Guests venturing through the world of Batuu may have seen the building and the sign and probably thought nothing of it. It read ORES, which stands for Outer Rim Expedition & Supply. And since 2019 when the land opened, it was just another level of detail we’ve come to expect from Walt Disney Imagineering. Or is it? With the release of the new book, The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge by Amy Ratcliffe, we have indeed learned more about this space and what it was meant to be. Who this location was run by was in fact under our nose the entire time.

Here’s the sign that’s still found just across the way from Oga’s Cantina. Make note of that orange pattern on the top left. You recognize it don’t you?

The sign reads:

O R E S
OUTER RIM EXPEDITION & SUPPLY

-PRIVATE GUIDES AVAILABLE
-WEEKLY SURVIVAL TRAINING
-BASIC BLASTER MAINTENANCE
-SPECIALIZED LANGUAGE COURSES

Those orange markings though… so familiar. But where have we seen it before? Of course! It’s Bossk! It’s his shop! The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge concludes as much.

Margaret Kerrison, Walt Disney Imagineering Managing Story Editor had this to say about the Arms Dealer / Explorer Shop / ORES: “With smugglers, bounty hunters, and shady characters coming in, this isn’t going to be a nice, feel-good type of place. This is the place where you’re going to get weapons. The proprietor runs Outer Rim expeditions. The sign is in front of the location in the land today. Anyway, this Trandoshan, who is a former bounty hunter, will help people get to the most impossible places in the galaxy.”

“The whole idea about the explorer shop- because this is a remote outpost at the edge of the galaxy, you would think that people who are traveling here are looking to resupply and to find goods and gear, and equipment, and blasters, and helmets to restock, basically. This is really the REI of our outpost.”


That’s some confirmation right there isn’t it? Take a look at the pattern on Bossk’s sleeve below, and find it much larger on the facade of the building. It’s faint, but definitely there.

The supply storage out front even includes several props you might have found within the store itself.

Within the Art of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge you’ll find early concepts and explorations of this “Explorer Shop”. Here’s a look:

While the artwork in the book are not dated, having it manned by a Dug must have been an earlier concept. But the one thing that seemed to remain throughout was a large blue projected map, much like the ones seen in The Force Awakens.

Ric Lim, ILM Concept Artist had this to say:

“This was going to be an explorers shop. We wanted to make it full of life. I tried to make it look like a shop that’s been there for many years, so it’s not new. Some boxes and shelves have been placed haphazardly here and there. The owner doesn’t have really a lot of options to make things nice, you know? So, when stuff comes in, he just puts stuff on the side of the wall. And you just find your things and bring it to him and argue the price. That kind of thing.”

What do you think? Do you think a Bossk-run shop in Galaxy’s Edge would be cool? Or would another theme be necessary for Galaxy’s Edge? Let us know your thoughts!

In memory of Alan Harris, born May 28, 1938.