Star
Tours is based on the classic "Star Wars" movies. It takes you on a ride
through outer space aboard a 40-passenger shuttlecraft called a "Star
Speeder." Your trip is supposed to be a pleasant ride to the planet Endor;
you encounter several unexpected "obstacles" along the way however, and your
trip turns out to be a very wild ride, first getting caught in a giant
meteor shower followed by a climatic battle with the evil Imperial forces.
Star Tours creates the illusion of flight through outer space with the help of military-style flight simulator technology. The view outside your shuttle craft is projected on a view screen at the front of the craft, and the craft is hydraulically moved about in synchronization with the movie. The results are astonishingly convincing.
The ride gets frenzied at times, and you're thrown around quite a bit as
you're dodging all those meteors and enemy laser fire. Each seat has a
seatbelt for safety, and like roller coaster-type rides there are
restrictions on who can ride. The restrictions are clearly posted at the
entrance to the attraction and at several places in the queue area.
Star Tours was one of the first theme park attractions to use flight
simulator technology. Although the ride is over a decade old and
technologically superior rides of this type have since been created at other
theme parks, Star Tours still remains one of the best because of the
completely immersive experience it offers. The queue area sets the stage:
there's a full-sized version of the Star Speeder you'll be riding in, being
repaired by none other than the famous "droid" C3P0 himself. After boarding
your Star Speeder, you meet the droid who'll be operating the craft on your
trip through space, and surprise—it's his first trip! Several wrong turns
getting out of the spaceport foreshadow the wild action to come.
Star Tours at Tokyo Disneyland is very similar to the version at Disneyland in California. The building it's housed in is the biggest difference; Tokyo Disneyland's Star Tours building looks like a real spaceport might look, while the California Disneyland's housing blends inconspicuously into the Tomorrowland architecture. The ride in the Star Speeder is identical with one exception: at Tokyo Disneyland your droid operator speaks Japanese.
If you're a fan of thrill rides you'll definitely want to experience Star Tours. Compared with other "E-ticket" attractions like Space Mountain, the lines and wait-times at Star Tours are relatively short.
Note: In 2013 the original Star Tours was replaced with an updated version called Star Tours: The Adventures Continue. I will update this page when I have more information.
