Fill Up the Starbucks’ Star Wars Mugs

 by Ray Keating

Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

May 16, 2021

 

When it comes to collectibles related to my pop culture and sports interests, I’m a sucker for wall hangings, items for display on a bookshelf or in the home office, and mugs and other beverage containers.

 

Starbucks not only does “Been There” mugs for real locations on Earth, but has joined with Disney to offer “Been There” mugs for locales in a galaxy far, far away. On “May the Fourth,” Star Wars Day, 2020, Starbucks introduced three mugs featuring planets from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, with the film then marking its 40th anniversary. They were Hoth, Dagobah, and Bespin. 

 

I missed those, unfortunately, so when hearing that Starbucks was serving up three more mugs earlier this month, it grabbed my attention. And during a recent visit to the World of Disney store at Disney Springs, I found all three.

The Tatooine mug offers characters and scenes from Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. The planet is the home world to both Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker. I appreciate that Luke, Han Solo, C-3PO, Obi-wan Kenobi and the Millennium Falcon are all featured on the mug. The Force is truly with this mug.

As for the Endor mug, it presents characters and scenes from Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi. The forest moon of Endor is home, of course, to the little furry Ewoks, who are prominently displayed on the mug.

 

And finally, we have a mug featuring Batuu from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which includes Rey, Kylo Ren, Chewbacca, Stormtroopers, BB-8, and quite prominently, the Millennium Falcon. Since Hollywood Studios is my favorite of the Disney World parks, and Galaxy’s Edge is the place I like to spend a good chunk of time, this was a nice choice for one of the mugs. 

Each of these mugs scores high on the collectibles/interests meter. That is, while drinking, fans can enjoy reflecting on beloved Star Wars tales, characters, droids, and ships. As for the mugs’ functionality, they have a nice handle and a wide mouth – that last point is crucial in a good mug for my tastes.

 

By the way, all of the ceramic mugs are microwave and dishwasher safe, and cost $19.99 each.

 

If you enjoy a cool or hot beverage in a mug that captures something you enjoy, then you’re with me. And if you enjoy Star Wars, you’ll appreciate the Tatooine, Endor and Batuu Star Wars mugs from Starbucks.

 

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the  Pastor Stephen Grant novels and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

 

Keating has two new books out. Vatican Shadows: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel is the 13ththriller/mystery in the Pastor Stephen Grant series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed books at www.raykeatingonline.com. Past Lives: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story is the 14th book in the series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed book at www.raykeatingonline.com. And pre-order the 15th book in the series What’s Lost? A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story.

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.

 

You also can order his book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York  from Amazon or signed books  at RayKeatingOnline.com. His other recent nonfiction book is Free Trade Rocks! 10 Points on International Trade Everyone Should Know. 

 

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Savi’s Workshop to Return to Disney World September 20

by Beth Keating

Resistance News 

DisneyBizJournal.com

September 10, 2020

Spread the word amongst your fellow Resistance fighters. Savi will begin selling “scrap metal” again in Black Spire Outpost on September 20. The Gatherers have returned, and will be ushering visitors into their clandestine workshop to peruse their unusual collection of “memorabilia” that they have retrieved from the far reaches of the galaxy. 

Photo of Legacy Lightsaber

You can begin making advance reservations for this Walt Disney World experience on September 16, as long as you promise to keep the location of Savi’s a closely guarded secret. (If you are looking for Savi’s while in the Outpost, you should ask locals for the whereabouts of the scrap metal dealer. No one will admit to a lightsaber while there are stormtroopers lurking nearby.) 

For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, Savi’s Workshop is located in Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios. According to Disney lore, Savi’s is the place for young Jedi-in-training and Resistance members to go to learn to build their very own lightsabers from start to finish. However, this covert location on Batuu must be guarded from the First Order, who would not take kindly to the building of lightsabers in their vicinity.

This $199 part-special-experience-part-show allows guests to choose one of four different lightsaber types, and build it themselves with the help of a Gatherer during a mystical ceremony. Your lightsaber is then brought to life through the energy of a kyber crystal (available in red, blue, green or violet) that you embed in your saber.  Since you make your own decisions about various hilt choices, sleeves, pommel caps and emitters along the way, your finished product is an entirely one-of-a-kind creation.

Lightsabers can be constructed in one of four themes: Peace and Justice (made from salvaged scraps from fallen Jedi temples and crashed starships); Power and Control (originally forged by Dark Side warriors with remnants from the Sith homeworld); Elemental Nature (embodying the Force, and composed of Brylark trees, Cartusion whale bones and Rancor teeth); or Protection and Defense (with inscriptions that reconnect users with the ancient wellspring of the Force).

Savi’s welcomed shoppers earlier during Disney World’s phased reopening, but the market was offering only premade Legacy lightsabers. (Legacy lightsabers are lightsabers that characters within the Star Wars universe wield, and are unique to that character.) The personal lightsaber building experience was on hiatus. Savi’s is now resuming operations as a modified experience, with fewer guests per ceremony, in order to comply with social distancing guidelines. 

You can make reservations via the My Disney Experience app, or on the Disney website. Remember that in addition to reservations for Savi’s, you must also have an entry ticket to Hollywood Studios, as well as a Park Reservation for Hollywood Studios for that day. For more information, check the link for Savi's Workshop. 

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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.