Disney’s groundbreaking new Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance attraction is so good because it offers so many experiences and it never takes you out of the moment. There’s so much to see, and everything seems so seamless, that there are some small details you may miss.
Now these details aren’t exactly hidden, but you need to know where to look to find them. If it’s your first, or even second time riding, don’t worry about these details – just enjoy the ride. But the more you ride, the more you begin to appreciate the small details.
Here are our top things to look out for in the queue and while on the ride, in the order you’ll see them. (Spoiler alert if you haven’t ridden yet.)
Aurebesh Writing
All throughout the queue, you’ll see things written in Aurebesh, the Star Wars alphabet. Use the Play Disney Parks app to translate them. An example is in the photo above. These flight suits can be found in wire lockers in the queue. Is that the pilot’s name on them? No, it’s upside-down Aurebesh which reads “Pull to Inflate”. You’ll also find Aurebesh on crates, walls and other places all around the attraction.
Bacta Suit
Also found in the queue is a Bacta Suit in a locker. Bacta is a fluid helps heal damaged skin tissue. Luke was put in a Bacta tank in “The Empire Strikes Back”. Finn was put in a Bacta suit just like this one to help heal his injury in “The Last Jedi”.
First Order Shadows
This is one of the coolest details, and we heard it took a lot of time and manpower to make it happen. As our Tweet above says, the Stormtroopers, General Hux and Kylo Ren here are projections, not animatronics. To go that extra mile and make them look even more realistic, Disney gave them shadows. They didn’t have to do that but it just makes this attraction all that more impressive.
Breakout Door
While you’re in the interrogation room, the Resistance breaks you out by cutting around one of the door-shaped areas and pulling the wall away. Disney Imagineers could have just had a door open up for guests to go through, but they took it to an extra immersion level. From either side this looks believable.
Nighttime and Daytime
This detail can only be noticed if you also ride at night. In the transport ship leaving Batuu, and again later in the escape pod, returning to Batuu, when you ride in the daytime, the scenes of Black Spire Outpost are in daylight. If you ride at night, you’ll see a nighttime Black Spire Outpost.
Leaving the Same Door You Entered
Most people will notice this and be shocked by it, but if you got caught up in the moment and didn’t notice, when the transport ship you’re on gets caught and you exit it onto the Star Destroyer, you exit the same door you came in. Again the Imagineers could have taken the easy way out and just had you exit the other side of the ship, but they didn’t and we really appreciate it.
Tell Them It’s a Prisoner Transfer
At the start of the ride, you enter a room with other empty ride vehicles. They circle around you and you hear Lieutenant Bek tell the droids driving your vehicles to tell the other droids they are just doing a prisoner transfer. But you might not realize these empty ride vehicles are actually just circling back to the start of the ride after dropping off guests who rode just before you. It’s an ingenious way to work the empty ride vehicles into the story.
Laser Blast Holes
Throughout the ride, as Stormtroopers shoot at you, holes are appearing where they shot. These areas look very solid before the holes appear. One of the best places to look for this is the edge of the ceiling above you as the first Stormtroopers begin shooting at you.
Effective Use of Mirrors
At certain places in the ride, the Imagineers make the Star Destroyer you’re on look larger with the use of mirrors. One of the best uses is in the room with the two AT-ATs. It looks like there are three AT-ATs in here, but the one in the back is just the reflection.
See how many of these details you can spot in our ride-through video:
These are by no means all of the small details. Which ones have you noticed? Let us know in the comments below.
The ride is awesome, and the best Disney has ever done, but it’s not perfect. If you want to know why, read our Rise of the Resistance Nitpicks article.
The Rey hologram at the beginning is on a mirror that makes the room look about twice as big as it is.
The different ride paths are also worth noting. The one that takes you up in front of the AT-AT is much cooler imo.