives with
reinforcements from across the galaxy. Ben overpowers the Knights of Ren
and joins Rey. Palpatine senses their power as a dyad in the Force and
drains their power to rejuvenate himself. He incapacitates Ben and
attacks the Resistance fleet with Force lightning. Weakened, Rey hears
the voices of past Jedi, who give her strength. Palpatine attacks her
with lightning, but Rey deflects it using Luke and Leia's lightsabers,
killing Palpatine before dying herself. Ben uses the Force to revive Rey
and they kiss before he dies. The Resistance destroys the remaining
Sith forces, while people across the galaxy rise up against the First
Order.
The Resistance celebrate their victory. Rey visits Luke's
abandoned homestead on Tatooine and buries Luke and Leia's lightsabers. A
passerby asks her name; seeing Luke and Leia's Force spirits nearby,
she responds, "Rey Skywalker".
Cast
See also: List of Star Wars characters and List of Star Wars cast members
Carrie Fisher[5] as Leia Organa, the Force-sensitive leading general of
the Resistance, mother to Ben Solo, Luke Skywalker's twin sister, and
Anakin Skywalker's daughter. Fisher, who died in late 2016, appears
through the use of repurposed unreleased footage from The Force
Awakens.[8][9][c][d]
Mark Hamill[5] as Luke Skywalker, the last
Jedi Master, who became one with the Force in The Last Jedi. He is the
maternal uncle of Kylo Ren.[14]
Adam Driver as Ben Solo / Kylo
Ren,[15] the Supreme Leader of the First Order, later an ally of Rey. He
is the son of Leia Organa and Han Solo, the maternal nephew of Luke
Skywalker, and the maternal grandson of Anakin Skywalker, better known
by his Sith name, Darth Vader.
Daisy Ridley as Rey,[15] a former
scavenger from Jakku, a member of the Resistance, the paternal
granddaughter of Palpatine, and the last Jedi[16][17]
Cailey
Fleming and Josefine Irrera Jackson as young Rey. Fleming appears
through the use of archive footage from The Force Awakens.[18]
John Boyega as Finn,[15] a member of the Resistance and a former stormtrooper (FN-2187) who defected from the First Order.
Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron,[15] a high-ranking X-wing fighter pilot and
commander of the Resistance who later inherits the rank of General from
Leia.
Anthony Daniels[5] as C-3PO, a humanoid protocol droid in the service of General Leia Organa.
Naomi Ackie as Jannah,[19] a former stormtrooper of the First Order
(TZ-1719) living on the planet Kef Bir, who aids the Resistance.
Domhnall Gleeson[5] as General Hux, the First Order's third in-command.
Richard E. Grant[5] as Allegiant General Pryde, a high-ranking general
and second-in-command of the First Order (later the Final Order), who
previously served in the Galactic Empire.[20]
Lupita Nyong'o[5] as Maz Kanata, a former space pirate and ally of the Resistance.
Keri Russell as Zorii Bliss,[21][22] an old acquaintance of Poe's from Kijimi.[23]
Joonas Suotamo[5] as Chewbacca, a Wookiee and first mate of the Millennium Falcon.
Kelly Marie Tran[5] as Rose Tico, a mechanic in the Resistance and friend of Finn.
Ian McDiarmid[24][25] as Emperor Palpatine, the resurrected Dark Lord
of the Sith, the shadow leader of the First Order, the creator of Snoke,
and Rey's paternal grandfather. He serves as the main antagonist of the
Skywalker Saga.[26][27]
Billy Dee Williams as Lando
Calrissian,[5] a veteran of the Rebel Alliance, a former owner of the
Millennium Falcon, and an old friend of Chewbacca.
Billie
Lourd,[c] Greg Grunberg, and Harrison Ford reprise their roles as
Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix, Temmin "Snap" Wexley, and Han Solo,
respectively.[28][29][30] Additionally, Dominic Monaghan portrays
Resistance trooper Beaumont Kin, Shirley Henderson voices Babu Frik, and
Nick Kellington portrays Klaud via capture performance.[18] Hassan Taj
and Lee Towersey perform the role of R2-D2, while Dave Chapman and Brian
Herring return as the puppeteers of BB-8,[18] and director J. J. Abrams
also provides the voice for D-O.[31] Martin Wilde, Anton Simpson-Tidy,
Lukaz Leong, Tom Rodgers, Joe Kennard, and Ashley Beck appear as the
Knights of Ren.[18] Amanda Lawrence reprises her role as Commander Larma
D’Acy, while Vinette Robinson plays her wife, Pilot Wrobie Tyce.[32]
Jodie
Comer and Billy Howle briefly appear as Rey's parents,[31] while Tom
Wilton and screenwriter Chris Terrio briefly appear as the performer and
voice for Aftab Ackbar, the son of Admiral Ackbar,
respectively;[33][34] and Mike Quinn and Kipsang Rotich return as the
performer and voice of Nien Nunb, respectively.[18] Denis Lawson and
Warwick Davis briefly reprise their roles as Wedge Antilles, a veteran
of the Rebel Alliance; and Wicket W. Warrick, now the leader of the
Ewoks, respectively.[34][31] Composer John Williams cameos as Oma Tres, a
Kijimi bartender, Kevin Smith cameos as a Kijimi inhabitant, and
Abrams' frequent composer collaborator Michael Giacchino cameos as a
Sith Trooper, while Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeff Garlin both cameo as
human and alien Resistance troopers, respectively.[31][35][36] Actors
making reprisal vocal cameos include: Hayden Christensen and James Earl
Jones as Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader, Andy Serkis as Snoke, and the
voices of several past Jedi, including Ewan McGregor and Alec Guinness
as Obi-Wan Kenobi (the latter via digitally altered archive audio),
Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano, Freddie Prinze Jr. as Kanan Jarrus,
Olivia d'Abo as Luminara Unduli, Frank Oz as Yoda, Liam Neeson as
Qui-Gon Jinn, Jennifer Hale as Aayla Secura, Samuel L. Jackson as Mace
Windu, and Angelique Perrin as Adi Gallia.[34] Ed Sheeran, Karl Urban,
Dhani Harrison, Nigel Godrich, J. D. Dillard, and Dave Hearn all cameo
as stormtroopers.[34][37]
Production
Development
In October
2012, Star Wars creator George Lucas sold his production company
Lucasfilm to The Walt Disney Company.[38] Disney subsequently announced
the Star Wars sequel trilogy.[39] The next month, Lawrence Kasdan and
Simon Kinberg entered negotiations to write and produce either Episode
VIII or Episode IX.[40][41] Kinberg, Kasdan, and Michael Arndt worked in
a writers room to discuss and map out the trilogy.[42] However, these
plans did not come to fruition and instead Kasdan co-wrote Star Wars:
The Force Awakens with Kinberg serving as a creative consultant.[43] In
June 2014, it was announced that Rian Johnson, writer and director of
Star Wars: The Last Jedi, would write a story treatment for Episode
IX.[44] However in April 2017, Johnson later denied involvement in
writing the film, claiming the information was outdated.[45] In August
2015, Colin Trevorrow was announced as the director of the film;[46] he
was to write the script with frequent collaborator Derek
Connolly.[46][47] Trevorrow and Connolly's script, titled Star Wars:
Duel of the Fates after the theme of the same name from Star Wars:
Episode I – The Phantom Menace, included elements which were utilized to
some extent in the final film, such as Kylo finding a Sith holocron in
Darth Vader's castle on Mustafar, the transference of Force
energy,[48][49] the concept of a superlaser-equipped Star Destroyer,
Lando leading a galaxy-wide fleet of spaceships to save the day, and
Chewbacca receiving a medal.[50]
J. J. Abrams returned to direct the final film.
In
January 2016, Trevorrow revealed he was considering shooting on film
and that he had wanted to shoot "on location" in outer space with IMAX
cameras.[51] Trevorrow collaborated closely with Johnson whilst
developing his script and even requested a scene featuring Rey and Poe
be shot for The Last Jedi.[52][53][54] In February 2016, Disney chief
executive officer Bob Iger vaguely confirmed that production on Episode
IX had begun.[55] Carrie Fisher died in December 2016.[56] Prior to the
release of the film, Carrie Fisher's brother Todd Fisher, who planned
her character General Leia Organa to appear in the film before her
death, revealed that "she was going to be the big payoff in the final
film" and "she was going to be the last Jedi, so to speak."[57]
In
late April 2017, Disney announced that the film would be released on
May 24, 2019.[58] A month later, filming was expected to begin in
January 2018.[59] In August 2017, it was announced that Jack Thorne
would rewrite the script.[60] On September 5, 2017, Lucasfilm stated
that Trevorrow had left the production following creative
differences.[61] Trevorrow's place as director was supposedly on ice
since June 2017.[62] The Hollywood Reporter reported that his working
relationship with Kathleen Kennedy had become unmanageable after failing
to deliver a satisfactory script, despite writing several drafts, nor
were either happy with Thorne's revisions.[63][64] Johnson was rumored
as the top choice to replace Trevorrow as director,[65] but stated "it
was never in the plan for me to direct Episode IX."[66] David Fincher
had discussions with the studio but would ultimately decline from
directing the film.[67][68]
The next day, it was announced that
J.J. Abrams, the director of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, would return
to direct the film,[69] and that the film's release date would be moved
to December 20, 2019.[58] The story team met with George Lucas before
writing the new script to discuss the nature of the Force.[70] Abrams
co-wrote the script with Chris Terrio,[71] though Trevorrow and Connolly
retain story credits.[72][73] The story was rewritten to some extent
before filming was completed.[74] Terrio had written off working on
larger-scale films at the time and did not socially know Abrams prior to
agreeing to co-write the film with him.[75][76] The film was produced
by Abrams' company Bad Robot Productions, Kathleen Kennedy, and Michelle
Rejwan.[71] According to Terrio, the film's script had to include
certain narrative beats provided by Kennedy and Rejwan, including the
redemption of the character Kylo Ren.[77] Abrams had also consulted with
Johnson on making a film that both stood on its own but built upon
previously established ideas and story elements.[78][79] Until its
official reveal, only Abrams knew the title of the film.[80]
Before
filming, Episode IX was initially given the working title Black
Diamond, which was then changed to TrIXie in 2018,[81] so that the roman
numeral "IX" would be included in the working title.[82] The film's
title, The Rise of Skywalker, was announced at April 2019's Star Wars
Celebration in Chicago.[83]
Casting
Carrie Fisher, who played
Leia Organa, died on December 27, 2016.[56] Variety and Reuters reported
that she had been planned for a key role in Episode IX.[84] In January
2017, Lucasfilm stated that there were no plans to digitally generate
Fisher's performance as they had for Rogue One (2016).[85] The following
April, Fisher's brother Todd revealed that Fisher's daughter, Billie
Lourd, had granted Disney the rights to use recent footage of
Fisher.[86] However, a week later, Kathleen Kennedy stated that Fisher
would not appear in the film.[87][88] In July 2018, J. J. Abrams
announced that unused footage of Fisher from The Force Awakens would be
used to help complete the story.[8][9][89][e] In flashback scenes,
digital de-aging was used for the appearance of Luke and Leia through
the use of facial shots of both characters from the Empire Strikes Back,
and Return of the Jedi respectively.[90]
Billy Dee Williams (left)
and Ian McDiarmid (right) returned as Lando Calrissian and Emperor
Palpatine, on-screen for the first time since Return of the Jedi (1983)
and Revenge of the Sith (2005), respectively.[24][91]
In July
2018, Keri Russell was in talks to play a part with some "action-heavy
fight scenes",[92] and it was confirmed that Billy Dee Williams would
return as Lando Calrissian,[93] onscreen for the first time since 1983's
Return of the Jedi — marking one of the longest intervals between
portrayals of a character by the same actor in American film
history.[91][f] At the end of July, Russell was confirmed to have been
cast,[94] and there was an announcement of returning and additional new
cast members.[5] In late August, Deadline Hollywood announced that
Dominic Monaghan and Matt Smith had been cast in unspecified
roles;[95][96] in 2019, Smith denied his involvement,[97][g] but he
later clarified that he had been in talks for an unrealized
"transformative" part.[100] Early rumors from Making Star Wars claimed
Smith was set to portray a "dark side acolyte" who gets possessed by
Palpatine.[101][102] Greg Grunberg reprises his role as Temmin "Snap"
Wexley.[29]
At Star Wars Celebration in April 2019, it was
revealed via the film's teaser trailer that Ian McDiarmid would return
to portray Palpatine.[24] Since the event was held after principal
photography wrapped, Abrams was thrilled that news of McDiarmid on the
set never leaked.[24] Kathleen Kennedy said they decided to reveal
Palpatine's return ahead of the film's release because of the characters
playing a larger role in the story, having them differentiated from
Baby Yoda, the character from The Mandalorian.[103] Abrams had initially
considered Palpatine returning while developing The Force
Awakens.[104][105]
Filming
Wadi Rum in Jordan served as the location for the desert planet Pasaana.
