Qi'ra

Born in 31 BBY, before the start of the Galactic Civil War, Qi'ra was a native of Corellia during the Imperial Era under the Galactic Empire. She was raised in the slums of Coronet City. After attempting to steal a dog treat from Moloch, she was captured and brought to Proxima. She was then forced to become a scavenger for the White Worms. Later, she became friends with Han, another scrumrat. She once witnessed Han defend a bullied scrumrat, even though he was beaten up for it. Later that night, Qi'ra asked him about it, and Han explained that the White Worms' culture discouraged helping each other, but he wanted to make a difference by being selfless. Over the years, she watched Han compete in swoop races, earning credits to buy a starship so they could escape the White Worms.

By the age of eighteen [years](/article/standard_year], Qi'ra was chosen by Lady Proxima to be the leader after Han told Proxima that Qi'ra had turned down a chance to travel the galaxy to work for the White Worms.

Qi'ra and Han, now lovers, tried to escape Corellia after Han stole coaxium during a delivery for Proxima that went wrong. After a confrontation with Proxima, Solo distracted her by shattering a window, exploiting her sensitivity to light, and they attempted to bribe Falthina Sharest, an Imperial Emigration Officer, with the coaxium to pass through the Imperial control zone. Sharest agreed, but demanded the coaxium before they passed through the security gate. Solo reluctantly agreed and told Qi'ra to hand it over. However, only Solo made it through; Qi'ra was captured by Rebolt and Syke of the White Worms, and the gate closed when Sharest triggered an alarm. Solo promised to return for Qi'ra as soon as possible before fleeing.

After being recaptured by Proxima's gang, Qi'ra's life became even harder. Proxima, angered by her actions, decided to sell Qi'ra. She was sold to Sarkin Enneb, a slave dealer, and later to Dryden Vos, the leader of Crimson Dawn. After a year of failed escape attempts, she tried again, killing the guard outside her cell and reaching the escape pods, only to find Vos waiting. He saw potential in her and offered her a position in Crimson Dawn, but demanded her lifelong loyalty. Vos branded Qi'ra's forearm and the back of her neck with the Crimson Dawn symbol. Qi'ra also hunted down and killed Enneb.

With Crimson Dawn, Qi'ra lived luxuriously, becoming an enforcer and Vos' top lieutenant. Vos trained her in the martial art of Teräs Käsi.

During her time with Crimson Dawn, Qi'ra was hunted by IG-88, a bounty hunter droid, on Ord Mantell. Qi'ra was trapped by IG-88 and his temporary partner, Hondo Ohnaka, a Weequay pirate. They planned to collect a bounty on Qi'ra, but she turned them against each other, allowing her to escape and capture them both, intending to collect the bounties on them.

After the Razzi warehouse raid, Qi'ra recorded details of the stolen cargo in the Smuggler's Guide. The cargo included crates with fake Kitel Phard vases, HK8 Sawtooth, Weequay spherical objects containing 50 kilograms of low-grade andris spice, disassembled HK-model gladiator droids with medallions of Grakkus Jahibakti Tingi, and a crate of exotic animal parts, including rancor fangs, aiwha sacs, shaved mynock silicate, sando tooth cuttings, dried octopod ink, two mummified tuk'ata specimens, and various components of Corellian hound. The Smuggler's Guide was later acquired by Val, who found it in a crate stolen from the freight platform in Zarra on Cato Neimoidia, and then passed to Tobias Beckett. The smuggler Han Solo and the archaeologist Chelli Lona Aphra later annotated the pages with their own comments when they acquired the book.

Qi'ra's involvement with Crimson Dawn led her back to Solo, who was working with Vos' associate Tobias Beckett to obtain a large amount of refined coaxium. Qi'ra attended the meeting between Vos, Beckett, and Solo on Vos' yacht. Vos criticized Beckett and Solo for failing to obtain the coaxium shipment on Vandor and considered killing them until Solo suggested retrieving unrefined coaxium from the spice mines of Kessel. Qi'ra advised Vos that the plan would work, and he agreed to let Beckett try, with death as the penalty for failure. Vos sent Qi'ra to accompany Beckett's crew to ensure the plan's success.

Knowing they needed a fast ship to transport the unrefined coaxium before it degraded and detonated, Qi'ra sought out her old acquaintance, Captain Lando Calrissian of the Millennium Falcon. Qi'ra watched as Solo failed to win the Falcon at sabacc. However, Calrissian agreed to fly the Falcon for Qi'ra, Beckett, and Solo in exchange for a share of the profits. On the way to Kessel, Qi'ra and Solo rekindled their romance, kissing in the back of the Falcon.

Upon arriving at Kessel, Qi'ra posed as Oksana Floren, a enslaver from the Federation of Trade Route Allocation and Monetization, selling Han and Chewbacca to Quay Tolsite of the Pyke Syndicate to infiltrate the mines. Qi'ra, Beckett, and L3-37 secured the control room, allowing Solo to steal the coaxium. Qi'ra initially served as Solo's co-pilot during the escape from Kessel, but Chewbacca replaced her as they fled from Imperial forces into the Akkadese Maelstrom. After using some of their stolen coaxium to escape a summa-verminoth, the crew flew the damaged ship and arrived on Savareen.

On Savareen, the Falcon crew refined the coaxium and waited for Vos' arrival. Calrissian soon left, angry at Solo for damaging his ship. They were confronted by Enfys Nest, leader of the Cloud-Riders, who revealed they were freedom fighters resisting Crimson Dawn's atrocities, not pirates. Solo devised a plan to give Vos fake coaxium and give the Cloud-Riders the real coaxium to fund their resistance. Qi'ra, Solo, and Chewbacca presented the coaxium to Vos aboard his yacht, but he saw through their plan, having been informed by Beckett, who was Vos' double agent. Vos expressed his disappointment in Qi'ra's betrayal and realized that Solo was her weakness.

