- - The Original Star Wars Characters—Including Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader—Are Finally Coming to Disneyland

Meghann FoyeJanuary 15, 2026 at 7:10 AM

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Disney

Your favorite Star Wars characters are no longer in a galaxy far, far away—they’re coming to Disneyland.

And not in a vague, someday, maybe kind of way. Starting April 29, 2026, the original Star Wars heroes and villains are officially arriving at Disneyland—including Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo and Chewbacca.

The updates are rolling into Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the immersive Star Wars land inside Disneyland that opened in 2019. If you haven’t been in a while, Galaxy’s Edge is basically a Star Wars planet brought to life—set on Batuu, a remote outpost filled with starships, marketplaces, rides and characters wandering freely through the land.

Until now, Galaxy’s Edge has mostly lived in the newer Star Wars timeline. That’s about to change in a big way.

Disney is expanding the story so Batuu can exist across multiple eras of Star Wars, which means characters from the original trilogy will now appear alongside newer favorites. Translation: you’re no longer visiting one chapter of Star Wars—you’re walking into the whole saga.

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Here’s what that looks like on the ground. Darth Vader will patrol Batuu alongside Imperial Stormtroopers, actively searching for Luke Skywalker. Luke himself will roam the outpost, drawn to the Force and artifacts tied to lightsabers and kyber crystals. Leia may be spotted near the Millennium Falcon, recruiting help to keep Luke safe. Han Solo will linger around his beloved ship, occasionally tempted by the local cantina. And yes—Chewbacca is coming, too.

They’ll join familiar faces already appearing in the land, including Ahsoka Tano, The Mandalorianand Grogu, Rey and R2-D2. It’s less “scheduled meet-and-greet” and more “you just turned a corner and ran into a legend.”

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And if that wasn’t enough, Disney is also dialing up the vibes. Music from John Williams’ original Star Wars scores will now play throughout the land, including iconic themes like “The Imperial March,” the Force theme and the original Star Wars main title. Even shops and props will subtly shift to reflect different moments in galactic history.

The result? Galaxy’s Edge is becoming what fans always hoped it would be: a living, walk-through Star Wars universe where generations of characters—and fans—finally overlap.

Whether you’re Team Light Side or Dark Side, this is one Disneyland update that’s about as epic as it gets.

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Source:

Disney Parks Blog

This story was originally published by Parade on Jan 15, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”