Our good pal James Floyd caught up with Delilah S. Dawson to talk Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge: Black Spire, and the fruits of their conversation is now up on StarWars.com.
StarWars.com: Black Spire takes place primarily in and around Black Spire Outpost on Batuu, around the same timeframe as Galaxy’s Edge. What was it like working in a place with its own characters and culture that was going to be a real-world themed-land, as well as a setting for your story? How did the collaboration work with Disney Parks and Lucasfilm as both your story and the theme park were being crafted?
Delilah S. Dawson: It was an enormous responsibility and a pure joy, and they gave me a lot of runway to contribute my own vision to the lore. I was given a dossier on the park, from maps to art to character backstories, and I was told which characters to treat lightly (because another writer was fleshing them out) and which characters I could take liberties with. It was especially fun to give voice to Oga Garra and help establish the elusive cantina owner and local mob boss. I begged to see the park during construction so I could describe it more clearly, but since we couldn’t logistically make that happen, I had a call with the Imagineers and a long list of questions that I followed up with several emails. I was truly fortunate to visit the Disneyland Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland Resort before it opened to the public, and then I had six days to turn around an edit with those added details gleaned from the experience. Those little touches of gold in world building mean a lot to me. I have synesthesia, so my senses get crossed up, and I love to give the reader a full sensory experience that weaves sight, sound, smells, taste, and texture.
