The Cloud-Riders, also referred to as Enfys Nest's band of marauders, were a piratical group operating on swoop bikes during the Galactic Empire's era, with Enfys Nest at the helm. Her late mother passed down the leadership role of the Cloud-Riders to Nest. Upon encountering Han Solo, the group unveiled their true identities as rebels, driven by a desire for retribution against the crime lords who exploited resource-rich planets and a commitment to opposing the Empire.
The Cloud-Riders were originally a pirate group spearheaded by a female leader. They waged a war of retaliation against both the Galactic Empire and the Five Crime Syndicates, notably Crimson Dawn. Benthic joined the Cloud-Riders after witnessing the Empire and Crimson Dawn's exploitation of his people. Around 12 BBY, the Cloud-Riders' original leader died, and her 16-year-old daughter, Enfys Nest, inherited the leadership, donning her mother's mask, armor, and responsibilities. The Cloud-Riders continued their mission of combating threats to galactic safety under their new commander.
The crew operated as nomads, using the carrier Aerie as their base. In 11 BBY, six Cloud-Riders, led by Nest, executed a raid on an Imperial medical spice cache located on Gargon. They made off with emergency packs and medical spice, strategically leaving the unprocessed spice behind.
The Cloud-Riders, impersonating Dryden Vos, the leader of Crimson Dawn, successfully deceived the smuggler Tobias Beckett into stealing a shipment of identichips from the Pantoran Dvorad on Hovun IV. Upon Beckett and his gang's arrival on Munt Ontdal with the identichips, the Cloud-Riders revealed their true identities. However, Beckett destroyed the identichips, and his gang managed to escape.
The Cloud-Riders crossed paths with Beckett and his crew during an attempt to steal a coaxium shipment from an Imperial transport train on Vandor. The two groups engaged in a fierce battle for the coaxium. Despite killing Beckett's pilot, Rio Durant, the Cloud-Riders were unable to secure the coaxium and were forced to abandon it. Despite this setback, Weazel, a member of the Cloud-Riders, successfully tracked Beckett and discovered his plans to steal coaxium from the spice mines of Kessel. Weazel then planted a tracking device on the Millennium Falcon, Captain Lando Calrissian's ship.
Following the Millennium Falcon, the Cloud-Riders lay in wait for Beckett's arrival on Savareen. The Cloud-Riders confronted Beckett, his gang, and Qi'ra. After Calrissian escaped aboard the Falcon, Nest revealed to Beckett, his gang, and Qi'ra that the Cloud-Riders were not simply marauders, but freedom fighters. Nest successfully persuaded Solo to hand over the coaxium. However, Beckett betrayed them to Vos' Hylobon Enforcers.
Fortunately for the Cloud-Riders, Solo anticipated Beckett's betrayal. Nest and her riders outsmarted the Enforcers by using several Savarians as decoys. Launching a surprise attack, Nest and her riders eliminated the Enforcers. Nest and her riders were then given the coaxium and offered Solo a chance to join the rebellion though he refused. Nest then gave the coaxium to Partisans' leader, Saw Gerrera.
As the galaxy underwent significant changes, Benthic decided to join the Partisans, believing he could contribute more effectively there. Years later, while working for Jabba Desilijic Tiure, Solo spotted a Caelli-Merced Skyblade-330 and remarked that he hadn't seen one since his encounter with Nest's marauders. During the Galactic Civil War, Solo reunited with Benthic and discussed his change in allegiance, suggesting that he could change his ways once more.
As the leader, Enfys Nest directed the Cloud-Riders in the theft of shipments from both the Empire and Crimson Dawn. Nest also displayed empathy towards those who had suffered at the hands of Crimson Dawn. Benthic fought alongside the Cloud-Riders, becoming a "hero," in Han Solo's words. However, Benthic eventually felt the need to adopt a more aggressive approach to combat the Empire, leading him to join the Partisans.
In response to a question from Phil Szostak regarding whether the Cloud-Riders' concept originated from the 1977 Star Wars Legends comic Star Wars (1977) 9 or if it was purely coincidental, Jon Kasdan, the writer of Solo: A Star Wars Story, clarified on Twitter that it was intentional. When former directors Christopher Miller and Phil Lord decided on swoop bikes, Kasdan discovered the Star Wars Legends Cloud-Riders while browsing Wookieepedia, and the name resonated. Unlike the Legends Cloud-Riders, who were criminals, the canonical Cloud-Riders are rebels fighting against the Galactic Empire.
The red flags adorning the Cloud-Riders' swoop bikes were inspired by Sashimono, the banners worn by soldiers in feudal Japan, specifically those depicted in classic samurai films such as the 1985 film Ran. The swoop bikes' modified X-wing aesthetic was a tribute to the Alliance to Restore the Republic's origins.