Qi'ra

Lady Qi'ra was a human female crime lord from the planet Corellia who lived during the reign of the Galactic Empire. She grew up on the streets along with Han as part of the White Worms. Though they were at first rivals, the two scrumrats eventually became lovers. Sometime after Qi'ra was made Head Girl by Lady Proxima, Han and Qi'ra attempted to escape with a vial of coaxium, but were separated at the Coronet Spaceport, with Han getting away, though he promised to return for her.
Qi'ra was sold into slavery by Proxima to the slave dealer Sarkin Enneb, who eventually sold her to Dryden Vos, the public face of the criminal syndicate Crimson Dawn. Vos saw potential in Qi'ra and trained her personally before giving her the chance to take revenge on Enneb. By killing him, Qi'ra earned the right to join Crimson Dawn and rapidly climbed the organization's ranks to become Vos's trusted lieutenant.
In 10 BBY, Qi'ra reunited with Solo on Vandor and accompanied him and his friends on a mission to retrieve coaxium. She recommended a ship owned by the smuggler Lando Calrissian and rekindled her relationship with Solo. After the mission was unsuccessful, she returned to Vos, whom she betrayed and killed to save Han. Despite this, however, Qi'ra left Solo behind as she traveled to Dathomir to meet with the former Sith Lord Maul, the true leader of Crimson Dawn. During her time under Maul, the former Sith explained to her the true nature of the Imperial Era: Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine and the Empire's informal Commander-in-Chief Darth Vader were both Sith, with the Empire a mere puppet through which the Sith Order could again control the galaxy.
Between 3 ABY and 4 ABY, Crimson Dawn resurfaced under the leadership of Qi'ra. Having stolen Han Solo, who had been frozen in carbonite, from bounty hunter Boba Fett, she plotted to bring major galactic factions to her with Solo as the bait. Once the Attack on the Executor ended, with the Empire and Hutt Clan in conflict, Qi'ra moved forward with her next plans to bring down the Sith. She lured the Emperor and Vader into a trap at the Amaxine Space Station, but her plans were disrupted when the Knights of Ren betrayed her and freed the Sith Lords from the Fermata Cage, resulting in the total collapse of Crimson Dawn. Qi'ra bequeathed her remaining resources to the young Cadeliah and went into hiding, watching the fall of the Empire from obscurity.
==Biography==
===Early life===
Qi'ra hailed from the planet Corellia during the reign of the Galactic Empire, before the outbreak of the Galactic Civil War. She grew up in the Bottoms of Coronet City. She attempted to pickpocket a dog biscuit from Moloch, who captured her and brought her to Proxima. She was then forced to join the White Worms as a scrumrat.Crimson Climb She later became friends with the scrumrat Han. At one point, she witnessed Han stand up for a scrumrat who as being bullied despite the fact that it resulted in him being beaten up himself. Qi'ra later asked him about it while the pair sat outside at night, and Han admitted that the culture of the White Worms did not allow for helping each other, and he felt that he could start marking a difference in the lives of others it he tried to be selfless.Star Wars (2020) 18 Over the years, she would watch Han compete in swoop races and win credits to save up for a starship that would allow them to leave the White Worms behind.Bounty Hunters 23
By the time Qi'ra was eighteen years old, she was chosen by Lady Proxima to be the Head Girl after Han revealed to Proxima that Qi'ra had turned down an opportunity to travel the galaxy and had chosen to work for the White Worms instead.Most Wanted
Qi'ra attempted to flee Corellia with Han, by this point her lover, who had stolen a vial of coaxium during a delivery for Proxima that had gone badly. After a confrontation with Proxima, in which Solo caused a distraction by shattering a window allowing light in, exploiting her vulnerability of her skin, he and Qi'ra attempted to escape through the Imperial control zone using the coaxium to bribe Falthina Sharest, an Imperial Emigration Officer. Sharest agreed to allow them through, provided they handed over the coaxium before passing through the security gate. Solo reluctantly agreed, and instructed Qi'ra to hand it over. However, only Solo got through, Qi'ra was captured by Rebolt and Syke of the White Worms, and the gate closed when Sharest triggered a security alert. Solo promised Qi'ra he would come back for her as soon as possible before he ran away from the gate.
===Road to Dryden Vos===
Qi'ra lived an even more difficult life after being captured again by Proxima's gang. The blistered Proxima was displeased of her actions, opting to sell Qi'ra away. She was sold to a slave dealer, Sarkin Enneb, and later Dryden Vos, the leader of Crimson Dawn. After a year of failed escapes, she attempted to do so yet again, killing the guard outside her cell and reaching the escape pods, only to find Vos waiting. He offered her a position within the ranks of Crimson Dawn, having seen potential within her, but he demanded her lifelong loyalty in return.Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition Vos later branded Qi'ra's forearm and the back of her neck with the Crimson Dawn symbol. Qi'ra also hunted down and killed Enneb.
===Life with Crimson Dawn===
With Crimson Dawn, Qi'ra lived a more opulent lifestyle, becoming an enforcer and Vos' top lieutenant. She was trained by Vos in the martial arts of Teräs Käsi.
At some point during her employment with Crimson Dawn, Qi'ra found herself being pursued by bounty hunter droid IG-88 on Ord Mantell. Qi'ra fell into a trap laid by IG-88 and his temporary partner, Weequay pirate Hondo Ohnaka. The two were planning on turning Qi'ra in for a bounty, but she was able to turn them against one another, giving her a chance to remove her bonds and capture them both, with intent to turn them in for bounties.
