On Set Photos From Star Tours 2.0

Say what you want about the Star Wars prequels, but they totally changed the face of Star Wars. And nowhere was this more evident over the past decade than Disneyland and Walt Disney World where the Star Tours ride was still going strong. The ride, which opened in 1987, not only felt dated in context of the Star Wars universe, but the technology of the ride itself was certainly not modern enough for a franchise that's synonymous with technology. So, when news broke that Star Tours 2.0 would be opening in May 2011, it was more than welcome. Before that announcement came, though, we reported that a secret Star Wars shoot was happening in Hollywood in April 2009. That shoot ended up being for Star Tours 2.0 and Disney has finally revealed photos of what went down. Check them out after the jump.

In April 2009, Anthony Daniels – aka C-3PO – filmed his part in the latest Star Tours. Here are some photos from the shoot. Check out the Disney Parks Blog for more and a story about what was going on.

That's the Starspeeder 1000, which one can only assume will be your ship on the latest Star Tours as referenced in our description of the ride from a few months ago:

[The] revamp will incorporate prequel characters (like Naboo citizens and Geonosians) along with many aliens from the original trilogy (Aqualish. Bith, Rodians, etc). In the action sequence, the Star Tours vehicle is now going to be chased by Boba Fett.  C3PO and R2-D2 are still the hosts... Admiral Ackbar holographically communicates with the Star Tours vehicle.

And, just to add a little something to those photos, here's the trailer for the ride.

We all know many Star Wars fans have become bitter at the franchise over the past few years, but do you think there's a chance that riding a top of the line, 3D updated version of Star Tours will make you feel like a kid again?