However, Solo anticipated Beckett's treachery and double-crossed him: the coaxium containers left with the Cloud-Riders were empty, and Enfys Nest dispatched the Crimson Dawn agents sent to recover it. The coaxium they brought was genuine. Beckett captured Chewbacca and left with the coaxium. Vos and Solo fought, but Qi'ra intervened, holding Solo at sword point. However, Qi'ra sided with Solo, dueling and killing Vos.

Solo left to rescue Chewbacca and retrieve the coaxium for the Cloud-Riders. Qi'ra told Solo she would follow, but instead took Vos' ring and contacted Maul, the true leader of Crimson Dawn, informing him that Vos had failed to obtain the coaxium. After falsely claiming that Beckett had killed Vos, Qi'ra was ordered to bring the yacht to Dathomir, Maul's homeworld, and work more closely with Maul, leaving Solo behind. Qi'ra then assumed Vos' role as the public figurehead of Crimson Dawn and inherited control of the First Light. Maul also taught her about the Sith Order, revealing that Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine was the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious, and that the Imperial enforcer Darth Vader was his Sith apprentice. He explained the Rule of Two, and that he had been Sidious' apprentice, "Darth Maul," until he was no longer useful after his presumed death. Maul also trained her to fight the Sith. At one point, Maul tried to locate an artifact known as the Fermata Cage, which was said to hold the spirit of an ancient Sith Lord. He planned to open the cage and allow the spirit inside to destroy his former Sith master Darth Sidious, who was secretly Emperor Sheev Palpatine of the Galactic Empire. However, he was ultimately unable to release the spirit or destroy Sidious.

In the following years, Qi'ra managed to survive, but Maul was separated from the galaxy after being stranded on the Outer Rim Sith planet Malachor. Later, Maul was killed on Tatooine, and Crimson Dawn was believed destroyed by its rivals.

Even after the Dawn faded, Solo still remembered his time with Qi'ra. On Hubin, Solo told his current lover, Princess Leia Organa, about his love for Qi'ra.

Despite Crimson Dawn's apparent fall, Qi'ra, now known as Lady, controlled the organization's remnants, planning to use them to protect herself. Having learned about the Sith from Maul, she began preparing for a secret war, including a Syndicate War, to assassinate Vader and Palpatine and free the galaxy. As head of Crimson Dawn, she used the wealth from her criminal activities to achieve this, even building a secret Dawn Fleet of many starships. She made contacts on Nar Shaddaa and funneled shipments of blasters, detonators, and exotic weaponry from Devono Vix, an arms dealer. Using artifacts, weapons, resources, and knowledge inherited from Maul, Qi'ra prepared the Dawn for a resurgence.

Qi'ra recruited operatives, including Ochi of Bestoon, a Master Assassin, and Deathstick, a Dathomirian Zabrak, leveraging Ochi's fear and Deathstick's desire for revenge against those who destroyed her people. She also visited Madelin Sun, a former Sava from the University of Bar'leth who studied Force relics. After saving Sun from stormtroopers, Qi'ra asked why she was forbidden from studying the Force. Sun explained it was part of the Empire's effort to erase the Jedi. Qi'ra blamed Palpatine, revealing he was the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. Shocked, Sun agreed to work with her. Qi'ra brought her to Crimson Dawn's flagship, the Vermillion, which housed dark side artifacts. Qi'ra explained she acquired them from her former master and would use them in her plan to end the Sith's control of the galaxy, needing Sun's expertise. In exchange, Qi'ra offered her artifacts and a chance to study the Force. Sun accepted and was tasked with finding Yoda, a surviving Jedi Master, whom Qi'ra believed would be a valuable asset. Later, Sun reported that Yoda was dead. Though disappointed, Qi'ra kept Sun for her knowledge and decided Crimson Dawn would accomplish their plan alone.

Having failed to recruit Yoda, Qi'ra sought new Force-sensitive allies. Sun suggested the Knights of Ren, a group of dark-side Force users. After telling Qi'ra about their history, Sun traveled with her to Varnak to meet them. Finding them in a cantina, Qi'ra approached their leader, Ren, offering them glory and safety from the Sith if they completed a job for her: stealing the Screaming Key from Fortress Vader on Mustafar. Ren accepted, despite his knights' dismay.

In 3 ABY, Qi'ra learned that Han Solo had been frozen in carbonite after becoming important to the Alliance to Restore the Republic, the Empire, the Hutt Clan, and other galactic powers. She had her agents, led by Margo, search for Boba Fett, the bounty hunter who had captured Solo and brought him to Doctor Ragon on Nar Shaddaa. As Ragon stabilized the carbonite, Deva Lompop, a marauder hired by Jabba but secretly working for Qi'ra, located them on Nar Shaddaa. She informed Crimson Dawn, and Qi'ra's operatives killed Ragon and claimed Solo. With the carbonite matrix repaired, Solo remained alive as the agents transferred him to the Vermillion, where Qi'ra, hooded, greeted her aides Margo and Trinia, who said Solo would likely remain alive. Qi'ra ordered pre-recorded invitations to be sent out and quelled Margo's concerns about Fett.

