Disneyland’s upcoming Star Wars change has sparked some major discussions as Galaxy’s Edge prepares to expand with various original trilogy characters/elements. After all, the Star Wars-themed land has been firmly locked into a single canonical day during the sequel trilogy since its opening.

However, this upcoming evolution isn't coming out of nowhere. In truth, Lucasfilm has laid the groundwork for this exciting change well before the opening of Galaxy’s Edge in 2019, as the planet of Batuu has been woven into multiple eras of the official Star Wars canon from the beginning.

Original Trilogy Characters Have Been Connected To Galaxy's Edge Since The Beginning

Galaxy’s Edge expanding to include original trilogy characters is far more canon-friendly than it might seem. A year before the land opened in both Disneyland and Walt Disney World, Timothy Zahn's novel Thrawn: Alliances saw Anakin Skywalker and Thrawn's first meeting on Batuu during the Clone Wars, and then again after Anakin became Darth Vader during the Dark Times ahead of the original trilogy.

To that end, blaster marks on the walls of Oga's Cantina canonically came from a confrontation Vader and Thrawn had with a group known as the Darshi.

Additionally, Marvel published a canonical Han Solo comic which revealed that Han and Chewbacca delivered the juvenile Sarlacc now housed in Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities. Combined with numerous other references tied to multiple periods of the Star Wars timeline, Batuu has only ever been exclusive to the sequel trilogy within the parks itself.

Even then, Galaxy's Edge has been bending the rules in recent years with New Republic characters walking around the Star Wars-themed land including Luke Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Boba Fett, Fennec Sand, and even Din Djarin with Grogu.

All things considered, the upcoming shift feels more like an expansion of the timeline rather than fully breaking canon. Case in point, we know that Leia Organa and Han Solo will be receiving more New Republic-inspired outfits seen in comics and other media beyond the movies.

It's also been reported that minor land redesigns will also keep Batuu visually consistent with the original trilogy era, particularly in the era where Darth Vader and original trilogy-style stormtroopers can be found. Rather than changing everything, Disneyland is simply widening the window, allowing multiple points in Star Wars history to coexist simultaneously.

New Star Wars Stories Will Expand Galaxy's Edge Even Further

Beyond the connections that already exist, April will also see the release of Echoes of the Empire, a new limited comic series that will further cement the original trilogy characters on Batuu, expanding their canonical presence in the land even further.

Overall, Galaxy's Edge hosting multiple eras is a genius idea that arguably should have been implemented much earlier. By layering in additional periods, the land can feel even more alive, immersive, and flexible for different kinds of Star Wars fans.

The new changes to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge are scheduled to arrive at Disneyland at the end of April.