Lex sez:
It’s the middle of summer. The scorching heat of the southern California sun is driving us crazy. Our normal knee-jerk reaction would be to get out and have fun. But with social distancing measures still necessary in the middle of a pandemic, is fun still possible? Neek, Sar and I set out for Downtown Disney, determined to find out!
Neek sez: Okay, we have crappy phones with crappy coverage so we really didn’t think that we could do any of the virtual queuing that Disneyland had required to get a boarding pass for Rise of the Resistance ride at Galaxy’s Edge.
Lex sez: Ever since I was six years old when I first saw Star Wars on the big screen, I’ve wanted to have my own lightsaber. Watching Obi-Wan Kenobi battle Darth Vader, there was something magical about their duel with blades of light. I tried to re-enact that scene, as well as the battle between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back.
I would use cardboard shaped like tubes to pretend I was a Jedi Knight. When Return of the Jedi came out in 1983, I got a wonderful Christmas present of a lightsaber. This was an improvement over cardboard: it was a plastic tube fit over a flashlight where you could insert colored gels to change the color of your lightsaber. My sisters and I had lots of fun playing with that.
The desire for a lightsaber faded to the background as I grew older. But it reignited this year with the opening of Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland. I found out that within the town of the Black Spire Outpost on the planet of Batuu, there is a place called Savi’s Workshop. At Savi’s, you don’t just buy a lightsaber, the workers there help you create your own personalized lightsaber. I had heard the experience was almost like a ceremony. Suddenly that desire from childhood was back: I had to create my own lightsaber!
It’s important to note you can’t just walk in unannounced to Savi’s asking to make a lightsaber. There is a specific process. First, you have to make a reservation. This can be done online through the Disney website or through the Disney app on a smartphone. I opted to set up the reservation on their website the week prior to going. Fortunately, they do allow you to bring two guests, so Neek and Sar would be able to watch and film me creating my personal Jedi weapon.
When you arrive at the Black Spire Outpost, you can’t just ask for Savi’s Workshop. Neek, Sar and I observed multiple stormtroopers from the First Order interrogating other guests and I had heard that Savi was operating his place in secrecy so the First Order would not be aware of his illegal activity. So I asked a cast member, when there were no stormtroopers within earshot, if she could direct us to a place that made “scrap metal.” She understood “scrap metal” is a code for Savi’s Workshop and took me into her confidence and directed us where to go.
Once I checked in at the front desk outside Savi’s to confirm the reservation, I was shown designs for the different kinds of lightsaber hilts I could design. There are four kinds: Peace and Justice, Power and Control, Elemental Nature and Protection and Defense. I chose Elemental Nature, so my saber would reflect what Obi-Wan Kenobi said about the Force, that it is “an energy field created by all living things.” Once I made my choice, I was given a pin to wear to show the workers inside that I had chosen Elemental Nature.
After we went inside Savi’s, one of the workers, who call themselves the “Gatherers,” walked into the center of the room and explained that Savi gathers parts for lightsabers from around the galaxy.
After showing one of the Gatherers my Elemental Nature pin, I put together my hilt. I was really impressed with the quality of the materials: it not only looked realistic, it felt realistic! I particularly liked the piece I chose for the end of my hilt, which the Gatherer told me was the tooth of a Rancor. Then we selected a Kyber Crystal, which is determines the color of your lightsaber. I chose green, in tribute to Luke Skywalker!
Once that was done, we placed our lightsaber into a special chamber on the work bench. Suddenly, the lights dimmed. Slowly, the room was bathed in green light and the spirit of Yoda entered the room, praising our efforts to keep the Jedi hope alive! We were then told to activate our lightsaber. I pressed the button on my hilt and raised my very own fully activated lightsaber! I was ecstatic waving it in front of Neek and Sar. Some might say $212.00 is a bit pricy, but for the quality of the lightsaber and the amazing experience of making it, I say it was well worth it!
Neek sez:
Lex has often told me about how he went to see Star Wars as a child with his grandmother when it was first released in 1977. To a little boy, it was a transcendental experience that has endured to the present.
Disneyland has done a great job in bringing this film universe to reality. The details of the planet Batuu where Black Spire Outpost exists is quite amazing. The droids, ships, buildings are all scaled to realistic proportions and the skyline blends in well with the texture and color of the surroundings. It does seem like you are in another world.
We arrive at about 8:30 AM and decide that it’s not really that early to have a drink so we visit Oga’s Cantina for a quick one. Lex orders a Fuzzy Tautaun which is has alcohol and a special ingredient makes your tongue a little numb – this is favorite drink of the famous space smuggler, Hondo Ohnaka. Sar and I share a Hyperdrive Punch that has no alcohol but we steal sips from the Tauntaun.
I might have stolen too many sips from Lex’s Fuzzy Tauntaun
It was a strange looking bar
with strange looking creatures
DJ Rex really knew how to spin the grooves
Sar wanted to build a droid so we went to the Droid Depot where a wonderful Batuuan, Maria helped her to build a BB8 model.
Sar makes two new friends!
Next, we were off to Doc Ondar’s Den of Antiquities where strange beasts and their unfortunate heads were on display.
Sar, Lex, and I did ride Smuggler’s Run where they shared the position of being a pilot. My job was a gunner and had fun shooting lasers to defend the Millennium Falcon and our bacon. As we left the ship, we could see evidence of the Imperial Force around the area. As you can see in our video, the stormtroopers were constantly harassing visitors.
The time flew by and it was time for Lex to build a light saber. I will leave that blog post for him to write.
Lex and Neek 