With her face obscured by her hood to maintain anonymity, Qi'ra disseminated her hologram message to a variety of recipients, including the notorious crime boss Jabba the Hutt on Tatooine and the rest of the Grand Hutt Council. In her communication to Jabba, she declared the resurgence of Crimson Dawn, assuring him it would not disrupt the balance of power among the galaxy's major players; she invited him to Jekara, a frigid planet in the Mid Rim, offering Solo as a token of goodwill. As Jabba journeyed to Jekara aboard his Shad'ruu war barge, Fett—who had a bounty placed on him because Jabba mistakenly thought he'd sold Solo to Crimson Dawn—also set course for the planet after intercepting Jabba's received message. Sana Starros and Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra also received her broadcast.

She also ensured that a rebel operative, Amilyn Holdo, received the message, intending for her to relay it to the broader Rebellion. Qi'ra hoped Solo would reunite with his loved ones, but she was unwilling to simply return him to the Rebels, prioritizing her larger schemes over individual happiness. Consequently, she believed she had done all she could to use Solo as leverage while simultaneously arranging for the Rebels to reclaim him. In the meantime, the Vermillion touched down on Jekara. After landing, Qi'ra elucidated to Margo the significance of Solo to the galaxy's powerful entities. Knowing their guests would soon be there, Qi'ra, finally lowering her hood, mused that Solo would finally have a chance to save her. As she exited the room, she instructed Margo to finalize their preparations.

Despite genuinely wanting the Rebellion to recover Solo, Qi'ra dispatched Deathstick to pursue the bounty hunters Beilert Valance and Dengar, who were also hunting Boba Fett. They tracked down Devono Vix on Nar Shaddaa, seeking information, and eventually coerced the arms dealer into admitting that Crimson Dawn had returned. Vix also disclosed that Crimson Dawn had already taken Solo from Fett. The two hunters disbelieved Vix's account, but Deathstick then assassinated Vix, continuing her pursuit of Valance and Dengar. Later, during her mission, Deathstick contacted Qi'ra, questioning why she couldn't simply eliminate them. However, Qi'ra explained that guiding them in the right direction was crucial to her plan. She then assured Deathstick that she would have the chance to kill them soon enough.

As the various syndicates began arriving at the Vermillion, Qi'ra, with Margo at her side, surveyed the crowd. Margo noted her apparent satisfaction, which Qi'ra confirmed, stating her love for a good party. Once all the bidders had assembled, Qi'ra thanked the syndicates for attending as she introduced herself and formally announced the return of Crimson Dawn. She then presented Solo to the crowd and initiated the bidding at one hundred thousand credits. Following several bids from different parties, the present members of the Hutt Clan began outbidding each other with increasingly higher offers. However, this abruptly ended when Jabba the Hutt bid one million credits. With no further bids, Qi'ra congratulated Jabba, informing him that the smuggler was his. However, the auction was then disrupted by the arrival of Darth Vader. Flanked by two death troopers from his personal guard, Vader declared that Solo belonged to him, eliciting a smile from Qi'ra.

As Vader and Jabba argued over Solo, Margo inquired how the Sith had learned of the auction. Qi'ra dismissed the question, stating that it was irrelevant and remarking that she knew how to handle a Sith Lord. After Jabba conceded Solo to the Empire, Qi'ra informed Vader that she would not interfere, but still demanded the one million credits promised to her. When Vader asserted that she was owed nothing, Qi'ra questioned whether the Empire was too impoverished or miserly to honor its debts. This provoked Vader to ignite his lightsaber, to which Qi'ra responded by drawing her own pair of blades, intending to create a diversion so that Rebel agents present at the auction could reclaim Solo. However, those agents became embroiled in a battle with Fett, who had also arrived to reclaim Solo. During the ensuing duel, Vader recognized Qi'ra's fighting style and asked who had trained her, to which Qi'ra simply replied that it was someone with extensive knowledge of both Vader and his master.

Observing that she lacked the Force and that her training would not save her, Vader used the Force to repel Qi'ra after the brief skirmish, sending her crashing into Solo. With his opponent subdued, Vader prepared to execute Qi'ra before his son, Jedi Padawan and Rebel Commander Luke Skywalker, arrived and distracted him. As Qi'ra retreated with Margo, she conceded that she might have been overconfident in confronting the Sith. She then admitted that Vader would take Solo and reminded Margo of her assigned task. Amidst the chaos on the ship, Qi'ra returned to one of her personal art galleries and examined a necklace confiscated from one of the interlopers at the auction, commenting that the data it contained would be invaluable. She then instructed Margo to ensure its security in her absence. Upon returning to the gallery shortly after, Qi'ra explained to Margo that the situation was both expected and unexpected. While Vader's arrival was unplanned, Qi'ra's direct confrontation with him demonstrated to the galaxy that Crimson Dawn would not yield to the Empire. Qi'ra then dismissed Margo, stating that she had numerous messages to send and strings to pull.

Soon after, she observed from the Vermillion as the final remnants of the battle between the Hutt Council and the Empire concluded. As Vukorah was escorted into the room by Margo, Qi'ra remarked on the beauty of how the Hutts had exposed the Empire's vulnerability. As their conversation progressed, Qi'ra explained that Crimson Dawn would need to crush the syndicates that stood in their way. Qi'ra then emphasized her desire for Vukorah to lead alongside Crimson Dawn as the leader of the Unbroken Clan. Qi'ra then had Margo open a box containing the Unbroken Blade, which would aid Vukorah's ascension within the clan. Vukorah then pledged her allegiance to Crimson Dawn's cause. Later, after Vukorah had slain the Unbroken Clan's leader and claimed the throne, she contacted Qi'ra to inform her that the Unbroken Clan was ready to serve.

