Join a Mission with Mando and Grogu on Millennium Falcon Smuggler’s Run
After nearly two years of anticipation, the new version of the Disney Parks attraction Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run debuted at Disney World and Disneyland on May 22, 2026, to align with the theatrical release of The Mandalorian and Grogu. Similar to the change to Star Tours years prior, the update to Smuggler’s Run shifts the attraction from a singular linear storyline to a ride with several possible permutations, greatly increasing the incentive for guests to want to experience the cockpit simulator multiple times.
As before, six park guests serve as a (temporary) flight crew of the Falcon while the ship is in the (temporary) custody of Ohnaka Transport Solutions, the shipping (read: smuggling) enterprise run by erstwhile space pirate turned “legitimate businessman” Hondo Ohnaka, a character from The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels animated series. Since the opening of Galaxy’s Edge in both parks in 2019, the original version of the ride had involved undertaking a Sequel Trilogy-era mission to steal coaxium – starship fuel that also served as a major plot point in 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story – from the First Order to benefit the Resistance and, not coincidentally, Hondo as well. Now the crew instead joins Mando and Grogu on a mission to collect bounties on fugitive Imperial warlords while stealing cargo crates from the bad guys on Hondo’s behalf along the way. The preshow explaining the ride ahead remains similar, with an animatronic Hondo explaining to video-screen Chewbacca why everything is completely fine and the Wookiee should not be worried in the slightest about any risk to the Falcon – but all dialogue references to those earlier films have been entirely removed, replaced with the timeline and objectives of the New Republic era of The Mandalorian and Grogu and its preceding Disney+ series.
The most significant change to the ride experience itself is the dramatically improved role of the Engineer position, the pair of rear seats in the attraction’s replica Falcon cockpit. The Pilots still fly the ship with control levers and the Gunners still use their console buttons to fire upon enemy vessels. Previously, the engineers pressed buttons to “repair” the ship from damage incurred during the mission, a far more underwhelming task by comparison. Now the engineers can use their console displays to observe the actions of Grogu, and sometimes Mando, aboard their RazorCrest while the mission is in progress, which is quite entertaining. In addition, after the initial phase of the mission is complete on Tatooine, one of the engineers is given the chance to select among Bespin, Coruscant, or Endor for the second phase of the mission. From limited observations to date, it appears that the allocation of that choice between the left-side or right-side engineer seat is random, or at least unable to be predicted in advance by the guests in each crew.
When the mission concludes and the ride cycles the crew back to exit the cockpit, as before multiple variations of dialogue can be heard. One of the new versions includes the clearly recognizable voice of Han Solo demanding “Hondo, what did you do to my ship?” So far, it is unclear if this vocal cameo is random, or accompanies a particular dialogue pattern based on the crew’s performance during the mission.
The new version of Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run exceeded our expectations as an update – and upgrade – to the ride. The visuals are stunning, the full crew has a better experience, and each destination deserves multiple viewings to fully take in the story being told and the imagery created for the mission. For many guests, the Engineer role may now be the most desirable seat of the three options, rather than a disappointment.
The new version of Smuggler’s Run with Mando and Grogu will operate for the indefinite future at both Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California.
Related Links:
- Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025: Disney Experiences: Building the Galaxy with Walt Disney Imagineering (FANgirl Blog)
- New Mission Featuring Mando and Grogu Coming to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run (Disney Parks Blog; Aug. 2024)
- SXSW: New Details for Mando and Grogu’s Millennium Falcon Mission Revealed (Disney Parks Blog; Mar. 2025)
- The Mandalorian, Grogu, and New Crew Controls Coming to Smuggler’s Run (Disney Parks Blog; Apr. 2025)
- Pilot, Gunner, or Engineer? Tips for Flying the Millennium Falcon at Disneyland and Disney World (Disney Parks Blog; May 2026)
B.J. has served as editor of FANgirl Blog from its inception, as well as contributing reviews and posts on a range of topics. He edited Tricia’s novel Wynde, and is collaborating with her on several future projects set in that original universe.
Currently a tenured law professor in Florida, B.J. has been a practicing lawyer in Washington, D.C., a law clerk to a federal appeals court judge, and a law journal editor-in-chief. He is also a proud geek dad whose son who is a big fan of Star Wars and The Clone Wars.
- Join a Mission with Mando and Grogu on Millennium Falcon Smuggler’s Run - May 29, 2026
- Kathleen Kennedy’s Lucasfilm Legacy - January 27, 2026
- Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland Brings the Original Trilogy Leads to a Newly Updated Batuu - January 21, 2026
