Star Wars actor Mark Hamill says that the blue milk at Disney Parks’ Galaxy’s Edge attraction is a lot more palatable than the original blue milk that he drank in Star Wars: A New Hope.
There are two kinds of colored milk available as beverages at Galaxy’s Edge: the blue bantha milk that Luke drinks in the very first Star Wars movie, and the green milk that Luke drinks while it’s extremely fresh in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Of course, the drinks at Galaxy’s Edge aren’t extracted from alien creatures, and in fact they don’t contain any dairy at all, but are made from a blend of coconut and rice milk with added fruit flavors. Since they were created as a delicious refreshment for Galaxy’s Edge visitors, rather than as a simple prop to be used on a film set, it seems likely that the Galaxy’s Edge milk drinks are tastier – but there’s only one man who can say for sure.
Responding to a photo of himself on Twitter trying out the blue milk Galaxy’s Edge, Hamill said that it easily wins the taste test compared to the original, describing it as tasting like a “yummy fruit smoothie.” This isn’t the first time that Hamill has commented on the… unique taste of the blue milk that he had to drink during the filming of A New Hope. Earlier this year, when asked about it by a fan on Twitter, he explained that the milk used in production was long-life milk with blue food coloring in it, and that he was “it was an acting challenge to appear as though I enjoyed it.”
Just like the special effects, Star Wars‘ milk technology has come a long way since the 1970s, and despite appearances the green milk that Hamill had to drink in Star Wars: The Last Jedi tasted a lot better than the blue variety. Responding to another milk-related question on Twitter, Hamill said that the blue milk was just regular old coconut water, and that it was dyed green in post-production. The thala-siren that Luke milks in the movie was actually an 18 foot tall animatronic puppet built into the rocks that it’s resting on, with a puppeteer inside to squeeze out the milk on cue. Yummy!
Though Galaxy’s Edge hit capacity within in hour on its opening day, the attraction has suffered from low attendance figures within its first few months. Disney CEO Bob Iger has said that this is likely due to a combination of increased ticket prices, fears of overcrowding and long lines putting visitors off, and the fact that one of the rides, Rise of the Resistance, isn’t open yet. P erhaps Luke Skywalker’s endorsement of the blue milk will help get those attendance numbers up.