Next, Qi'ra welcomed the criminals Just Lucky and Ariole Yu, members of the Sixth Kin and former mentees of Gallin Crae, who had come to serve Qi'ra. Offering them starlight brandy from Alderaan that she had inherited from Dryden Vos, she expressed her deep sympathy for the way the Sixth Kin and its leader, Wen Delphis, had treated them. Elaborating on her own past as a young person who had been exploited by a criminal organization, she offered them a place in Crimson Dawn, reiterating that their goal was to eliminate tyrants like Delphis. She allowed them time to consider her offer before permitting them to leave the Vermillion.

After Fett had recaptured Solo and returned him to Jabba, Qi'ra explained to her followers that the dawn had arrived and the real work would now commence, as they had successfully heightened tensions between the Empire and the Hutts. She then instructed them to "Await the reign" as she met with more of her associates, including Ren and his knights.

Later, Qi'ra was apparently captured by three members of the Assassin's Guild and brought to the planet Saki. Acting on Darth Vader's orders, Ochi of Bestoon traveled to the planet to deliver Vader's message that the Guild would now serve him. The three assassins then revealed Qi'ra, presenting her as a gift to Vader. Qi'ra briefly greeted Ochi, conveying her regards to him and his master. After the assassins assured Ochi that no one outside of the room knew of Qi'ra's imprisonment, he proceeded to kill them all before freeing Qi'ra and declaring his allegiance to Crimson Dawn.

Qi'ra also sought to recapture Solo following the auction. Her operative Deva Lompop endeavored to achieve this, dispatching the droid engineer RB-919 to a junkyard to locate and rebuild the bounty hunter IG-88. Upon the droid's reactivation, Lompop provided IG-88 with the location of Boba Fett, who had Solo, as well as specifications of Fett's ship, Slave I. However, IG-88 was unsuccessful, and Fett delivered Solo to Jabba.

Shortly thereafter, Qi'ra used the Vermillion to intercept the Millennium Falcon. She then contacted the ship's crew and requested to speak with Organa, one of the Rebels who had attempted to reclaim him at the auction. After offering her condolences regarding L3-37, Qi'ra was searched for weapons by Calrissian before he, Chewbacca, and C-3PO exited the room. Qi'ra apologized to Organa for what had happened to Solo, prompting Organa to rebuke her for auctioning Solo off and failing to save him, believing he had been killed. Qi'ra admitted that this was not her intention, but that she had done everything within her power. She then explained that she had intended for Organa to rescue Solo after the auction, although it hadn't transpired as planned. Organa retorted that Qi'ra had the opportunity to simply give Solo to her, to which Qi'ra countered that she would have gained nothing from that. She continued by stating that, unlike Organa, she manipulated people to achieve her goals, although she would prefer to do things Organa's way if she could.

She also asserted that being a rebel hero was the ending Solo deserved and that he would have followed a darker path had he remained with her. To illustrate this, Qi'ra recounted a story from her childhood on Corellia about how Solo had defended a child from a group of bullies. Following this incident, Qi'ra asked Solo why he had acted as he did despite receiving nothing in return. Solo replied that while that may be how the galaxy operates, it didn't necessarily have to be that way. With her story concluded, Qi'ra then revealed to Organa that Solo was, in fact, still alive and being held in Jabba's Palace. Chewbacca expressed joy at the news while Qi'ra asked Organa if they would rescue Solo together. Organa declined, however, conceding that the Rebel Alliance needed her more than Solo did at that moment. Qi'ra offered future assistance to the Alliance before departing the Falcon in the Vermillion.

Preparing to sow discord among her adversaries, Qi'ra had Margo hire Boushh and his crew to eliminate the eight heads of the Tagge Corporation, a powerful company of great importance to the Empire. Specifically targeting Domina Tagge, the crew battled the Tagges until Domina struck a deal with them, offering them a chance to reverse their exile from their homeworld Uba IV in exchange for working for her. Unbeknownst to Qi'ra, Boushh and his crew betrayed Crimson Dawn.

Soon after, Qi'ra reunited with Ochi and several of her other new allies, including Sun, Chanath Cha, and the Orphans. With all of her followers assembled, Qi'ra unveiled her ultimate objective: to kill Sidious and Darth Vader to create a more equitable playing field for those seeking power, as well as to fulfill Maul's ambition to avenge himself on the Emperor by preventing him and the Sith from dominating the galaxy. After dispatching her associates on their individual assignments, Qi'ra met with Lord Gyuti of the Black Sun. As they sat down for a drink, Qi'ra explained that Crimson Dawn wished to offer services to the larger syndicates in a neutral manner. If everyone needed them, then no one would destroy them. After informing the Falleen of the Empire's strained relations with the Hutts, Qi'ra suggested that the Black Sun vie for power in case the Empire sought a new partner in the criminal underworld.

Soon, the Orphans began attacking multiple criminal strongholds, creating tension and conflict between the various syndicates, except for the Hutts. After being informed of this by Margo, Qi'ra instructed Trinia to have the Orphans lie low for the time being until their services were needed again. Qi'ra then stated that the assassins would be the next to act and that, in the meantime, she would meet with Organa once more to recruit the Rebel Alliance.

Shortly after, Qi'ra arrived at Home One and met with Leia again. Qi'ra told her that Commander Ellian Zahra had wiped out most of the Rebel Alliance's fleet divisions and that she would give Leia the location of the last surviving one. When Leia asked Qi'ra why she was telling her this, Qi'ra said she preferred to make friends instead of enemies. Once Leia accepted Qi'ra's aid, Qi'ra asked her where Chewbacca was. Leia then took Qi'ra to a room where Chewbacca was using training remotes to prepare himself for breaking Solo out of Jabba's Palace. Qi'ra recommended that Leia take him with her to help them rescue the last division. She then offered Leia another gift; Zahra and her entire hunter squad. Qi'ra explained that she had an operative who would make sure Zahra and her group were exactly where Leia wanted them. Qi'ra went on to offer Leia one final gift; handling the Rebel Alliance's supply chain. Leia accepted Qi'ra's gifts and told her to coordinate the specifics with Holdo. Qi'ra then wished Leia luck in finding the last division before departing in the Vermillion.

