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'''George Douglas, 1st Earl of Angus''' (1380–1403) was born at [[Tantallon Castle]], [[East Lothian]], [[Scotland]]. The [[bastard]] son of [[William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas|William, 1st Earl of Douglas]] and [[Margaret Stewart, 4th Countess of Angus|Margaret Stewart, Dowager Countess of Mar & Countess of Angus]] in her own right.
{{Infobox_Film |
name = Star Tours |
image = startours.jpg |
caption = A poster from the Star Tours ride. |
writer = [[George Lucas]] (uncredited) |
starring = [[Anthony Daniels]]<br>[[Ira Keeler]]<br>[[Paul Reubens]] |
director = [[George Lucas]] |
producer = George Lucas<br>Tom Fitzgerald |
costumes = unknown |
distributor = [[Lucasfilm|Lucasfilm Ltd.]]<br>[[Disneyland]] |
released = [[January 9]], [[1987]] |
runtime = 4 min. 30 sec. |
language = English |
budget = Unknown |
music = [[John Williams]] |
awards = Unknown |
imdb_id = 0094029 |
}}
{{Star Wars Portal}}
'''Star Tours''' is a [[simulator ride]] located in many of the [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]] [[amusement park|theme park]]s, including [[Disneyland]] in [[California]], [[Disney-MGM Studios]] in [[Florida]], [[Disneyland Paris]] in [[France]], and [[Tokyo Disneyland]] in [[Japan]]. The ride is based on the successful "[[Star Wars]]" franchise of movies, created by [[George Lucas]]. This made it, notably, the first of the park's attractions that did not use Disney-designed imagery.
He was seen as the product of [[incest]] as his mother was the widow of Earl William's wife's brother, [[Thomas, Earl of Mar|Thomas, 13th Earl of Mar]].
Although it has existed since [[1987]], it is considered by many aficionados to be the epitome of the ride form, melding a full sensory experience with the familiarity of a proven entertainment franchise. The first incarnation of the ride appeared in [[Tomorrowland]] at [[Disneyland]] in [[1987]], replacing the previous attraction, [[Adventure Thru Inner Space]].
Earl William's legitimate wife [[Margaret of Mar]] had already produced an heir for her Lord in 1358, [[James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas|James, 2nd Earl of Douglas and Mar]] inherited upon his father's death in [[1384]]
== Plot summary ==
In 1389, Margaret of Angus relinquished her title in favour of her son, but he did not assume it until his betrothal in 1397 to the princess Mary, daughter of King [[Robert III]]. Margaret of Angus' influence must have been considerable- in addittion to obtaining a royal bride for her illegitimate son, she peruaded King Robert to confirm him in his style of Earl of Angus, and also to bestow upon him the lordships of [[Abernethy, Perth and Kinross|Abernethy]], ([[Perthshire]]) and [[Lord Douglas of Bonkill, Prestoun and Robertoun|Bonkill]], ([[Berwickshire]]); and to "''to endow him and his spouse with the justiciary fees of the County of Forfar, to ratify all gifts, entails, and leases made or to be made by [[Isabel of Mar|Isabel, Countess of Mar]], to the said ''Jorge'' her brothir"'' -(Maxwell).
{{Spoiler}}
Advertised as "The Ultimate Star Wars Adventure!," ''Star Tours'' puts the guest in the role of a [[space tourism|space tourist]] en route to the forest moon of [[Endor]] via the Star Tours travel agency. Much is made of this throughout the ride queue, and the theming of the inside holding area is convincingly modeled to look like a spaceship boarding terminal. This area is stocked with [[Audio-Animatronics|Audio-Animatronic]] characters that seem to interact with the ride patrons (including versions of Star Wars favorites [[C-3PO]] and [[R2-D2]], delivering a typical [[Laurel and Hardy]]-esque routine), as well as a life size mock-up of the [[minor vehicles in Star Wars#StarSpeeder 3000|StarSpeeder 3000]], the [[spacecraft]]/[[simulator ride]] that guests embark on. According to the book "Disneyland Detective" by Kendra Trahan, the figures of C-3PO and R2-D2 in the Disneyland attraction are actual props from the original film, modified to operate via Audio-Animatronics.
[[James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas|James 2nd Earl of Douglas]], was killed without issue in 1388, at the [[Battle of Otterburn]], and the Earldom of Mar, and all non-entailed Douglas possessions passed to his sister Isabel. The earldom of Douglas passed to a cousin, a bastard son of [[James Douglas (the Black)|The Good Sir James Douglas]], the aptly named [[Archibald Douglas, 3rd Earl of Douglas|Archibald the Grim]].
