Solo: A Star Wars Story was the second Star Wars anthology film and although it received mixed to average reviews, it has still become a fan-favorite, with people calling for a sequel focusing on the adventures of a younger Han Solo. And while we could discuss the reasons for Solo being such a fan-favorite, Emilia Clarke’s character, Qi’ra, is certainly among the reasons. The character was extremely well-received and Clarke’s charismatic interpretation helped cement the character’s popularity.
And while we don’t know whether we’ll see a Solo sequel in the near future, we do know that Qi’ra’s adventures are going to get a continuation in the recently announced comic book series Star Wars: Crimson Reign, which is surely going to explore the relationship between Qi’ra and Darth Maul, whose surprise cameo at the end of Solo astonished fans.
Crimson Reign is going to be a sequel to the War of the Bounty Hunters comic book by writer Charles Soule, who teams with artist Steve Cummings on the five-part series, which sees Qi’ra come to power as leader of the criminal faction known as Crimson Dawn during the era between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
Soule spoke to IGN about the comic book. “I planned to tell the story we’re seeing in War of the Bounty Hunters from the very first pitches I wrote when I knew I’d be taking over the Star Wars title for Marvel,” he said. “But it was really when I knew I had a secret weapon to deploy storywise that the seeds of Crimson Reign began to take root in my mind: Qi’ra, former paramour of Han Solo and current leader of the infamous Crimson Dawn crime syndicate, as portrayed by Emilia Clarke in Solo: A Star Wars Story film. While Qi’ra plays a huge part in War of the Bounty Hunters, that event is really a Boba Fett story. I have a bigger story I’m going to tell with Qi’ra and Crimson Dawn, and it’s all connected to the reasons she kicked things off in War of the Bounty Hunters in the first place. You’ll learn more about that in the closing pages of War of the Bounty Hunters #5, out in October, and I think fans have no idea how exciting and new this story will feel.”
He finally added: “From the moment I took the gig writing Star Wars, I wanted to do new things in the Star Wars timeline between Episodes V and VI, using new characters from all eras of the galaxy far, far away,” Soule said. “Crimson Reign, which continues what I plan as a trilogy that began with War of the Bounty Hunters, is a great example of how I like to write Star Wars stories. Everything and everyone is fair game, and I think people are really going to enjoy it. Await the Reign.”
