10 Things You May Not Know About Smugglers Run (…and an Exciting Update!)

 

1. I’ve Got a Bad Feeling About This

The events of Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run take place in the time period between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. You’ll be recruited by Hondo Ohnaka, president of Ohnaka Transport Solutions, for a special mission.

 

 

2. Hondo Ohnaka

Hondo describes himself as a “Shipping and Logistics Coordinator” (though “pirate” would be much more accurate). Star Wars fans first saw him in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” where he was a pirate with connections to several notorious bounty hunters, including Jango Fett. If Hondo sounds vaguely familiar, that’s because he was voiced by Jim Cummings, the legendary voice actor best known for his portrayals of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger. Cummings provided the voice of the character both in the shows and the attraction.

 

 

3. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

The original (and current, but more on that in a bit!) backstory of Smugglers Run is that the Falcon is once again in need of repairs, and Chewbacca has arranged a deal with Hondo to get the ship back up and running. In trade, Chewie has agreed to lend the ship to Hondo for some nefarious cargo transportation work. But Hondo needs a crew, and this is where you step in.

 

 

4. No Wonder It Looks So Real!

Smugglers Run incorporates simulator technology and film to put you in the middle of the action. Unlike other simulator-type attractions at Disney, Smugglers Run doesn’t use a conventionally filmed movie. Instead, the attraction’s visuals were created with gaming technology, running on the Unreal Engine powered by eight NVIDIA Quadro P6000 GPUs with five QuadroSync projectors providing ultra-high-resolution pictures.

 

 

5. Time to Suit Up!

As you board the Falcon, you’ll be divided into groups of six. Each group member is assigned one of three different roles: pilot, gunner, and engineer. Be sure to pay attention to your briefing. Unlike Mission: SPACE, your actions in your role on the Falcon directly influence the outcome. Here are the responsibilities of the different positions:

6. Punch It Chewie!

Pilots are, not surprisingly, responsible for actually flying the Falcon. The pilot on the left-hand side of the cockpit moves the ship left and right, and the pilot on the right moves the ship up and down. In addition, the pilot on the right is also the person who gets to “punch” the Falcon into lightspeed.

7. Ready, Aim…

Gunners protect the ship by operating its forward laser cannons and missiles. Aim carefully; your crew is depending on you!

8. Rounding Out the Crew

Engineers repair the Falcon and handle its mission-specific modifications. They have the least responsibility of the three crew positions (though that will be changing soon), so if you don’t want the fate of your mission resting in your hands, this is the spot for you. Don’t just sit back and relax, though. You do have one essential job. You need to fire the harpoon!

 

 

9. Just Like a Real Spaceport

As you enter the corridors of a busy ship repair facility on your way to the Falcon, you’ll find hundreds of props, including mechanical tools, boxes, spare parts, droids, and pilot suits. Other ships, some leaking oil and fuel, will be found further in the queue. Pay close attention to the sounds here. You just might hear the chatter of the mechanics as they go about their daily work.

 

 

10. Hidden Details

On the exterior of the Millennium Falcon, see if you can spot the tiny hidden figures of a TIE Fighter and the Falcon itself. Both can be found near the cockpit but are hard to spot!

 

 

 

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BONUS UPDATE!

Disney recently announced some exciting news about everyone’s favorite Hunk of Junk (the fastest in the Galaxy!). Starting May 22, 2026 at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, you’ll be able to control the Falcon like you never have before. You’ll be in control of your own destination: you can choose an exhilarating adventure on Bespin, an expedition to the wreckage of the second Death Star around Endor, or visit the bustling city-planet, Coruscant. And if you’re the Engineer, you’ll now be to communicate with Grogu during your mission.

The attraction will also boast a new thrilling storyline! Hondo Ohnaka has gotten wind of a deal going down on Tatooine between ex-Imperial officers and a band of pirates. There’s a generous bounty for their capture, so you’ll borrow the iconic ship and team up with Mando and Grogu to track them down and explore the galaxy.

What could go wrong? (With me at the pilot controls, well….a lot. Cue the requisite “I’ve got a bad feeling about this” quote.)

We’re counting the days until this new adventure arrives, but that will give us plenty of time to practice our flying skills!

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