With the timeline being filled in between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens by Disney+ shows like The Mandalorian, there's a chance that Qi'ra could end up playing a part, especially now we know she survived the events of the original trilogy. 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!

CHAOS REIGNS! The epic conclusion to the trilogy begun with WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS and CRIMSON REIGN! 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. Even as his trilogy reaches its climax, Soule’s enthusiasm for Qi’ra remains. To him, it’s no mystery as to why she continues to resonate with fans.Before we get into spoilers I just wanted to say that I loved this issue. It appears Charles Soule is taking a big swing with the Hidden Empire story arc by including a whole gang of canon characters from TV shows, movies, books, and EU content and creating a large believable conflict. Inquisitor Jorel reported that the Dark Side of the Force holds a strong influence within the nebula, and that the largest concentration of Force energy is on Earth itself. But she mentioned that the level of the influence was not normal. As if it had grown due to an outside force."

You’ll find in bold the official issues considered part of this crossover. This is a work in progress. The final panels show that Leia was wrong about Qi’ra not living to see the Empire and the Sith’s defeat. Sitting alone and with her face concealed by a hood, Qi’ra is seen in a cantina as the patrons celebrate and praise the Rebel Alliance for freeing the galaxy, not knowing the role that Qi’ra played in their newfound freedom. Is Hidden Empire #5 a satisfying end to Qi’ra’s story? Hidden Empire 2 establishes that the Fermata Cage was created by the same individual who designed Fortress Vader, which Darth Vader (2017) 21 established was Momin. Exclusive First Details on Star Wars: Crimson Reign - A New Comic Series Focused on Solo's Qi'ra on IGN (archived from the original on August 18, 2021) 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!Vader and Palpatine want to reach the Fermata Cage so they can defeat the ancient Sith Lord or whatever else Qi’ra will attempt to unleash from it. This trap is not the only thing Qi’ra has up her sleeve as Doctor Aphra arrives to face Vader. Aphra is possessed by the Spark Eternal and wielding the Null Blade, a weapon that is designed to neutralize a lightsaber and kill Sith. 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.