<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4BLijJ_0vdd0oLd00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4BLijJ_0vdd0oLd00" width="1044" height="588" ></figure>This week, our Star Wars Character Spotlight will be taking a look at Qi’ra, first portrayed by Emilia Clarke in Solo: A Star Wars Story.Anyone who saw Solo: A Star Wars Story back in 2018 will have been itching to see more of Qi’ra in Star Wars ever since (#MakeSolo2Happen). While Emilia Clarke has never returned to reprise the role herself, Qi’ra has reappeared in the Star Wars timeline multiple times in comics and videogames since 2020. Qi’ra is an intelligent and fearsome woman, who at one point was one of the most powerful characters in the galaxy. She is a master manipulator, wilfully employing her emotional intelligence to get what she wants from people, all in the name of the greater good. <h2>Scrumrats</h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=37aJz2_0vdd0oLd00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=37aJz2_0vdd0oLd00" width="1024" height="576" ></figure>Most of our knowledge of Qi’ra’s early life comes from Solo: A Star Wars Story, the film in which her character debuted. The film’s prologue shows Qi’ra growing up on Corellia working for the White Worms as a scrumrat, essentially a network of young Corellians carrying out small jobs on behalf of the gang. The Crimson Climb novel explains that she was forced into servitude after she was caught pickpocketing one of their members. It was during this time that she first met Han, who was also a scrumrat himself. Thanks to issue 18 of the latest Star Wars comic run, we know that Qi’ra ran into Han when he was standing up for another scrumrat being bullied, despite knowing that it would earn himself a beating. They talked and Han told her that he wanted to make a positive difference in people’s lives, which wouldn’t happen if he remained a scrumrat. His courage and heroism appealed to Qi’ra, and the two of them seemingly entered a relationship (Lucasfilm have never outright stated this, but Han clearly had romantic feelings for Qi’ra and she seemed to reciprocate them).Of course, it helped that Han mentioned he was secretly saving to buy a ship that would let him leave Corellia for good. The pair of them became close and saved together to buy that ship for the pair of them. When Han stole a vial of coaxium from the White Worms, the pair of them raced to the starport, chased by the gang and the Empire (who wanted to arrest them for dangerous driving). However, while Han made it through the gate and escaped Corellia, Qi’ra was grabbed by the White Worms and forced to remain on the planet. <h2>Joining Crimson Dawn</h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3BG1FL_0vdd0oLd00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3BG1FL_0vdd0oLd00" width="1577" height="667" ></figure>The film leaves Qi’ra behind for the next chapter of her life, but luckily it is catalogued in the expanded edition of the novelization. Here, it’s revealed that Lady Proxima sold Qi’ra to a slaver who later sold her to intergalactic crime syndicate Crimson Dawn. She remained their prisoner for a year and attempted to escape several times before eventually impressing the syndicate’s leader Dryden Vos with her tenacity and resourcefulness. Vos offered her a position within Crimson Dawn itself and demanded her loyalty for life, branding her with the Crimson Dawn symbol. Qi’ra seized the opportunity with both hands and climbed the ranks of Crimson Dawn to become Vos’ top lieutenant, even learning Teräs Käsi, a martial arts style used primarily against Force users. One of the Forces of Destiny animated shorts chronicles part of Qi’ra’s time serving Dryden Vos. In the short, she is hunted by IG-88 and Hondo Ohnaka on Ord Mantell, with the droid intent on collecting a bounty on her head. After getting captured by them, she managed to turn them against each other and escape her shackles, capturing them in turn to collect bounties on them instead. <h2>Reuniting with Han</h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2YHWD2_0vdd0oLd00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2YHWD2_0vdd0oLd00" width="500" height="330" ></figure>Five years after Qi’ra and Han’s separation on Corellia, they met each other again on Vandor. While Qi’ra seemed pleased to see Han again, she had clearly moved on and was chiefly concerned with Crimson Dawn. Unfortunately, her prior association with Han got her in trouble and Dryden Vos sent her on a mission with Han and Tobias Beckett to steal coaxium from the Pyke Syndicate. Vos knew Han clearly meant something to Qi’ra and saw the mission as another opportunity to test her loyalty to him and Crimson Dawn. It was Qi’ra’s idea to recruit Lando Calrissian for the mission, knowing that his ship would be fast enough to make the Kessel Run before the coaxium exploded. After watching Han fail to win the Millennium Falcon in a game of sabacc, Qi’ra recruited Lando herself – she had already met him while working for Crimson Dawn. While there was still romantic tension with Han, Qi’ra never let it interfere with the mission. They landed on Kessel and Qi’ra infiltrated the base under the guise of an enslaver from the Federation of Trade Route Allocation and Monetization, with the intent of selling Han and Chewbacca to the Pykes for slave labor. She quickly incapacitated the Pyke capo negotiating with her and helped Han steal a batch of unrefined coaxium. The mine quickly descended into chaos as Lando’s