Chopper the droid visits Disney World as Star Wars Day surprise
Chopper the droid surprised guests at Disney’s Hollywood Studios to celebrate “May the 4th,” otherwise known as Star Wars Day.
Chopper at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
The character appeared May 4, 2024 at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Fans could meet Chopper and pose for photos inside Star Wars Launch Bay, a museum-like facility at Disney’s Hollywood Studios that also features a “Star Wars” mini-documentary, movie exhibits, and permanent character greetings with Darth Vader, Chewbacca, and BB-8.
Since Star Wars Launch Bay exists outside of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, it is not fixated at any given point within the “Star Wars” timeline. Therefore, its spotlight characters need not belong to the same narrative era.
It’s unclear if Chopper will continue greeting guests regularly beyond special appearances like today’s. Chopper set up shop in the main common area of Launch Bay, not in a specially created room like the other characters inside the facility.
Who is Chopper the Droid?
Chopper appears in animated form in the series “Star Wars Rebels” and “Star Wars: The Bad Batch,” and in live-action form in “Ahsoka.”
Lucasfilm describes Chopper this way:
A beat-up, patched together astromech droid dating back to the Clone Wars, C1-10P — or Chopper — is a reliable droid who has served with Hera Syndulla for decades. Loyal to a fault, with a cranky personality to match his weathered finish, during the age of the Empire, Chopper served the Ghost crew in everything from ship maintenance to undercover missions and combat.
Star Wars Databank
“Ahsoka” Characters in Disney Theme Parks
Chopper has previously visited Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, Calif. (as has Ahsoka herself), alongside Hera Syndulla. Earlier this week, Sabine Wren, another character from Chopper’s era of galaxy-saving, debuted on the west coast. None of these characters have appeared in the Florida version Galaxy’s Edge.
Chopper’s appearance at Hollywood Studios follows the recent debut of new scenes in the Star Tours: The Adventures Continue simulator attraction starring characters from “The Mandalorian,” “Andor,” and “Ahsoka.” The new sequences now play in all versions of the ride globally (that’s Hollywood Studios, as well as Disneyland Park in both Anaheim and Paris).
Hollywood Studios’ 35th Anniversary
Disney’s Hollywood Studios celebrated its 35th anniversary earlier this week with Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and original cast members who opened the park in 1989.