Moving onto the next phase of her plan, Qi'ra met with her assassins aboard the Vermillion. Qi'ra first sent Ochi to Coruscant on a mission to assassinate the Emperor's Royal Guard. Next, she sent Deathstick after the child Cadeliah, who was the heir to two major crime organizations, the Mourner's Wail Syndicate and the Unbroken Clan. Ochi's mission was successful, using poisons to cause the Royal Guard to simultaneously collapse dead in front of Palpatine, causing him great anger. Deathstick eventually located Cadeliah on the planet Panisia.

Sometime later, Deathstick returned to the Vermillion with Cadeliah in tow. Qi'ra then told Deathstick that the child's fate belonged to her. Upon awakening from stasis, Cadeliah asked where she was and who Qi'ra was, to which Qi'ra introduced herself and told the girl that they were going to be good friends. Later, Qi'ra had a full dinner prepared for her, Cadeliah and her own subjects. When Cadeliah hesitated to eat, Qi'ra told her that life was too short. Cadeliah then agreed before attacking Qi'ra with a knife. However, she was intercepted and held back by Vicrul, while Qi'ra reprimanded her and reminded her that her death would be just as convenient as her cooperation. Qi'ra then told Vicrul to release Cadeliah and insisted that she try the Caamasi cheese pies, to which Cadeliah begrudgingly complied.

Shortly after the Heist on Vader's Castle, the Vermillion was infiltrated by T'onga and her crew aboard the Edgehawk while her wife Losha Tarkon stayed behind on their ship. Upon returning to the Vermillion, the Knights of Ren briefly fought T'onga's crew before they retreated. However, T'onga stayed on the Vermillion and tried to locate Cadeliah. In turn, Qi'ra had Margo bring T'onga before Cadeliah. T'onga attempted to bring Cadeliah with her, but Cadeliah refused, having lost trust in her after she turned on Nakano Lash. Qi'ra then entered the room alongside the Knights of Ren. T'onga ordered Qi'ra to release Cadeliah, though Qi'ra simply lowered her weapon and welcomed her aboard the Vermillion.

As Qi'ra and her followers watched on, T'onga tried and failed to convince Cadeliah, who believed she couldn't trust anybody, to leave with her. With Cadeliah believing that at least on the Vermillion she would be safe from those trying to capture her, T'onga fell to the floor in defeat, realizing the mission had all been for nothing. Qi'ra then assured T'onga that she and her crew could make the galaxy better by working for Crimson Dawn. Giving her a communicator, Qi'ra told T'onga to think about her offer, though not for too long since she was on a tight schedule. T'onga then returned to her wife and crew on the Edgehawk before they departed from the Vermillion.

Later, Qi'ra was informed by Margo that the Emperor was on the verge of discovering Crimson Dawn's involvement with the Syndicate War. In response, Qi'ra told Margo to begin preparations for the next phase, inform Trinia and move their people to various staging points. She then thanked Margo for her service and hugged her before letting her go. She went on to ask Sun if she was ready. Sun said she was ready as she could be since she was relying on myths. Qi'ra told her to find the truth and had the Knights of Ren accompany her on her assignment. While the Archivist left, Qi'ra warned Cadeliah that things were going to happen very quickly and that they should talk since they might not get a later chance.

Moving to another room, Qi'ra told Cadeliah that the crime syndicates she was the heir to had potential if they came together. When Cadeliah asked her what her point was, Qi'ra said that while they were both born into the underworld, Qi'ra did not grow up with an inheritance. She began with nothing as a child working with the White Worms and had to be better than the rest to work her way up to where she was now. She went on to explain that she couldn't trust anyone and had to make sure they would do what she wanted by either offering them something or taking something away. When Cadeliah asked if she was like that with Margo was well, Qi'ra revealed that Margo had previously tried to kill her, but started working for her when Qi'ra saw that she had value.

Just then, she was interrupted by a transmission from her agents, informing her that the Imperial fleet had received an alert designating the Vermillion a high priority target. Qi'ra told Cadeliah to go with Trinia, saying she would do whatever she would have to. After returning to her throne, Qi'ra was contacted by Sun, who informed her that the Fermata Cage was still there. Qi'ra thanked Sun and said she would hear from her soon before crushing her communicator. Qi'ra explained to her followers that the Emperor would be coming for them, but she had people across the galaxy and had ordered them to cause chaos for the Empire. While the Empire was distracted, she would prepare her masterstroke and bring an end to the Sith with her "hidden empire."

As Sun, the Knights of Ren, and Kho Phon Farrus prepared to open the Cage, Qi'ra met with Chanath Cha, Sear, Imara Vex, and Ladybright. While on their ship, the Siroto, they watched as an Interdictor-class Star Destroyer appeared overhead. When they received a comms request, Qi'ra said she could achieve more with a conversation and gave the Orphans command authority over her forces, instructing them to hit the Empire as hard as they could if she gave the order. Qi'ra then contacted Sun and ordered her to activate the Cage on her signal while she bought them as much time as she could. With that, Qi'ra hung up before contacting Sidious himself. Sidious attempted to intimidate and dissuade her, but she retorted that Maul had taught her many things and that she would do whatever it took to destroy him. Qi'ra then gave the Orphans their signal and had them remotely pilot the Vermillion into attacking the Interdictor.

