PHOTOS: Millennium Falcon Progress and New Buildings – Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge Update February 2019

UPDATED 2/25/19): In this latest Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge Construction Update for February 2019 we take a closer look at the latest updates for the most anticipated theme park land in history.  Every day new details are added to the full-sized Millennium Falcon, which is being built outside the Smugglers Run attraction.  

Every time we look down on Black Spire Outpost we thinks that it’s looking more and more like a real thriving city! The details Disney is putting into it are incredible which you’ll see in this post.

While we won’t go into all the details in this post, if you aren’t familiar with Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, then it’s a brand new land coming to Walt Disney World and Disneyland which will fully immerse guests into the Star Wars universe, transporting them to s small outpost on the outer rim of the galaxy called: Batuu.

Disney is putting everything into this project and so much of the company’s future theme park success is riding on Galaxy’s Edge, and they are pulling out all the stops to make it the most impressive theme park land yet!   Two attractions will be debut with Galaxy’s Edge, one based on the iconic spaceship the Millennium Falcon (Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run) and the other putting you right in the middle of a battle between the First Order and the Resistance (Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance).

There are also going to be 2 restaurants, both with entertainment components, numerous and uniquely styled shops, and so many other hidden areas to explore that Disney promises us it will feel like really going to another galaxy.

Since our last update in January we’ve seen a new behind the scenes video with the construction manager for Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge who explains just how the construction progress is going.

We also just found out that we’ll be getting a first look at the Cast Member Costumes for Galaxy’s Edge at a preview event in Disneyland next week.  There are even more details coming out there (maybe even an opening date), so keep on the lookout for that!

Thanks to @bioreconstruct over on Twitter, we are able to see the best aerial shots of Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge with an amazing birds-eye view of the land, looking at all the progress throughout Galaxy’s Edge.  Let’s dive right in and see what’s going on in our Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge construction update for February 2019:

If you’ve already read this post you can scroll down the post for the latest pictures…

Here’s an aerial shot of Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge in Disney’s Hollywood Studios:

You can really get a sense for the whole 14-acres and how big this land is.  Notice the plot of land under construction across the street for the Star Wars Hotel. Again this is really one of the first times looking at these aerial photos where the buildings are far enough along that it’s really starting to look like a real city forming underneath:

At the bottom of the picture you can see the various support structures for construction and cast members.  The black containers indicated by the yellow arrow are theming elements that will be put on things in Galaxy’s Edge including the Millennium Falcon:

Let’s look over at the entrance of Galaxy’s Edge where guests come in for the big reveal from the main Grand Avenue entrance.  The rock work surrounding the tunnel looks to be about done but more work along the berm on the left side of the picture still needs to be done.

When guests come in one of the big moments will be standing in from of the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance attraction.  Here there will be full-sized X-Wings greeting them and it will immediately put you in the feel of being in the Star Wars universe:

More buildings are being added along the border of Galaxy’s Edge here and we still don’t know what they are yet:

A close-up look at the entrance/exit area for the Rise of the Resistance attraction.  It looks like a maze of walls is being built around it, which will probably house the massive queue:

This shot is funny because it really helps you to see how much bigger. Galaxy’s Edge is than Toy Story Land:

In between the two attraction buildings you can see some of the amazing rockwork that construction workers are putting in to make Galaxy’s Edge feel real dn authentic:

In this photo notice how the rockwork hangs off the side of the building from and angle where no one will be able to see below it.

Disney has got incredibly good at making realistic mountains ever since creating Pandora a couple of years ago, and they are only getting better and better with each new project.

Here’s a shot of the above mountain but from the ground level.  No bottom in sight:

Let’s head over to the marketplace area in Black Spire Outpost to see where some of the coolest places in Galaxy’s Edge with lots of hidden secrets will be:

Again I love how much detail is going into the sides of these buildings even when 95% of guests will probably look right past:

They really are looking like weathered buildings that have taken a beating and it’s amazing to see them come together:

On the top of this building you can see a space shuttle parked on the roof on the right and the installation of the dome roof in the middle:

Another cool angle shows the dome at the bottom middle and a platform on top of the mountain in the background from an aerial shot:

Then the same buildings from the ground in Toy Story Land:

Now the domed roof has been completed:

Lastly let’s go over to check out the progress on the Millennium Falcon outside the Smuggler’s Run attraction:

In the above picture it looks like they are getting ready to pour concrete where the yellow arrow is.  Looks like a raised surface like a patio with stairs leading up to in and inside the building.

