23 March 2011 by By Brady MacDonald - Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
Star Tours 2.0 promises the possibility of 54 different experiences when the updated attraction reopens at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida on May 20 and Disneyland in California on June 3.
Star Tours 2.0, set between the "Star Wars" prequels and the original trilogy, will update the 1980s simulator ride with high-definition 3-D technology and special effects. Riders aboard the new Star Tours will have the power to change the storyline throughout the ride, resulting in a different beginning, middle and end for every journey.
In the new ride, dubbed "The Adventures Continue," participants on board the StarSpeeder 3000 transport ship will join a pod race on Tatooine, fly above the skyscrapers of Coruscant and battle Boba Fett through an asteroid field within the fictional "Star Wars" universe.
Although not yet confirmed, other destinations may include:
* The Wookie planet of Kashyyyk
* The unfinished Death Star space station
* Queen Amidala’s home planet of Naboo
* The snow-covered planet of Hoth
A "commercial" planned for the Star Tours 2.0 queue advertises getaway travel packages to the peaceful world of Alderaan, the cloud city of Bespin and the forest moon of Endor, but it remains unknown if the new ride will visit these destinations.
Confirmed Star Tours 2.0 characters include Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2, Yoda, Boba Fett and Admiral Ackbar.
In addition, two new droid characters have been introduced for the Star Tours 2.0 ride:
* AC-38, or Ace, a Starspeeder pilot
* Aly San San, a spokesbot voiced by actress Allison Janney.
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