droid partner L3-37 instigated a droid rebellion and they managed to escape aboard the Millennium Falcon, taking a shortcut through the Kessel Run in the process. They landed on the nearby planet of Savareen and managed to refine the coaxium before it detonated. When Dryden Vos arrived to pick up the coaxium, Qi’ra betrayed her master and sided with Han, eventually killing Vos. When Han left – under the impression that Qi’ra would be joining him – Qi’ra stayed behind and assumed control as the public leader of Crimson Dawn, taking over the syndicate for herself. In a way, that was the last time she would ever see Han again. She wasn’t totally in control of her own destiny, however. In killing Dryden Vos, she had merely placed herself in the direct control of another; Maul, who had secretly retained ownership of the syndicate since the end of the Clone Wars. <h2>Crimson Dawn’s new leader</h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0Klsgl_0vdd0oLd00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0Klsgl_0vdd0oLd00" width="988" height="779" ></figure>We don’t know much about the following years that Qi’ra spent serving Maul, as Crimson Dawn went dark and dropped off the galactic radar for the next 13 years. However, it does seem that at some point in the next seven years, Qi’ra managed to force Maul out of Crimson Dawn and become the new leader herself. When we next see Maul in Star Wars Rebels, he doesn’t mention Crimson Dawn and never uses any of their resources in his appearances. He states that he’s all alone, so it could be that Qi’ra was the one who left him stranded on Malachor.We don’t know how or why this happened, but if one were to speculate, it could be something to do with Maul’s pursuit of Obi-Wan Kenobi. We know from the comics that Qi’ra is all on board with taking down Darth Sidious and the Empire, but as far as she’s concerned, Obi-Wan is not relevant to the larger galaxy and pursuing him would have little effect on her larger goal. Perhaps she became tired of Maul’s obsession with Kenobi and decided Crimson Dawn would be better off with her in total control. With Maul out of the picture, Qi’ra began to prepare for Crimson Dawn’s eventual return to the galaxy, building a network of contacts and sleeper agents (including assassin Ochi of Bestoon, bounty hunter Deathstick, multiple members of both the Empire and the Rebel Alliance and even the Knights of Ren) and a fleet of ships to help her achieve her goal. Even though Maul was out of the way, she still continued to work towards his original vision; destroy the Sith and the Empire. She even sent one contact to find the location of Master Yoda and enlist his aid, though he evaded detection and Qi’ra was told he was dead.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=33eH35_0vdd0oLd00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=33eH35_0vdd0oLd00" width="1400" height="700" ></figure>Shortly after The Empire Strikes Back, Qi’ra and Crimson Dawn made their grand return to the galactic stage in the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover comic series. When one of her agents stole Han Solo’s carbonite slab from Boba Fett, he was brought to Crimson Dawn’s flagship The Vermillion. There, Qi’ra held a huge auction, offering to sell off one of the rebellion’s biggest heroes for the best price. She extended an invite to every major criminal syndicate, including the Hutt Cartel. However, she also secretly invited the Rebel Alliance, hoping they would be able to steal him back themselves once Crimson Dawn had been paid. Though she still cared for Han, she wouldn’t let her personal feelings interfere with her personal goals, just like when they had last met over a decade ago. After a frenzied bidding sequence, Jabba won and Qi’ra agreed to sell Han back to him. However, tensions rose when Darth Vader arrived, announcing that Han Solo was the property of the Empire. When he declared he would not be paying for Han, Qi’ra ended up fighting Vader herself. While she held her own admirably, Vader ended the fight by Force pushing her into Han’s carbonite slab. Though she had been defeated and the Empire made off with Han, Qi’ra was pleased as the galaxy now recognized Crimson Dawn as a major player ready to disobey the Empire. Though she was unable to reunite Han with the rebels, she was free to proceed with the next stage of her plan: a syndicate civil war. <h2>Crimson Reign</h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=141EyH_0vdd0oLd00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=141EyH_0vdd0oLd00" width="1009" height="1200" ></figure>Qi’ra soon popped up again in the Darth Vader comic series, captured by members of the Assassin’s Guild. Darth Vader sent Ochi of Bestoon to collect Qi’ra, only for Ochi to kill the other assassins and free Qi’ra himself, pledging allegiance to Crimson Dawn. She soon met Leia Organa in the main Star Wars comic, reaching out to the Rebellion. After reuniting with Lando and getting an audience with Leia, Qi’ra apologized for the events of the auction, for which Leia was still angry. As an act of goodwill, she revealed to Leia that Han was still alive and being held at Jabba’s Palace, and later provided intel on the Imperial commander hunting the scattered Rebel fleet. She also had Crimson Dawn handle the Rebellion’s supply chain for a time, keeping the Empire’s main rival alive. In the Crimson Reign comic crossover series, she informed the Black Sun of the Hutts’ strained relationship with the Empire and encouraged them to start seizing Hutt territory. Additionally, she offered Crimson Dawn’s services to every criminal syndicate, positioning themselves as a service rather than a competitor so they could play their rivals off each other.This led every major criminal syndicate to become increasingly hostile with each other and start a war throughout the criminal underworld. With their rivals weakened and distracted, the stage was set for Crimson Dawn’s ascendancy.