Principal
photography began on August 1, 2018, at Pinewood Studios in
Buckinghamshire, England.[5] Filming also took place in Wadi Rum,
Jordan.[106] Oscar Isaac stated that Abrams was allowing more improvised
acting than in the previous two films.[107] Due to the tight schedule,
some editing took place on set.[108] The crew on The Rise of Skywalker
had three fewer months than they had to work on The Force Awakens
leading to Maryann Brandon being sent in to cut on set a third of the
way through production.[109] Scenes detailing Palpatine's return were
altered and changed during production as they were felt to "go off
topic".[110] The kiss between Rey and Ben was initially going to be
excluded from the film, until Abrams decided against it at the last
minute.[111] Principal photography wrapped on February 15, 2019.[112]
Footage from the film was shown at The Walt Disney Company's annual
shareholders meeting on March 7, 2019.[113] Two weeks of reshoots took
place at Pinewood involving Hamill, Ridley, and Isaac in July 2019.[114]
Another round of reshoots took place at Bad Robot Productions between
late September and mid-October.[115] Abrams stated that the film had
fewer reshoots and story adjustments than Episode VII.[116]
Post-production
The
visual effects were created by Industrial Light & Magic and
supervised by Roger Guyett.[117] Last minute ADR was recorded with Adam
Driver, in which he recorded his lines in a closet.[118] The film
finished post-production on November 25, 2019. After Boyega accidentally
left a copy of the script in his hotel room, it was listed on eBay for
around £65. A Disney employee identified the script as authentic and
purchased it from the seller for an undisclosed sum.[119][120][121]
Music
Main article: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (soundtrack)
In
January 2018, it was confirmed that John Williams would return to
compose and conduct The Rise of Skywalker.[122][123] The next month,
Williams announced that it would be the last Star Wars film for which he
would compose the score[6](though he would later return to compose the
theme music for the Disney+ miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi). In August 2019,
it was revealed that Williams had written about 35 of an expected 135
minutes of music for the film, which according to Williams' brother Don,
would incorporate all of the major themes of the Skywalker saga.[124]
Scoring began in July 2019 with Williams and William Ross conducting and
orchestrating the sessions over the course of six months.[125] The
official soundtrack album was released by Walt Disney Records on
December 20, 2019.[126]
Marketing
Promotion
Despite staying
silent about many details of the film, Abrams expressed his hopes that
fans and general audiences would be "satisfied".[127] He headed a panel
dedicated to the film on April 12, 2019, during Star Wars Celebration in
Chicago,[128] where the film's title was revealed.[83]
Additionally,
the story events of the Disneyland themed area Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
precede the film, including the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run motion
simulator, which features Chewbacca.[129] On August 24, a new poster
and "sizzle reel" was released at D23;[23] the latter was released to
the public two days later. The footage includes a montage of the
Skywalker saga so far, as well as several new shots from the film.[130]
Tie-in literature and merchandise
A
publishing campaign titled "Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of
Skywalker" was announced on May 4, 2019. It includes the novel
Resistance Reborn, set between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker,
the Young adult novel Force Collector, the Middle Grade novel Spark of
the Resistance, and various other titles.[131] From December 18, 2019,
to March 11, 2020, a prequel graphic novel titled The Rise of Kylo Ren,
telling the story of how Ben Solo became Kylo Ren and elaborating upon
the character's backstory, was published by Marvel Comics, written by
Charles Soule and illustrated by Will Sliney.[132]
The official
novelization of The Rise of Skywalker is by Rae Carson; hardcover and
audiobook versions were released on March 19, 2020. The novel details
Palpatine's return in more depth: He transferred his consciousness into a
clone body following his death in Return of the Jedi, and his "son",
Rey's father, was a failed clone of Palpatine.[133][134] The junior
novel and corresponding audiobook are by Michael Kogge and was released
on April 21, 2020. A five-issue Marvel Comics adaptation written by Jody
Houser and illustrated by Will Sliney was planned to debut in
mid-2020,[135][136] but this was later cancelled, making the film the
first in the franchise not to receive a serialized comic
adaptation.[137] A separate graphic novel adaptation was released by IDW
Publishing in 2021.[138]
A story arc of 2020's Darth Vader comic
ties into The Rise of Skywalker, utilizing a creature cut from the film
as well as Ochi.[139] Further, an upcoming novel titled Shadow of the
Sith, scheduled for mid-2022, will explore the backstory of Luke and
Lando as they investigate the dead world of Exegol.[140]
Video games
The
video game Star Wars Battlefront II (2017) released a free level set on
Ajan Kloss.[141] In December 2019, the video game Fortnite Battle
Royale released several cosmetics featuring character outfits for Rey,
Finn, a Sith Trooper, Kylo Ren, and Zorii Bliss along with a TIE Fighter
glider, a Millennium Falcon glider (which was given to players for free
from the Winterfest Event), four emotes, and two free banners.[142] On
December 14, Fortnite's publisher Epic Games released a preview of the
film on an in-game theater screen as a live event.[143] At the end of
the event, a message from Palpatine (the one mentioned in the film's
opening crawl) was heard.[144] To coincide with the release of the film,
a trailer for the forthcoming video game, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker
Saga was released on the same day.[145]
Release
Theatrical
The
film was originally planned to be released in the United States on May
24, 2019,[58] before being pushed back to December 20.[146] It had its
world premiere in Los Angeles on December 16.[147] Unlike most studio
films, Disney reportedly did not hold test screenings for The Rise of
Skywalker, instead only showing it to Abrams' friends and family, as
well as a terminally-ill fan.[148][149] Before the film's release,
Disney issued a warning that the scenes with strobe-like flashing lights
may trigger photosensitive migraines and seizures during some of those
scenes.[150]
Home media
The Rise of Skywalker was scheduled to
be released on Digital HD on March 17, 2020, but was released four days
early in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic.[151] Its DVD, Blu-ray, and
4K Ultra HD release followed on March 31 by Walt Disney Studios Home
Entertainment.[152] The 4K version of the film was also released in "The
Skywalker Saga" Ultra HD Blu-ray box set that same date.[153] It was
released on Disney+ on May 4, which is reportedly two months ahead of
its previously scheduled release date.[154]
Reception
Box office
Star
Wars: The Rise of Skywalker grossed $515.2 million in the United States
and Canada, and $558.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide
total of $1.074 billion,[3] making it the seventh highest-grossing film
of 2019.[155] Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit of the film
to be $300 million, when factoring together all expenses and
revenues.[7]
Pre-sale tickets went on sale on October 21, 2019
and the film sold more tickets in their first hour of availability on
Atom Tickets than the previous record-holder for ticket sales, Avengers:
Endgame (2019). It became Atom Tickets' second-best first-day seller of
all time behind Endgame, selling more than twice the number of tickets
as The Last Jedi sold in that same timeframe, while Fandango reported it
outsold all previous Star Wars films.[156][157] Box office tracking had
The Rise of Skywalker grossing around $205 million in its opening
weekend, though some firms predicted a debut closer to $175
million.[158] The film made $89.6 million on its first day, including
$40 million from Thursday night previews, the sixth-highest opening day
of all time.[159][160] It went on to debut to $177.4 million, which was
the third-highest opening ever for a December release and the 12th-best
of all time, and it was also noted that Saturday (which saw a 47% drop
from Friday's gross) was the busiest shopping day of the year, likely
affecting ticket sales.[161][162][163] However, Deadline Hollywood did
write that "we can't ignore" the less than stellar audience exit scores,
which could affect the film's legs moving forward.[161] The film made
$32 million on Christmas Day, the second-best total ever for the holiday
after The Force Awakens' $49.3 million in 2015.[164] It went on to have
a five-day total of $138.8 million, including $76 million for the
weekend.[165] In its third weekend the film made $34.5 million,
remaining in first,[166][167] before being dethroned in its fourth
weekend by newcomer 1917 (2019).[168] On January 14, 2020, the film
crossed the $1 billion mark at the box office, becoming Disney's seventh
film of 2019 to do so.[169] At the end of its box office run, it was
third highest-grossing film of 2019 in this region behind Avengers:
Endgame and The Lion King.[170]
Worldwide the film was projected
to gross around $450 million in its opening weekend, including $250
million from 52 international territories.[171] It made $59.1 million
from its first day of international release in 46 countries. The biggest
markets were the United Kingdom ($8.3 million), Germany ($7.2 million),
France ($5.3 million), and Australia ($4.3 million).[172] In China, the
film made $1.6 million (RMB11.6 million) through its first day.[173] It
went on to open to $198 million from overseas countries and $373.5
million worldwide, coming in below projections and 47% lower than The
Last Jedi's total. Its biggest opening totals remained the UK ($26.8
million), Germany ($21.8 million), France ($15.2 million), Japan ($14.6
million), Australia ($12.6 million), and China ($12.1 million).[172]
Critical response
The
review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating
of 52% with an average score of 6.1/10, based on 520 reviews. The
website's critical consensus reads, "The Rise of Skywalker suffers from a
frustrating lack of imagination, but concludes this beloved saga with
fan-focused devotion."[174] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average,
assigned the film a score of 53 out of 100 based on 61 critics,
indicating "mixed or average reviews".[175]
Richard Roeper,
reviewing for the Chicago Sun-Times, gave the film three stars out of
four, writing that it "rarely comes close to touching greatness, but
it's a solid, visually dazzling and warmhearted victory [for] quality
filmmaking."[176] The A.V. Club's A. A. Dowd gave the film a C+, stating
that the film "is so freighted with obligation that it almost groans
under the weight, flashing a weak smile as it vaguely approximates the
appearance of a zippy good time."[177] Michael Phillips for Chicago
Tribune wrote that the film "does the job. It wraps up the trio of
trilogies begun in 1977 in a confident, soothingly predictable way,
doing all that is cinematically possible to avoid [upsetting the]
tradition-minded quadrants of the Star Wars fan base."[178]
Mick
LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle described the film as "a
disappointment" and wrote, "For all the movie's faults, it's likely that
most people will consider The Rise of Skywalker and accept the trade:
Sit through a so-so 110 minutes to get to a strong half hour."[179] Owen
Gleiberman of Variety called the film "the most elegant, emotionally
rounded, and gratifying Star Wars adventure since the glory days of Star
Wars (1977) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980) [...] but given the last
eight films, the bar isn't that high."[180] The BBC's Nicholas Barber
praised the film's acting and wrote, "The Rise of Skywalker has been
lovingly crafted by a host of talented people, and yet the best they can
do is pay tribute to everything [George Lucas] did several decades
ago."[181]
Scott Mendelson for Forbes described the film as
"possibly worse" compared to the previous Skywalker saga films while
ending the main saga and "denying this new trilogy its artistic reason
for existence". He also criticized the film for retconning The Last Jedi
and for its conventional plot twists, writing that the film is full of
"patronizing reversals in the name of mollifying the fans who merely
want to be reminded of the first three movies."[182] Justin Chang of the
Los Angeles Times described the film as "a Last Jedi corrective", which
is "the more accurate way to describe it" and represents "an epic
failure of nerve". He further wrote it "feels more like a retreat, a
return to a zone of emotional and thematic safety from a filmmaker with a
gift for packaging nostalgia as subversion."[183] Writing for The New
Yorker, Richard Brody wrote that the film's faults "are those of the
franchise over all", as the film's director "J. J. Abrams is mainly a
distiller and a magnifier and brings virtually no originality to it".
