Qi'ra

"I might be the only person who knows what you really are."

- Qi'ra, to Han Solo

Qi'ra was a human female from the planet Corellia who lived during the reign of the Galactic Empire. She grew up on the streets along with Han Solo before becoming part of an opulent life working for the Crimson Dawn gang

Early Life
Qi'ra hailed from the planet Corellia during the reign of the Galactic Empire, before the outbreak of the Galactic Civil War. She grew up on the streets and became friends with Han Solo. By the time Qi'ra was eighteen years old, she was enmeshed in a criminal life working for a gang on Corellia. She attempted to flee Corellia with Solo, by this point her lover, who had stolen a vial of coaxium. After a confrontation with gang leader Lady Proxima, Solo and Qi'ra attempted to escape through the Imperial control zone, using the coaxium to bribe the officer. Solo got through, but Qi'ra was captured by the gang, and the gate closed. Solo promised to come back for Qi'ra.

Rescue by Dryden Vos
Qi'ra lived an even more difficult life after being captured again by Lady Proxima's gang. Eventually, Dryden Vos, the leader of Crimson Dawn rescued Qi'ra from a dangerous situation, demanding her lifelong loyalty in return. Vos branded Qi'ra's forearm with the Crimson Dawn symbol.

Life with Crimson Dawn
With Crimson Dawn, Qi'ra lived a more opulent lifestyle, becoming Vos' top lieutenant. Vos also trained her in martial arts. Qi'ra's association with Crimson Dawn brought her back into contact with Solo, who was working with Vos' associate Tobias Beckett in order to obtain a large quantity of refined coaxium. Qi'ra attended the meeting between Vos, Beckett, and Solo on Vos' yacht. Vos berated Beckett and Solo for failing to obtain the coaxium shipment on Vandor-1, and considered killing them until Solo suggested that they instead retrieve unrefined coaxium from the spice mines of Kessel. Qi'ra advised Vos that the plan would work, and he agreed to allow Beckett to try, the penalty for failure being death. Vos sent Qi'ra to accompany Beckett's crew.

Finding Calrissian
Knowing that they would need a particularly fast ship to transport the unrefined coaxium before it degraded and detonated, Qi'ra sought her old acquaintance, Captain Lando Calrissian of the Millennium Falcon. Qi'ra watched as Solo failed to win the Falcon at sabaac. However, Calrissian agreed to fly the Falcon for Qi'ra, Beckett, and Solo in exchange for a cut of the profits. En route to Kessel, Qi'ra and Solo rekindled their romance.

Kessel Heist
Upon arriving at Kessel, Qi'ra masqueraded as a slaver selling Solo and Chewbacca to the Pyke Syndicate in order 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 was replaced by Chewbacca.

Savareen
On Savareen, the Falcon crew refined the coaxium and awaited Vos' arrival. They were confronted by Enfys Nest, leader of the Cloud-Riders, who told them they were freedom fighters resisting the atrocities of Crimson Dawn, not pirates. Solo devised a plan to give Vos fake coaxium, and give the Cloud-Riders the real coaxium in order to fund their resistance. Qi'ra, Solo, and Chewbacca presented the coaxium to Vos aboard his yacht, but he saw through their plan, made aware in advance by Beckett, who had been Vos' double-agent all along. Vos expressed his disappointment that Qi'ra betrayed him, and reallized that Solo was her weakness.

However, Solo forsaw 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 along was in fact 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 be right behind him, but instead took Vos' ring, and used it to contact his superior, Maul, informing him that Vos had failed to obtain the coaxium. Qi'ra then departed in the yacht, leaving Solo behind.

Personality and traits
Qi'ra was a Corellian human female with brown hair, blue eyes, and light skin. Despite having grown up on the streets, she was able to adapt to a lusher lifestyle and fit in with the Crimson Dawn gang. Having known Solo for so many years, she believed she may have been the one person who could see him for who he truly was.

Behind the scenes
"She has a couple of guises, but essentially she is just fighting to stay alive. If you've got a really glamorous lady in a really sordid environment, you kind of know the glamor is hiding a few rough roads."

- Emilia Clarke, on Qi'ra

Qi'ra was created for Solo: A Star Wars Story, written by Lawrence Kasdan and Jon Kasdan and directed by Ron Howard, and is portrayed by Emilia Clarke. Clarke, known for her role as Daenerys Targaryen on HBO's Game of Thrones, was cast by original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Her casting was announced on November 18, 2016.

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 Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens.

Appearances

 * Most Wanted
 * Solo: A Star Wars Story
 * Meet the Crew
 * Han on the Run