Why Disneyland's Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance ride trimmed its runtime

Disneyland's Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance ride will rise again after remaining closed throughout the coronavirus pandemic, albeit with a bit of... resistance from the California government.

Per state guidelines, Disneyland is finally allowed to reopen to the public on Friday, but COVID restrictions will impact the runtime for the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge-themed section's signature attraction. Clocking in at around 18 minutes long, the ride's original duration is three minutes over California's suggested time limit for indoor rides, meaning Disney will likely alter portions to comply.

According to the L.A. Times, the hybrid walkthrough-ride's major plot points along the journey — which sees guests escaping the clutches of the evil First Order as Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) pursues them — will remain intact, though "dwelling points," such as portions where riders physically walk through the ride, will be tightened. That could, per the publication's correspondence with park officials, include parts where guests "linger before a unit of stormtroopers in a Star Destroyer's hangar bay." (A representative for Disneyland did not immediately respond to EW's request for clarification.)

California guidelines currently state that all indoor rides "must be limited to no more than 15 minutes," and suggests that single-rider queue lines be eliminated or reduced, as they often place people from different households together in one ride vehicle. Queueing is also recommended to be outdoors, with indoor portions adhering to six-feet social distancing measures.

In an effort to reduce crowding when Disneyland reopens this week, the park has expanded its virtual queuing system for certain rides, which allows visitors to join the queue through the Disneyland app twice in one day — including once in the morning, before entering the park.

Opened in 2019, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is one of the most technologically advanced rides in theme park history, combining grand-scale recreations from the Star Wars movie franchise with explosions, special effects, digital moviescapes, and walkthrough portions.

In addition to Driver, franchise actors Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Domhnall Gleeson, and Kipsang Rotich reprised their roles from the films inside the attraction. Another version of the ride is currently operating at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida.

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