Disney’s Millennium Falcon ride: Which storyline will you choose?

As new details emerge about the Millennium Falcon Ride at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, one big question looms, which storyline will be part of your ride experience?

In less than a year, the Millennium Falcon Ride will open its doors to legions of fans. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland will open next spring followed by the Disney World/Hollywood Studios location in the fall. While fans know that Galaxy’s Edge will be a fully immersive theme park experience, a few more details are emerging about the big Millennium Falcon Ride. Based on these new details, it looks like fans will have to line up again and again to experience it all.

Previously announced in a Solo: A Star Wars Story Blu-ray extra, the flagship ride of Galaxy’s Edge will feature a six-person ride experience. Each person will have a specific job/task on the ride. The mission will come from Hondo Ohnaka, a galactic pirate. Crews who successfully complete the mission will receive rewards, while unsuccessful missions could face a bounty on their head.

The outcome issue of the ride could be interesting. It is unclear how these rewards or bounties could be awarded. At Hollywood Studios, these items could be loaded automatically on MagicBands. My guess is that it would be a similar situation like photos linking to your MagicBands. Since Disneyland doesn’t have MagicBands, the concept in California might be different.

Black Spire Outpost is the name of the village inside of the upcoming Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at both Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. The village is closely associated with the geological formations that surround it. As the largest settlement on the planet Batuu, Black Spire Outpost is an infamous stop for traders, adventurers, and smugglers traveling around the Outer Rim and Wild Space. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will open at Disneyland Resort in summer 2019 and at Walt Disney World Resort in late fall 2019. (Disney)

Giving riders a reward or punishment could greatly impact fans’ experience in Galaxy’s Edge. Since Galaxy’s Edge is a totally different land, could these rewards help to purchase food or gifts? Maybe these items help to unlock special experiences? Hopefully, more details will unfold soon.

While these details are interesting, a new development could have Star Wars fans going back time and again to ride this experience. According to several reports, the Millennium Falcon Ride will have three story scenarios. Each one sounds completely different.

The three scenarios appear to be: Hondo has the crew tackle a race on Corellia, Hondo sends the crew to the First Order Shipyard, or the crew must steal a piece of cargo that is guarded by a giant monster. Based on these short snippets, it isn’t clear if one scenario will be harder than another or if one will be more thrilling than another. Personally, I would choose the race scenario, but losing the Millennium Falcon in a race could have dire consequences.

This concept isn’t necessarily new to Star Wars rides. The current Star Tours Ride at Hollywood Studios randomly generates the storyline. There are several versions. Riders don’t know the particular storyline prior to riding. I haven’t seen a pattern or hint on how to figure out which story will be shown on a particular date or time.

With the idea that there will be three random storylines, the question becomes how many times will fans stand in the queue to experience all three. Since the experience is random, it could take forever. Given the expected lines and waits, fans could be spending weeks in Galaxy’s Edge trying to experience all three storylines.

Additionally, if a reward comes from a successful mission, will that situation cause infighting amongst guests? While the majority of people who visit Galaxy’s Edge will be Star Wars fans, not everyone is good at rides or games. With over 200 workable buttons in this ride, it could take a substantial learning curve to succeed. Again, could super fans start publishing tips and tricks to achieve a better outcome?

Thinking about Disney’s most exciting ride, the Avatar Flight of Passage Banshee ride in Pandora at Animal Kingdom, that experience is quite exhilarating. But, the queue for the always long wait is extremely boring. The tight passageways and repetitive videos get boring after a while. According to some reports, this new Star Wars ride could have a real live actor in the queue.

While the beginning part of the queue will probably be a long, winding line, the live actor portion could make the excitement build. Additionally, the actor could make the experience slightly different each time. The Fast and Furious Ride at Universal successfully uses live actors in its queue, and it makes the experience more immersive. Immersive queues are becoming more common and are more enjoyable for theme park guests.

Since Galaxy’s Edge is such an impressive undertaking, it makes sense that Disney will be adding numerous special experiences to the new land. Rumors are circulating that an upcoming television commercial will share details on early entry. While on-site hotels and sometimes annual pass holders gain Extra Magic Hours, Galaxy’s Edge will be a huge draw and early admission will be at a premium. It wouldn’t be surprising if an additional fee could be charged for premium access to this area of the theme park.

As the countdown to the Galaxy’s Edge opening begins, more and more details will continue to emerge. Diehard Star Wars fans will be prepared for the long lines and waits. Hopefully, the area doesn’t hit capacity too quickly, and the doors to this outpost aren’t shut early in the day.

Would you want to be one of the first fans to ride the Millennium Falcon Ride? Or, will you wait long enough for the crowds to die down?