At some point following the Razzi warehouse raid, Qi'ra recorded details of the stolen cargo in the logbook known as the Smuggler's Guide, which had also been acquired in the raid. The cargo included crates with the fake Kitel Phard vases, HK8 Sawtooth, Weequay spherical objects with 50 kilogram of low-grade andris spice inside, disassembled HK-model gladiator droids bearing medallions of Grakkus Jahibakti Tingi, and a crate with exotic animal parts, including rancor fangs, aiwha sacs, shaved mynock silicate, sando tooth cuttings, dried octopod ink, two mummified tuk'ata specimens, and various components of Corellian hound. The Smuggler's Guide later ended up in the possession of Val who found it in the crate they stole from the freight platform in Zarra on Cato Neimoidia and then passed to Tobias Beckett, with the smuggler Han Solo and the archaeologist Chelli Lona Aphra annotating the pages with their own comments when the book later fell into their possession.Star Wars: Smuggler's Guide
===Reuniting with Han===
====Events on Vandor====
Qi'ra's association with Crimson Dawn brought her back into contact with Solo, who was working with Vos' associate Tobias Beckett in order to obtain a large quantity of refined coaxium. Qi'ra attended the meeting between Vos, Beckett, and Solo on Vos' yacht. Vos berated Beckett and Solo for failing to obtain the coaxium shipment on Vandor, and considered killing them until Solo suggested that they instead retrieve unrefined coaxium from the spice mines of Kessel. Qi'ra advised Vos that the plan would work, and he agreed to allow Beckett to try, the penalty for failure being death. Vos sent Qi'ra to accompany Beckett's crew to make sure the plan would work.
Knowing that they would need a particularly fast ship to transport the unrefined coaxium before it degraded and detonated, Qi'ra sought her old acquaintance, Captain Lando Calrissian of the Millennium Falcon. Qi'ra watched as Solo failed to win the Falcon at sabacc. However, Calrissian agreed to fly the Falcon for Qi'ra, Beckett, and Solo in exchange for a cut of the profits. En route to Kessel, Qi'ra and Solo rekindled their romance, kissing in the back of the Falcon.
====Kessel heist====
Upon arriving at Kessel, Qi'ra masqueraded as a enslaver from the Federation of Trade Route Allocation and Monetization, Oksana Floren, selling Han and Chewbacca to Quay Tolsite of the Pyke Syndicate in order to infiltrate the mines. Qi'ra, Beckett, and L3-37 secured the control room, allowing Solo to steal the coaxium. Qi'ra initially served as Solo's co-pilot during the escape from Kessel, but was replaced by Chewbacca as they fled from Imperial forces into the Akkadese Maelstrom. After using some of their stolen coaxium to escape a summa-verminoth, the crew flew the damaged ship and arrived on Savareen.
====Savareen and the Sith====
On Savareen, the Falcon crew refined the coaxium and awaited Vos' arrival. Calrissian soon left, angry with Solo for the damage to his ship. They were confronted by Enfys Nest, leader of the Cloud-Riders, who told them they were freedom fighters resisting the atrocities of Crimson Dawn, not pirates. Solo devised a plan to give Vos fake coaxium, and give the Cloud-Riders the real coaxium in order to fund their resistance. Qi'ra, Solo, and Chewbacca presented the coaxium to Vos aboard his yacht, but he saw through their plan, made aware in advance by Beckett, who had been Vos' double agent all along. Vos expressed his disappointment that Qi'ra betrayed him, and realized that Solo was her weakness.
However, Solo foresaw Beckett's treachery, and double-crossed him: the coaxium containers left with the Cloud-Riders were empty, and Enfys Nest dispatched the Crimson Dawn agents sent to recover it. The coaxium they brought along was in fact genuine. Beckett captured Chewbacca, and left with the coaxium. Vos and Solo fought, but Qi'ra intervened, holding Solo at sword point. However, Qi'ra sided with Solo, dueling and killing Vos.
Solo left to rescue Chewbacca and retrieve the coaxium for the Cloud-Riders. Qi'ra told Solo she would be right behind him, but as Solo left, she instead took Vos' ring, and used it to contact Maul, the actual leader of Crimson Dawn, informing him that Vos had failed to obtain the coaxium. After lying that Beckett had in fact killed Vos, Qi'ra was then ordered to bring the yacht to Dathomir, Maul's homeworld, and that she would be working more closely with Maul, leaving Solo behind. Qi'ra then assumed Vos' role as the public figurehead of Crimson Dawn and inherited control of the First Light. Maul also taught her about the Sith Order, revealing to her that Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine was the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious, and that the Imperial enforcer Darth Vader was his Sith apprentice. He explained to her about the Rule of Two, and that he had been the apprentice of Sidious, "Darth Maul", until his usefulness was over after his presumed death. Maul also trained her how to fight the Sith. At one point, Maul tried to locate an artifact known as the Fermata Cage, which was said to hold the spirit of an ancient Sith Lord. He planned to open the cage and allow the spirit inside to destroy his former Sith master Darth Sidious, who was secretly Emperor Sheev Palpatine of the Galactic Empire. However, he was ultimately unable to release the spirit or destroy Sidious.
===Leader of Crimson Dawn===
====Separated from Solo====
In the following years, while Qi'ra would manage to survive,War of the Bounty Hunters 1 Maul was separated from the rest of the galaxy after being stranded on the Outer RimStar Wars: Complete Locations Sith planet Malachor. Later, Maul was slain on the Outer Rim world of Tatooine, Crimson Dawn was also thought to be destroyed by its rivals.
Even as the Dawn became an afterthought, Solo still reminisced about his time with Qi'ra. While on Hubin, Solo took the opportunity to tell his current lover Princess Leia Organa about his love for Qi'ra.
====Preparing for war====
Despite Crimson Dawn's fall, Qi'ra, earning the title of lady, came to control the remains of the organization, plotting to use it in order to save herself from danger. Having learned much about the Sith from Maul, she began to set the stage for a secret campaign, which was to include a Syndicate War, she could use to assassinate Vader and Palpatine and free the galaxy from their rule. As head of Crimson Dawn, she focused the wealth her criminal activities reaped towards that goal, even building up a secret force known as the Dawn Fleet composed of a great many starships.Hidden Empire 2 At one point, she made contacts on the moon of Nar Shaddaa and began to funnel large shipments blasters, detonators, and exotic weaponry from the arms dealer Devono Vix.Bounty Hunters 13 Using artifacts, weapons, resources, and knowledge inherited from Maul, Qi'ra readied the Dawn for a resurgence.
