Hi, Amanda! Or as they say on the planet Batuu, "Bright suns!" It is great to see you here at the Disney Parks Moms Panel.
The Force is strong with my family. As a family of Star Wars fans, we have always enjoyed visiting
Disney's Hollywood Studios to experience all of the
Star Wars offerings throughout the park. Now with the opening of
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, we can travel to a distant planet where we can live out our own Star Wars adventures!
A few years ago, guests visiting
Star Wars Launch Bay had the opportunity to encounter and interact with the Jawas. Often, if you presented one of the Jawas with some sort of small, shiny trinket, he might be willing to engage in some trading. My kids had the opportunity to trade with the Jawas at Star Wars Launch Bay once, and they still talk about how much fun the experience was. My family was a little disappointed to hear that the Jawas had hopped into their sandcrawler to head back to the deserts of Tatooine. So far, I have not heard any news about the Jawas returning to Star Wars Launch Bay or traveling to Batuu to trade in the market of Black Spire Outpost. I would recommend following the
Disney Parks Blog for all of the latest announcements regarding character appearances.
While you may not come into contact with any Jawas during your visit to Disney's Hollywood Studios, there are plenty of other opportunities to interact with some of your favorite Star Wars characters. Although character appearances are always subject to change, currently, guests can give in to the power of the Dark Side as they encounter
Darth Vader at Star Wars Launch Bay. If you prefer a friendlier visit, just follow the sound of those happy beeps to greet
BB-8. For me, no visit to Star Wars Launch Bay is complete until I get a hug from everyone's favorite wookie,
Chewbacca.
While there are no formal character meet and greets in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, you will likely encounter several familiar faces as you are exploring Black Spire Outpost. When Chewie is not visiting with guests at Star Wars Launch Bay, he often travels to Batuu to check on the
Millennium Falcon and to help Rey as she recruits new members of the
Resistance. However, if you are a Resistance supporter, be on the lookout! Kylo Ren and his First Order Storm Troopers have been known to interrogate visitors throughout Black Spire Outpost.
Wishing you a vacation of galactic proportions!
Samantha