Solo: A Star Wars Story novelization author Mur Lafferty provides further clarity on Qi'ra's conversation with Maul. While Ron Howard's spinoff received generally favorable reviews upon its release in May, many felt it played things relatively safe. However, Lucasfilm saved a major surprise for the very end. Maul made a cameo in the third act, revealed to be the mastermind behind the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate. To many viewers, the former Sith Lord died in The Phantom Menace, but he returned to life for the Clone Wars, opening the door for his return to live-action film.
Maul's inclusion proved to be one of the most controversial aspects of Solo. Some viewers felt it greatly distracted from Han's personal arc and amounted to little more than shock value fan service. Others thought it was a brilliant way to blend the TV shows with the movies, potentially setting the stage for more stories. While audience members' minds filled with the possibilities presented by Maul's comeback, one character had no idea what was going on: Qi'ra.
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In an interview with StarWars.com, Lafferty explained her approach to writing the scene for the book. Interestingly enough, Maul's name is not mentioned on the page:
“I don’t think she would have known who he was. They sort of implied that Dryden was beholden to someone a lot more powerful than he was. And so she knew that whoever it was scared him, but she didn’t know that the guy used to be a Sith Lord. She didn’t know who he was. She just knew that that button would call Dryden Vos’ boss.
It’s hard to think that Vader and Maul and all these great villains we’ve known for so many years, a lot of them were behind the scenes and not known to the general public. Han Solo didn’t even believe in the Jedi, so the grand battles and stuff that are so forefront to the audience are not, necessarily, known to the random person growing up on Corellia.”
While Lafferty has a good point about Sith operating in secrecy, her logic seems to have some holes. In the scene, Maul addresses Qi'ra by name (without her having to introduce herself first), so odds are the two have had some interaction in the past. Qi'ra was, of course, one of Dryden Vos' closest confidants and was likely aware of the Crimson Dawn hierarchy. Even Beckett, who just ran jobs for the syndicate, knew who Dryden answered to (as evidenced by dialogue), so Maul's involvement with the organization was likely known to some. Whether or not everyone knew Maul was a Sith who fought in the Battle of Naboo is a conversation for a different time, but the higher-ups at Crimson Dawn seemed to know who they were working for. One could argue the Force told Maul who Qi'ra was, but even Darth Vader needed Boba Fett to learn the identity of the young Rebel pilot who blew up the Death Star.
Due to Solo's underwhelming box office totals, audiences probably won't get to see the next chapter of Maul and Qi'ra's story onscreen. While the scene does work as the conclusion of Qi'ra's journey (she cements her status as one of the leading criminals in the galaxy), it also felt very much like blatant sequel setup. Perhaps Qi'ra's partnership with Maul could be the subject of a new comic series or a novel and hopefully make Maul's cameo pay off in a satisfying way. The film's creative team selected him from a list of possible candidates for a reason, and it'd be great if there was a plan to see it through.
MORE: The Clone Wars Revival Can Pay off Maul's Solo Cameo
Source: StarWars.com