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2RjjJL_0vdd0oLd00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2RjjJL_0vdd0oLd00" width="1200" height="674" ></figure>Qi’ra’s most recent appearance came in the videogame Star Wars Outlaws, in which she plays a role in the game’s story on Kijimi (sadly she wasn’t voiced by Emilia Clarke). The minor criminal syndicate Ashiga Clan had recently begun making weapons for the Empire, so Qi’ra turned her attention there and helped instigate a civil war within the Clan. Depending on the game’s events, Kay Vess (the player) can help install a new ruler who will be manipulated by Crimson Dawn.At the end of the game, Qi’ra can also come to the aid of Kay Vess and the Rebels, arriving in space above Akiva to destroy a Star Destroyer and help the Rebels evade capture, depending on which ending the player earns. It’s not clear if there is one specific canon version of events for the game, but they could be interpreted as such.<h2>Hidden Empire</h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=48EOMV_0vdd0oLd00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=48EOMV_0vdd0oLd00" width="1170" height="915" ></figure>Qi’ra’s grand plan comes to a head in the Hidden Empire comic crossover series. Having claimed possession of the Fermata Cage, an ancient artifact designed to contain powerful force users, Qi’ra contacted the Empire and threatened to unlock the Fermata Cage and release a powerful ancient Force user into the galaxy. She also commanded her fleet to engage the Empire in open warfare.Worried about the threat posed by a being of such power, Palpatine took a special interest in stopping Crimson Dawn and tasked Vader with securing the Fermata Cage. Crimson Dawn couldn’t hope to beat the Empire in a war, and Qi’ra knew the syndicate’s time was numbered. She believed it would all be worth if it she could eliminate Vader and Palpatine. As the Empire closed in on the artifact, Qi’ra transferred all her wealth and information over to a young girl named Cadeliah, who was destined to inherit two minor criminal syndicates, stating that she would have everything she needed to build her own criminal empire.It all culminated in a huge battle between Empire and Crimson Dawn forces at Amaxine Station, where Vader and Palpatine nearly fell for Qi’ra’s trap. They arrived at the location of the Fermata Cage, only to discover that the artifact wasn’t holding an ancient Sith. Instead, its purpose was to imprison them forever. Her plan nearly succeeded, until she was betrayed by the Knights of Ren. The dark side group had felt used and undervalued by Qi’ra, and betrayed Crimson Dawn for the Empire. They fired on the artifact with their ship and destroyed the forcefield containing the Sith Lords. With the Fermata Cage eliminated, the Empire routed Crimson Dawn and destroyed the syndicate for good. <h2>Qi’ra’s legacy</h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1aSOMp_0vdd0oLd00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1aSOMp_0vdd0oLd00" width="1170" height="929" ></figure>While Crimson Dawn was destroyed, Qi’ra survived and went into hiding. After the Battle of Endor, Luke Skywalker and Leia discovered exactly what Qi’ra had been up to in that year between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Leia wished that Qi’ra had officially joined the Rebellion with her forces, but Luke acknowledged that she had played a key role in helping to bring down the Empire, giving the rebels time to recover after their heavy losses on Hoth. They both believed that Qi’ra had perished in that battle at Amaxine Station, when in fact Qi’ra survived well into the New Republic, content with her role in finally bringing an end to the Sith. There’s still plenty more story to be mined with Qi’ra. Any stories detailing her interactions with Maul would be welcome, as well as her time leading Crimson Dawn in secret before the syndicate’s grand return. There’s also plenty of scope for her to return in the New Republic era as well. Qi’ra is one of the more interesting characters in the Skywalker Saga, and Lucasfilm knows it. It would be fantastic to see Emilia Clarke reprise the role and hopefully that will happen someday. With any luck it will be sooner rather than later.Josh Atkins Josh is a huge Star Wars fan, who has spent far too much time wondering if any Star Wars character could defeat Thanos with all the Infinity Stones.</div></body>

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Qi’ra – ‘Star Wars’ Character Spotlight

This week, our Star Wars Character Spotlight will be taking a look at Qi’ra, first portrayed by Emilia Clarke in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Anyone who saw Solo: A Star Wars Story back in 2018 will have been itching to see more of Qi’ra in Star Wars ever since (#MakeSolo2Happen). While Emilia Clarke has never returned to reprise the role herself, Qi’ra has reappeared in the Star Wars timeline multiple times in comics and videogames since 2020.

Qi’ra – ‘Star Wars’ Character Spotlight

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