Emilia Clarke recently shared her thoughts on seeing Qi'ra return to the original trilogy era of Star Wars. Though three years have ed since audiences first saw Qi'ra onscreen, her journey will continue in the ongoing Star Wars comics published by Marvel. While not a live-action adaptation that would have brought Clarke back for the role, it seems most fans are happy just to see the character still active in the Star Wars mythos.
Qi'ra was introduced in Solo: A Star Wars Story as the love interest for Han Solo, played in the film by Alden Ehrenreich. It is established that she and Han grew up together on Corellia, and were tragically separated when trying to flee their homeworld. When they eventually meet up again he learns that Qi'ra is not only more than capable of taking care of herself now, but she has also chosen to ally herself with a number of dangerous criminals. By the film's end, Qi'ra chooses to become a lieutenant to Darth Maul in the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate, abandoning any chance of a life with Han.
During a recent interview with Comicbook, Clarke shared her reaction to Qi'ra's return during the original trilogy era in the Star Wars comic books published by Marvel. Qi'ra's reappearance was not only a surprise for readers, but also for Clarke herself. She seemed genuinely excited at the prospect of fans getting to see and learn more about Qi'ra, since her backstory wasn't fully explored in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Clarke said:
"It means so much. It means the absolute world. I know her backstory. I know her history. Maybe the movie didn't get to go there, but that was such an honor and a privilege to be part of that universe as an actor. So then, to see the character actually be taken on to the origin of all of it — bringing it on home to the family in that way — cemented it in a way. I was not expecting to feel as moved as I was by that."
Qi'ra's return occurs in the first issue of the War of the Bounty Hunters event, a crossover between all of Marvel's Star Wars comics. In the story, the crime syndicate Crimson Dawn re-emerges and steals the carbonite-frozen body of Han Solo from Boba Fett to announce their return to power to the galaxy. Qi'ra is revealed as the head of Crimson Dawn, clearly having taken over in the years following Darth Maul's death. By the end of the issue, fans are left wondering whether she has other motives for taking her former love from the famed bounty hunter.
With this being the first appearance of Qi'ra since Solo, fans are sure to be wondering whether she will survive the events of this story. If she dies it would explain why she is not mentioned again by any of the characters, especially Han, although he may not even find about her involvement during The War of the Bounty Hunters since he was still frozen in carbonite. However, it could also be the start of a number of narrative uses for Qi'ra. If Clarke is truly this interested in exploring the character further, audiences could see her return in one of the many Star Wars television series.
Source: Comicbook