Once at the head of the line, the ride operators escort guests into one of several ride theatres. As the doors close, the bumbling [[pilot (spaceflight)|pilot]] [[droid]] of the ship, [[minor droids in Star Wars#RX-24|RX-24]] or Rex (voiced by [[Paul Reubens]]), chats up the guests about the trip as he sets up. All goes well until a slight mistake on Rex's part sends the ship down the wrong tunnel and plummetting down into a maintenance yard, just managing to escape to open space before a giant mechanical appendage crushes the ship. That same scene features a tribute to the "[[Adventure Thru Inner Space]]" attraction: The "Mighty Microscope" is clearly visible to the right of the screen after the appendage sweeps by. Once in space, Rex puts the ship into [[speed of light|light speed]], but pulls out too late to catch the ship's intended destination, instead getting caught inside a [[comet]] field. The ship gets trapped inside one of the larger comets and has to maze its way out. Just when all the trouble seems to be over, the ship encounters a [[Star Destroyer]]. The ship gets caught in its tractor beam, but manages to get loose when a rebel [[X-wing]] fighter (possibly [[Wedge Antilles]]) provides assistance. Soon the ship accompanies the Rebellion on a massive assault on a [[Death Star]]. Rex uses the StarSpeeder's lasers to eliminate [[TIE fighter|TIE fighters]] while a rebel destroys the Death Star in the same manner as [[Luke Skywalker]] did in ''[[Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope]]''. A final light speed jump sends the StarSpeeder back where it started, but not before a near collision with a fuel truck in the spaceport.
The descendants of Archibald formed the famed [[Black Douglas|Black line]], and those of George the equally famed and longer lived [[Red Douglas|Red Line]].
Technically speaking, the intense shaking that the passengers feel should not be there. Most Star Wars [[starships]] are equipped with [[inertial compensator]]s, which ideally would negate shaking and bouncing around. These compensators, although built primarily for [[starfighter]]s, would probably also be present on passenger [[starship]]s as well. Since the passengers feel shaking and bouncing, one can assume that the inertial compensators are either faulty or nonexistent, which is probabbly a breach of some public safety law. But it is a [[theme park]] ride, after all. However, several ships in the ''[[Star Wars]]'' films are seen shaking during flight, such as the ''[[Millennium Falcon]]'' and the [[X-wing]] fighters, though the inertial compensators are primarily intended to comfort the rider, not the vehicle.
Angus does not appear to have taken much interest in [[Public life]], although his name appears on various minor charters. In 1402 however, he was dispatched under orders of the [[Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany|Duke of Albany]], [[Regent of Scotland]] to accompany [[Murdoch Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany|Murdoch, Earl of Fife]] and the [[Thomas Dunbar, 5th Earl of Moray|Earl of Moray]] to assist the [[Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas|Earl of Douglas]] during his invasion of [[Northumberland]].
== Cast ==
That incursion ended at the disastrous field of [[Homildon Hill]], where the Scots were routed and all of the above taken prisoner. Both Moray and Angus died of the [[Bubonic plague|Plague]] whilst captive.
==Issue==
*Anthony Daniels .... C-3PO (attraction queue area) (voice) (uncredited)
By his wife, [[Princess Mary of Scotland]], a daughter of King [[Robert III]], Angus had two children:
*Ira Keeler .... Man who ducks under desk at the end of the ride (uncredited)
:[[William Douglas, 2nd Earl of Angus]](1398-1437)
*Paul Reubens .... REX (voice) (uncredited)
:Elizabeth Douglas
::m1 Sir Alexander Forbes, later [[Lord Forbes]]
::m2 Sir David Hay of Yester
Princess Mary was to marry a further five times and bear five more children by three of these husbands. The issue by her second husband, Sir James Kennedy younger of [[Dunure]], were the ancestors of the [[Marquess of Ailsa|Marquesses of Ailsa]]; The product of her second marriage to [[William, 1st Lord Graham]] were the ancestors of the [[Viscount of Dundee|Viscounts Dundee]] and the [[Duke of Montrose|Dukes of Montrose]].
== Canonicity ==
==Sources==
As with the majority of ''Star Wars'' fiction, Lucasfilm has attempted to fit the general events of ''Star Tours'' into the official ''Star Wars'' canon. The Death Star seen in the ride video is considered the Death Star prototype, as explored in the [[Kevin J. Anderson]] novels ''[[The Jedi Academy trilogy#Jedi Search|Jedi Search]]'' and ''[[The Jedi Academy trilogy#Champions of the Force|Champions of the Force]]''. The destruction of the Death Star prototype, also seen in the ride video, is considered a depiction of its destruction at [[The Maw]], as described in the previously mentioned novels.