Qi'ra recruited many operatives to her cause, including the Master Assassin Ochi of Bestoon and the Dathomirian Zabrak Deathstick, leveraging Ochi's fear and Deathstick's thirst for revenge against those who wiped out her people to convince them to join the Dawn.Crimson Reign 2 She also traveled to a far-off world to visit Madelin Sun, a former Sava from the University of Bar'leth who studied Force-related relics and devices. After saving the woman from a patrol of stormtroopers, Qi'ra asked her why she was forbidden from studying the Force. Sun explained that it was part of the Empire's effort to erase the Jedi from existence. To this, Qi'ra put the blame specifically on Palpatine and revealed to Sun that he was the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. Stunned that she had never suspected his Sith allegiance and realizing that Sidious was the one who had taken her happiness from her, Sun agreed to work with her. Qi'ra brought her to Crimson Dawn's flagship, the Vermillion, which housed dozens of dark side artifacts. Qi'ra explained that she had acquired many of them from her former master and would soon use them in her upcoming plan. She then revealed her plan to end the Sith's stranglehold on the galaxy and told Sun she would require her expertise in order to do so. In exchange for her service, Qi'ra offered Sun her artifacts and a chance to continue studying the Force, a practice she had been forced to leave behind. Accepting Qi'ra's offer, Sun was given the task of locating the surviving Jedi Master Yoda, who Qi'ra believed would be a great asset to her plan. Sometime later, Sun returned to the Vermillion and reported to Qi'ra that Yoda was dead. Though Qi'ra was disappointed, she kept Sun around for her knowledge and conceded that Crimson Dawn would accomplish their plan themselves.
====Recruiting the Knights of Ren====
Having failed to recruit Yoda, Qi'ra sought new Force-sensitive allies. In leiu of the Jedi Grand Master, Sun informed her of a group of dark-side Force users who could aid her in her plan; the Knights of Ren. After telling Qi'ra about the knights' history and current status, Sun traveled with her to Varnak to meet with them. Finding them in a local cantina, Qi'ra approached their leader, Ren, and offered them glory and safety from the Sith if they completed a job for her in the near future. Ren initially did not take Qi'ra seriously but eventually asked her what the job was. She explained that it was to steal a device called the Screaming Key from Fortress Vader on Mustafar. Much to his fellow knights' dismay, Ren accepted the offer.Crimson Reign 4
===Return of the Dawn===
====The War of the Bounty Hunters====
In 3 ABY, Qi'ra learned that her old love Han Solo had been frozen in carbonite after becoming important to the Alliance to Restore the Republic, the Empire, the Hutt Clan, and other major galactic powers. She had several of her agentsWar of the Bounty Hunters Alpha 1 under the leadership of Margo search for the notorious bounty hunter Boba Fett, who had captured Solo and brought him to Doctor Ragon on Nar Shaddaa. As Ragon had stabilized the carbonite, the marauder Deva Lompop, who had been hired by Jabba to locate Fett but was secretly under the employ of Qi'ra, located them on Nar Shaddaa. She ultimately informed Crimson Dawn,War of the Bounty Hunters – Jabba the Hutt 1 and Qi'ra's operatives killed Ragon and claimed Solo. With the carbonite matrix repaired, Solo remained alive as the agents transferred him to the Vermillion, where Qi'ra, wearing a hood that covered her face, greeted her aides Margo and Trinia, who told her that Solo would likely remain alive. Understanding that their operation could therefore begin, Qi'ra ordered that pre-recorded invitations be sent out and tried to quell Margo's concerns about Fett coming after them.
With her hood covering her face to keep her identity secret, Qi'ra's hologram message was sent out to various parties, including crime lord Jabba the Hutt on the planet Tatooine and the rest of the Grand Hutt Council. In her message to Jabba, she announced the return of Crimson Dawn but claimed they would cause no friction with the galaxy's major powers, inviting him to the frozen Mid Rim planet Jekara and offering Solo as a gesture of good will. As Jabba traveled to Jerkara aboard his Shad'ruu war barge, Fett—who had received a bounty on his head after Jabba mistakenly believed he had sold Solo to Crimson Dawn—also began to journey to the planet after viewing the message Jabba received. Her message was also received by Sana Starros and Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra.
She also made sure the message ended up in the hands of a rebel agent named Amilyn Holdo, who would deliver the message to the wider Rebellion; Qi'ra truly hoped that Solo would end up back with the people he loved, yet she was unwilling to simply deliver him back to the Rebels, as she saw her wider plans to be more important than the happiness of individual people. As such, in her opinion, she did everything she could to ensure she could use Solo as bait while also setting the stage for the Rebels to reclaim him. Meanwhile, with the messages out, the Vermillion landed on Jekara. After landing, Qi'ra explained Solo's importance to galactic powers to Margo. Understanding that their guests would soon arrive, Qi'ra, finally putting down her hood, reflected that Solo would finally have a chance to save her. As she departed the room, she ordered Margo to finalize their preparations.
Amidst her preparationsBounty Hunters 14 despite truthfully hoping that the Rebellion would be able to regain Solo,War of the Bounty Hunters 5 Qi'ra sent Deathstick to pursue the bounty hunters Beilert Valance and Dengar,Bounty Hunters 14 who were tracking down Boba Fett themselves.Bounty Hunters 11 They tracked down Devono Vix on Nar Shaddaa in search of information, and eventually forced the arms dealer to confess to them that Crimson Dawn was back. Vix also revealed that Crimson Dawn had already stolen Solo from Fett. The two hunters did not believe Vix's story, but Vix was then assassinated by Deathstick, who continued to pursue Valance and Dengar. Later during her mission, Deathstick contacted Qi'ra and asked her why she could not just kill them. But Qi'ra told her that herding them in the right direction was an important part of her plan. She then assured Deathstick that she would get to kill them soon enough.
====Auction for Han Solo====
As the various syndicates began to arrive at the Vermillion, Qi'ra looked out at the crowd with Margo beside her. Margo pointed out that she seemed to be pleased, which Qi'ra confirmed, saying that she loved a good party. Once all of the bidders had arrived, Qi'ra thanked the syndicates for coming as she introduced herself and officially announced Crimson Dawn's return. She then revealed Solo to the crowd and started the bidding at one hundred thousand credits. After multiple bids from different parties, the present members of the Hutt Clan began to bid over one another with increasingly higher offers. But this soon ended when Jabba the Hutt bid with one million credits. With no other bids, Qi'ra congratulated Jabba and told him that the smuggler was his. However, the auction was then interrupted by the arrival of Darth Vader. Protected by two death troopers from his personal guard, Vader declared that Solo belonged to him, to which Qi'ra smiled.War of the Bounty Hunters 2
As Vader argued with Jabba over Solo, Margo asked Qi'ra how the Sith heard about the auction. Qir'a, however, replied that it didn't matter and remarked that she knew how to handle a Sith Lord. After Jabba agreed to relinquish Solo to the Empire, Qi'ra told Vader she would not interfere, but still required the one million credits promised to her. When Vader told her she was owed nothing, Qi'ra asked him if the Empire was too poor or cheap to pay its debts. This spurred Vader into igniting his lightsaber, to which Qi'ra bared her own pair of blades, intending to distract Vader so Rebel agents present at the auction had a chance to reclaim Solo. However, those agents were instead caught in a battle with Fett, who had arrived to reclaim Solo as well. During the ensuing duel, Vader recognized Qi'ra's fighting style and inquired as to who had trained her, to which Qi'ra simply said someone who knew quite a bit about both Vader and his master.
