Star Wars Preview Teases Qi’ra vs. Emperor Palpatine

Star Wars is about to debut its next big event storyline, “Hidden Empire” and the new preview for the series reveals that Lady Qi’ra and Emperor Palpatine will be going head-to-head as promised! After her debut in Solo: A Star Wars Story, Qi’ra has been retconned into a much larger role in the Star Wars franchise; she’s been featured as the central antagonist in a three-part saga that fits between the span of time between The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi. Now “Hidden Empire” is the finale arc of that Trilogy, which began with “War of the Bounty Hunters” in the summer of 2021 and continued with “Crimson Reign” in the first half of 2022. 

In “War of the Bounty Hunters” it was revealed that Qi’ra had taken over the criminal organization Crimson Dawn (as seen in Solo) and reformed the organization under Maul’s time as ruler of the Shadow Collective criminal cabal. Qi’ra wisely rode out the aftermath of Maul’s fall, keeping Crimson Dawn as a network of spies spread all across the galaxy – in the Empire, the Rebellion, and every organization in between. The new Crimson Dawn re-introduced itself by swiping Han Solo’s carbonite body from Boba Fett on the way to Jabba’s Palace, selling it in a massive underworld auction that quickly went sideways into chaos. 

“Crimson Reign” showed how Qi’ra raced the clock on pulling in her army of spies to the true purpose of their organization: ending the Sith’s secret rule over the galaxy. Qi’ra knew all about Palpatine being Darth Sidious and used agents like the Knights of Ren to acquire a weapon that can allegedly take down a Sith Lord. Qi’ra also helped Leia and the Rebels put together a plan to save her old flame Han Solo from Jabba – just in time before Darth Vader and Darth Sidious finally realized the threat that is Crimson Dawn, and set out to destroy it! 

Check out the full preview gallery over at Star Wars.com! 

Marvel’s Star Wars: Hidden Empire #1 Cover Art & Synopsis

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 is written by Charles Soule and illustrated by Steven Cummings, with a cover by Paulo Siqueira and Rachelle Rosenberg. It will be released on November 16th, and is available for pre-order now.