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A Cracks in the Force: Star Wars Suffers First Major Product Failure in 40 Years

May the pasta be with you

A Cracks in the Force: Star Wars Suffers First Major Product Failure in 40 Years
Randy Meeks

Randy Meeks

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It is a fact that ‘Star Wars’, in recent times, is a saga that doesn’t generate as much excitement as before. The oversaturation of series, comics, novels, and video games has transformed the franchise into something very different from the once-in-a-lifetime event it used to be. Now, each new announcement of the saga is met with more of a routine grumble from fans rather than the exuberance of the past. And as definitive proof, the first major product in over forty years fails in a… galactic way. On a smaller scale, we have thousands of examples. Someday we will delve into it when the Force is with us.

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Laser Hotel

With the acquisition of Lucasfilm, Disney aimed to maximize the profitability of George Lucas’ galactic saga: a new trilogy, standalone films, series on Disney+, an official expanded universe, and even an unofficial one. And of course, the opportunity to be part of their theme parks, which they wouldn’t miss. After all, it’s Disney. It worked well for them: for example, ‘Rise of the Resistance’ is a beloved roller coaster among visitors at Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studio, proving that if done right, the saga was still far from tiring its fans.

With this enthusiasm, Disney built a two-story hotel where guests would experience a personalized adventure for two days in the galactic universe. Its construction took five years… but it will remain open for only one and a half years. Despite the exciting adventures promised in the ‘Galactic Staircruiser,’ as the invention is called, not everyone is willing to pay $1,200 per person per night to stay inside a closed facility with no windows for an even more immersive experience.

In the end, ‘Galactic Staircruiser’ demanded a lot – too much – from fans: squeezing into costumes, interacting with Stormtroopers, creating their own storylines, and getting as little sleep as possible to try to make the most of an experience that, we can tell you in advance, is nowhere near worth the $1,200 it costs. Windows to space, droids, and aliens that interact with you transport you to the ‘Star Wars’ universe. Sounds good, of course… but if it were a thousand dollars cheaper. To put things into perspective, $1,200 is what you can spend on a week’s vacation in some European and Asian countries. It doesn’t justify the price, no matter how much glitz and glamour it offers.

Guests can accept missions, choose sides, meet in various locations, and imagine all kinds of plans… But no matter how immersive it may be, no one wants to spend a fortune to stay inside a hotel when they visit Disney World. And without specific data, it can be inferred that it has been such a failure that they haven’t even tried to revive it by lowering the prices: there will be one last trip at the end of September, so if you were waiting for an opportunity, now is the time to go.

Do you not have an extra 1200 euros, plus travel expenses and admission to Disney World if you want to skip the hotel, and another 1200 if you’re traveling alone because they charge for a double room? Even though those who have gone are passionate about it, you’re going to need more than just using the Force to enjoy it without constantly reminding yourself that you’re paying a fortune for an experience that, on top of that, has been a resounding stellar failure.

Randy Meeks

Randy Meeks

Editor specializing in pop culture who writes for websites, magazines, books, social networks, scripts, notebooks and napkins if there are no other places to write for you.

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