Brody said that it would have been better if a "boldly imaginative
vulgarian such as Michael Bay" had instead created a "derisive wreckage"
of Star Wars.[184] Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com criticized the
film, giving it 2.5/5 stars, and faulting it for "Terrible dialogue,
disinterested performances, and an unconvincing, phony CGI aesthetic."
And also criticized it for its "misdirection" and calling it "A movie
that so desperately wants to please a fractured fanbase that it doesn't
bother with an identity of its own." Though he praised it for its
"Remarkable set pieces".[185]
Whereas Asian-American actress
Kelly Marie Tran had around ten minutes of screen-time in The Last Jedi,
she appears for about a minute in The Rise of Skywalker. The reduced
role was interpreted by some critics as a concession to fans who
disliked her character;[186] Tran had been a target of racist, fatphobic
and misogynistic online harassment following the release of The Last
Jedi. Multiple cast members involved on the previous film defended her,
such as John Boyega.[187] Critics said she was "sidelined" into a minor
character, and commented on how she was written out "without any
explanation" and her minor role was considered by one critic to be "one
of the film's biggest disappointments".[188][189] In regards to the
criticism towards her reduced screen-time, screenwriter Chris Terrio
said it was due to the difficulty of including the deceased Carrie
Fisher archive footage in scenes planned to feature both
characters.[190]
Audience response
Audiences polled by
CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale,
the lowest among the live-action films in the franchise.[161][191] On
PostTrak, audiences gave the film an average of four stars out of five,
with 70% of respondents rating it as a "definite recommend".[161][192]
Of the demographics polled by PostTrak, parents gave it 5 stars and
children under 12 years old gave it 4.5 stars, with 80% of males and 84%
of females rating it positively. RelishMix, which tracks social media
posts and online presence, "noticed a divided reaction to Skywalker
online, though it leaned slightly positive".[161]
Months prior to
the film's trailer release, the "Want to See" percentage was review
bombed on Rotten Tomatoes, dropping the score as low as 5% within a
day.[193] Negative comments reflected a "lingering negativity" toward
The Last Jedi according to Screen Rant.[193] After a similar bombing
campaign occurred with the 2019 film Captain Marvel, Rotten Tomatoes
temporarily changed the "Want to See" feature to a number and eventually
removed the feature altogether." (wikipedia.org)
"The
First Order is a fictional autocratic military dictatorship in the Star
Wars franchise, introduced in the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force
Awakens. Formed following the fall of the Galactic Empire after the
events of Return of the Jedi (1983), the First Order is a primary
antagonistic faction in the sequel trilogy. Aside from the films, the
First Order appears in various related Star Wars media.
In
The Force Awakens, the First Order is commanded by Supreme Leader Snoke
and seeks to destroy the New Republic, the Resistance, and Luke
Skywalker. Snoke's apprentice, Kylo Ren, is the master of the Knights of
Ren, a mysterious group of elite warriors who work with the First
Order. In the 2017 sequel The Last Jedi, Ren kills Snoke and becomes the
new Supreme Leader. In the 2019 film The Rise of Skywalker, the First
Order allies with the Final Order, an armada of Star Destroyers built by
Palpatine, who is revealed to have been secretly controlling the First
Order via his puppet ruler, Snoke, prior to the latter being usurped by
Ren....
Origins[edit]
According
to Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary (2015) and the
novel Star Wars: Aftermath (2015) by Chuck Wendig, after the Galactic
Empire was defeated in Return of the Jedi at the climactic Battle of
Endor in 4 ABY, thousands of worlds rose up to join the Rebel Alliance
and destroy the disorganized Imperials, who fell victim to warlordism.
The Alliance formally reorganized itself as the New Republic, and retook
the Core Worlds, including the galactic capital Coruscant. One year
after Endor, the remaining Imperial Fleet made a final, massive attempt
at a counter-offensive which came to a climax at the planet Jakku, the
biggest battle in the war since Endor. The Imperial counter-offensive
was decisively defeated. The remaining Imperial forces were pushed back
to a handful of sectors on the fringe of the Outer Rim, containing only a
small fraction of the galaxy's population and industrial base. These
sectors were a heavily fortified final redoubt, and the New Republic
deemed that they posed too small a threat to justify the high cost in
life that liberating them would require. The New Republic forced the
Empire to settle for the Galactic Concordance, a humiliating armistice
agreement which imposed strict disarmament plans and punishing
reparations on the remaining Imperials.[3][4][5]
Over
time, elements of the Imperial Remnant reorganized themselves, becoming
a firmly entrenched and isolationist hermit kingdom, which spent the
next three decades instigating a "cold war" against the New Republic,
gradually rebuilding its military strength and secretly re-arming in
violation of its armistice agreements. The vestigial Empire secretly
expanded from its original few sectors (in the galactic north),
aggressively pushing into the Unknown Regions (the unexplored swaths of
territory in the galactic west) to seize new undeveloped worlds in order
to supplement their resource base, as well as build new shipyards and
industrial infrastructure far from the eyes of the New Republic.
The
2016 novel Star Wars: Bloodline explained how this faction officially
reorganized into the "First Order", and that this final transition only
occurred about six years before The Force Awakens. By that time, the New
Republic Senate had become divided into two parties: the Populists led
by Leia Organa, who wanted to decentralize authority, and the Centrists,
who wanted power to remain concentrated in a strong central government.
Many of the Centrists were former Imperials who admired the old Empire
for bringing order to the galaxy, and who feared that without strong
central control the New Republic would become as weak and ineffectual as
the Old Republic. Ultimately, many Centrist worlds seceded from the New
Republic to reunite with the holdout Imperial remnants on the fringe of
the galaxy, and formally combined into a new government called "the
First Order". First Order conspirators publicly revealed that Leia was
in fact the daughter of Darth Vader, severely harming her political
standing among the remaining Populists.[6]
The
vast majority of the New Republic's worlds remained intact, but with
the exodus of the Centrists its Senate became dominated by the remaining
Populists, who favored decentralization and demilitarization, not
confrontation. Even after these events, most in the remaining Senate
were happy to see the Centrists go, feeling that the new First Order
still controlled far too few sectors of the galaxy to ever pose a
serious threat to galactic peace. In their view, it was easier to just
let the Centrist worlds peacefully leave of their own volition and
rejoin the Imperial worlds rather than fight a war to keep them by
force.
The
new "First Order" came to be ruled by the mysterious Force-wielder
known as Supreme Leader Snoke, who was secretly created by the
resurrected Emperor Palpatine to control the First Order.[2] Through
Snoke, Palpatine seduced Leia's own son Ben Solo to the dark side of the
Force, who renamed himself "Kylo Ren".[2] On his turn to the dark side,
Ben/Kylo slaughtered most of his uncle Luke Skywalker's other Jedi
apprentices (with the rest joining him) and destroyed his new academy.
Blaming himself, Luke fled into self-imposed exile to search for the
ancient first Jedi Temple. Kylo Ren, meanwhile, took on a position as
Snoke's right hand within the First Order's military.
With
her political standing severely weakened, and the New Republic Senate
gridlocked and unwilling to recognize the First Order's military
buildup, Leia Organa decides to withdraw and form her own small private
army, known as the Resistance, to fight the First Order within its own
borders. She is joined by other members of the former Rebel Alliance
such as Admiral Ackbar. Publicly the New Republic continues to disavow
direct association with the Resistance to maintain plausible
deniability, and though the majority of the Senate does not want to
intervene against the First Order, several Senators privately channel
funds and resources to the Resistance. This state of affairs continued
on for the next six years until the events of The Force Awakens.[3][4]
Comic book writer Charles Soule, creator of the 2015 Marvel Comics
series Star Wars: Poe Dameron, explained that immediately prior to the
events of The Force Awakens, "The New Republic and the First Order are
in a position of detente, and while there have been a few small
skirmishes between the Resistance and the First Order, it's very much a
sort of cold war."[7]
Military[edit]
The
First Order's handful of sectors simply do not possess the galaxy-wide
resources the old Empire used to be able to draw upon, and in addition
the armistice treaties with the New Republic put strict limitations on
how many ships it could physically build. Therefore, unlike the old
Galactic Empire's swarm tactics, the First Order's military has had to
adapt to a more "quality over quantity" philosophy, making efficient use
of what few resources it has. Culturally, the Galactic Empires'
Sith-influenced philosophies have been incorporated and streamlined. Its
military is built upon "survival of the fittest"; if one soldier cannot
fulfill their duty and dies serving the First Order, then so be it. The
Order can only become stronger by culling the weak from their ranks.[8]
A
major plot point in The Last Jedi is that the First Order has developed
new "hyperspace tracking" technology, allowing them to continue to
chase enemy vessels through hyperspace from one jump to the next (until
one or the other runs out of fuel). This technology was first mentioned
in passing in Rogue One as another research project the Empire was
starting to develop almost forty years before.
Star fleet[edit]
Main articles: Star Destroyer and TIE fighter
Star Destroyers
The
First Order lacked the resources to build and crew thousands of Star
Destroyers. While its fleet is a fraction of the size of the Imperial
fleet at its height, on a one-for-one basis its new ships are much more
powerful. In addition, they boast thirty years' worth of advances in
military technologies compared to the old Empire. As a result, the First
Order now deploys starships such as the new Resurgent-class Star
Destroyer, nearly twice as large as the old Imperial-class Star
Destroyer which it replaced as the mainstay of the First Order fleet.
With a naval doctrine that accepted the renewed importance of
starfighters within their overall strategy, the Resurgent-class adopted
the carrier-centric designs of the Galactic Republic's Venator-class
Star Destroyer.