*A History of the House of Douglas, Rt.Hon.Sir Herbert Maxwell. Freemantle, London 1902
Also, the [[minor vehicles in Star Wars#StarSpeeder 3000|StarSpeeder 3000]], which is the "vehicle" that the riders are placed in during the ride, has been referenced and seen in-universe in the computer game ''[[Star Wars: TIE Fighter|TIE Fighter]]'', as well as in [[Timothy Zahn]]'s novel ''[[Vision of the Future]]''.
*Ane Historie of the House and Race of Douglas and Angus, Hume of Godscroft. Edinburgh 1646
*The Black Douglases, Michael Brown. Tuckwell press, East Linton, East Lothian 1998
*From the Bloody Heart, Oliver Thomson. Sutton, Stroud, Gloucs. 2003
{{start box}}{{s-reg|sct}}
== Development ==
{{succession box |
before=New Creation|
[[Image:Star_tours.06.jpeg|thumb|right|@50px|Another poster from ''Star Tours''.]]
title=[[Earl of Angus]]|
The ride that became Star Tours first saw light as a proposal for an attraction based on the [[1979]] Disney live-action flop ''[[The Black Hole]]''. It would have been an interactive ride simulator attraction, where guests would have had the ability to choose the ride car's route, but after preliminary planning, the ''Black Hole'' attraction was shelved due to its enormous cost—approximately $50 million USD—as well as the unpopularity of the film itself. But instead of completely dismissing the idea of a simulator, the company decided to make use of a partnership between Disney and George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, that began in [[1986]] with the opening of [[Captain EO]] (a [[3-D film|3-D]] [[musical film|musical]] film starring [[Michael Jackson]]) at the California park. Disneyland then approached Lucas with the idea for the Star Tours amusement ride, he approved.
after=[[William Douglas, 2nd Earl of Angus|William Douglas]]|
years=[[1397]]-[[1403]]|
With his approval, Disney [[Walt Disney Imagineering|Imagineers]] purchased four large military flight simulators at a cost of $500,000 each and designed the ride structure. Meanwhile, Lucas and his team of [[special effect]]s technicians at [[Industrial Light and Magic]] worked on the first-person perspective film that would be projected inside the simulators. When both simulator and film were completed, a [[programmer]] then sat inside and, with the aid of a joystick, manually synchronized the movement of the simulator with the apparent movement on the film. On January 9, 1987, at a final cost of $32 million, almost twice the cost of building the entire park in 1955, the ride finally opened to throngs of patrons, many of whom dressed up as ''Star Wars'' characters for the occasion. In celebration, Disneyland remained open for a special 60 hour marathon from January 9, 1987 at 10am to January 11, 1987 at 10pm.
}}
{{end box}}
== Attraction facts ==
[[Image:StarTours.jpg|right]]
*'''Grand Opening:'''
**Disneyland: [[January 9]], [[1987]]
**Tokyo Disneyland: [[July 12]], [[1989]]
**Disney-MGM Studios: [[December 15]], [[1989]]
**Disneyland Paris: [[April 12]], [[1992]] (Opened with Disneyland Paris)
*'''Designer:''' [[Walt Disney Imagineering]], [[Industrial Light and Magic]]
*'''Simulators:''' 4
*'''Height Requirement:''' 40" (102cm)
*'''Sponsors (Disneyland):''' [[Energizer Holdings|Energizer]] ([[1998]]-current), [[M&M's]] ([[1987]]-[[1998]])
*'''Show Length:''' 4:30
*'''Ride System:''' Flight simulator with Audio-Animatronics all synced to film
*[[Image:FASTPASSAvailability.png|20px|FASTPASS Avaliable]] (All parks excluding Tokyo)
== Sequel ==
In April 2005, at the ''Star Wars'' Celebration III, ''Star Wars'' creator George Lucas confirmed that a ''Star Tours II'' is in production. This new ride will apparently be prequel-oriented.
== Trivia ==
[[Image:StarToursEntrance96 wb.jpg|thumb|Disneyland Star Tours entrance in 1996 before Tomorrowland makeover.]]
[[Image:StarToursEntrance98 wb.jpg|thumb|Disneyland Star Tours entrance in 1998 after makeover.]]
*At Disneyland in Anaheim, California, Star Tours replaced an attraction known as "[[Adventure Thru Inner Space]]," in which guests were notionally shrunk to microscopic size for travel through a snowflake. Exiting the first scene during the Star Tours film, the Mighty Microscope from "Adventure Thru Inner Space" can be seen.
<!--*While waiting in line, a voice announcement calls out for an illegally parked speeder license number THX-1138.
*Another announcement asks for the owner of a speeder with the license plate number "THX1138," which is the name of the first film made for commercial distribution by George Lucas.-->
*While waiting in line, a voice announcement calls out for an illegally parked speeder license number [[THX 1138|THX-1138]], which is the name of the first film made for commercial distribution by George Lucas.
