Harrison Ford honored late Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew at the Galaxy’s Edge opening
Last night, Star Wars fans rejoiced as the new Galaxy’s Edge attraction at the Disneyland park in Southern California officially opened for business. There to help Disney CEO Bob Iger kick off the festivities was George Lucas, Billy Dee Williams, Mark Hamill, and a bearded Harrison Ford who, as Vulture reports, was brought in to help get the Millennium Falcon up and running. Before knocking his fist against the galactic freighter like some sort of Corellian Fonzie, Ford turned to the cameras (at the 28:50 mark) and directed a special message to the memory of his former co-star Peter Mayhew. “Peter,” he said. “This one’s for you!”
It’s a touching tribute to the actor who unfortunately passed away last month after many turns portraying Han Solo’s trusted Wookiee co-pilot Chewbacca. Mayhew’s memory will continue to live on in both the films and this new theme park attraction, which boasts 14-acres of a meticulously detailed immersive Star Wars experience. Now that fans have finally been welcomed into the Black Spire Outpost on the Outer Rim planet of Batuu, we’re starting to get real glimpses of what the Disney Imagineers have been up to. As far as we can tell, the years of hype have been justified.