TIE pilot corps
The
First Order's TIE fighters, designated TIE/fo, are more advanced than
the old Empire's TIE/ln model, and show greater concern for unit stamina
and survivability. The First Order's Special Forces use a more heavily
armed two-man TIE/sf variant. Visually, their color scheme is reversed
from the old Imperial design: the Empire's TIE fighters have black solar
panels on a light grey metal body frame, while the First Order TIE
fighters have white solar panels on a dark metal frame.[3]
The
Last Jedi also introduces a new starfighter element to the First Order
fleet, the TIE silencer superiority fighter. Much as TIE interceptors
were the next generation fighter starting to phase out the original
Imperial TIE fighters, TIE silencers are a next-generation fighter given
only to the most elite units. Visually they somewhat resemble a cross
between a TIE interceptor and Darth Vader's TIE Advanced x1 prototype,
being wider and more elongated, while boasting heavier weapons, shields,
etc. to be able to face X-wings head-on. Kylo Ren pilots his own
personal TIE silencer. Their technical designation is "TIE/vn" (because
in earlier drafts, the ship was called "TIE vendetta").
Troop Transports
For
space to surface delivery, the First Order is also seen deploying
several standard troop transports. Elite units and high value command
personnel such as Kylo Ren use the Upsilon-class command shuttle, a
stylistic evolution of the old Imperial Lambda-class T-4a shuttle (but
without the third fin on top, and now sporting large wings that retract
upon themselves on landing).
Dreadnoughts
The
Last Jedi introduces several more ships of the First Order. Mandator
IV-class Siege Dreadnoughts are larger but rarer than Resurgent-class
Star Destroyers, used as orbital bombardment platforms which can
functionally wipe out entire planets' population centers (albeit through
conventional weapons, just short of being considered superweapons).
Dwarfing even these other vessels are Supreme Leader Snoke's personal
flagship and mobile capital, the Mega-class Star Dreadnought Supremacy: a
wing-shaped vessel wider than it is long, the size of a small country.
The Supremacy measures 60 kilometers at its greatest width—equal to
about 18 Resurgent-class Star Destroyers lined up end to end.
Ground forces[edit]
Main article: Stormtrooper (Star Wars)
First Order stormtrooper costume from The Force Awakens
The
First Order employs a quality-over-quantity philosophy with its
soldiers and personnel. Unable to conscript quadrillions of soldiers to
fill its Stormtrooper ranks, yet unwilling to invest huge resources in
breeding a rapidly produced clone army (like the original Stormtroopers
at the end of the Clone Wars), First Order Stormtroopers are trained
from birth, raised their entire lives for no other purpose. First Order
soldiers and crews have constantly trained for combat in war games and
simulations, making them much more effective one-on-one than the endless
waves of Stormtrooper conscripts fielded by the old Empire. First Order
Stormtroopers are regularly put through mental indoctrination and
propaganda programs, to make sure that they remain fanatically loyal and
never hesitate or question orders. Being taken from their families at
birth, these soldiers are not even given individual names for themselves
but merely serial numbers, such as "FN-2187".[3] This was the name
Finn, a defector and Resistance hero, was originally given. His current
name, given by Poe Dameron, derives from the FN, which was the only part
Dameron was able to remember easily.
First
Order Stormtroopers are formally deployed in squads of ten, with the
tenth spot reserved for a heavy weapons specialist as the needs of the
mission require: usually a heavy gunner, but sometimes also flamethrower
troops, or riot troops equipped with energy batons (which are
incidentally capable of blocking a lightsaber).[3] The design of the
armour of regular and heavy gunner Stormtroopers bears significant
resemblances to the design used by the Galactic Empire, such as the
helmet visor, nasal filters, and overall shape. However, the filter was
extended, among other practical features. According to the famed First
Order officer Captain Phasma, not even a Wookiee (the species Chewbacca
belonged to) could crush the said armour. Some stormtroopers held high
ranks—a significant improvement from the one-rank system of the Empire.
These were indicated by the colour of shoulder pauldrons. In the rare
instance of a stormtrooper earning the rank of Captain, they often
earned a blasterproof cape. Occasionally, they modify their outfit even
further—Captain Phasma made blasterproof, chrome copies of all her
equipment and greatly improved vision modes of her helmet's visor.
Captain Cardinal, the bodyguard of a First Order founding father,
received almost all-red armour from his superior as a sign of
trust.Introduced in The Rise of Skywalker, a new variant of troopers
were introduced in the form of jet troopers, equipped with G125
projectile launchers and jet packs.
As
a heavy siege weapon, the First Order also fields its own evolution of
the old AT-series of armored transports, the AT-M6. Dwarfing the older
AT-AT, the AT-M6 has numerous design improvements including heavy
serrated cable-cutters mounted on its legs—to avoid being tripped up
again like AT-AT's were at the Battle of Hoth. These cutters are
positioned in such a way that the AT-M6 walks on its "knuckles" instead
of the pads of its feet, which—combined with a heavy siege cannon which
gives it a hunched-over appearance—gives the AT-M6 an almost
gorilla-like profile compared to the more elephant-like AT-AT.
Depictions in film[edit]
The Force Awakens (2015)[edit]
In
the film, the First Order is led by a mysterious figure named Snoke,
who has assumed the title of Supreme Leader.[5] Like the Empire before
them, the Order commands a vast force of stormtroopers.[9][10] The First
Order uses regular and Special Forces versions of the Empire's
venerable TIE fighter.[11] Its primary base of operations is Starkiller
Base,[12] a mobile ice planet which converted into a superweapon capable
of destroying entire star systems across the galaxy by firing through
hyperspace.[9] The base commander of Starkiller is General Hux, a
ruthless young officer dedicated to the Order.[13]
Snoke
is a powerful figure in the dark side of the Force and has corrupted
Ben, the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa who had been an apprentice to
his uncle, the Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. Masked and using the name
Kylo Ren, he is one of Snoke's enforcers, much like his grandfather
Darth Vader had been the enforcer of Emperor Palpatine during the days
of the Empire decades earlier. Kylo is the master of the Knights of Ren,
a mysterious group of elite warriors who work with the First
Order.[14][15] Kylo and Hux are rivals for Snoke's approval,[16] and the
third member of the "commanding triumvirate" of the First Order is the
formidable Captain Phasma, the commander of the stormtroopers.[17]
Kylo
is searching for Luke, who vanished some years earlier. Snoke believes
that as long as Luke lives, a new generation of Jedi Knights can rise
again. The First Order launches a preemptive strike on Hosnian Prime,
the New Republic's current capital world (as well as Hosnian Prime's Sun
and the other planets in the 'Hosnian system' (Hosnian Prime's solar
system), as well as the spaceships there), by test-firing the Starkiller
superweapon. This devastating first strike takes the New Republic
completely by surprise, not only killing most of its leadership in the
Galactic Senate, but wiping out a substantial portion of the New
Republic's core military fleets. This paves the way for a resulting
Blitzkrieg of the rest of the galaxy by the First Order, using the
disproportionately powerful military it has rebuilt over the past three
decades.
Kylo
fails to retrieve the map fragment that would lead him to Luke, and the
Resistance manages to destroy Starkiller Base moments before it is able
to fire on the Resistance base on D'Qar, though Kylo and General Hux
are able to escape the explosion, as well as Captain Phasma offscreen.
The Last Jedi (2017)[edit]
At
the start of the The Last Jedi, the First Order's fleet attacks the
Resistance base on the planet D'Qar. Poe Dameron rashly leads an assault
against a Mandator IV-class Siege Dreadnought – one of only a handful
of heavy orbital bombardment platforms in the First Order fleet – and
manages to destroy it, but at the cost of the entire bomber wing of the
Resistance. Kylo Ren leads an assault in his TIE silencer, destroying
several Resistance fighters. First Order TIEs destroy the Resistance
carrier ship, wiping out the Resistance leadership. General Leia
survives but is incapacitated. Vice Admiral Holdo assumes control of the
Resistance fleet while Leia recovers.
The
First Order tracks the small Resistance fleet via a hyperspace jump
using new "hyperspace tracking" technology. Running low on fuel, the
remaining Resistance fleet is pursued by the First Order. This devolves
into a siege-like battle of attrition, as one by one the smaller
Resistance ships run out of fuel and are destroyed by the pursuing First
Order fleet. Finn and a Resistance mechanic, Rose, embark on a mission
to disable the First Order's tracking device.
Meanwhile,
Kylo Ren kills Snoke, replacing him as Supreme Leader of the First
Order. Poe Dameron stages a mutiny against Holdo, believing her inept
and without a plan. Holdo reveals, however, that she didn't trust Poe
with her plan due to his reckless assault on the dreadnought. The plan
is for the Resistance to flee in cloaked shuttles to an old Rebel
Alliance base on the planet Crait, while Holdo remains on the Resistance
command ship. The First Order discover the ruse, however, destroying
most of the shuttlecraft. Finn and Rose locate the tracking device but
are captured by Captain Phasma. Holdo sacrifices herself by directing
the Resistance command ship to lightspeed jump directly into Snoke's
flagship, destroying much of the First Order fleet in the process. Finn
manages to kill Captain Phasma and escape with Rose to Crait.
The
First Order blast the door of the Rebel base with miniaturized Death
Star technology. Leia sends out transmissions to allies "in the Outer
Rim" begging for aid, but they inexplicably do not appear. Just as the
First Order breaches the base, Luke Skywalker appears to challenge them.
A full barrage by their artillery has no effect on Luke, so Kylo Ren
descends to duel him in person. Ren realizes that Luke is a Force
projection; while Ren is distracted, the surviving Resistance escape the
planet.
The Rise of Skywalker (2019)[edit]
The
Rise of Skywalker takes place a year after The Last Jedi. The First
Order is led by Supreme Leader Kylo Ren. Allegiant General Pryde, who
served Palpatine in the Empire,[18] has now joined General Hux at the
top of the military hierarchy. Kylo Ren discovers a physically
impaired[19] Palpatine in exile on the Sith world Exegol. Palpatine
reveals he created Snoke as a puppet to control the First Order and has
built a secret armada of superlaser-armed Star Destroyers, which he
calls the Final Order. In a bid to form a new Galactic Empire, Palpatine
promises Kylo control over the fleet on the condition that he find and
kill Rey, who is revealed to be Palpatine's granddaughter.[20]
Kylo
begins to scour the galaxy for Rey. The Resistance acquire information
on Palpatine's location and embark on a quest to find Exegol. General
Hux is revealed to have been a spy inside the First Order, due to his
disgust over Kylo Ren; he is executed by General Pryde for treason. Rey
confronts Kylo Ren on Kef Bir at the wreckage of the second Death Star.
She impales Kylo after he is distracted by Leia calling out to him
through the Force. Rey heals Kylo and flees. Afterwards, Kylo sees his
father, Han Solo, through a memory. This causes Kylo to abandon the dark
side, and reclaim his identity as Ben Solo. Palpatine orders Pryde to
obliterate Kijimi as a show of force.
After
encouragement from the spirit of Luke Skywalker, Rey uses his old T-65B
X-wing to travel to Exegol, and leads the Resistance there too. Finn
and Poe engage the Sith fleet while Rey confronts Palpatine himself.
Lando Calrissian and Chewbacca arrive with reinforcements from across
the galaxy, and they manage to destroy the Sith fleet. With help from
Ben and the spirits of past Jedi, Rey finally destroys Palpatine for
good.[20] The galaxy rises up against the First Order, ultimately
defeating it." (wikipedia.org)
"Glyn
Dillon (born 1971[1]) is a British costume designer, as well as a
comics and film storyboard and concept artist, best known for his work
on the Star Wars films The Force Awakens and Rogue One, as well as his
2012 graphic novel The Nao of Brown.
