Star Wars Reveals Covers for Upcoming Hidden Empire Event

Lady Qi’ra made the transition from being a live-action Star Wars character to appearing in Marvel’s Star Wars comics, and now her journey continues in an upcoming event series. Writer Charles Soule has guided a series of Star Wars events, from Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters to Star Wars: Crimson Reign. Lady Qi’ra, portrayed by Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke in Solo: A Star Wars Story, has been a central figure in both stories. Soule will look to bring his trilogy to an end in November with Star Wars: Hidden Empire. Marvel has revealed a collection of connecting variant covers for Star Wars: Hidden Empire featuring many of its key characters.

Star Wars: Hidden Empire will be drawn by artist Steven Cummings, who also worked on Star Wars: Crimson Reign. Cummings variant covers for the five-issue limited series feature Lady Qi’ra, Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, the Knights of Ren, and more key characters who will take sides in the upcoming conflict.

“Hidden Empire is set between Episodes V and VI. So, there are things this story can do and things it can’t,” Soule explained to StarWars.com. “That said, I think it will deliver a deeply satisfying conclusion to Qi’ra’s arc here, and readers will understand how her choices in this story impacted events all across the Star Wars galaxy at this time. As with many of the comics and novels and ancillary stories beyond the films, the idea is to deepen the experience and understanding of the characters. There are direct connections here to both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi — and beyond — and I think the fans will be very happy.”

Who Is Emilia Clarke’s Star Wars Character Lady Qi’ra?

Emilia Clarke played Qi’ra in 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story. The prequel featured the origin story of Han Solo, played by Alden Ehrenreich. The film also starred Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian. Qi’ra was the leader of the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate and also Han Solo’s first true love. 

Qi’ra reappeared in Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters and stole the carbonite body of Han Solo from Boba Fett. Her story continued in Star Wars: Crimson Reign, where Qi’ra opposed the empire, drawing the ire of Emperor Palpatine.

The description of Star Wars: Hidden Empire reads, “The mysterious syndicate Crimson Dawn and its leader Lady Qi’ra have become the galaxy’s most wanted criminals, as Emperor Palpatine realizes the scope of Qi’ra’s plans against him and moves to destroy her. But Qi’ra still has tricks up her sleeve, and with the help of the Knights Of Ren and her many other allies, she will not go down without a fight!”

Star Wars: Hidden Empire #1 by Charles Soule and Steve Cummings goes on sale November 16th, followed by Issue #2 on December 7th, Issue #3 on February 8, 2023, Issue #4 in March 2023, and Issue #5 in April 2023.