Here too you can see the huge spires are just rising high above the Falcon:

It will be an intimidating moment when you are walking underneath for the first time:

In the black containers are more of the siding details for the Millennium Falcon which continue to go on:

I’m curious to where the entrance and the exit to the attraction will be.  It looks like the door on the right of the Falcon will serve as one of them, probably the exit if I have to guess while the entrance will probably be on the left somewhere:

UPDATE 2/17/19 – More Details on Buildings and Millennium Falcon theming:

We’re now at the half-way point in the month and that means more Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge updates.  It amazes me that every time you look at it, it’s completely changing and becoming more and more alive.  Let’s take a look at all the new details at this point in February:

Aerial shot of Galaxy’s Edge showing the entire scope of the land:

If we go over to Grand Avenue, this is where guests are going to be lining up for hours upon hours, just to get into Galaxy’s Edge.  I hear Disney is working frantically on preparing the rest of Hollywood Studios for the crowds that will surely come later in 2019 when Galaxy’s Edge opens, and they are trying to figure out the queueing system outside the land and how they will keep people occupied while in line.

Another angle looking into Galaxy’s Edge from Grand Avenue.  Notice the tunnel at the bottom right of the picture:

The other side of the tunnel is at the top left of the next picture and will give guests a huge ‘reveal’ when walking into Galaxy’s Edge.  It will also put them out right in the area of one of the attractions: Star Wars Rise of the Resistance.

Again outside of the attraction it’s going to be interesting to see how Disney handles the crowds that will be queuing up.  Some of the queue however will go inside the rocks, which is really a concrete structure will rooms underneath:

The construction of the new building on the edge of the berm continues, though we don’t know exactly what it is yet.  Looks like the whole area behind it is being leveled though, perhaps we’ll get some kind of entertainment put in here:

A closer look at those buildings:

A little further down and we can see the entrance into Galaxy’s Edge from Toy Story Land:

This will primarily be used to let guests out of Galaxy’s Edge in the beginning, as it will be a one-way in, one-way out setup until the crowds die down a bit.  Here is another new building going up right near that entrance/exit:

I’m really impressed with Black Spire Outpost so far:

This is going to be the center of all the chaos in Galaxy’s Edge with tons of shops, alleys, and two restaurants:

Looks even cooler from straight above:

If you look closely the details are really taking shape on the tops of the buildings, and the rock work in the background too:

I think it’s going to be quite hard to navigate the crowds in here early on.  Part of the beauty of Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge are all these little winding streets and alleys, but it’s also going to make for a tight-fit when the crowds hit:

It fun to compare how the buildings are coming out now compared to the models Disney has built for them.  Here’s a look at one building in Black Spire Outpost:

and then its counterpart in the Galaxy’s Edge model:

A closer look inside shows quite the entrance into this building which is the marketplace. Oga’s Cantina:

The opposite side of the building and a nearby space shuttle which has landed on top of Docking Bay 7 the quick service restaurant in Galaxy’s Edge:

Again the comparison with the model:

Theming details are all around on every building and that’s definitely on display here.  I love the layers on the outside of the orange building, and the rock spires forming above Black Spire Outpost on the left:

Another cool thing is how different all the building look and as the same time weathered and authentic:

On the backside of Black Spire Outpost we find the Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run attraction:

And of course the Millennium Falcon parked right outside awaiting guests:

Even just from a couple weeks ago lots of progress has been made here and the shell is almost completely covering the Falcon:

A closer look at the bay door leading into/out of the attraction:

That’s all the updates for now, but we’ll be back later in February for more pictures!

UPDATE 2/25/19 – More Details on Buildings and Millennium Falcon theming:

This is the latest update for Galaxy’s Edge in February 2019. The details are starting to really shine with every passing week, it’s truly remarkable. I don’t have the same fear as I had after visiting Toy Story Land. I think Disney is really trying hard to make this amazing.

We start out with an aerial view of Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge:

Hard not to notice all those rock spires which are really ancient petrified trees that once stood on Batuu. We’ll look at them more but there is a lot of forced perspective going on here which adds another level of realism to the world.

Here we are on the Rise of the Resistance side of Galaxy’s Edge:

Again the main entrance to Galaxy’s Edge will be located here which comes in from Grand Avenue. Some arrows are indicating new features to this area which are starting to form:

Could the one on the right be this turret we saw a model of?

I think it’s very likely because you can see that it looks like an entrance to an attraction the way it’s set up. It even has what could be a MagicBand reader there on the right side. I’m guessing this is the entrance to Rise of the Resistance.

Changing the angles we get all sorts of cool stuff in here:

One we can see the tunnel being used as a construction prep area as they have a runner laid out on the ground when bringing materials into Galaxy’s Edge.