Early life
Glyn is the
youngest of 3 siblings. Glyn Dillon's father was a signwriter; his older
brother Steve Dillon was also a comics artist. Julie Dillon Bleaden,
the middle sibling works in childcare.[2]
Career
Dillon got
his first job in comics at the age of 17, and worked in comics for seven
years,[3] drawing "Planet Swerve", a strip about "art students in
space" written by Alan Martin, for Deadline, and work for DC Comics'
Vertigo imprint, including the miniseries Egypt with writer Peter
Milligan[2] and Shade, the Changing Man with the same writer.[1] He drew
part of "The Kindly Ones" story arc in Neil Gaiman's The Sandman
series.[4][5]
In the mid-1990s he left comics[2] and worked in
film and television, primarily as a storyboard and concept artist,[1] as
well as a period directing music promos for Ridley Scott's RSA
Films.[citation needed] He shared a studio in London with Jamie Hewlett,
and did some work on Hewlett's Gorillaz music and animation project.[2]
In 2007 a gallery of his work appeared in the comic art magazine
Swallow, and he began work on his graphic novel, The Nao of Brown. The
story of a young woman with Primarily Obsessional OCD, it was published
by SelfMadeHero in 2012[2] and won the Special Jury Prize at the
Angoulême International Comics Festival in 2013.[6] In 2013 he started
working as a concept artist in the costume dept on Jupiter Ascending, he
then went on to work, in the same capacity, on Kingsman: The Secret
Service. He then became chief concept artist in the costume dept on Star
Wars: The Force Awakens, for which, among other designs, he originated
antagonist Kylo Ren's mask,[7] before being promoted to co-costume
designer, alongside Dave Crossman, on the Star Wars film Rogue One and
Solo: A Star Wars Story.[1]
Bibliography
Milligan)" (wikipedia.org)
"A
lightsaber is a fictional energy sword featured throughout the Star
Wars franchise. A typical lightsaber is depicted as a luminescent plasma
blade about 3 feet (0.91 m) in length emitted from a metal hilt around
10.5 inches (27 cm) in length.[1] First introduced in the original Star
Wars film,[a] it has since appeared in most Star Wars films, with at
least one lightsaber duel occurring in each installment of the
"Skywalker saga". The lightsaber's distinct appearance was created using
rotoscoping for the original films, and with digital effects for the
prequel and sequel trilogies.
In the Star Wars universe, the
lightsaber is the signature weapon of the light side-wielding Jedi Order
and the dark side-wielding Sith Order. However, the lightsaber can also
be wielded by non-Force-sensitive characters as an ordinary weapon or
tool.[2] The Jedi use different colored lightsabers (predominantly blue
and green, though purple and yellow have also appeared in canon media),
while the Sith wield exclusively red-bladed sabers to distinguish
themselves from the Jedi. The color of a lightsaber's blade is given by
its power source, the kyber crystal, which is influenced by the wielder
and the Force as they connect with and tune the crystal.[3] A
lightsaber's hilt is built by its wielder and is, therefore, unique in
design. There are several variations outside of the traditional
single-bladed lightsaber, such as the double-bladed lightsaber (most
famously wielded by Darth Maul), crossguard lightsabers (used by Kylo
Ren), and the Darksaber, primarily wielded by the non-Force-sensitive
Mandalorian rulers of Mandalore (including Maul, Bo-Katan Kryze, and the
Mandalorian).
As presented in the films, a lightsaber's energy
blade can cut, burn, and melt through most substances with little
resistance.[4] It leaves cauterized wounds in flesh, but can be
deflected by another lightsaber blade, by energy shields, or by the
metal beskar (found in Mandalorian armor). The blade has even been used
as a tool to weld metal. Other times, the lightsaber has been shown to
cause bleeding wounds in the flesh, sometimes accompanied by burns. Some
exotic saber-proof melee weapons have been introduced in the Expanded
Universe as well as later episodic films. An active lightsaber gives off
a distinctive hum, which rises in pitch and volume as the blade is
moved rapidly through the air. Bringing the blade into with
another lightsaber's blade produces a loud crackle.
The
lightsaber has become one of the most widely recognized elements of the
Star Wars franchise. In 2008, a survey of approximately 2,000 film fans
found it to be the most popular weapon in film history.[5][6]
Prop construction
Covered with millions of tiny glass beads, [Scotchlite] has the
property of reflecting light directly back to its source. It's the same
material used for reflective road signs [and lightsaber props].
—Special Effects: An Introduction to Movie Magic[7]
For
the original Star Wars film, the film prop hilts were constructed by
John Stears from old Graflex press camera flash battery packs and other
pieces of hardware. The full-sized sword props were designed to appear
ignited onscreen, by later creating an "in-camera" glowing effect in
post-production. The blade is a three-sided rod which was coated with a
Scotchlite retroreflector array, the same sort used for highway
signs.[7] A lamp was positioned to the side of the taking camera and
reflected towards the subject through 45-degree angled glass so that the
sword would appear to glow from the camera's point of view.
Set
decorator Roger Christian found the handles for the Graflex Flash Gun in
a photography shop in Great Marlborough Street, in London's West
End.[8] He then added cabinet T-track to the handles, securely attaching
them with cyanoacrylate glue. Adding a few "greebles" (surface
details), Christian managed to hand-make the first prototype of a
lightsaber prop for Luke before production began. George Lucas decided
he wanted to add a clip to the handle, so that Luke could hang it on his
belt. Once Lucas felt the handle was up to his standards, it went to
John Stears to create the wooden dowel rod with front-projection paint
so that the animators would have a glow of light to enhance later on in
post production. Due to lack of preparation time, Christian's prototype
and a second spare were used for the shooting in Tunisia, where filming
on Star Wars began.[9] It was discovered, however, that the glowing
effect was greatly dependent on the rod's orientation to the camera, and
during the Obi-Wan Kenobi/Darth Vader duel, they could clearly be seen
as rods. Because of this, the glow would be added in post-production
through rotoscoping, which also allowed for diffusion to be employed to
enhance the glow.
While original trilogy hilts were typically
constructed using found parts, during the prequel and sequel trilogies a
different process was sometimes used. Hilts were first machined out of
metal materials. Then casts would be made using the metal hilts to
create resin copies that were used on screen.[10] The resin was often
molded over a metal rod that a dueling blade could be attached to for
fight sequences.
Visual effects
Korean animator Nelson Shin,
who was working for DePatie–Freleng Enterprises at the time, was asked
by his manager if he could animate the lightsaber in the live-action
scenes of a film. After Shin accepted the assignment, the live-action
footage was given to him. He drew the lightsabers with a rotoscope, an
animation which was superimposed onto the footage of the physical
lightsaber blade prop. Shin explained to the people from Lucasfilm that
since a lightsaber is made of light, the sword should look "a little
shaky" like a fluorescent tube. He suggested inserting one frame that
was much lighter than the others while printing the film on an optical
printer, making the light seem to vibrate. Shin also recommended adding a
degausser sound on top of the other sounds for the weapon since the
sound would be reminiscent of a magnetic field. The whole process took
one week, surprising his company. Lucasfilm showed Shin the finished
product, having followed his suggestions to use an X-Acto knife to give
the lightsaber a very sharp look, and to have sound accompany the
weapon's movements.[11]
Sound
The lightsaber sound effect was
developed by sound designer Ben Burtt as a combination of the hum of
idling interlock motors in aged movie projectors and interference caused
by a television set on a shieldless microphone. Burtt discovered the
latter accidentally as he was looking for a buzzing, sparking sound to
add to the projector-motor hum.[12]
The pitch changes of
lightsaber movement were produced by playing the basic lightsaber tone
on a loudspeaker and recording it on a moving microphone, generating
Doppler shift to mimic a moving sound source.[13]
Depiction
Lightsabers
were present in the earliest drafts as mundane plasma weapons that were
used alongside laser guns.[14][15] The introduction of the Force in a
later revision made the Jedi and the Sith supernaturally skilled;
initially they were only portrayed as swordsmen.[16] The lightsaber
became the Force-user's tool, described in A New Hope by Obi-Wan Kenobi
as "not as clumsy or random as a blaster. An elegant weapon, for a more
civilized age."[17] The source of a lightsaber's power is a kyber
crystal.[18] These crystals are also the power source of the Death
Star's superlaser.[19][20]
In films such as Revenge of the Sith
and The Last Jedi, melee weapons such as the electrostaff and
plasma-lined blades deflect lightsabers.[21][22]
Types
Lightsabers
are depicted as hand-built as part of a Jedi's or Sith's training
regimen. Each lightsaber is unique, though some may bear resemblance to
others, especially if there is a connection between the builders. The
hilt of most lightsabers are straight and predominantly cylindrical,
however there are other lightsaber hilt types. The first film appearance
of a dual-bladed lightsaber (first depicted in the comic series Tales
of the Jedi) was in The Phantom Menace, wielded by Darth Maul; it
consists of two regular lightsabers joined at their butt ends each
producing a blade independently. Count Dooku, beginning with the
character's first appearance in Attack of the Clones, is shown to have a
lightsaber with a curved hilt. The video game Star Wars: The Force
Unleashed introduced two other variants: a lightsaber pike (a lightsaber
with a shorter blade but a long handle, resembling a spear) and a
Tonfa-style lightsaber with right-angle hilt.
The Star Wars
expanded universe adds several lightsaber types, including short[23] and
dual-phase (adjustable length) weapons.[24][25] In Star Wars Rebels,
Ezra Bridger's original lightsaber is a hybrid that features a fully
functional blaster pistol built into the handle. Kylo Ren, introduced in
The Force Awakens, uses a lightsaber that features two crosshilt
blades, giving it the appearance of a greatsword. His blade also has an
unstable, fiery appearance, explained in canon reference books as
stemming from a cracked kyber crystal.[26] The Inquisitors of the
Galactic Empire are depicted as wielding a unique variation of a
double-bladed saber, mounted on a rotating ring enabling the blades 360
degrees of rotation and short-term flight capability. More obscure
lightsaber variations, such as the "lightwhip", an elongated flexible
blade used in a matter akin to a whip, the "lightclub", an enlarged
standard lightsaber, and the "shoto", a dramatically smaller variation
often paired with a standard sized saber have also made appearances.
Colors
Lightsabers
in the first two released films, A New Hope and The Empire Strikes
Back, had blades that were either blue (for the Jedi) or red (for the
Sith). Luke Skywalker's new lightsaber in Return of the Jedi was colored
blue during the initial editing of the film, and appears so in both an
early movie trailer and the official theatrical posters. However, it was
changed to green in the film's final edit after initial viewings by the
filmmakers, who felt that it would better stand out against the blue
sky of Tatooine in outdoor scenes, and this color change is also
reflected in the film's re-release posters. Mace Windu's purple-bladed
lightsaber, as first seen in Attack of the Clones, was requested by the
actor Samuel L. Jackson because purple is his favorite color, and the
purple blade would make his character stand out among other Jedi.[b]
Jackson is known to frequently request that the characters he plays use
an item that is purple in color.[29] The Clone Wars showed the guardians
of the Jedi Temple wielding yellow-bladed lightsabers, and, at the end
of The Rise of Skywalker, Rey is shown to have built a yellow-bladed
lightsaber using part of her staff as the hilt.