Sidious cautioned Qi'ra again against sacrificing herself needlessly, but Qi'ra retorted that his authority over her was nonexistent. When Sidious accused her of belonging to a "tainted bloodline," Qi'ra responded with defiance, signaling once more. Subsequently, Sun and Farrus employed the Knights of Ren to activate the Cage. Sensing a disturbance in the Force, Sidious urgently demanded an explanation from Qi'ra regarding her actions. Qi'ra declared that she had unlocked the Fermata Cage, prompting Sidious to accuse her of falsehood and initiate a Force choke on her. However, upon Qi'ra's assertion that he would never uncover the truth, Sidious released her and commanded her to speak. She then revealed that Maul had previously attempted to unleash the spirit within the Cage and that she would achieve success where he had failed. She further disclosed that her part was already complete and that even if she perished, Sidious would inevitably meet his end. The Vermillion and the Interdictor then mutually annihilated each other, severing all communication lines.

When Sear inquired with Qi'ra about rescuing any survivors from the escape pods, Qi'ra refused, stating that they would instead honor their sacrifice. Qi'ra attempted to contact Sun again, but Ren answered, informing her that their strategy had failed and that the Knights of Ren had terminated their allegiance to Crimson Dawn. When Kho questioned their next course of action, Qi'ra instructed them to gather their belongings, relocate to the subsequent site, assimilate the lessons learned, and strive for improvement in the future. When Chanath anxiously reminded Qi'ra about the failure to open the Cage, the significant loss of personnel, and the Emperor's relentless pursuit, Qi'ra deceptively claimed that it was all an integral part of her scheme.

While the Empire obliterated the escape pods, Qi'ra directed the Orphans to pilot them towards a clandestine location. When Cha inquired about their destination, Qi'ra revealed the existence of safe houses scattered throughout the galaxy. Upon entering a waterfall, they discovered the Dawnfall Base, which concealed Qi'ra's secret fleet. Cha remarked that even a fleet would be insufficient to vanquish the Empire, to which Qi'ra responded that her sole objective was the destruction of the Sith. Following this, Qi'ra contacted Sun, who assured her that they could open the Cage even without Force users. When she cautioned about the need for discretion to prevent the Emperor from discovering their plan, Qi'ra disclosed that she had already revealed their plan to him in order to instill fear. She then instructed Sun to proceed with opening the Cage before terminating the call. Inside the base, Margo informed Qi'ra that their agreements with the syndicates had dissolved, thereby crippling their ability to operate openly. Consequently, Qi'ra instructed Margo to relocate their personnel to safe houses.

When Cadeliah inquired whether she was distressed about the extensive losses within her syndicate, Qi'ra asserted that Crimson Dawn had always been a means to an end and had fulfilled its purpose. Cadeliah then asked what her purpose was, to which Qi'ra told her that she was her last hope. Trinia then told Qi'ra that Sun was calling her again. When Qi'ra asked Sun if she and Farrus had opened the Cage, Sun said that they couldn't due to the process likely killing them. Qi'ra then instructed them to advance and attempt again at another location. However, Sun refused, asserting that doing so would lead to their destruction and the downfall of Crimson Dawn. Sun then exclaimed that the Empire had discovered them, to which Qi'ra responded that assistance was en route before their signal was jammed. As the Orphans engaged in combat against Vader and Ladybright fled with Farrus and the Archivist aboard the Siroto, Ladybright contacted Qi'ra and requested reinforcements. But Qi'ra denied the request and instructed them to bring her the Cage.

Qi'ra then inquired whether Cadeliah understood the reason for withholding reinforcements. Cadeliah replied that they had fulfilled their purpose and therefore did not warrant the allocation of resources. Qi'ra explained that Chanath Cha had perceived herself as the protagonist of her own narrative, whereas she was merely a supporting character in Qi'ra's. Sun eliminated Ladybright and dropped off Farrus, who had grown weary of the peril and fearful of the potential consequences of Qi'ra's schemes. Despite her aspirations to vanquish the Sith, Qi'ra recognized the high probability of perishing in the endeavor, regardless of whether the Sith were ultimately defeated. Consequently, Qi'ra recorded a final holographic message to Cadeliah at some point. Overcome with emotion as she spoke, Qi'ra compared her life to Cadeliah and offered the girl all the credits left in her Crimson Dawn accounts, thereby granting Cadeliah the freedom she never had in addition to the first hand knowledge she had seen of how to run a criminal empire. She encoded all details needed to retrieve the money on the disc itself.

Following the elimination of Ladybright and the departure of Farrus, Sun contacted Qi'ra and explained that the Cage would draw upon any life force in its vicinity to function. When Qi'ra inquired whether there was a method to open it without causing the operator's death, Sun proposed transporting it to the ancient Amaxine space station, which contained an abundance of dark side and life energy to sustain the Cage. Sun then admitted that she had lost confidence in their plan due to losing so many of their agents, to which Qi'ra assured her that she would give her the chance the open the Cage.

When Cadeliah asked Qi'ra what she was going to do, Qi'ra said she would use every resource at her disposal to get the Cage open. First, she contacted Deathstick, who she told would be invaluable in their final play against the Sith. However, Deathstick said she was only an assassin and that she had done her part. Next, Qi'ra contacted the Knights of Ren, who initially refused to help her any further. But when Qi'ra reminded them that Vader would continue to hunt them unless they helped her to destroy him, the knights begrudgingly agreed to work with her one last time. Before Qi'ra made one final call, Cadeliah asked her why she didn't just walk away now and use her riches to begin a new life, to which Qi'ra asked her who she would be if she did so. Qi'ra then gave Cadeliah the disc containing her holographic message and instructed her to play it if she did not make it out alive.

