A LONG TIME AGO, IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY…

Posted by thewrightchoice On May 4, 2020

Okay, so maybe not that far away, and definitely not that long ago. The Galaxy we are speaking of is a magical place – in fact, some think of it as the most magical place. That’s right, it is Disney World. To be more specific, it’s Galaxy’s Edge at Disney World’s Hollywood Studios, and the time was only December 2019.

I can already hear some of you – ‘why is a tech company that focuses on small family businesses’ security and technology needs in central Ohio, writing an article about Galaxy’s Edge?’ Well, my friends, I suppose it is time I make a confession: I am a giant nerd. I know, I know, it’s a shock to most of you.

To answer this question a little more seriously, I am taking the time to talk about Galaxy’s Edge today for several reasons. The first of these is because today is Star Wars Day, and what better time to talk about the franchise and its park than now? The second is because I actually do have some (fun) technology that I want to share with you from Galaxy’s Edge. And the third – and most important – is because, well, I want to get to know all of you better, and I want you to know who I am besides just your IT guy. In an effort to do this, I’m sharing one of my greatest joys and nerd obsessions with you, and that’s Star Wars.

I have always loved this franchise, from the moment it was released back in the late 70’s. Some of you may not share that with me, and that’s okay, but the idea of space warriors fighting for the ultimate galactic good with all this awesome, advanced technology and intuitive knowledge, always captured my imagination.

As my wife and I raised our children, Drew and Zoë, I tried my best to instill my love of Star Wars (fine, and all other nerdy things, like Superheroes and Back to the Future, and, yes, tech) in them. I only managed to raise one of them – my daughter, Zoë – ‘right’, and she’s turned out to be nearly as big a nerd as I am – if you were to ask her, she’s a bigger one. As her father, I can’t let her win that title just yet; she is still just a little padawan in my eyes.

So, when she and I heard that Disney World was opening a new park dedicated to Star Wars, we were beyond excited. To my wife, we were downright annoying. We were fortunate enough to be able to take some time to visit Disney World last year while we were in Orlando for a business conference, and, as you might imagine, my daughter and I beelined straight for Galaxy’s Edge. We then proceeded to spend about 5 of our 8 hours in the park, in that sole section – and that’s really saying something, because Hollywood Studios is our favorite park. We actually left my wife with all our bags in the security check entrance line so that we could get into Galaxy’s Edge even quicker – sorry, again, Robin. Have I mentioned lately that you’re the best wife ever??

The first thing we did was head straight for the Droid Depot, and this is where the fun tech comes in. My daughter and I got to spend some great quality time together actually building real, functioning droids. As a “first-generation” fan, my droid, of course, had to be an R-series R2-D2 unit, while Zoë went with the new generation and built a B-series BB-8 unit. Complete with our Smuggler chips (as fans of Hans Solo and Rey, this was an obvious choice for us both – when given the options between the three chip classes of First Order, Resistance, and Smuggler, a simple grin and look between the two of us said we were on the same page, and we both automatically responded to the guide at the same time, with the same answer) we were ready to go out and explore the rest of the park.

The really cool thing about our droids is not just that we got to live in one of our favorite fandoms together, but that they actually interacted with one another, as well as with other droids, and even different points in the park. This all works through the technology of Bluetooth, which enables the droids to pick up on Smuggler signals placed all around Galaxy’s Edge, as well as other Smuggler Droids owned by other travelers. The First Order and Resistance droids do the same with their own signals and like-droids. The droids are also controlled by remotes so that you can have them follow you or wander around wherever you so choose (although, they don’t let you do this with the droids all over the park, there’s a specific droid play area). And, of course, the droids continue to interact with one another and respond to their remotes outside of the park, which has provided us hours of fun since December.

Even my wife and my son were interested in our droids once we got them out of the depot and could show them off. It definitely kept us entertained all day, and was almost certainly my favorite part of our trip (we also got lightsabers, though, so it’s a pretty close race.) The technology employed here is truly amazing. Bluetooth is clearly not a brand-new thing, but what really struck me was that Disney had thought through its use in this section of Hollywood Studios so thoroughly, that it truly felt like you were at the Black Spire Outpost on the planet Batuu. Walking into any Disney park is like being transported somewhere magical and fantastical, but because of the tech in Galaxy’s Edge, it’s literally like you have stepped into another planet in another galaxy.

But, the most remarkable part of the technology is the way it both allowed my daughter and I to enter into a new world together, as well as the way it allowed us to have some truly memorable quality time. It’s a difficult thing, to watch your children grow and know that they need to step out, away from you and the shelter you made for them, and learn to fly on their own. Zoë is 26 now, and finding this kind of time together is becoming harder and harder, but, during this precious morning at Galaxy’s Edge, the remarkable use of technology bridged the gap of time and age. To me, that’s the best use of technology.

Now that I’ve shared this nerdy use of tech, I want to know what you love! Send me a message on the WCI Tech Facebook page (@WCITech), the WCI Instagram page (@WCITech), or just shoot me an email at [email protected] and let me know your biggest geek-out moment of the last year, even if it doesn’t include any kind of technology, or isn’t something traditionally considered to be “nerdy”.

MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU!