‘Star Wars’ Teases That Crimson Dawn Tried To Assassinate Emperor Palpatine

After years of lying low, Crimson Dawn has made its return, making sure to catch the eye of almost every crime syndicate in the galaxy. In the new Star Wars comic Crimson Reign (by writer Charles Soule and artist Steven Cummings), Lady Qi’ra has taken command with enough willpower and ambition to shake both the Empire and the Rebel Alliance. One such ambition is the assassination of Emperor Palpatine himself.

A sneak peak provided by StarWars.com on October 28th hinted at this assassination plan. With Crimson Dawn just newly reintroduced to the galaxy, it seems they have no intention of aiming small. Lady Qi’ra is not alone in this endeavor. A few accomplices by her side include the Knights of Ren, Deathstick, Ochi of Bestoon, and the Archivist. Now armed with a purpose, Crimson Dawn appears to be aiming its sights on one thing: the Sith.

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While little is still known about Crimson Dawn, their brief reintroduction in Star Wars: War Of The Bounty Hunters comic series written by Charles Soule and art by Luke Ross, has already shown themselves as a force to be reckoned with. From scrumrat on Corellia to taking Darth Maul’s place as the leader of Crimson Dawn, Lady Qi’ra has been planning and scheming while searching the galaxy for others to help make her dreams become a reality. Her first move to bring the crime faction out of the shadows was to steal a carbonite frozen Han Solo from none other than the bounty hunter Boba Fett himself. To add insult to the injury, Qi’ra then sends out invitations to auction off everyone’s favorite smuggler to some of the most notorious crime syndicates known to the Star Wars universe including Jabba the Hutt. Of course, things do not go as planned thanks to a surprise visit by Darth Vader, who plans to use Solo to lure his son, Luke Skywalker, to him. Proving that Crimson Dawn does not back down easily, Qi’ra attempts to go toe to toe with the Dark Lord in combat, revealing her own former training. Despite Vader taking Han Solo and leaving Crimson Dawn short one million credits, Qi’ra’s achieves her primary goal. Relations with the Empire and the Hutts are left strained, and a greater plot begins.

Following the events of War Of The Bounty Hunters, Crimson Reign is set between Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi. While Crimson Dawn has always been a mystery to Star Wars fans, the mystery only grows with the mention of the Knights Of Ren. As a new generation of warriors, the Knights of Ren are neither Jedi or Sith. Instead, they are devoted to filling the void left by the Sith’s demise. Another mysterious ally is Deathstick, born from a Nightsister witch who left her homeworld of Dathomir before her people were slaughtered by General Grievous. Deathstick becomes the leader of Kouhun, a highly secretive order of assassins based on Mataou. There she gains notoriety by assassinating several high profile targets. As if having the Knights Of Ren and Deathstick on her side is not enough, Ochi of Bestoon appears to have sided with Crimson Dawn as well. Ochi has always been loyal to the Sith, and a known Jedi killer. The real question is whether he is a spy for Qi’ra or a spy for the Empire? Knowing that he continues to work for the Sith even after Darth Sidious’ death, it may not be much of a mystery.

It will be interesting to see how these new players work alongside Qi’ra and the followers of Crimson Dawn. Unfortunately, fans will have to wait until the end of 2021 to find out.

Crimson Reign #1 is scheduled to hit the shelves on December 1, 2021.

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Written By Victoria Prestley

Source(s): StarWars.com, Wookieepedia

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