Cadeliah asked Qi'ra if she should thank her, to which Qi'ra said only if she thought that would get her something in return. As Cadeliah departed, Qi'ra contacted the Spark Eternal, who shared her animosity towards the Sith, to present them with an offer. Subsequently, with Margo and Trinia by her side, Qi'ra addressed her entire Crimson Dawn fleet, delivering an impassioned speech, urging them to channel all the pain and suffering inflicted upon them by the Emperor and retaliate against him. Qi'ra's followers then boarded their vessels and set course to confront the Empire at the Amaxine station while Sun initiated the opening of the Cage: Sidious and Vader had successfully tracked the disturbance caused by the opening and arrived aboard the Executor at the head of a fleet of Imperial-class Star Destroyers. The arrival of Qi'ra's fleet prevented the Executor from simply focusing its fire on the station, thereby taking the Cage with it, so Vader and Sidious personally ventured into the station with a group of royal guards and death troopers. Qi'ra's forces had arrived first and engaged the enemy, although the Sith and their forces advanced with little difficulty.

Observing her progress from the space battle, Qi'ra communicated with the Archivist via comlink and learned that the Cage was opening. As the Spark Eternal arrived on the station, Qi'ra allowed the Archivist to make her escape as her soldiers attempted to hold off the Sith, promising the Spark would succeed if they failed before entering the station herself. Nearby the Cage, Qi'ra personally greeted the Spark before leaving to rejoin her fleet, watching her plan's progress from the cockpit of a starship. After Vader quickly bested the Spark by forcing it from Aphra's body, with Sana Starros' crew racing into the battle and managing to free Aphra from its control once and for all shortly after, Vader and Sidious stood before the opening Fermata Cage as it dropped a small disc with no connection to the Force, much to the Emperor's confusion as Qi'ra and the Archivist watched on from their own ships: Qi'ra gave the order to the Archivist to activate the opened Cage, overjoying Qi'ra as both Sith were time-locked, as she had hoped, by the artifact with the press of a button. Still, Qi'ra held back from letting optimism overpower her and ordered the Archivist to fully seal the Cage once and for all, intending to throw it into a star with both Sith trapped within.

It was at that moment, however, that the Knights of Ren arrived into the battle aboard the Night Buzzard: while Ren was surprised at how successful Qi'ra's plan had been thus far, he reasoned that Sidious would find a way out of the Cage, after which he would kill Qi'ra and then, inevitably, them. Hoping to endear themselves to the Sith, the Knights fired on the Cage, collapsing its field and freeing both Sith Lords. Although the Cage survived physically, it was destroyed in the sense that its field collapsed, sending out a Force Wave that also damaged or destroyed much of the Dawn fleet. Admitting she had failed her followers and wishing them luck, Qi'ra was distraught at the sight before gathering herself, ordering her forces to retreat before turning away from the battle herself. However, most of the Dawn fleet was wiped out by either the Cage or the Imperials taking advantage of the sudden losses, with Admiral Firmus Piett ordering no survivors be left behind. Qi'ra and the Archivist both escaped aboard their own ships. To the Archivist, Qi'ra's campaign had thus ended in tragedy.

Following the battle's aftermath, Sidious permitted the Knights of Ren to serve him but did not pardon them, subjecting them to torture with Force lightning before departing with Vader. Alone aside from an astromech droid who played the message, Cadeliah played Qi'ra's message to her ceding her credits. The Force Wave also disrupted the connection between Force-sensitives and the Force for sometime after. Nevertheless, Crimson Dawn was left shattered, and Qi'ra took to living in hiding. While sitting alone in a cantina in 4 ABY, she overheard news of the Rebel Alliance's victory in the Battle of Endor: along with many Imperials, Sidious was killed, and the Empire also lost its new DS-2 Death Star II Mobile Battle Station. The news earned cheers and celebrations from the cantina patrons, who hoped the Empire was finally destroyed. Not uplifted by the news, Qi'ra did not join in the celebrations. In truth, however, the destruction of the Death Star had Qi'ra to thank in part: the Syndicate War she created had given the Alliance time to regroup its fleet, and two of her Crimson Dawn agents, Bevelyn and Jon Melton, had warned the rebels of the second Death Star's existence.

A year later in 5 ABY, the Empire met its final end in the Battle of Jakku. Sometime after the Empire's fall, the Archivist, although unaware of Qi'ra's fate, decided to record a holocron about her efforts against the Sith, concluding that Qi'ra's biggest failing had been her refusal to trust others. The Archivist had not seen Qi'ra since the battle at the Amaxine Station and concluded that the Empire or one of the many Imperial remnants killed her. The holocron eventually found its way into the hands of Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, who he was now training in the ways of the Force. Skywalker concluded Qi'ra had not failed, citing the domino affect her actions played in the fall of the Sith, while Organa wished Qi'ra had joined their cause. Unaware that Qi'ra had indeed lived to see Palpatine's downfall, she simply wished Qi'ra had the chance to see the galaxy she had fought for.

Qi'ra was a Corellian human female characterized by moderately short brown hair, typically styled in a ponytail, blue eyes, and a fair complexion. Qi'ra possessed a multifaceted personality. In her youth, she harbored aspirations of escaping the criminal underworld and pursuing a more virtuous existence. However, as she matured, she recognized the impossibility of eluding her past transgressions. Despite her upbringing on the streets, she demonstrated adaptability to a more opulent lifestyle and seamlessly integrated into Crimson Dawn. Having known Han for many years, she believed she may have been the one person who could see him for who he truly was, thinking he was "the good guy." She was a fighter and had been trained in combat by Vos, which helped her survive.

