Marvel just announced Hidden Empire, the third (and last) part in Qi’ra’s and Crimson Dawn’s story. Hidden Empire is going to be a five-issue miniseries starting in November 2022.
The third part of Qi’ra’s epic comeback to the Star Wars storyline. This is one of the big story arcs of the year but there are a few things you must know to understand why this is a big deal.
Who is Qi’ra
Qi’ra is one of the most recent and interesting characters in Star Wars, we first met her in Solo: A Star Wars Story. After being left in Corellia, she had to survive in the ruthless criminal underworld.
The next time Han saw her, she was serving under Dryden Vos, the public leader of Crimson Dawn, a powerful criminal syndicate that was created by Darth Maul a few years before the abrupt end of the Clone Wars.
Dryden was killed and Maul didn’t truly care about the organization, for him, it was just a means to an end, but for Qi’ra it’s more than that. She’s actually invested in making Crimson Dawn one of the most powerful groups in the galaxy, with everything that it implies. The Empire, Rebel Alliance, The Hutt Cartel, and every criminal group will know and fear Crimson Dawn.
After Maul ended up stranded in Malachor, Qi’ra took control of Crimson Dawn’s operations. She knew it wasn’t their time so instead, Crimson Dawn went under the radar to rebuild and increase their followers. In the process, they managed to infiltrate spies in every corner of the galaxy and gather powerful allies like Ochi of Bestoon or The Knights of Ren.
After some years of planning and moving pieces, it was finally the turn for Crimson Dawn to make their move. With a powerful inner circle, spies everywhere, and an immense fortune to back up Qi’ra, she planned to set the galaxy on fire and see how everyone ripped each other while Crimson Dawn kept growing stronger.
The return of Crimson Dawn
War of the Bounty Hunters, a crossover comic series is where Qi’ra and Crimson Dawn make their triumphant return. Across the thirty-four issues, we learn how they manipulated everyone to switch sides or turn against each other.
After Han Solo was frozen in carbonite, Crimson Dawn stole it from Boba Fett and organized an auction where everyone important was invited or at least aware of the event. Darth Vader, Jabba the Hutt and the Hutt Council, Boba Fett, The Black Sun, Leia Organa, Dr. Aphra, The Black Sun, The Pykes, and many more were there.
There was a point where Qi’ra even dueled against Darth Vader. What better way to show how determined you are than to fight the second most powerful being in the galaxy?
“The central principle to running a criminal syndicate is to trust no one. If you find yourself relying on trust, you have failed. Every interaction I have is a transaction. I give the other person something or threaten to take something away. Then, they do what I want.”- Qi’ra
I won’t spoil the events of War of the Bounty Hunters, but I think you can guess when so many powerful people with conflicting interests gather in one place.
War of the Bounty Hunters was just the first part of the return of Qi’ra and Crimson Dawn. Crimson Reign, a five-issue miniseries continued the story of The Scarlet Queen and her open defiance of Palpatine. Hidden Empire is going to finish this part of Qi’ra’s saga,
Diving deeper: Why Qi’ra is played by Emilia Clarke
It has been said that the story of Qi’ra and Crimson Dawn is a tragedy, something I find very curious considering Qi’ra is played by Emilia Clarke, who also played Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones.
Both characters rise from the bottom and end up leading a powerful empire that is known and feared by everyone with common sense. I hope Qi’ra doesn’t have the same faith as Daenerys.
Charles Soule was in charge of writing the whole saga so it’d be interesting to learn if there’s some inspiration for Qi’ra in Daenerys’ story. Coincidence or not, it’s going to be a super fun series to read.
There are rumors of Cal Kestis eventually appearing in a live-series project, if that’s true then I wouldn’t discard the possibility of seeing Qi’ra on the screen. Plus, Emilia Clarke has expressed interest in reprising her role. I think she’d be a phenomenal villain and would add a lot to the story, but it’s still too early to know what the future awaits for Qi’ra, assuming she has a future.
Would you like to see her back? How do you think this story is going to end?