We also get a better look at what will become the queue for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance which is winding and turning in that area just in front of the rocks. It looks like the paths are forming and you will enter in the area with dirt barriers, then move inside the rock wall.

After that it looks like guests will come out on the right side where higher rock walls await them, before going back inside where they will probably be briefed on the upcoming mission awaiting them. This has me sooooo pumped!!

Another shot of the area, but from a different angle:

The area on the top of the photo continues to be cleared for whatever other buildings are going up there. My money is on some kind of show or entertainment.

Here you can see the Rise of the Resistance attraction now from another angle. Note the big covered overhang on the right:

This seems to confirm my suspicions that it’s going to be the exit. In fact when you look at it closer, there’s a rock wall right in front of it on the left, which will separate the queue from the exit and direct people back into Galaxy’s Edge:

We just found out that Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is going have a minimum height requirement, which means it will be more intense than your average Disney trackless ride! As if we couldn’t be any more excited for it! 🙂

Going up high again we see an aerial of Galaxy’s Edge and the location for the Star Wars Hotel on the left:

Now let’s go to the other side of the park and check out Black Spire Outpost:

Again lots of stuff going soon here and the details continue coming on the buildings:

This looks like it’s going to be a courtyard outside between those two buildings:

The outside of Oga’s Cantina is really impressive and shows how much detail there is going to be here. Zoom in on the top right of the orange building in this photo and look at all the crumbling bricks at the top of the building:

So insane!!

An overhead shot of the same building:

We all know about the spaceship parked on the roof up there, now we also notice some new theming details next to and underneath it:

The more lands Disney does with rockwork, the better they get at it. The next shot is an example of that:

At the top of the photo you have a petrified tree which had grown into and through the bottom of a rock ledge. Incredible!

Disney of course is famous for its use of forced perspective in its theme parks which make the buildings looks much bigger than they really are. Well they are definitely taking that same approach in Galaxy’s Edge. Just look at the rock spires against the building on the left:

From other areas in the park they are going to tower over everyone!

This next one is even better:

The arrow is pointing at a spire all the way in a non-guest area of Galaxy’s Edge. It’s going to add to the visuals and seem huge when viewing from inside the land.

Some dirt was added on the left since last time, but that’s not the most interesting thing in this photo. In the middle you can see a huge black rock spire rising over the building:

Since we are in “Black Spire” Outpost, would that be the famous spire the town gets its name from?

Another look at it in the middle bottom:

Yet again another rock spire which will seem bigger from down below:

This whole area is going to be so awesome, and I can’t wait to get in there are start exploring:

Lastly we get another look at the Millennium Falcon being put together outside the Smuggler’s Run attraction:

Almost the whole side of the mountain over the Falcon has been put up, again looking quite convincing to me from this point:

Those boxes are full of the last theming elements for the Millennium Falcon, and should be going on in the next days:

Some panels being installed on the wall behind the Falcon:

Well February was an exciting month for Galaxy’s Edge progress and we got to see a lot of changes in a short time. Who knows what we’ll see next month in March!

Disney still hasn’t given us an exact date for the opening yet, but they have dropped some clues for us that can help to answer the question: When is Galaxy’s Edge Opening?  We know it’s going to be Disneyland on May 31, 2019 and in Hollywood Studios on August 29, 2019, and that post goes into more depth in narrowing down the dates.

For more Galaxy’s Edge read our Disney’s Star Wars Land Guide for a detailed look at the attractions, dining, planning and touring strategies.

Our Disney World Construction page will keep you up-to-date on all the projects going on around Disney World as we continue to bring you the latest!

That’s it for now from Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, stay tuned the rest of the month and more for more updates.  

Other Disney World Construction Updates:

• TRON Roller Coaster Magic Kingdom (February 2019) – Foundation Installed for Attraction
• Disney Skyliner Update (May 2019) – Gondola Cable Cars Being Tested Unwrapped
• Guardians of the Galaxy Coaster Update (January 2019) – Attraction Building Closed-Up
• Epcot Forever Fireworks Show Update (January 2019) – New Work on World Showcase Lagoon for Illuminations Replacement Show

Your Thoughts:

I want to know what you think about the Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge Construction Update for February 2019…

• How excited are you for Galaxy’s Edge?
• Which part are you looking forward to most?

Let us know in the comments section below!

If you enjoyed this article, as always I appreciate it if you’d share it with others via social media.  I work hard at making this website into a useful resource for you and your family to plan your visit to the Disney Parks and I hope it can help you! Thanks 🙂

Photo Credit: @Bioreconstruct