*On the PA system in the waiting area, a voice says, "Mr. Egroeg Sacul, Mr. Egroeg Sacul." (Try spelling the name backwards!)
<!--*Listen for an announcement looking for a Mr. Egroeg Sacul; then spell it backwards. -->
*On Rex, the robotic pilot of the StarSpeeder 3000, a bright red tag can be seen attached to his torso. The tag says "Warning! Remove before Flight".
*On the PA system in the waiting area, a voice says a message for "Mr. Tom Morrow," who was a character in [[Mission to Mars (attraction)|Mission to Mars]], which closed in [[1992]] and later became an actual character for the attraction [[Innoventions]], which opened in [[1998]].
<!--*Yet another announcement asks for Mr. Tom Morrow, which was the name of the Audio-Animatronic "operations director" host of the old Flight to the Moon attraction in the Magic Kingdom. -->
*The G2 repair droids in the queue line are actually the skeletons of two goose animatronics from [[America Sings]]. They were removed from the show for this attraction during the last 2 years of its run.
*REX "has a very bad feeling about this" when the ship flies into one of the comets. This a [[running gag]] in the ''Star Wars'' films. See: [[Notable lines in the Star Wars series]].
*The fuel tanker that the StarSpeeder 3000 almost runs into at the end has on its side a hazardous materials sign and registration number. The registration number is Lucasfilm's old office phone number.
*Rex's voice belongs to Paul "Pee-Wee Herman" Ruebens.
*The baskets of parts in the Droidnostics Center in the queue for Star Tours at Disneyland and Disney-MGM Studios have hidden initials and birth dates of WDI and ILM team members who worked on the attraction.
*Look closely at the pre-boarding video. The passengers are not actors but Imagineers and their families.
*The work crews shown in the docking bays and control rooms of the film are actually members of the Industrial Light & Magic model shop staff. In fact, ILM Visual Effects Supervisor Dennis Muren and his crew can be seen diving out of the way when Rex accidentally steers the StarSpeeder 3000 toward the control room on the right.
*Who was that horrified the guy in the landing bay who ducks in terror as Rex nearly crash into him with the StarSpeeder 3000 at the end of the flight? Contrary to popular belief it's not George Lucas, but in fact an ILM modelmaker named Ira Keeler.
*During the ride, Rex says that he's always wanted to do this. In the Star Wars book "Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina," it states that there was a droid at the Death Star who "announced it had always wanted to do this."
*The [[List of Star Wars vehicles#StarSpeeder 3000|StarSpeeder 3000]] has several blast marks, one of which appears to resemble a [[Mickey Mouse]] head.
*Several aliens from the ''Star Wars'' theatrical films and offshoot productions make appearances in the opening safety video. Examples include a [[Wookiee]] (from the theatrical films) and [[List of minor Star Wars characters#Teek|Teek]] (from the TV film ''[[Ewoks: The Battle for Endor]]'').
== External links ==
=== Official links ===
*[http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/en_US/parks/attractions/detail?name=StarToursAttractionPage Disneyland: Star Tours]
*[http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/parks/attractionDetail?id=StarToursAttractionPage&bhcp=1 Walt Disney World's Disney-MGM Studios: Star Tours]
*[http://www.starwars.com/hyperspace/member/kessel/f20040618/index.html An extensive starwars.com article covering all major aspects of the ride's development, story, and popularity. Article available only to Hyperspace members.]
*[http://www.starwars.com/hyperspace/member/audiocast/ The complete audio to the ride from starwars.com. Another hyperspace exclusive.]
*[http://visionsfantastic.com/main.php?page=st Another Disney website, containing video clips from the ride.]
=== Unofficial links ===
*[http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/51974 Link to a fan's flash-recreation of the ride.]
*[http://www.blueharvest.net/video/original.shtml Link to download a low-quality clip of C-3PO's safety video from the ride.]
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20000229034013/disneylandsource.com/st/index.html Original Star Tours home page.]
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20000305021315/disneylandsource.com/tom/innerspace.html Original homepage of ''Adventure Thru Inner Space'', a ride that once was housed in the same building as ''Star Tours''.]
*[http://www.swstartours.net/ SWStarTours.net: A fansite dedicated to the ride.]
*[http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Station/1741/ Another fansite dedicated to the ride.]
{{Star Wars}}
{{Disneyrides}}
[[Category:Disney parks and attractions]]
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[[Category:1403 deaths|Angus, George Douglas, 1st Earl of]]
[[fr:Star Tours]]
[[Category:1380 births|Angus, George Douglas,1st Earl of]]
[[he:סטאר טורס]]
[[Category:Scottish people|Angus, George Douglas, 1st Earl of]]
[[Category:Earls in the Peerage of Scotland|Angus, George Douglas, 1st Earl of]]
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