Noting that she did not have the Force and that her training would not save her, Vader used the Force to push Qi'ra back after the quick struggle, knocking her into Solo. His opponent subdued, Vader prepared to kill Qi'ra before he was distracted by the arrival of his son, Jedi Padawan and Rebel Commander Luke Skywalker. As Qi'ra retreated with Margo, she admitted that she may have been a bit overconfident in confronting the Sith. She then conceded that Vader was going to take Solo and reminded Margo of what she would have to do. Amidst the commotion on the ship, Qi'ra returned to one of her personal art galleries and studied a necklace confiscated from one of the interlopers at the auction, remarking that the amount of data stored within it would be priceless. She then told Margo to make sure that it would be secure in her absence.Doctor Aphra (2020) 14 Returning to the gallery shortly after, Qi'ra explained to Margo that this both was and wasn't what she expected to happen. Though Vader's arrival hadn't been planned, the fact that Qi'ra fought him herself showed the galaxy that Crimson Dawn would not back down and disobey the Empire. Qi'ra then told Margo to leave her as she still had many messages to send and strings to pull.War of the Bounty Hunters 4
Soon after, she was watching from the Vermillion as the last remnants of the battle between the Hutt Council and the Empire came to a close. As Vukorah was brought into the room by Margo, Qi'ra noted the beauty in the demonstration of how the Hutts had shown the Empire's vulnerability. As their conversation continued, Qi'ra explained that Crimson Dawn would have to crush the syndicates that stood in their way. Qi'ra then emphasized that she wanted Vukorah to lead by Crimson Dawn's side as the leader of the Unbroken Clan. Qi'ra then had Margo open a box which contained the Unbroken Blade,Bounty Hunters 20 which would help Vukorah ascend within the clan. Vukorah then pledged her allegiance to Crimson Dawn's cause.Bounty Hunters 17 Later, after Vukorah slew the Unbroken Clan's leader and claimed the throne, she contacted Qi'ra to let her know that the Unbroken Clan was ready to serve.
Next, Qi'ra welcomed the criminals Just Lucky and Ariole Yu, members of the Sixth Kin and former mentees of Gallin Crae, who had come to serve Qi'ra. Serving them starlight brandy from Alderaan that she had inherited from Dryden Vos, she told them that she had great sympathy for the way the Sixth Kin and its leader, Wen Delphis, had treated them. Elaborating on her own background as a young person who had been taken advantage of and used by a criminal organization, she offered them a place in Crimson Dawn, reiterating that their goal was to bring an end to tyrants like Delphis. She gave them the chance to think about it before allowing them to leave the Vermillion.Doctor Aphra (2020) 21
After Fett had regained Solo and returned him to Jabba, Qi'ra explained to her followers that the dawn had come and the real work would now begin, as they had successfully escalated tensions between the Empire and Hutts. She then told them to "Await the reign" as she met with more of her associates, including Ren and his knights.
===Crimson Reign===
====Prelude====
Later, Qi'ra was apparently captured by three members of the Assassin's Guild and brought to the planet Saki. Acting under the orders of Darth Vader, Ochi of Bestoon traveled to the planet to deliver Vader's message that the Guild would now be serving him. The three assassins then revealed Qi'ra, offering her as a gift to Vader. Qi'ra briefly greeted Ochi, offering her regards to him and his master. After the assassins assured Ochi that no one outside of the people in the room knew of Qi'ra's imprisonment, he proceeded to kill them all before freeing Qi'ra and reciting his allegiance to Crimson Dawn.
Qi'ra also sought to recapture Solo in the aftermath of the auction. Her operative Deva Lompop worked to accomplish this, sending the droid engineer RB-919 to a junkyard to find and rebuild the bounty hunter IG-88. When the droid was reactivated, Lompop provided IG-88 with the location of Boba Fett, who had Solo in his possession, as well as with specifications of Fett's ship, Slave I. However, IG-88 was unsuccessful,War of the Bounty Hunters – IG-88 1 and Solo would be delivered to Jabba by Fett.
====Meeting Leia Organa====
Shortly after, Qi'ra used the Vermillion to intercept the Millennium Falcon. She then contacted the ship's crew and asked to speak with Organa who was one of the Rebels who had tried to reclaim him at the auction. After offering her condolences to L3-37, Qi'ra was searched by Calrissian for weapons before he, Chewbacca and C-3PO left the room. Qi'ra apologized to Organa for what happened to Solo, to which Organa chastised her for auctioning Solo off and failing to save him, believing that he had been killed. Qi'ra admitted this was not how she wanted it to go, but that she did everything she could. She then explained that she intended for Organa to rescue Solo after the auction, though it didn't work out that way. Organa retorted that Qi'ra had the chance to have given Solo to her, to which Qi'ra countered that she wouldn't have gotten anything out of that. She went on to say that unlike Organa, she manipulated people to get what she wanted, though she would do it Organa's way if she could.
She also claimed that being a rebel hero was the ending Solo deserved and that he would have walked a darker path had he stayed with her. To explain this, Qi'ra told Organa a story from her childhood on Corellia about how Solo had defended a child from a group of bullies. After this incident, Qi'ra asked Solo why he had done what he did despite not getting anything out of it. Solo responded that while that may be how the galaxy works, it might not have to be that way. With her story told, Qi'ra then revealed to Organa that Solo was in fact still alive and being held in Jabba's Palace. Chewbacca expressed joy at the news while Qi'ra asked Organa if they would rescue Solo together. Organa refused however, conceding that the Rebel Alliance needed her now more than Solo did at the moment. Qi'ra offered future aid to the Alliance before leaving the Falcon in the Vermillion.
