Emilia Clarke’s character in Solo: A Star Wars Story is [SPOILER REDACTED]
Solo: A Star Wars Story hits theaters tomorrow, on Friday, May 25, but SPOILERS have already made their way onto the internet. One of them is a massive reveal about Emilia Clarke’s character, Qi’ra. Want the inside scoop? If you want to go unspoiled, turn your ship around and jump to hyperspace. If not, engage thrusters and keep reading.
This spoiler comes courtesy of the /r/StarWarsLeaks subreddit. The lowdown: towards the end of the film, Qi’ra uses a device that brings up a hologram of a hooded figure. The two talk briefly before the figure pulls back his hood to reveal that he is none other than Darth Maul! Apparently, Qi’ra has been working for him the entire film. They continue their conversation, and right before Qi’ra disconnects the holo-link, Maul extends his hand and uses the Force to summon his famous double-bladed lightsaber, which he ignites.
The leak seems genuine. There are several posts on the subreddit with mirrors of the scene, but they’re being taken down as soon as they go up. Still, it’s out there if you want to find it.
Darth Maul became a popular character after he debuted in 1999’s Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, where he was played by Ray Park. Of course, at the end of that movie, Obi-Wan Kenobi cut him literally in half, so many fans may be confused as to how he’s not extremely dead.
However, fans of the animated series The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels won’t be as surprised. On those shows, it’s established that Maul survived his encounter with Obi-Wan by using the Force to seal his wounds. In The Clone Wars, he returns to seek revenge on Kenobi and ends up running a powerful crime syndicate called the Shadow Collective. In Rebels, Maul is much older, and spends his time seeking out ancient Sith artifacts that will help him destroy not only Obi-Wan, but Palpatine and Darth Vader as well. He still wields his double-bladed lightsaber, but it’s been modified to resemble a walking cane of sorts, which is what we see in the hologram when he’s talking to Qi’ra.
Park returns to play the role of Maul in Solo. Sam Witwer, who provided his voice in the animated series, returns to voice him.
So this spoiler works on multiple levels. We now know that Qi’ra survives Solo, we know that she’s working with the enemy, and if the movie ends on this kind of cliffhanger, it implies more films to come. There are rumors that pre-production has begun on an Obi-Wan Kenobi standalone film, and since Maul is doubtlessly hungry for revenge against Kenobi, he could play into that story. Perhaps Qi’ra is unearthing information for Maul that will lead him to a confrontation with his rival.
Of course, on Star Wars Rebels, Maul DID track down Kenobi and fight him one-on-one, but the story of how he got to that point could make for good watching.
What do you guys make of it? Are you glad to see Maul in live action again, or does this feel too much like fan service? Let’s discuss!
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