As depicted in
The Clone Wars and Rebels, the builder of a lightsaber chooses a kyber
crystal and meditates with it until the crystal acquires a color. The
color of this crystal becomes the blade's color when installed into a
lightsaber hilt. In the book Star Wars: Ahsoka and the comic series
Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith, it is shown that dark side users
remove the crystal from a defeated Jedi's lightsaber and concentrate
Force energy on it to break its connection to the light side, a process
known as "bleeding" to create a red crystal. The process can also be
reversed, as shown in Ahsoka, when the titular character does so to a
pair of crystals taken from an Inquisitor. She uses them in the pair of
white-bladed lightsabers she builds at the end of the novel.
The
Darksaber is a unique lightsaber that has a distinct black blade with a
white halo, introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) and
subsequently appearing in Star Wars Rebels, where it is described as an
ancient lightsaber created by Tarre Vizla, the first Mandalorian to
become a Jedi, and later serves as a symbol of Mandalorian authority. It
subsequently appears briefly in the hands of Moff Gideon in the season
one finale of The Mandalorian.[30][31][32] By the end of the second
season's finale, it belongs to series protagonist "The Mandalorian", who
bested Gideon for it but does not want it; he wishes to turn it over to
Bo-Katan Kryze, but as Gideon explains, the Darksaber cannot merely be
given as Bo-Katan had received it before, it must be won from a defeated
combatant.
Other colors have appeared in various expanded media
projects, including many video games where the player can select their
character's lightsaber color.
Choreography
The technical
lightsaber choreography for the original Star Wars trilogy was developed
by Hollywood sword-master Bob Anderson. Anderson personally trained
Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) and, in The Empire Strikes Back and Return
of the Jedi, performed all the stunts as Darth Vader during the
lightsaber duels wearing Vader's costume. Anderson's role in the trilogy
was highlighted in the film Reclaiming the Blade where he shared his
experiences as a fencer developing the lightsaber techniques for the
three original movies.
The lightsaber duels in the Star Wars
prequel trilogy were specifically choreographed by stunt-coordinator
Nick Gillard to be miniature "stories". For these films, Gillard was the
primary sword instructor for Liam Neeson (Qui-Gon Jinn), Ewan McGregor
(Obi-Wan Kenobi), Ray Park (Darth Maul) and Hayden Christensen (Anakin
Skywalker / Darth Vader) among other actors. His goal in choreographing
the action for The Phantom Menace was to create stunts that flow from
the story; "You can't just think, 'I'm a stunt coordinator, I'm going to
make a big stunt happen'," Gillard said. "It's all about making it tie
in nicely with the film so that you don't notice the stunts."[citation
needed]
In writing the prequel trilogy, George Lucas said he
wanted the lightsaber combat to be "reminiscent of what had been done in
the previous films but also something that was more energized. We'd
seen old men, young boys, and characters who were half-droid, but we'd
never seen a Jedi in his prime. I wanted to do that with a fight that
was faster and more dynamic—and we were able to pull that off."[33]
According
to Gillard, various lightsaber combat styles were devised for the
prequels and intended to further characterize their practitioners.
I developed different styles for the characters, and gave each of them a
flaw or a bonus. So with Obi-Wan Kenobi, for instance, he's got a very
business-like style—when he was younger he could border on the flashy
and might twirl his lightsaber a bit, because he was taught by Qui-Gon.
Qui-Gon was brash, that rubbed off on Obi-Wan and Obi-Wan then taught
Anakin, who was way too old to learn anyway... I think the style really
worked well. The Jedi style of fighting is an amalgamation of all the
great swordfighting styles. Melding them together is the difficult
part—to move from a Kendo style to, say, rapier requires a complete
change in body and feet movement, and this must look effortless. The
style moves seamlessly between the different disciplines, but remains
technically correct throughout.[34]
For The Phantom Menace,
Gillard set out certain styles and faults for the saber-wielding
characters.[35] He added that the Jedi's use of such "a short-range
weapon" meant "they would have to be very good at it"; combining a
variety of disciplines from various sword fighting styles to martial
arts "with a touch of tennis and tree chopping", he created the style
seen in the Episode I lightsaber battles.[36]
For The Force
Awakens, director J. J. Abrams decided to approach the choreography
similarly to how it was done in the original trilogy. Abrams stated that
the prequel trilogy choreography was "increasingly spectacular and
stylized, almost like dance choreography", but that was not what they
really wanted to go for in the new films.[37] He told Empire magazine,
"When you look at Star Wars and Empire, they are very different
lightsaber battles, but for me they felt more powerful because they were
not quite as slick. I was hoping to go for something much more
primitive, aggressive and rougher, a throwback to the kind of
heart-stopping lightsaber fights I remembered being so enthralled by as a
kid."[37]
Cultural impact
Lightsaber chopsticks
See also: Cultural impact of Star Wars
Merchandise
Since
the release of the first film, replicas of lightsabers have been a
popular piece of Star Wars merchandise, ranging from inexpensive plastic
toys to the "Force FX" series from Master Replicas, deluxe replicas
which use LED-lighted tubes and sound effects to create a close
audio-visual representation of what is seen on screen.
Disney Parks
Disneyland in California sells lightsaber-themed churros outside its Star Tours attraction.[38]
Disneyland
and Disney World (Hollywood Studios) also sell legacy lightsabers which
are replicas of the lightsabers seen used by the Jedi and Sith in the
movies such as Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Rey Skywalker, Count Dooku,
and Kylo Ren.[39][40]
Disneyland and Hollywood Studios also offer
Savi's Workshop, a place where guests can build their own lightsaber
and choose their own kyber crystal, thereby changing the blade color of
their own unique lightsaber.[41][42][43]
Besides Savi's Workshop,
there is another custom lightsaber experience. The Star Trader at
Disneyland offers guests a chance to build their own lightsabers,
without first paying 200 dollars for the experience.[44]
Attractions
The
Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple is a live show where children are
selected to learn the teachings of the Jedi Knights, the Force, and the
basics of Lightsaber combat to become Padawan learners. The show is
present at the Rebels stage next to Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios and at the Tomorrowland
Terrace at Disneyland. Additionally, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser has
incorporated lightsaber training for each guest aboard the spacecraft
during their stay. The training is led by the Saja cast members and
teaches the fourth form of lightsaber combat, Ataru to the guests. Both
lightsabers and shields are used during training since the guests learn
to use Ataru to deflect incoming projectiles. There is no
lightsaber-to-lightsaber combat in this attraction and guests must be at
least seven years old to participate.[45]
Similar weapons
The
virtual reality rhythm game Beat Saber involves the player using two
lightsabers in order to slash a series of oncoming squares.[46]
Parodies
In
the 1987 film Spaceballs by Mel Brooks, "the Schwartz" is a play on
"the Force", from Star Wars. The lightsabers emanating from the
Schwartz-rings held in front of the crotch are phallic
symbols.[47][48][49] The cartoon series Futurama features many
lightsaber-style weapons, notably expanding batons used by police. The
batons glow and "whoosh" with a lightsaber's distinctive hum, but merely
slap victims when used, as if they are plastic toys. In Jim Butcher's
Dresden Files novel series, medical examiner and Star Wars fan Waldo
Butters wields one of the three holy Swords of the Cross, which
re-fashions itself into a lightsaber upon accepting him as its owner. In
Yuya Sato's Danganronpa Togami light novel trilogy, main antagonist
Orvin Elevator / Kazuya Togami wields a lightsaber built into their
prosthetic arm, to which they are berated for copyright infringement by
Genocider Syo / Genocide Jack; in the anime Danganronpa 3: The End of
Hope's Peak High School, this same lightsaber is instead depicted as a
flaming mechanical katana wielded by Kyosuke Munakata.
Games
With
the advent of motion-controlled video games, players were given the
opportunity to wield an in-game lightsaber with their own hands. In the
seventh generation of video game consoles, there were several Star Wars
video games available on the Wii (Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga,
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Lightsaber
Duels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Republic Heroes and Lego Star Wars
III: The Clone Wars) and one on the Xbox 360 (Kinect Star Wars) that
utilized motion controls to wield a lightsaber through arm gestures.
Unleashed and Duels, both developed by Krome Studios, have more precise
control of the lightsaber, allowing players to swing it in any of five
different directions (up, down, left, right or forward) with the Wii
Remote, while Kinect takes advantage of the eponymous, camera-based
motion controller to grant the player a more fluid, one-to-one control
method of swinging the lightsaber.
Prior to the seventh
generation, there were also a few earlier Star Wars games that used
gesture-based control to simulate lightsaber combat, such as the two
bonus levels of the arcade game Star Wars Trilogy, where the player
controls Luke Skywalker as he wields his lightsaber against Boba Fett
and Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi by pushing a joystick in one of
eight directions to follow on-screen offensive and defensive cues,[50]
and a TV game released around the time Revenge of the Sith came to
theaters, titled Star Wars: Saga Edition – Lightsaber Battle Game, in
which the player swings a lightsaber-shaped controller to deflect
blaster bolts from infantry (such as battle droids and clone troopers)
and duel against characters from across the saga.
By the time
Disney purchased Lucasfilm, new technological advances made augmented
reality possible, leading to the creation of some more notable
motion-controlled lightsaber video games that took advantage of that
feature. One of them came in the form of a special activity mode in the
official Star Wars fan app on iOS and Android in which players use their
smartphone's motion sensors to practice and master blaster deflection
with a training droid (which appears on the ,
similar to the deflection training exercises featured aboard the
Millennium Falcon in A New Hope, while progressing through the ranks of
the Jedi or Sith order. Another is in Star Wars: Jedi Challenges, which
works with a Lenovo Mirage AR headset, a tracking sensor and a dedicated
lightsaber controller that launched in December 2017. One of the
multiple game modes available in Challenges, which was jointly developed
by Disney and Lenovo, enables players to confront Star Wars villains in
lightsaber duels, such as Darth Maul and Kylo Ren." (wikipedia.org)
"A
deckle is a removable wooden frame or "fence" used in manual
papermaking. The deckle is placed into a mould to keep the paper pulp
slurry within the bounds of the wire facing on a mould, and to control
the size of the sheet produced. The mould and deckle is dipped into a
vat of water and paper pulp that has been beat (fibrillated). The pulp
is quickly scooped out of the vat and the mould and deckle is shaken as
excess water is drained off. The deckle is then removed and the newly
formed sheet is "couched" (set) onto felts. Fiber that has been beat
longer generally requires more time to drain. If the paper slurry gets
under, or if long fibers settles on top of the deckle, it will cause a
more irregular edge.[1]: 119, 177–178
Beginning in the early
1800s with the invention of the Fourdrinier machine, paper was produced
in long rolls and the deckle became mostly obsolete.[2]
Deckle edge
Deckle edge
Paper
with a feathered edge is described as having a deckle edge, in contrast
to a cut edge.[2] Machine-made paper may artificially have its edges
produced to resemble a deckle edge." (wikipedia.org)
"Kylo
Ren's helmet was a combat helmet worn by Kylo Ren, master of the
Knights of Ren and the dark side apprentice of Supreme Leader Snoke.
Patterned on the battle gear of the Knights of Ren, the helmet concealed
Ren's face, hiding his former identity as the Jedi apprentice Ben Solo.
It was black with a silver inlay decorating the visor frame. In
addition, it contained a vocoder that modulated his voice. After its
reconstruction, the helmet featured a luminous red alchemical lattice of
the Sarrassian iron that was used to weld the shards together. As a
result, Ren's reforged mask was far stronger than it once was.