====The Syndicate War====
Preparing to cause chaos amongst her enemies, Qi'ra had Margo hired Boushh and his crew to eliminate the eight heads of the Tagge Corporation, a powerful company that was of great importance to the Empire. Specifically targeting Domina Tagge, the crew battled the Tagges until Domina made a deal with them, offering them a chance to undo their exile from their homeworld Uba IV in exchange for working for her. Unbeknownst to Qi'ra, Boushh and his crew betrayed Crimson Dawn.War of the Bounty Hunters – Boushh 1
Soon after, Qi'ra met back up with Ochi and a few of her other new allies, including Sun, Chanath Cha, and the Orphans. With all of her followers gathered, Qi'ra revealed her ultimate goal of killing Sidious and Darth Vader to make the galaxy a more equal playing field for those wanting power as well as accomplishing Maul's dream to get revenge on the Emperor by stopping him and the Sith from being the galaxy's controlling interests. After sending her associates on their individual assignments, Qi'ra met with Lord Gyuti of the Black Sun. As they sat down for a drink, Qi'ra explained that Crimson Dawn wished to neutrally offer services to the larger syndicates. For if everyone needed them, then no one would destroy them. After informing the Falleen of the Empire's strained relations with the Hutts, Qi'ra suggested that the Black Sun make a play for power in case the Empire wanted a new partner in the criminal underworld.
Soon, the Orphans began attacking multiple criminal strongholds, creating tension and conflict between the many syndicates, except for the Hutts. After being informed of this by Margo, Qi'ra told Trinia to have the Orphans lie low for the time being until their services were needed again. Qi'ra then said the assassins would be the next to act and that in the meantime, she would meet with Organa once more in order to recruit the Rebel Alliance.
====Aiding the Rebellion====
Shortly after, Qi'ra arrived at Home One and met with Leia again. Qi'ra told her that Commander Ellian Zahra had wiped out most of the Rebel Alliance's fleet divisions and that she would give Leia the location of the last surviving one. When Leia asked Qi'ra why she was telling her this, Qi'ra said she preferred to make friends instead of enemies. Once Leia accepted Qi'ra's aid, Qi'ra asked her where Chewbacca was. Leia then took Qi'ra to a room where Chewbacca was using training remotes to prepare himself for breaking Solo out of Jabba's Palace. Qi'ra recommended that Leia take him with her to help them rescue the last division. She then offered Leia another gift; Zahra and her entire hunter squad. Qi'ra explained that she had an operative who would make sure Zahra and her group were exactly where Leia wanted them. Qi'ra went on to offer Leia one final gift; handling the Rebel Alliance's supply chain. Leia accepted Qi'ra's gifts and told her to coordinate the specifics with Holdo. Qi'ra then wished Leia luck in finding the last division before departing in the Vermillion.
====Capturing Cadeliah====
Going onto the next phase of her plan, Qi'ra met with her assassins aboard the Vermillion. Qi'ra first sent Ochi to Coruscant on a mission to assassinate the Emperor's Royal Guard. Next, she sent Deathstick after the child Cadeliah, who was the heir to two major crime organizations, the Mourner's Wail Syndicate and the Unbroken Clan. Ochi's mission was successful, using poisons to cause the Royal Guard to simultaneously collapse dead in front of Palpatine, causing him great anger. Deathstick eventually located Cadeliah on the planet Panisia.
Sometime later, Deathstick returned to the Vermillion with Cadeliah in tow. Qi'ra then told Deathstick that the child's fate belonged to her. Upon awakening from stasis, Cadeliah asked where she was and who Qi'ra was, to which Qi'ra introduced herself and told the girl that they were going to be good friends. Later, Qi'ra had a full dinner prepared for her, Cadeliah and her own subjects. When Cadeliah hesitated to eat, Qi'ra told her that life was too short. Cadeliah then agreed before attacking Qi'ra with a knife. However, she was intercepted and held back by Vicrul, while Qi'ra reprimanded her and reminded her that her death would be just as convenient as her cooperation. Qi'ra then told Vicrul to release Cadeliah and insisted that she try the Caamasi cheese pies, to which Cadeliah begrudgingly complied.Bounty Hunters 22
====Preparing for the end====
Shortly after the Heist on Vader's Castle,Bounty Hunters 25 the Vermillion was infiltrated by T'onga and her crew aboard the Edgehawk while her wife Losha Tarkon stayed behind on their ship. Upon returning to the Vermillion, the Knights of Ren briefly fought T'onga's crew before they retreated. However, T'onga stayed on the Vermillion and tried to locate Cadeliah. In turn, Qi'ra had Margo bring T'onga before Cadeliah. T'onga attempted to bring Cadeliah with her, but Cadeliah refused, having lost trust in her after she turned on Nakano Lash. Qi'ra then entered the room alongside the Knights of Ren. T'onga ordered Qi'ra to release Cadeliah, though Qi'ra simply lowered her weapon and welcomed her aboard the Vermillion.Bounty Hunters 26
As Qi'ra and her followers watched on, T'onga tried and failed to convince Cadeliah, who believed she couldn't trust anybody, to leave with her. With Cadeliah believing that at least on the Vermillion she would be safe from those trying to capture her, T'onga fell to the floor in defeat, realizing the mission had all been for nothing. Qi'ra then assured T'onga that she and her crew could make the galaxy better by working for Crimson Dawn. Giving her a communicator, Qi'ra told T'onga to think about her offer, though not for too long since she was on a tight schedule. T'onga then returned to her wife and crew on the Edgehawk before they departed from the Vermillion.
Later, Qi'ra was informed by Margo that the Emperor was on the verge of discovering Crimson Dawn's involvement with the Syndicate War. In response, Qi'ra told Margo to begin preparations for the next phase, inform Trinia and move their people to various staging points. She then thanked Margo for her service and hugged her before letting her go. She went on to ask Sun if she was ready. Sun said she was ready as she could be since she was relying on myths. Qi'ra told her to find the truth and had the Knights of Ren accompany her on her assignment. While the Archivist left, Qi'ra warned Cadeliah that things were going to happen very quickly and that they should talk since they might not get a later chance.
