Some of the greatest excitement came in the next reveal. For a while, we have all been wondering who the cloaked individuals are talking with the Archivist and hearing Qi’ra’s story. We finally learn it’s none other Than Jedi Master Luke Skywalker and his sister Jedi Leia Organa. While this chapter of Qi’ra’s journey is closing, I hope it isn’t the last we see of her. I’m sure there are still plenty of stories to tell. This journey was worth the twists and turns it took us on. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Until next time… AWAIT THE DAWN! I also believe that the story of the Fermata cage is stied to why Maul was on Malachor in Rebels. We know he wanted a Sith holocron to find out how to destroy the Sith and that he Needed Ezra’s help.

operatives across the galaxy to cause havoc and distract the Emperor while she sought a power capable of deposing the Sith Lord. All of Marvel's November 2022 comics and covers revealed on Newsarama (archived from the original on August 18, 2022)While Crimson Reign itself was a solid miniseries, it’s felt like Marvel has been spinning its wheels with its other Star Wars series the lion’s share of the year, despite the occasional great moment. Now, Hidden Empire arrives with a purpose. Issue #1 is dense and has a lot going on, but it sets the stage for the climactic showdown between Qi’ra and the Sith in grand fashion. Dreaming of a freer galaxy, LADY QI'RA and her organization, CRIMSON DAWN, have waged a secret war against the Empire. Qi'ra activated She nodded. "Yes my Lord. I wish to request access to the Rakatan archives, so that I may confirm if that region was once part of their empire." In terms of a setup issue, I can’t imagine Hidden Empire #1 being much better. Some character choices left me a bit baffled, and the art of Kho Phon Farrus had them looking like a totally different character from their appearance in Doctor Aphra. It’s not my story though, and it’s hardly the first time an artist has a different take on a character. Either way, if all the potential this issue tees up comes to fruition, Hidden Empire going to be a special time. Unfortunately, her careful planning is ruined by the Knights of Ren, who blast the Fermata Cage before it is fully sealed, thus freeing Palpatine and Vader. The Knights of Ren do this out of a sense of self-preservation and frustration with Qi’ra for how she used them. Of course, Palpatine does not show them any mercy or gratitude and electrocutes them with Force lightning, leaving them with nothing but the opportunity to serve him (which they do many years later during the sequel trilogy era).

You’ll find in bold the official issues considered part of this crossover. This is a work in progress. Nonetheless, they blast away at the station and free them. The effect this has on Qi’ra is galactic-sized. She knew this was the last chance. The weight of everything comes crashing down at once. She sends a final message to her remaining forces to flee for their lives before it’s too late. Our last image of her is of her ship trying to make a final escape. The dialogue between the two was perfect. Through their conversation, we learn that while Qi’ra may have felt her plan to destroy the Sith failed, it didn’t. It may not have happened according to her design, but the effects were the same. Two of her agent brought the Rebellion the news of the second Death Star’s construction. Her syndicate war also distracted Palpatine so much that it gave the Rebel fleet time to regroup and grow in size. It is also satisfying that despite the fall of Crimson Dawn and Qi’ra’s failure to destroy the Sith, she changed the life of the young Cadeliah for the better, helping her in a way that no one ever helped Qi’ra.

What to read before Star Wars: Hidden Empire?

The events of Bounty Hunters 32 take place after the Escape from Cloud City and before the Rescue of Han Solo, which are dated to 3 ABY and 4 ABY, respectively, by Star Wars: Galactic Atlas. 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.

STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA VOL. 6 - ASCENDANT on Penguin Random House Comics (archived from the original)CHAOS REIGNS! The epic conclusion to the trilogy begun with WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS and CRIMSON REIGN!

The Solo: A Star Wars Story fan favorite -- one of Han Solo’s first loves who rose to control the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate -- reemerged in Marvel’s War of the Bounty Hunters crossover, orchestrating the theft of a still frozen-in-carbonite Han from Boba Fett . Follow-up event Crimson Reign found Qi’ra making a move against the Empire, gaining the ire of Palpatine himself. Now, the story will come to an end, with Qi’ra and the Emperor on a collision course. In the real world, a fermata is a musical direction to hold a note longer than its usual length, and a Faraday cage is an enclosure to shield objects from electromagnetic fields. February 2023 Marvel Comics solicitations: New X-Men series and Dark Web ends on AIPT (archived from the original on October 14, 2022) After a chilling duel, Vader uses the Force in a way that separated the Spark Eternal from Aphra’s body. The two’s conversation takes on a much different tune as she enters survival mode. She ultimately goads Vader into going off after his Master, but it was a massive amount of fun to see her brief cameo in this final arc. Furthermore, seeing that Qi’ra survives Hidden Empire is a relief. Based on the forces she was up against and details from other canon stories, her survival seemed unlikely. There is still so much of her character and her story that need to be explored and it would’ve been disappointing for her to die so soon after her thrilling return to Star Wars.Star Wars: Crimson Reign 5 on Penguin Random House Comics (archived from the original on April 9, 2022) Throughout the trilogy, I’ve had my fair share of concerns over the end game with Qi’ra. From the moment I first watched Solo: A Star Wars Story, she’s been one of my favorite characters. She has had an epic journey from a scrum rat on the streets of Corellia to the leader of a Hidden Empire against Emperor Palpatine. The concern was she would end up as a fatality and footnote in the already well-fleshed-out stories of main male antagonists like Vader and Palpatine. Yes, I have held faith in the great Charles Soule, who rightly deserves the benefit of the doubt, but the worried little voice in my head would not go away. So as you can imagine, I tore into this final issue of Hidden Empire with some ferocious rigor, and I am excited to dive into it! But within the eastern sectors of the galaxy, the ancient SITH EMPIRE gathers strength with every passing minute, and a burning desire of revenge against the republic and its Jedi protectors burns within the hearts of those living within the ancient Sith capital of Dromund Kaas… Qi'ra escaped aboard Chanath Cha's ship yet urgently needs the Archivist to complete her work. The disturbance One of the weapons that Maul came across in his travels was an ancient Sith Artifact called the Fermata Cage. The issue was that to activate this artifact one needed a powerful Dark Side user. Which Qi’ra and the Archivist did not have. They only had the Knights of Ren and Ko Phon Farrus using The Ascendant technology.