**spoiler alert** This is the comic book series that was released with the opening of Galaxy’s Edge, the newest land in Disneyland and Walt Disney Wor**spoiler alert** This is the comic book series that was released with the opening of Galaxy’s Edge, the newest land in Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Unlike the two novels, A Crash of Fates and The Black Spire, this tale features Dok-Ondar, a principal new character in the theme parks, more prominently.
Each of the five issues features a scoundrel character - Han Solo, Greedo, Hondo Onaka, and Doctor Aphra. The stories also feature objects that presumably exist in Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities at the Disney Parks: a baby Sarlacc, a Jedi crystal statue from Jedda, and a Sith weapon - the Sword of Khashyun.
These were fun stories and one suggests a mini-prequel for Greedo of sorts. ...more
There are only a few books that I would cite as being life altering. This book (or more specifically the year 2000 edition) is one of them. The UnoffiThere are only a few books that I would cite as being life altering. This book (or more specifically the year 2000 edition) is one of them. The Unofficial Guide is unlike any other travel book I have read. Bob Sehlinger applied his business knowledge on operations research to formulate optimal touring plans to avoid waiting in long lines.
What is operations research? Well, consider the classic Dumbo ride - the one that spins around in a circle with the riders controlling going high or low. The line may not look long, but consider that the ride must stop, riders off-loaded, and new riders on-loaded before the ride can start again. The ride only operates one out of these three stages.
Contrast this with the Haunted Mansion, which is a continuous loader where passengers ride in their own Doombuggie. They are on-loaded and off-loaded without stopping the ride. So even if the lines look longer, the cycle time is much quicker.
Now consider where these attractions are in relation to each other. An attraction located near a theater will be subject to massive spikes in lines every time time theater discharges guests.
Factoring in all these considerations, Sehlinger crafted several touring plans - for adults, for families with young children, and the infamous Dumbo-or-Die plan.
Things have changed at Disney over the intervening years. Most notably was the arrival of FastPass and its various iterations. We are planning a two day trip to the parks as they start to open up after the COVID-19 pandemic had shutdown most of the world. There will be no parades, no fireworks, no shows, and no FastPass (all the queues will be used to aid with social distancing). We are back to old school touring techniques - and so I decided to pick up the latest edition...20 years after my first reading.
Much of the core content is the same - as I would have hoped. Great info on all the hotels (both on property and off property), every attractions, and loads of tips and tricks. Probably the biggest tip for me was learning they have a website and app called touringplans.com. It costs about $17 for a one year subscription, which is not a bad deal.
You may wonder why you should pay this when Disney gives you a free app that tells you the wait times for all attractions. Well, consider these wait times are intentionally longer than reality. This is to manage guest expectations. You want people to be happy that their wait time wasn’t as bad as it was advertised. The Touring Plans app, on the other hand, gives you accurate and real-time updates of waiting times, projected waiting times, and suggestions as to whether ride it is of wait until later.
So why was this book life altering? I hadn’t really encountered Operations Research (OR) prior to reading this book. The practical application was so clear to me that I have been applying OR principles in so many domains ever since.
We have our touring plan mapped out and I am anxious to give the app a try. If you are planning a trip to Disney, whether it is your first time or fiftieth time, you MUST buy this book!...more
This book is both a sequel to Dawson’s Phasma novel and also a background story to the new Galaxy’s Edge land at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. TheThis book is both a sequel to Dawson’s Phasma novel and also a background story to the new Galaxy’s Edge land at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. The story is set around the Black Spire Outpost (BSO) and surrounding settlements. It explains why there is a Resistance outpost at the edge of the land and also why Kylo Ren is present - searching for the Resistance spy Vi Moradi.
I’ve heard that there is a cast member who plays Vi in this new land, but with declining frequency. I imagine this is because most people don’t know who she is, since she has only appeared in two novels.
As someone who isn’t supposedly one of the greatest spies for the Resistance, I had to roll my eyes sometimes. She is walks around the BSO wearing a jacket with the Resistance logo and is surprised when her cover is blown. So she buys a pretty scarf to cover it up and apparently nicely matches the color of her eyes. *facepalm*
Her principle skill is enduring torture and surviving being beaten half to death in fights. This plot device was interesting when used in Phasma. But having the same plot device here for the same character is a little disturbing and makes me wonder about the author.
Anyway, it is an interesting and adequate Star Wars take. It provides more of the main plot to Galaxy’s Edge than the sister novel, A Crash of Fate, but it is not quite as good. ...more
This book is part of the official tie-in material to the new Star Wars land in Disneyland and Walt Disney World - Galaxy's Edge. I found the eBook freThis book is part of the official tie-in material to the new Star Wars land in Disneyland and Walt Disney World - Galaxy's Edge. I found the eBook free on sale on Amazon early this year and decided to get it in case I ever found myself planning a trip to Disney's Hollywood Studios where Galaxy's Edge is built.