Moving to another room, Qi'ra told Cadeliah that the crime syndicates she was the heir to had potential if they came together. When Cadeliah asked her what her point was, Qi'ra said that while they were both born into the underworld, Qi'ra did not grow up with an inheritance. She began with nothing as a child working with the White Worms and had to be better than the rest to work her way up to where she was now. She went on to explain that she couldn't trust anyone and had to make sure they would do what she wanted by either offering them something or taking something away. When Cadeliah asked if she was like that with Margo was well, Qi'ra revealed that Margo had previously tried to kill her, but started working for her when Qi'ra saw that she had value.
Just then, she was interrupted by a transmission from her agents, informing her that the Imperial fleet had received an alert designating the Vermillion a high priority target. Qi'ra told Cadeliah to go with Trinia, saying she would do whatever she would have to. After returning to her throne, Qi'ra was contacted by Sun, who informed her that the Fermata Cage was still there. Qi'ra thanked Sun and said she would hear from her soon before crushing her communicator. Qi'ra explained to her followers that the Emperor would be coming for them, but she had people across the galaxy and had ordered them to cause chaos for the Empire. While the Empire was distracted, she would prepare her masterstroke and bring an end to the Sith with her "hidden empire."
===Dawn of the Dawn===
====Calling Darth Sidious====
As Sun, the Knights of Ren, and Kho Phon Farrus prepared to open the Cage, Qi'ra met with Chanath Cha, Sear, Imara Vex, and Ladybright. While on their ship, the Siroto, they watched as an Interdictor-class Star Destroyer appeared overhead. When they received a comms request, Qi'ra said she could achieve more with a conversation and gave the Orphans command authority over her forces, instructing them to hit the Empire as hard as they could if she gave the order. Qi'ra then contacted Sun and ordered her to activate the Cage on her signal while she bought them as much time as she could. With that, Qi'ra hung up before contacting Sidious himself. Sidious attempted to intimidate and dissuade her, but she retorted that Maul had taught her many things and that she would do whatever it took to destroy him. Qi'ra then gave the Orphans their signal and had them remotely pilot the Vermillion into attacking the Interdictor.
Sidious told Qi'ra once more not to throw her life away, but Qi'ra responded that he couldn't tell her what to do. When Sidious claimed she was from a "poisoned lineage", Qi'ra said they would see as she gave another signal. Sun and Farrus then used the Knights of Ren to activate the Cage. When Sidious sensed a disturbance in the Force, Sidious demanded to know what she had done. Qi'ra said she had unlocked the Fermata Cage, to which Sidious accused her of lying and began to choke her with the Force. Though when Qi'ra said he would never know the truth, Sidious released her and told her to speak. She then explained that Maul had attempted to unleash the spirit within the Cage himself and that she would succeed where he had failed. She then revealed that she had already done her part and that even if she didn't survive, Sidious would still die. The Vermillion and the Interdictor then destroyed each other, ending communications.
When Sear asked Qi'ra if they should pick up any of the survivors in the escape pods, Qi'ra said they wouldn't, but that they would honor their sacrifice. Qi'ra contacted Sun again, but was answered by Ren, who told her that their plan had failed and that Knights of Ren were done serving Crimson Dawn. When Kho asked her what they would do now, Qi'ra told them to pack up, move to the next site, take what they learned and do better next time. When Chanath worriedly reminded Qi'ra that they could not open the Cage, lost many of their own people, and were being hunted by the Emperor himself, Qi'ra lied to her by claiming it was all part of her plan.
====Maneuvering her pawns====
While the Empire destroyed the escape pods, Qi'ra had the Orphans fly them to a secret location. When Cha asked where they were going, Qi'ra said she had safe houses all across the galaxy. Upon entering a waterfall, they came upon the Dawnfall Base, which housed Qi'ra's secret fleet. Cha pointed out that even a fleet would not be enough to destroy the Empire, to which Qi'ra reminded her that she only wished to destroy the Sith. Following this, Qi'ra contacted Sun, who informed her that they would be able to open the Cage even without Force users. When she said they would have to be cautious or else the Emperor would figure out their plan, Qi'ra revealed that she had already told him their plan in order to make him afraid. She then told Sun to resume opening the Cage before hanging up. Inside the base, Margo told Qi'ra that their deals with the syndicates had collapsed, destroying their ability to operate publicly. In turn, Qi'ra told Margo to have their people relocate to safe houses.
When Cadeliah asked her if she was upset about losing so much of her syndicate, Qi'ra said Crimson Dawn had always been a means to an end and had served its purpose. Cadeliah then asked what her purpose was, to which Qi'ra told her that she was her last hope. Trinia then told Qi'ra that Sun was calling her again. When Qi'ra asked Sun if she and Farrus had opened the Cage, Sun said that they couldn't due to the process likely killing them. Qi'ra then told them to move on and try again at yet another location. However, Sun refused, claiming doing so would destroy them and Crimson Dawn. Sun then exclaimed that the Empire had found them, to which Qi'ra told her that help was on the way before their signal was jammed. As the Orphans fought against Vader and Ladybright fled with Farrus and the Archivist aboard the Siroto, Ladybright contacted Qi'ra and requested backup. But Qi'ra denied the request and instructed them to bring her the Cage.Hidden Empire 3
Qi'ra then asked Cadeliah if she understood why she didn't send backup. Cadeliah answered that they had served their purpose and therefore didn't warrant spending resources on. Qi'ra explained that Chanath Cha had thought herself to be the main character in her own story, when she had been a side character in Qi'ra's. Sun destroyed Ladybright and dropped off Farrus, who was tired of the danger and scared of what the end result of Qi'ra plans could be.Doctor Aphra (2020) 28 Despite her hopes to defeat the Sith, Qi'ra knew it was more likely than not she would be lost in the effort, whether or not the Sith were even defeated As such, Qi'ra recorded a final holographic message to Cadeliah at some point. Coming to tears as she spoke, Qi'ra compared her life to Cadeliah and offered the girl all the credits left in her Crimson Dawn accounts, thereby granting Cadeliah the freedom she never had in addition to the first hand knowledge she had seen of how to run a criminal empire. She encoded all details needed to retrieve the money on the disc itself.Hidden Empire 5
====Final chance for revenge====
After destroying Ladybright and dropping off Farrus, Sun contacted Qi'ra and explained that the Cage would feed off of any life force in its vicinity in order to operate. When Qi'ra asked her if there was a way to open it that wouldn't cause the death of its operator, Sun suggested taking it to the ancient Amaxine space station, which housed more than enough dark side and life energy to sustain the Cage. Sun then admitted that she had lost confidence in their plan due to losing so many of their agents, to which Qi'ra assured her that she would give her the chance the open the Cage.
