Big Shiny Robot: Requiem for the Galactic Starcruiser 

• Bryan Young

The first time I set foot inside the queue for Star Tours at Disneyland, it was January of 1987. I was six, and thought I'd walked right into a galaxy far, far away. The sights and the sounds were overwhelming; I was beyond giddy. There were Artoo and Threepio! How could things get better than this?

When Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012, I figured they'd have special Star Wars things planned for their theme parks—and they did. Galaxy's Edge opened at Disneyland in May 2019, and I was invited to a press preview where the feelings of my six-year-old self returned. The immersion was so much better than anything in the queue at Star Tours. I didn't just go to a room in Star Wars; I was in an entire city. Standing there, as a 39-year-old man, I was transformed with awe and wonder. I thought it couldn't get better than that.

There was, however, still one more ace up Disney's sleeve: The Galactic Starcruiser, a ship named the Halcyon.

As the project developed, there were lots of rumors and misinformation about what it would be. Would it just be "the Star Wars hotel?" Was it just like Galaxy's Edge, but on a spaceship for the rich? Was it going to be some sort of LARP? Some combination of the three?

I found out for myself on Feb. 21, 2022. As I stepped aboard the ship, it made Galaxy's Edge feel small, and Star Tours feel like child's play. I was aboard an actual starship—a luxury liner that had been around for 250 years—and every member of the cast was in on the production. The story played out with me as the lead, and I've never had a better time in my life.

My wedding was scheduled for Feb. 22, 2022, and my wife and I decided instead of cancelling, we'd get married on the ship; we were the first to do so, but certainly not the last. I can't imagine a more fitting or memorable place to get married than in space.

What was it exactly that made it so amazing? Imagine the most lavish live-action roleplaying experience you've ever encountered. Actors are everywhere helping guide your story. Everything—from meals to shore leave—is part of the adventure. And for three days and two nights, you live inside Star Wars. There are fights between good and evil, chases, escapes, heists, seedy cantinas, travel to distant worlds and cameos from some of your favorite heroes. But in every case, you're the star of the story.

It's difficult to put into words how amazing an experience it was. I spent dozens of hours of podcast time (the Full of Sith podcast, if you're interested) trying to document what it felt like, but still I never felt I did it justice. Suffice to say, the experience was one of the best in my life. And it was the most amazing thing Disney's ever done. Don't let anyone kid you about how worth it the experience was.

So how could something so amazing fail to the point of closure as of Sept. 30?

By all accounts, there were enough people filling the voyages, so demand wasn't necessarily an issue. I've heard rumors that Disney was concerned that they weren't filling the voyages far enough in advance, but if they're being filled—regardless of the timeframe—that seems like an inadequate answer. I wondered if the experience was too niche, too aimed at hardcore Star Wars fans, but I've talked to too many people who weren't huge Star Wars fans who had the time of their life.

Ultimately, I wonder if it came down to marketing and public perception. Though the experience was expensive, it wasn't inordinately so—on par with a Disney Cruise, which is very much what it was like. Everyone who went on the Halcyon seemed to think the price was worth the experience, but those who hadn't been, seemed to think it was some sort of playground for the wealthy and the elite. I would guess some people never even bothered to check the prices for themselves because of the churn of internet outrage.

So, what's next for the Galactic Starcruiser? No one knows yet.

After spending all that money on a whole-ass spaceship, it seems like it would be silly to just bulldoze it. Best-case scenario, they leave it closed for the length of the tax write-off, then open it back up when they realize the beauty of the thing they had. The next-best case might be opening it up for smaller experiences at a lower price point.

No matter what they do, however, I hope more people get a chance to experience even a taste of what I was able to. Because it was nothing short of awe-inspiring.

So, I'll raise a glass to the Starcruiser and offer the traditional cheers of the Anzellans who designed the ship: "Ta' bu e tay!" It means "cherish the moment."

And I know I'll cherish every moment I ever had aboard the Halcyon.