With a resilient spirit, she parted ways with Solo and continued her association with Crimson Dawn under Maul's leadership, eventually assuming control of the organization. As leader, she developed a selfless goal in wanting to wipe out the Sith, whether or not she died in the effort, in the name of freeing the galaxy. In pursuit of her objective, she willingly employed Solo as bait to attract various galactic powers, while asserting that Crimson Dawn would not harm the rest of the galaxy. Jabba the Hutt underestimated Qi'ra, claiming to the Grand Hutt Council he was certain they were ready to face the new leader of Crimson Dawn. As leader of the Dawn, Qi'ra refused to truly trust others and always kept herself alone, no matter how many followers she had at any given time. The Archivist concluded that failing was the ultimate weakness of Qi'ra that cost them their war against the Sith.

Upon first seeing her old lover in carbonite, she questioned if he was conscious, disagreeing with Margo's assessment that such a state would be like Hell; to Qi'ra, if Solo was living in a fond memory or nice dream, it could be preferable to some aspects of life in the galaxy, yet she considered these musings to be unimportant when compared to her plans. She was also confident in Crimson Dawn's abilities, proclaiming that Boba Fett stood no chance against them alone. Unlike Margo, she could see how Solo united the galaxy due to his interactions with its factions, which she saw as something she could exploit. Even so, she hoped Solo would be regained by the Rebel Alliance, but she did not let that desire hold back her plans to use him.

Qi'ra exhibited a degree of overconfidence in her capabilities, which occasionally led her into perilous situations. Due to her training, Qi'ra thought she could handle Sith Lord Darth Vader when he barged into the auction and demanded that Solo be turned over to him. Although Qi'ra's ability impressed Vader, she was defeated when Vader used the Force against her and nearly killed her, which made her admit that she was overconfident in facing the Sith Lord. After Qi'ra's leadership over the Dawn ended in failure and her efforts collapsed, it was the Rebel Alliance that ultimately struck down the Empire. Upon learning the news, she refused to join in the celebrations and had a visibly sad feeling.

Qi'ra received training in the martial art of Teräs Käsi from Vos and later Maul. She was also proficient in wielding a blaster. Qi'ra skill as a swordsman has evolved so much over time that during the auction of smuggler and rebel Han Solo, the Sith Lord Darth Vader was impressed by Qi'ra's skill when he faced her, while her skills allowed her to hold her own in a duel for a couple of minutes, her lack of Force-sensitivity ultimately meant that she stood no chance against the Dark Lord.

In addition to Teräs Käsi, Maul instructed Qi'ra in the techniques of Sith combat to effectively counter them when confronted with a Sith Lord. She was so effective at it that her style reminded Vader of Darth Sidious. Qi'ra also learned from Maul how to cloud her mind.

As a member of Crimson Dawn, Qi'ra carried a chrome-plated S-195 blaster pistol. Following Vos's demise, she assumed command of his starship, the First Light. During her tenure as the leader of Crimson Dawn, Qi'ra donned a white cloak that concealed her identity with its hood. In her capacity as leader, she also had access to the resources of Crimson Dawn, operating from the starship Vermillion.

In combat Qi'ra wielded two electro-sword weapons which were capable of emitting electrical charges which, upon contact, allowed them to effectively repel and clashing with a lightsaber without being damaged. The electro-swords could also unite the end of their hilts to create a larger double-bladed melee weapon or when separated release a series of small grenades from the hilt.

Qi'ra was conceived for the 2018 Star Wars Anthology film Solo: A Star Wars Story, penned by Lawrence and Jon Kasdan and directed by Ron Howard, and is portrayed by Emilia Clarke. Her casting was announced on November 18, 2016. In Star Wars Forces of Destiny, Qi'ra was voiced by Olivia Hack. The name Qi'ra is phonetically similar to "Kira," a name that stems from George Lucas' early outline for the Star Wars sequel trilogy and was the original name for the character Rey during the development of the 2015 film Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens.

Clarke mentioned that the filmmakers depicted the character to her as "film noir"; the character of Kathie Moffat of the 1947 seminal film noir Out of the Past was writer Lawrence Kasdan's early inspiration for Qi'ra. He conceptualized the character early in the development of the film, envisioning a Dickensian childhood for Han Solo and a young girl before other main creative talents joined the project, including his son, Jon. In this stage, the character's name was "Kura," and early concept art depicted her as an alien. This design was later used as the character of Margo and her species.

Qi'ra would resurface as a major character in the "Crimson Dawn" trilogy of comic crossover stories, Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters, Star Wars: Crimson Reign, and Star Wars: Hidden Empire, all of which were written by Charles Soule, who later expressed gratitude at being able to use Qi'ra after initially being unsure if he would get the permission needed. Soule described Qi'ra as someone who was trying to do the right thing but lived in an unfair galaxy. More of Qi'ra's backstory would be revealed in the novel Crimson Climb by E. K. Johnston, who noted writing Qi'ra was different from her usual, nicer main characters.

Qi'ra also appears in the 2024 open world video game Star Wars Outlaws where she was voiced by Tamaryn Payne.

In a series of Twitter posts featuring behind the scenes details from the production of Solo, Jon Kasdan stated that Han Solo eventually told Leia Organa how he and Qi'ra escaped from the Den of the White Worms, which led Leia to get the idea of using a thermal detonator when disguised as the bounty hunter Boushh to negotiate with Jabba Desilijic Tiure in the 1983 film Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. However, this has not yet been stated in any canon source.