The Mandalorian And Grogu May Revisit Some Classic Star Wars Locations
Come take a ride.
Movies and television may be how most fans absorb Star Wars, but they’re just the tip of the canon iceberg. Beyond the big releases, there are games, books, comics, and even audio adventures. Perhaps the most obscure part of Star Wars canon isn’t media that can be purchased, but has to be experienced.
The Star Wars rides at Disney’s theme parks provide plenty of thrills for guests, but there are also great canon tidbits hidden in them. Now, an upcoming ride update has revealed a tie-in to the next Star Wars movie, and it might also have provided a little insight into its plot.
Initial concept art for the Smuggler’s Run refresh was revealed in August 2024.
Disney Parks recently released concept art for its refresh of Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run. While the current ride puts guests on the Falcon’s crew for a mission from Rebels pirate Hondo Ohnaka, it will soon be updated to feature the Mandalorian and Grogu as a promotion for their upcoming film, the aptly named The Mandalorian & Grogu.
In the art, we see three locations that are very familiar to Star Wars fans: Bespin, Endor, and Tatooine. If the ride visits all of these planets, could they also play into The Mandalorian and Grogu’s plot? The new version of the ride opens on May 22, 2026, the same day as the movie, so there are obviously going to be close connections between the two.
The first version of Smuggler’s Run focused on coaxium heist, in a tie-in to the now-defunct Galactic Starcruiser hotel’s interactive storyline. Maybe this time the ride will depict a mission to revisit locations from the Original Trilogy, and somehow connect those locations to Mando’s mission.
If these planets really are the settings of scenes from The Mandalorian & Grogu, then it may be the most nostalgic Star Wars movie in years. While it’s already wrapped filming, we don’t know much about the movie at all, and it would be a little disappointing to see it focus on the past after the sequel trilogy struggled to move beyond the Skywalkers. But we can’t conclude too much from concept art, so let the wild speculation begin.