Ren
donned the helmet after renouncing his family and Jedi heritage to join
the Knights of Ren, a group of masked marauders from the Unknown
Regions of the galaxy. The helmet marked Ren's status in their ranks,
while also serving to inspire fear in the tradition of his grandfather,
the Sith Lord Darth Vader, who also wore a mask. Despite its purpose,
the helmet was seen by Snoke and General Armitage Hux as Ren's way of
hiding his lineage as the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa, by
mimicking Vader's appearance. Solo confronted Ren, shortly before the
Battle of Starkiller Base. He told him to remove his mask, wishing to
look upon the face of his son. Although Ren obliged Solo's request, he
ultimately killed his father in an attempt to extinguish the light side
of the Force that persisted within him. However, the act of patricide
only left Ren more conflicted than ever, and his master denounced him as
a "child in mask," unworthy to follow in Vader's legacy. Angered by
this rebuke from Snoke, Ren destroyed his helmet and redoubled his
efforts to submit himself entirely to the power of the dark side.
Following
his accession as the new Supreme Leader of the First Order, Ren
scavenged the fragments of his shattered helmet. The Sith alchemist
Albrekh welded the shards together with Sarrassian iron, resulting in a
far stronger version of Ren's helmet. Rey, the last of the Jedi Order,
saw through the mask's symbolism, sensing that Ren remained haunted by
his patricidal act. Ren did not bring the helmet with him when he
confronted Rey in the Death Star ruins on Kef Bir, and Rey sensed that
he would never wear the mask in front of her again. Shortly thereafter,
Ben Solo discarded the trappings of Kylo Ren, having returned to the
light through Rey's compassion and his parents' forgiveness.
Contents
1 Description
1.1 Original version
1.2 Reforged mask
2 History
2.1 A child in a mask
2.2 Hiding behind a mask
2.3 A son's face
2.4 Destroyed
2.5 Broken and reforged
2.6 The masked ruler
2.7 Haunted beneath the mask of fear
3 Behind the scenes
4 Appearances
4.1 Non-canon appearances
5 Sources
6 Notes and references
Description
Original version
"Kylo Ren is no Sith Lord, but his helmet was designed to emulate that
of his ancestor Lord Vader. Unlike Vader's helm, Ren's is merely
symbolic, serving no functional purpose."
―Darth Sidious[8]
Kylo Ren's helmet was modeled on the combat gear of the Knights of Ren.
Kylo
Ren's helmet was a battered, face-concealing black combat helmet with a
silver inlay that radiated from the eyes as a symbol of power. Modeled
on the battle gear worn by the Knights of Ren, the helmet served to hide
Ren's former identity[1] as Ben Solo—the nephew and fallen apprentice
of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker.[9] In addition, its aesthetic design and
integrated voice-projecting vocabulator enhanced Ren's imposing
appearance.[1] The helmet was designed to look sinister;[9] as a Knight
of Ren, Ren was part of an enclave of dark side warriors who wore masks
to induce fear in their prey.[2]
Ren's helmet was a symbolic reminder of his lineage as Darth Vader's grandson, serving no practical use in his life.
Ren's
helmet was designed to emulate that of his grandfather, the Sith Lord
Darth Vader. Its lack of function was noted by Vader's Sith Master,
Darth Sidious, who stated that Ren's helmet was purely symbolic of his
family heritage, whereas Vader's helmet incorporated life support
technology.[8] Like the helmet worn by Vader,[10] Ren's helmet had a
built-in vocoder that modulated his voice,[11] causing his voice to
sound more deep and intimidating. The face mask was connected to the
helmet via articulated arms driven by servomotors; a hinged mechanism
sealed the mask to the helmet. Although he wore the helmet to make
himself appear more intimidating, on rare occasions he would remove it
via the servomotors to stare down his opponents with unrestrained malice
in his eyes.[1]
Supreme Leader Snoke and General Armitage Hux were aware that Ren used his helmet to hide his heritage as a Skywalker.
Ren's
use of the helmet was openly questioned by several individuals who knew
him personally, such as his father, Han Solo[5] and his master, Supreme
Leader Snoke.[7] Solo thought the helmet was unnecessary, stating his
son did not need it,[5] and Snoke called it a "ridiculous thing."[7]
Ren's rival, General Armitage Hux, opined that the helmet was
superfluous compared to the one worn by Vader, who could not breathe
without it. Hux further posited that Ren used the helmet to hide his
resemblance to Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa, his famous parents who
served in the Alliance to Restore the Republic that defeated the
Galactic Empire.[12]
All that remained of the original helmet was
a "twisted hunk of black and silver."[13] It had been shattered by Ren
into many pieces, some of which were warped beyond recognition. The
damage was such that Ren doubted Albrekh's skills as a Sith alchemist
could rebuild a helmet that he had reduced to shards.[14]
Reforged mask
"Through the work of a skilled Sith alchemist, the shattered helmet was
repaired using a latticework of red Sarrassian iron. It became stronger
than ever. A pity the same cannot be said of the child who wears it."
―Darth Sidious[8]
With Sarrassian iron, the reforged helmet was stronger than the original version.
Kylo
Ren's reforged helmet was strengthened through Sith alchemy. Sarrassian
iron was painstakingly applied between the shards of the shattered
helmet, creating a bright red alchemical web[2] that resembled crimson
lightning[14] or scars.[15] The resulting helmet was heavier and smelled
of molten iron,[14] but was stronger than the previous version.[2] The
helmet retained its ability to alter Ren's voice, giving it a "distant
and mechanical" tone.[14]
Ren admired the rebuilt and redesigned
version of his helmet, which he likened to a "thing of jagged beauty."
It retained its original shape and appearance, save for the red
fractures[14] that formed a web of red iron over it.[2] Despite the
added weight, smell, and lack of access to fresh air, considered his
reforged helmet an example of perfection. It symbolized not only the
breaking and reforming of his identity, but also the Knights and his
grandfather.[14] Sidious was aware of Ren's decision to rebuild his
helmet and the reasons for it; while he also observed the improved
condition of the new helmet, he lamented that the same could not be said
of its wearer, whose conflict prevented him from realizing his full
potential in the dark side of the Force.[8]
As before, the helmet
was a symbol of his status as a Knight of Ren.[2] In addition, it
symbolized his leadership over the Knights[14] as well as the First
Order,[16] having taken the title of Supreme Leader after his master's
death.[2] Ren noted how the helmet looked more intimidating than before,
with visible red cracks over the silver inlay and the mouth plate.[15]
First Order stormtroopers and officers flinched away when their masked
leader was nearby, and Ren could sense General Hux's unease about his
appearance through the Force.[14]
History
A child in a mask
"I said leave it! You cannot hide behind a mask here. You cannot pretend to be Vader in this place."
―Snoke, to Kylo Ren[17]
As a Knight of Ren, Kylo Ren wore a mask that inspired fear in the tradition of his grandfather, Darth Vader.
During
the rise of the First Order,[7] Supreme Leader Snoke began training the
fallen Jedi Ben Solo in the ways of the dark side of the Force.
Adopting the persona of Kylo Ren,[9] Snoke's new apprentice took to
regularly wearing a battle helmet that concealed his former identity[1]
as he sought to follow in the example of his grandfather, Darth
Vader,[5] who also wore a mask during his time as a Dark Lord of the
Sith.[18] Yet his efforts to emulate Vader in appearance did not meet
with his master's approval. Snoke especially disdained the mask and how
Ren used it to hide his inner conflict,[17] which he wished his
apprentice would overcome.[13] At one point, Snoke brought Ren to
Dagobah and ordered him to leave the mask on the shuttle. When Ren
hesitated to comply, the Supreme Leader backhanded him across the face,
causing Ren to drop the helmet, which Snoke pointed to while telling him
that he had to stop pretending to be like Vader.[17]
Hiding behind a mask
"Vader wore his mask because he couldn't breathe without it. But
you…you just dress-up to hide the faces of your rebel scum parents—"
―Armitage Hux, to Kylo Ren[12]
Ren contemplated killing General Hux for mocking his helmet.
Kylo
Ren and General Armitage Hux were stranded together on a planet after
surviving an explosion on their Xi-class light shuttle. An argument
ensued between the two rivals over which of them was the intended target
of an assassination plot. Relying on Snoke's patronage as a deterrent
to Ren's wrath, Hux voiced his personal thoughts on Ren's helmet,
revealing his belief that the dark side warrior wore it as a disguise
due to his Rebel heritage. He also accused Ren of playing "dress-up" to
imitate Vader in appearance. Ren responded by threatening to kill Hux
with his lightsaber, but the general reminded the dark apprentice of
Snoke's support for his career, forcing Ren to spare Hux's life.[12]
The
local norwoods attacked Ren and Hux as they argued, causing the general
to run for his life while Ren stood his ground against the creatures.
During the fight, Ren was hit by one of the norwoods; the attack caught
Ren by surprise, unmasking and rendering him unconscious. Bylsma, an
Alderaan guard who was stranded on the planet during the Galactic Civil
War, approached the unconscious Ren, revealing himself as the norwoods'
handler. Hux, having deduced the Alderaanian soldier's origins from his
uniform, saw an opportunity to gain Bylsma's trust by using Ren's
heritage as an advantage. He revealed to the old soldier that Ren was in
fact Ben Solo, the son of Princess Leia Organa and adoptive grandson of
Senator Bail Prestor Organa. Bylsma saw the resemblance between Ren and
his mother while inspecting the unconscious warrior's unmasked face.
Bylsma's loyalty to the royal House of Organa compelled him to help Ren,
whom Hux referred to as a "son of Alderaan."[12]
A son's face
"Take off that mask. You don't need it."
"What do you think you'll see if I do?"
"The face of my son."
―Han Solo and Kylo Ren[5]
Ren allowed his father to see the face of his son one last time before killing him.
In
the year 34 ABY,[19] Ren captured a Jakku scavenger named Rey during
the hunt for Luke Skywalker, and brought her to Starkiller Base for
interrogation. He removed his helmet after Rey called him "a creature in
a mask,"[5] revealing the face of Ben Solo behind the mask's
theatrics.[16] The scavenger was surprised to discover that Ren was, in
fact, a young human male.[20] Ren donned his helmet once more after Rey
escaped from her cell, but removed it again at the request of his
father, Han Solo, who confronted his son in the hope of turning him back
to the light side of the Force. Despite Ren's initial cooperation,
dropping the helmet and offering his lightsaber to Solo, he ultimately
killed his father[5] in order to ascend as a dark side apprentice.[21]
Destroyed
"Take that ridiculous thing off."
―Snoke, ordering Kylo Ren to remove his helmet[7]
Ren's helmet masked his physical and emotional scars that he sustained during the Battle of Starkiller Base.
Committing
patricide did not strengthen Ren's connection to the dark side,
however. According to Snoke,[13] the act weakened him[9] and contributed
to his defeat in a lightsaber duel with Rey, an inexperienced girl who
was unfamiliar with the art of lightsaber combat.[13] Ren continued to
wear his helmet until he reported to Snoke's throne room on the
Supremacy.[7] Snoke reproached Ren after initially praising him, having
once believed that his apprentice had the potential of becoming a worthy
heir of Darth Vader because of the raw and untamed power that Ren
inherited through his bloodline. Ren complied with Snoke's order to
remove his helmet, his scarred face betraying emotional turmoil that he
felt as a result of killing his father.[13]
Snoke, having long
known of his apprentice's goal to fulfill Vader's legacy, regarded the
helmet as a "ridiculous" object worn by a "child" who possessed more
petulance than strength.[13] To Ren's master, he was too much like his
father, Han Solo, and was nothing more than a "child in a mask" and an
unworthy successor to Vader.[7] Unbeknownst to Ren, it was through Snoke
that Darth Sidious forced him to confront his past in order to overcome
his insecurities, which was seen by Sidious as the obstacle to Ren's
progress as a wielder of the dark side.[8]
Ren destroyed his helmet in a fit of rage after Snoke derided him as "a child in a mask."