When Cadeliah asked Qi'ra what she was going to do, Qi'ra said she would use every resource at her disposal to get the Cage open. First, she contacted Deathstick, who she told would be invaluable in their final play against the Sith. However, Deathstick said she was only an assassin and that she had done her part. Next, Qi'ra contacted the Knights of Ren, who initially refused to help her any further. But when Qi'ra reminded them that Vader would continue to hunt them unless they helped her to destroy him, the knights begrudgingly agreed to work with her one last time. Before Qi'ra made one final call, Cadeliah asked her why she didn't just walk away now and use her riches to begin a new life, to which Qi'ra asked her who she would be if she did so. Qi'ra then gave Cadeliah the disc containing her holographic message and instructed her to play it if she did not make it out alive.
Cadeliah asked Qi'ra if she should thank her, to which Qi'ra said only if she thought that would get her something in return. As Cadeliah left, Qi'ra made a call to the Spark Eternal, who hated the Sith as much as she did to make them an offer. Later, with Margo and Trinia at her side, Qi'ra stood before her entire Crimson Dawn fleet and gave them a rousing speech, instructing them to take all of the pain and suffering that the Emperor had caused them and shove it down his throat. Qi'ra's followers then boarded their ships and headed out to face the Empire at the Amaxine station while Sun opened the Cage: Sidious and Vader had managed to track the disturbance caused by the opening and arrived aboard the Executor at the head of a fleet of Imperial-class Star Destroyers.Doctor Aphra (2020) 30 The arrival of Qi'ra's fleet prevented the Executor from simply focusing its fire on the station, thereby taking the Cage with it, so Vader and Sidious personally ventured into the station with a group of royal guards and death troopers. Qi'ra's forces had arrived first and engaged the enemy, although the Sith and their forces advanced with little difficulty.
====So close, yet so far====
Overlooking her progress from the space battle, Qi'ra spoke to the Archivist via comlink and learned that the Cage was opening. As the Spark Eternal arrived on the station, Qi'ra allowed the Archivist to make her escape as her soldiers attempted to hold off the Sith, promising the Spark would succeed if they failed before entering the station herself. Nearby the Cage, Qi'ra personally greeted the Spark before leaving to rejoin her fleet, watching her plan's progress from the cockpit of a starship. After Vader quickly bested the Spark by forcing it from Aphra's body, with Sana Starros' crew racing into the battle and managing to free Aphra from its control once and for all shortly after, Vader and Sidious stood before the opening Fermata Cage as it dropped a small disc with no connection to the Force, much to the Emperor's confusion as Qi'ra and the Archivist watched on from their own ships: Qi'ra gave the order to the Archivist to activate the opened Cage, overjoying Qi'ra as both Sith were time-locked, as she had hoped, by the artifact with the press of a button. Still, Qi'ra held back from letting optimism overpower her and ordered the Archivist to fully seal the Cage once and for all, intending to throw it into a star with both Sith trapped within.
It was at that moment, however, that the Knights of Ren arrived into the battle aboard the Night Buzzard: while Ren was surprised at how successful Qi'ra's plan had been thus far, he reasoned that Sidious would find a way out of the Cage, after which he would kill Qi'ra and then, inevitably, them. Hoping to endear themselves to the Sith, the Knights fired on the Cage, collapsing its field and freeing both Sith Lords. Although the Cage survived physically, it was destroyedBounty Hunters 32 in the sense that its field collapsed, sending out a Force Wave that also damaged or destroyed much of the Dawn fleet. Admitting she had failed her followers and wishing them luck, Qi'ra was distraught at the sight before gathering herself, ordering her forces to retreat before turning away from the battle herself. However, most of the Dawn fleet was wiped out by either the Cage or the Imperials taking advantage of the sudden losses, with Admiral Firmus Piett ordering no survivors be left behind. Qi'ra and the Archivist both escaped aboard their own ships. To the Archivist, Qi'ra's campaign had thus ended in tragedy.
====In hiding====
In the wake of the battle, Sidious allowed the Knights of Ren to serve him but did not forgive them, torturing them with Force lightning before leaving with Vader. Alone aside from an astromech droid who played the message, Cadeliah played Qi'ra's message to her ceding her credits. The Force Wave also disrupted the connection between Force-sensitives and the Force for sometime after.Darth Vader (2020) 33 Nevertheless, Crimson Dawn was left shattered, and Qi'ra took to living in hiding. While sitting alone in a cantina in 4 ABY,Star Wars: Galactic Atlas she overheard news of the Rebel Alliance's victory in the Battle of Endor: along with many Imperials, Sidious was killed, and the Empire also lost its new DS-2 Death Star II Mobile Battle Station. The news earned cheers and celebrations from the cantina patrons, who hoped the Empire was finally destroyed. Not uplifted by the news, Qi'ra did not join in the celebrations. In truth, however, the destruction of the Death Star had Qi'ra to thank in part: the Syndicate War she created had given the Alliance time to regroup its fleet, and two of her Crimson Dawn agents, Bevelyn and Jon Melton, had warned the rebels of the second Death Star's existence.
A year later in 5 ABY, the Empire met its final end in the Battle of Jakku. Sometime after the Empire's fall, the Archivist, although unaware of Qi'ra's fate, decided to record a holocron about her efforts against the Sith, concluding that Qi'ra's biggest failing had been her refusal to trust others. The Archivist had not seen Qi'ra since the battle at the Amaxine Station and concluded that the Empire or one of the many Imperial remnants killed her. The holocron eventually found its way into the hands of Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, who he was now training in the ways of the Force. Skywalker concluded Qi'ra had not failed, citing the domino affect her actions played in the fall of the Sith, while Organa wished Qi'ra had joined their cause. Unaware that Qi'ra had indeed lived to see Palpatine's downfall, she simply wished Qi'ra had the chance to see the galaxy she had fought for.
