The most ambitious ride Disney has ever built. A trackless, four-part, 18-minute Star Wars epic — part dark ride, part simulator, part walk-through set piece. Worth every dollar and every minute of the wait.
Rise of the Resistance opened in December 2019 as the centerpiece of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Hollywood Studios. It's a single, continuous attraction with four distinct ride systems: a walkthrough pre-show, a dark ride on one trackless vehicle, a transfer to a second trackless vehicle that rides through a Star Destroyer hangar, and a final drop-ride escape sequence. The project took five years and a reported $1 billion to develop. It's the most technically ambitious ride Disney has ever built — and despite the scale, it still runs reliably (most of the time) and delivers a coherent narrative arc.
You must be at least 40″ (102cm) to ride Rise of the Resistance.
Rider Switch (child swap) is available for parties with kids under the height requirement. If your child is close to the line, the cast member at the queue entrance will measure them against the post.
The ride begins with a walkthrough pre-show where you're "recruited" by the Resistance. You then board a transport ship that's intercepted by a First Order Star Destroyer. You exit the transport into a stunning, full-scale Star Destroyer hangar bay — this is the moment most guests remember. Dozens of stormtroopers are deployed around you; Kylo Ren appears and interrogates a captive.
From there, you board trackless ride vehicles that navigate firefights, chases, and escape corridors. The finale is a small drop-tower escape pod. Total experience is about 18 minutes.
Like TRON, Rise uses Individual Lightning Lane. Pricing runs $20-25 per person. A free virtual queue opens at 7am and 1pm daily — joining either is essentially a reflex test at the top of the hour.
Rope-drop standby is feasible if you're among the first 200 guests in the park, but the wait still climbs above 90 minutes by 9:30am most days.
Average standby wait by season (observed over 2024-2025 data):
| Season | Morning | Midday | Evening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low season | 50 min | 90 min | 65 min |
| Moderate | 75 min | 120 min | 85 min |
| High season | 110 min | 180+ min | 110 min |
| Holiday peaks | 140+ min | 240+ min | 150 min |
If you have the Individual LL, ride it early in your day — if the ride breaks down in the afternoon (which happens), you've already experienced it. If you're using the virtual queue, your boarding group will determine your time. If you're going standby, be at the park 45 minutes before rope drop and go directly to Galaxy's Edge.
The immersion is unmatched. Even casual fans exit grinning.
Not a thrill ride — it's an experience. Kids who can handle the length do great.
18 minutes of continuous attention is a lot. If you fidget in movies, you'll fidget here.
The trackless portions have rapid direction changes. Motion-sick riders should take Dramamine beforehand or skip it.
Don't rush the pre-show. The Resistance command center is worth looking at. Most guests walk through in 30 seconds and miss the set dressing.
Look up in the Star Destroyer hangar. The full-scale TIE fighters overhead are suspended with exposed infrastructure. The ceiling is part of the show.
Don't ask for Kylo Ren selfies. He's an audio-animatronic. Your phone photo will be blurry because the lighting is intentionally dim.
Save it for a day with short park hours. If Hollywood Studios closes at 9pm, rope-drop standby at 7:45am gets you on in under 45 minutes.
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