We have seen some memorable moments at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge over the years. This one is going to be talked about for a long time.
Pedro Pascal, the man behind the helmet in The Mandalorian, walked into Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland dressed in full Din Djarin armor and did a surprise meet-and-greet with guests who had absolutely no idea they were interacting with one of the most famous actors on the planet right now. He stayed in character. He did the whole thing. And then he revealed his face.
The screaming that followed was completely justified.
The Star Wars official TikTok account posted the moment with this caption: “Pedro Pascal creates the surprise of a lifetime at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland. Experience Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu in theaters and IMAX May 22. Tap the link in bio to get tickets now.”
We have watched that TikTok more than once. We are not ashamed.
The timing of all of this is not random. The Mandalorian and Grogu hits theaters May 22nd and Disneyland’s Galaxy’s Edge has been in full activation mode around the film’s arrival. The Pedro Pascal surprise was one piece of a much larger night that happened at the land, and honestly the projection show premiere that also happened deserves just as much attention.
@starwars Pedro Pascal creates the surprise of a lifetime at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland. Experience Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu in theaters and IMAX May 22. Tap the link in bio to get tickets now.
The Night Jon Favreau, Sigourney Weaver, Pedro Pascal, and Dave Filoni All Showed Up
A new nighttime projection show has debuted in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge called The Curious Child. It runs following Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga on the spires surrounding the Millennium Falcon in Batuu. The show is centered on Grogu, specifically on him using the Force to recall memories of his adventures with the Mandalorian. It is the kind of addition that makes an evening in Galaxy’s Edge feel like something worth specifically planning your day around.
For the very first performance of The Curious Child, the people who made it happen showed up to watch it. Jon Favreau, Sigourney Weaver, Pedro Pascal, and Dave Filoni arrived at Galaxy’s Edge just before Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga started. No announcement. No warning. The crowd in the area just suddenly realized who was standing there.
Daps Magic was on hand that night and captured everything on video. Both shows played. When The Curious Child ended, all four of them waved to the fans around them. Then someone in the crowd below threw a plush Grogu up toward Pedro Pascal and he caught it, held it, and kissed it.
We are going to be honest with you: that image got to us a little bit.
Beyond the projection shows, Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland has been getting meaningful updates across the board. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is adding new adventures and expanded crew roles. The land received a broader timeline expansion that brought Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Han Solo, and Darth Vader with his stormtroopers into Black Spire Outpost. Updated props, refreshed shops, new storytelling threads, and the addition of John Williams’ Star Wars music playing throughout the ambient soundscape of the land have all been part of this expansion. It is a more fully realized version of the land than it has been in a while.
What Pedro Pascal Actually Said About His Future as Din Djarin
Since we know people are going to ask: yes, the question of what happens to Din Djarin after the movie has come up. The Mandalorian launched Disney+ in 2019 and became Lucasfilm’s biggest post-sequel trilogy success across three seasons and an appearance in The Book of Boba Fett. But with The Mandalorian and Grogu headed to theaters and no additional Disney+ seasons confirmed, some fans have been genuinely worried this film might be the end.
Pascal addressed it during the press tour. When Discussing Film asked directly about Din Djarin’s future in the franchise, he said: “You know, age is a real thing. Whatever my body can do, and however long people want to experience these stories with these characters, is how long I want it to last.”
At a separate Q&A he added: “It’s the longest creative relationship I’ve had, it’s the character that I’ve played the longest. Hopefully, I get to continue playing him for as long as my body, or as many bodies as we put into the suit, can take it.”
Sigourney Weaver, who plays New Republic officer Colonel Ward in the film, went even further. She told Geek Tyrant: “In an ideal world, I’d love to make another Mandalorian and Grogu, because it was so much fun to work with Jon Favreau. And I’m a huge admirer, and just to be in this world, for me, it was cool. And I really like my character, and I’d love to do more work with Pedro and his sidekick. So, I think that, secretly, we’re all hoping maybe this could produce another one that would take us further into the Outer Rim and more adventures.”
The film is tracking over $80 million domestically for its opening weekend with the four-day Memorial Day frame potentially climbing past $95 million. A lot of what happens next for Din Djarin on the big screen depends on how this one performs. Based on where projections are sitting, that conversation is going to be a good one.
What This Means If You Are Heading to Disneyland
We cover the parks and we want to tell you honestly: Galaxy’s Edge right now is worth an evening visit in a way it has not always been. The Curious Child projection show, the updated Millennium Falcon experience, the expanded character presence including the classic trilogy characters, and the Star Wars music now playing throughout the land combine into a version of the area that feels genuinely alive in the way it was always supposed to.
Pedro Pascal doing a surprise meet-and-greet is not something you can put on your itinerary. That was a once-in-a-while thing that happened because of the film’s timing and because somebody at Lucasfilm or Disney had a great idea. But the nighttime projection shows run on a schedule and they are the most consistent new reason to stay in Galaxy’s Edge into the evening right now.
If Disneyland is coming up for you before or around May 22nd, check the entertainment schedule for Galaxy’s Edge before your visit. Plan your day so you are in the land after dark. The shows are worth staying for and the land at night during this period is genuinely different from what most guests have experienced there before.
We will keep covering everything happening at Galaxy’s Edge around the Mandalorian and Grogu release. When the film opens on May 22nd we will have full coverage of the fan response and what it means for the land going forward. In the meantime, if you are planning a Disneyland trip, check current show schedules for Galaxy’s Edge entertainment and make sure you leave time for an evening in the land. It is a good time to be a Star Wars fan.