==Personality and traits==
Qi'ra was a Corellian human female with moderately short brown hair that was usually kept in a ponytail, blue eyes, and light skin. Qi'ra was a very complex woman. When she was younger, she was hopeful that she could escape the criminal life and strove for something better. But as she grew older, she realized that because of all the bad things she had done, there was no escaping the criminal life. Despite having grown up on the streets, she was able to adapt to a lusher lifestyle and fit in with Crimson Dawn. Having known Han for so many years, she believed she may have been the one person who could see him for who he truly was, thinking he was "the good guy." She was a fighter and had been trained in combat by Vos, which helped her survive.
A survivor at heart, she left Solo and continued to work for Crimson Dawn under Maul, later coming to lead the organization. While leader, she developed a selfless goal in wanting to wipe out the Sith, whether or not she died in the effort, in the name of freeing the galaxy. For her goal, she was willing to use Solo as bait to draw in various galactic powers, all while claiming Crimson Dawn would do no harm to the rest of the galaxy. Jabba the Hutt underestimated Qi'ra, claiming to the Grand Hutt Council he was certain they were ready to face the new leader of Crimson Dawn. As leader of the Dawn, Qi'ra refused to truly trust others and always kept herself alone, no matter how many followers she had at any given time. The Archivist concluded that failing was the ultimate weakness of Qi'ra that cost them their war against the Sith.
Upon first seeing her old lover in carbonite, she questioned if he was conscious, disagreeing with Margo's assessment that such a state would be like Hell; to Qi'ra, if Solo was living in a fond memory or nice dream, it could be preferable to some aspects of life in the galaxy, yet she considered these musings to be unimportant when compared to her plans. She was also confident in Crimson Dawn's abilities, proclaiming that Boba Fett stood no chance against them alone. Unlike Margo, she could see how Solo united the galaxy due to his interactions with its factions, which she saw as something she could exploit. Even so, she hoped Solo would be regained by the Rebel Alliance, but she did not let that desire hold back her plans to use him.
Qi'ra had some overconfidence in her abilities, which could lead her to risky situations. Due to her training, Qi'ra thought she could handle Sith Lord Darth Vader when he barged into the auction and demanded that Solo be turned over to him. Although Qi'ra's ability impressed Vader, she was defeated when Vader used the Force against her and nearly killed her, which made her admit that she was overconfident in facing the Sith Lord. After Qi'ra's leadership over the Dawn ended in failure and her efforts collapsed, it was the Rebel Alliance that ultimately struck down the Empire. Upon learning the news, she refused to join in the celebrations and had a visibly sad feeling.
==Skills and abilities==
Qi'ra was trained in the art of Teräs Käsi by Vos and later Maul. She could also wield a blaster. Qi'ra skill as a swordsman has evolved so much over time that during the auction of smuggler and rebel Han Solo, the Sith Lord Darth Vader was impressed by Qi'ra's skill when he faced her, while her skills allowed her to hold her own in a duel for a couple of minutes, her lack of Force-sensitivity ultimately meant that she stood no chance against the Dark Lord.
On top of Teräs Käsi, Maul taught Qi'ra the arts of Sith combat in order to effectively counter them when faced with a Sith Lord. She was so effective at it that her style reminded Vader of Darth Sidious. Qi'ra also learned from Maul how to cloud her mind.Hidden Empire 1
==Equipment==
As a member of Crimson Dawn, Qi'ra wielded a chrome-plated S-195 blaster pistol. After the death of Vos, she took control of his starship First Light. When she served as leader of Crimson Dawn, Qi'ra wore a white cloak that could hide her identity with its hood. As leader, she also had the resources of Crimson Dawn at her command, leading from the starship Vermillion.
In combat Qi'ra wielded two electro-sword weapons which were capable of emitting electrical charges which, upon contact, allowed them to effectively repel and clashing with a lightsaber without being damaged. The electro-swords could also unite the end of their hilts to create a larger double-bladed melee weapon or when separated release a series of small grenades from the hilt.
==Behind the scenes==
Qi'ra was created for the 2018 Star Wars Anthology film Solo: A Star Wars Story, written by Lawrence and Jon Kasdan and directed by Ron Howard, and is portrayed by Emilia Clarke. Her casting was announced on November 18, 2016. In Star Wars Forces of Destiny, Qi'ra was voiced by Olivia Hack. The name Qi'ra is phonetically similar to "Kira," a name that stems from George Lucas' early outline for the Star Wars sequel trilogyThe Art of Star Wars: The Last Jedi and was the original name for the character Rey during the development of the 2015 film Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens.The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Clarke said the filmmakers described the character to her as "film noir"; the character of Kathie Moffat of the 1947 seminal film noir Out of the Past was writer Lawrence Kasdan's early inspiration for Qi'ra.The Art of Solo: A Star Wars Story He conceptualized the character early in the development of the film, envisioning a Dickensian childhood for Han Solo and a young girl before other main creative talents joined the project, including his son, Jon. In this stage, the character's name was "Kura," and early concept art depicted her as an alien. This design was later used as the character of Margo and her species.
Qi'ra would resurface as a major character in the "Crimson Dawn" trilogy of comic crossover stories, Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters, Star Wars: Crimson Reign, and Star Wars: Hidden Empire, all of which were written by Charles Soule, who later expressed gratitude at being able to use Qi'ra after initially being unsure if he would get the permission needed. Soule described Qi'ra as someone who was trying to do the right thing but lived in an unfair galaxy. More of Qi'ra's backstory would be revealed in the novel Crimson Climb by E. K. Johnston, who noted writing Qi'ra was different from her usual, nicer main characters.
Qi'ra also appears in the 2024 open world video game Star Wars OutlawsStar Wars Outlaws where she was voiced by Tamaryn Payne.
In a series of Twitter posts featuring behind the scenes details from the production of Solo, Jon Kasdan stated that Han Solo eventually told Leia Organa how he and Qi'ra escaped from the Den of the White Worms, which led Leia to get the idea of using a thermal detonator when disguised as the bounty hunter Boushh to negotiate with Jabba Desilijic Tiure in the 1983 film Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. However, this has not yet been stated in any canon source.
==Appearances==
===Non-canon appearances===
* 
* 
*LEGO Star Wars Battles
*LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga 
==Sources==
==Notes and references==
==External links==
*
*
*
Category:Crime lords
Category:Crimson Dawn personnel
Category:Enslaved individuals
Category:Females
Category:Humans
Category:Individuals with she/her pronouns
Category:Martial artists
Category:Members of Sarkin Enneb's criminal group
Category:Pilots
Category:Scrumrats