We noticed a small but satisfying fix during a recent visit to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The pre-show doors leading into the Hondo Ohnaka briefing room are opening and closing again, an effect that had sat dormant for years. Here’s a look at the fixed effect, through both photos and a full video of the updated pre-show experience.
Smugglers Run’s Pre-Show Doors Are Working Again
IN THIS ARTICLE:
- The pre-show holding room doors at Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run are opening and closing again after years of not operating
- The fix restores the intended pre-show timing between the holding area and the Hondo Ohnaka briefing room
- The change comes after the attraction’s May 2026 Mandalorian and Grogu overhaul, though the two are not directly connected
Restoring the Intended Reveal
Guests experiencing Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run now wait in that holding space with the doors closed in front of them. Once the pre-show in front of them finishes, the doors open and the group moves into the briefing room with Hondo. For years, these doors did not operate. Guests walked straight from the queue into the Hondo pre-show room without the barrier ever closing.
That gap in the show mechanics had a real effect on timing. The pre-show sometimes started mid-cycle for a newly arrived group. Other times, the holding area and the briefing simply did not line up the way Imagineers designed them. With the doors working again, the holding room now functions as intended, and guests are held back until the room ahead is ready.
The effect itself is simple. A set of industrial doors, styled to match the worn, lived-in look of the rest of the queue, seals off the Hondo room from view. When the pre-show is ready to begin, the doors slide open. Cast Members then wave the group into the room where Hondo Ohnaka briefs the crew before boarding the Falcon. It is a small piece of show mechanics, but it changes the pacing of the walk into the attraction. Guests get a brief pause and a reveal instead of walking straight into the briefing room. Here’s our video of the full, updated experience. The video includes the holding room and updated Hondo pre-show.
This fix arrives not long after the Mandalorian and Grogu overhaul to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. Disney debuted that overhaul on May 22nd, as we reported at the time. It brought a new storyline and a new mid-flight destination selection system. A refreshed pre-show, built around Hondo Ohnaka’s bounty hunt, debuted alongside it. The pre-show doors working again is a wonderful update, even though the two changes don’t appear to be directly connected.
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