Ren
struggled to control his anger as he left the throne room. However,
once he was alone in a turbolift, cradling the helmet in his hands, Ren
was overcome with unrestrained fury. He smashed his mask against the
wall; the Force grew increasingly powerful within him, giving Ren the
strength to break the mask until all that remained were twisted
fragments of silver and black metal. Seething with rage,[13] he
endeavored to regain his status[11] by proving his worth to Snoke.[9]
Unbeknownst to Ren, Snoke had stoked his apprentice's anger as part of
his efforts to draw Rey into a trap by taking advantage of the
Force-bond between her and Ren.[13]
Broken and reforged
"I have your word?"
"It will be stronger than before."
―Kylo Ren and Albrekh[14]
After confronting Darth Sidious on Exegol, Ren decided that the time had come to rebuild his helmet.
Following
the assassination of Snoke, the self-appointed Supreme Leader Kylo Ren
retrieved the shattered remnants of his helmet from the wreckage of the
Supremacy.[2] Despite killing his master[8] in Sith tradition[21] and
seizing control of the First Order, Ren ultimately redonned his mask,
believing that he could now wear it on his own terms.[8] By then, Ren
had grown accustomed to being seen without his helmet; prior to its
reconstruction, he observed that people were more afraid of him when
they saw his scarred face, which, in his view, reflected his sense of
cruelty and the reality of his power.[15] Nevertheless, the helmet
marked his status not only as a member of the Knights of Ren, but also
as their master.[14] With the First Order under his control, its rebuilt
version would serve as a symbol of his reign as the new Supreme
Leader.[16]
Ren's helmet was reconstructed[6] in 35 ABY,[4]
during the last days of the First Order-Resistance War.[6] Until then,
he had ruled over the First Order without either the Knights of Ren or
his helmet. However, having formed a pact with the reborn Emperor, Darth
Sidious, Ren summoned the Knights to his side, knowing that he would
need their help with tracking the Jedi apprentice Rey.[14] Through the
Force, Ren sensed the confusion in his Knights when they saw their
leader without his helmet.[15] Nevertheless, the Knights confirmed that
the results of his trial remained in effect and therefore acknowledged
Ren as their rightful leader, notwithstanding his unmasked appearance
which Ren intended to rectify.[14]
The Knights of Ren and their master witnessed the helmet's reconstruction through the skilled metalwork of Albrekh.
The
shattered fragments of his helmet were given to Albrekh, a Symeong
metalsmith with close ties to the Knights of Ren.[2] At first, Ren
doubted that even Albrekh's skills could repair the damage to his mask,
but his concerns were allayed as he witnessed the Symeong's work. Using
his knowledge of Sith alchemy and access to a Sith forge,[14] Albrekh
painstakingly reconnected the helmet's pieces, using Sarrassian iron to
weld them together.[2]
Ren was entranced by the process of his
helmet's reconstruction. He was fascinated by all forms of power,
including extreme competence which he found Albrekh to possess. Albrekh
had promised that the new helmet would be far stronger than the original
version; Ren inspected the helmet upon its completion, noting the red
latticework that fused its shards together, and doubted as to whether he
would be able to break it again.[14] The reforged helmet reminded him
of the helm worn by Vader as well as their different reasons for
covering their faces. Whereas Ren had the choice of wearing his mask or
discarding it, Vader wore his out of necessity.[15] The Knights of Ren
raised their weapons in salute as their master placed his new mask over
his face.[14] In that moment, Ren resolved to fulfill his grandfather's
legacy by succeeding him as the Dark Lord of the Sith.[15]
The masked ruler
Kylo Ren: "I sense unease about my appearance, General Hux."
Armitage Hux: "About the mask? No, sir. Well done."
Bellava Parnadee: "I like it."
―Kylo Ren, Armitage Hux, and Bellava Parnadee[6]
The restored mask of Kylo Ren marked his reign as the new Supreme Leader of the First Order.
Kylo
Ren appeared as a helmeted figure while wearing his reforged mask.[14]
After re-donning his helmet, he returned to his flagship, the
Resurgent-class Star Destroyer Steadfast. Accompanied by his[6] personal
bodyguards,[2] the Knights of Ren, the group of masked warriors,
including Ren, inspired fear and respect in the Star Destroyer's crew.
The Steadfast's commanding officer, Admiral Frantis Griss, awaited Ren's
arrival in the detention area where an Ovissian prisoner, Boolio, was
detained after being captured on the Sinta Glacier Colony. Ren did not
sense any trace of fear in Boolio, unlike the stormtroopers and First
Order officers he encountered upon his return to the Steadfast. Boolio
defiantly looked into the Supreme Leader's masked face as Ren executed
him for treason, decapitating the Ovissian with his lightsaber.[15]
Ren
took Boolio's severed head to a boardroom where the Supreme Council was
in session, placing it on the conference table. General Hux focused his
attention on Ren's mask to avoid looking at the alien's head. Ren
sensed the general's anxiety about his appearance, but Hux denied it and
commended Ren for the helmet's reconstruction. General Bellava Parnadee
concurred with Hux, stating that she liked the Supreme Leader's
mask.[14]
Annoyed by the Supreme Leader's long hair, General Hux was glad to see the return of Ren's mask.
In
fact, Hux was glad that Ren wore his mask again; although as a
principle he generally distrusted people who wore masks, Hux secretly
disapproved of Ren's hairstyle which did not conform to the First
Order's regulations on hair length. Convinced that an effective leader
ruled by example, Hux felt that Ren's long hair was an "indignant
assault" on his office as Supreme Leader. Hux's disapproval was such
that he came to see it as a reminder of everything that he hated about
Ren whom he saw lacking in discipline and military bearing. Hux vowed
that if he replaced Ren as Supreme Leader, his first act would be to
force his predecessor to "cut off his hair."[14]
Haunted beneath the mask of fear
"I see through the cracks in your mask. You're haunted. You can't stop seeing what you did to your father."
―Rey, to Kylo Ren[7]
Rey regarded Ren's mask as a façade to hide the memory of his late father.
After
issuing orders to the Supreme Council, Ren resumed his search for the
scavenger who continued to "vex him."[2] As Ren reconnected with her
through their bond, Rey noted the new appearance of his mask,
particularly the red Sarrassian iron latticework.[14] Notwithstanding
the repairs made to it, the damage that the helmet retained reminded Rey
of Ren himself.[15] She dismissed Ren's use of it as a disguise for his
inability to forget his late father, Han Solo, whom he killed on
Starkiller Base. Before the connection ended, Ren moved closer to Rey
until he was looming over her, causing her to smell the molten iron of
his mask.[14]
Ren removed his mask in front of Rey to convince her that no trace remained of his former persona.
The
Supreme Leader confronted Rey on the desert planet Pasaana. Using the
Skywalker lightsaber, the Jedi apprentice disabled Kylo Ren's TIE
whisper. Though unharmed in the resulting crash of his starfighter, Ren
removed his helmet to breathe in fresh air. He then pursued Rey to the
planet Kijimi and, aboard his Star Destroyer, revealed their connection
as a dyad in the Force as well as Rey's lineage to her grandfather
Sidious. In a "gesture of vulnerability" and trust, Ren removed his
helmet to show his face to Rey, including the scar that she inflicted on
him.[14] He also wanted her to believe that he no longer considered
himself as Ben Solo "hiding in a mask." In his mind, he was only Kylo
Ren.[15]
The memory of Han Solo guided the First Order's masked leader back to the light, restoring the persona of Ben Solo.
Ren
resumed his pursuit of Rey after she escaped from the Steadfast,
rejecting his offer to take the Throne of the Sith by overthrowing her
grandfather. He traveled to the ocean-covered moon known as Kef Bir in
the Endor system, where he found Rey scavenging through the Death Star
ruins in search of the Emperor's wayfinder. Rey noted his maskless
appearance; for reasons unclear to her, she knew that Ren "would never
wear the mask for her again."[14] In the aftermath of their final duel,
Ren was confronted by his last memory of Han Solo,[6] which manifested
vision through the Force. The death and forgiveness of his father,
combined with his conscience and his connection to Rey, ultimately
pulled Ren back to the light side as Ben Solo.[9]
Behind the scenes
Several helmet designs were created for the "Jedi Killer," the character who became Kylo Ren.
Kylo
Ren's helmet was introduced in the 2015 sequel trilogy film Star Wars:
Episode VII The Force Awakens, directed by J.J. Abrams.[5] It was
inspired by Kylo's insecurities, and he wore it as an intimidating
factor.[22] It was later destroyed in Rian Johnson's 2017 film Star
Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi.[7] Johnson regarded the decision to
lose Ren's mask for The Last Jedi as somewhat "terrifying," as the
helmet was the symbol of the movie on the packaging for merchandise of
The Force Awakens and had also proven popular as a Halloween costume
with children by the time The Last Jedi began filming. Despite this, and
his own love of the helmet, he considered it an important aspect of the
film to get inside Ren's character a little more and for viewers to be
able to look into his eyes.[23]
Though The Last Jedi film and
most of its literary adaptations showed Ren destroying his helmet by
smashing it against the wall of the turbolift aboard the Supremacy, the
film's storybook adaptation described Ren destroying his helmet by
crushing it beneath his feet.[24]
As Ren left his helmet on the
bridge in Starkiller Base after killing Han Solo, it is never explained
how Ren reacquired his helmet in The Last Jedi considering Starkiller
base exploded. When a fan asked Pablo Hidalgo on Twitter how Ren
reacquired his helmet, Hidalgo responded, "Perhaps a loyal stormtrooper
fetches it. Stuff does happen off-screen."[25]
In an interview
with SlashFilm.com, Star Wars costume designer Michael Kaplan revealed
that he was very surprised with the decision to destroy Kylo Ren's
helmet in The Last Jedi. He stated it took him and J.J. Abrams a while
to come up with the right mask for Kylo Ren in the first film. He went
on to say that to have it be the first thing to be taken away and
destroyed was very disappointing.[26]
The mask returned for the
2019 film Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker, where Ren donned a
repaired version with deep red lines running through it. Abrams
compared the fractured mask to Kintsugi, a Japanese ceramic art of
repairing broken pottery by dusting the lacquer used to glue the pieces
back together with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. It treats the
breakage of the piece as a part of its history, instead of something to
hide. The breaks in Ren's mask were meant to be a visual representation
of his fractured character. Instead of hiding him as it did before, the
mask tells his history, and his behavior is revealed.[27]
Tales of Villainy: Follow and Lead depicts Kylo Ren wearing his helmet between the events of Episode VIII and Episode IX.
In
the themed area Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland and Walt Disney
World, Kylo Ren appears as both a walkaround character in the land and
as an animatronic in its flagship attraction Rise of the Resistance. In
all of these instances, Ren has his helmet intact and wears it, despite
the events depicted in the land and its attractions taking place between
The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, after its destruction but
before its reconstruction.[source?] The story "Tales of Villainy: Follow
and Lead" from the second issue of the Star Wars Adventures series has a
similar issue, depicting Ren wearing the intact helmet[28] at around
the same time period" (starwars.fandom.com)