Knowing this, one knows that the author was given certain guardrails - tell a Star Wars story about the planet Batuu and the Black Spire Outpost while mentioning as many of the characters, shops, food, and drinks from the park attractions as you can. Considering these constraints, Cordova did an admirable job.
The story is essentially a romance with some action blended in. It reads almost like a Hallmark movie. Two of the major settings is in Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities and Oga's Cantina, which happen to be the two major non-ride attractions at Galaxy's Edge. Docking Bay 7 Food & Cargo is another spot the main protagonists visit. Bubo Wampa's Milk Stand, where, IRL, you can buy blue and green milk drinks also gets a mention.
Here is a brief description of Dok-Ondar's shop:
For a child, it was like a cavern filled with treasure and wondrous things from every reach of the galaxy. Everything from metal reliquaries to the supposed bones of Jedi to crown jewels of destroyed worlds to a dianoga in a tank. But the thing that had sent Jules running was the taxidermic wampa. Back then he’d been positive the beast was alive. Even as an adult setting off into the world, he could have sworn the creature’s eyes followed him as he strode farther into the shop.
Dok-Ondar is an Ithorian (what we Original Trilogy generation kids called "Hammerhead") who is over 200 years old at the time of this story (shortly after the events of Episode VII: The Force Awakens). So, this gives Disney plenty of room on the Star Wars timeline to tell stories of the Black Spire Outpost.
[image]
Hammerhead chilling in Mos Eisley Cantina
In terms of food, fried tip-yip is mentioned a few times. However, I just learned that Disney has abandoned the exotic names of the foods served at Docking Bay 7. I suspect this was due to the confusion, and perhaps revulsion, of guests who were trying to decipher what the food *really* was. So, as a nomenclature memorial, here is a list of what the names used to be:
* Smoked Kaduu Ribs - pork ribs, blueberry corn muffin, cabbage slaw
* Fried Endorian Tip Yip - crispy chicken, roasted vegetable potato mash, herb gravy
* Roasted Endorian Tip Yip Salad - marinated chicken, mixed greens, roasted vegetables, quinoa, pumpkin seeds, green curry ranch
* Felucian Garden Spread - plant-based kefta, herb hummus, tomato-cucumber relish, pita bread
* Yobshrimp Noodle Salad - chilled shrimp, marinated noodles, vegetables
* Braised Shaak Roast - beef pot roast, pasta, wilted kale, mushrooms
* A Taste of Takodana - veggie dippers with black bean hummus
* Ithorian Pasta - pasta with Impossible meat marinara
The drinks, on the other hand, are mentioned through out the story such as Carbon Freeze and Bespin Fizz. But I had to smile that near the end of the novel, the characters celebrate this way:
The Fuzzy Tauntaun was one of the most expensive available, dusted with the golden lichen that shimmered like the night sky.
The Fuzzy Tauntaun at WDW is basically a fuzzy navel with a foam somehow made out of Pop Rocks candy. It currently costs $15 and actually is not the most expensive drink on the menu - that's Disney for ya.
Hondo Ohnaka and his business enterprise is mentioned several times, although he does not actually appear in the story himself. I think this is a tie-in to the Smuggler's Run ride in the park.
I haven't talked much about the story itself. It is an entertaining tale and aside from a few stretches in the plot, it is a good story. But don't look for any galaxy-shaking events to take place here....more
My third read in the Disney Kingdoms graphic novel series. This one is based on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad attraction at Disneyland and the MagMy third read in the Disney Kingdoms graphic novel series. This one is based on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad attraction at Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom. The artwork is great with a strong leading lady, yet the story underwhelmed me. While it did blend some of the aspects of the attraction, it really wasn’t distinctive. It was more of your standard Wild West tale. Figment still tops my list in the Disney Kingdoms series....more
This story was a lot of fun. It captured the essence of the original ride that I fell in love with as a kid back in the mid-80s. I really enjoyed the This story was a lot of fun. It captured the essence of the original ride that I fell in love with as a kid back in the mid-80s. I really enjoyed the steampunk-ish nature of it as well. If you haven’t tried the Disney Kingdoms series yet, this is a great place to start!...more
This graphic novel takes the original drawings and concept ideas when the Imagineers were developing the Haunted Mansion attraction for Disneyland. I This graphic novel takes the original drawings and concept ideas when the Imagineers were developing the Haunted Mansion attraction for Disneyland. I was familiar with some of the art work and the original idea of having the Disneyland attraction to be a walk through attraction of the Museum of the Weird. The writers were quite creative with fashioning a story inspired from these ideas. ...more
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