Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Solo: A Star Wars Story
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Solo: A Star War Story features some surprising villain twists, from the identity of the pirate Enfys Nest to the return of Darth Maul as the leader of Crimson Dawn. Loyalties change quickly in the final act: Enfys Nest turns out to be a rebellion forerunner, Han tries to trick Dryden Vos, Beckett turns on Han and Vos, Qi'ra kills Vos, Han kills Beckett, Qi'ra turns on Han and forges a surprising alliance with Darth Maul... In the end, it turns out that Beckett was right to tell Han to trust no one. Everyone betrays and is betrayed by everyone else - except for Han and Chewbacca, that is. Solo: A Star Wars Story shows that Han is changed forever: this is when Han learns that sometimes the person who you thought was your enemy is your friend and the person you thought was your friend is your enemy.
Here's a recap of the major twists regarding the films' many antagonists. As the heist draws to a close, there are no longer heroes and villains, there is only every man and woman for themselves.
- This Page: Enfys Nest and Crimson Dawn
- Page 2: Beckett, Qi'ra and Darth Maul
Enfys Nest
Enfys Nest's band of pirates chases after Beckett's crew on Vandor-1 and later on Savareen in order to intercept the coaxium they have stolen for Crimson Dawn. However, in a surprising twist, the pirate has more lofty goals than simply making money. Enfys Nest, pleading with her opponents, removes her mask and reveals herself to be a resistance fighter against the Galactic Empire and their allies, like Crimson Dawn. Nest wants to use the coaxium to start the Rebel Alliance, and after hearing her speak, Han becomes inclined to give her their illegal cargo. Beckett points out that if they don't give the coaxium to Dryden Vos, then the Crimson Dawn will kill them, but Han assures Beckett that he has a plan.
Enfys Nest was originally presented as a ruthless, unscrupulous, and faceless villain who spoke with a distorted voice. To see her passionate and vulnerable as she described how the Empire and Crimson Dawn had destroyed villages and ordinary people was a surprising change of pace and a genuine twist. It also helps to explain the confusion around the character's gender and who was playing the character (Nest is played by actress Erin Kellyman.).
More: Solo Cast & Character Guide
Crimson Dawn
Beckett flees for his life, telling Han that the plan will never work. Han and Qi'ra take the coaxium to Dryden Vos, and he confronts them, saying that he knows that they are trying to con him with fake coaxium. While Han initially believes that Qi'ra has betrayed him, Vos invites Beckett to join them from the other room. Yes, Beckett has sold out Han. Vos already knew that Han and Qi'ra planned to betray him, even before they set foot in his yacht.
Vos seems to have the upper hand as his troops seemingly overrun Nest's pirate crew. Vos threatens Qi'ra, clearly considering the best way to kill her and Han. Meanwhile, Beckett taunts Han, saying that he should have listened to him; earlier in the film, Beckett told Han, "Assume everyone will betray you and you will never be disappointed."
As it turns out, however, Han was counting on Beckett to betray him. Villagers had disguised themselves as Enfys Nest's pirates, but Nest and her comrades haven't been captured at all. They spring into action, killing all of Vos' troops in a surprise assault.
Beckett's betrayal of Han may seem more inevitable than surprising, but Han also assumes when Vos tells him that he has an informant that Qi'ra has betrayed him. Beckett could have easily laid low and pretended to be dead, giving him the perfect alibi to go into retirement. It proves that Beckett could never really retire, even though he claims that every job is his "last" job.
Page 2: Beckett, Qi'ra and Darth Maul
Beckett
Beckett's second betrayal is arguably more surprising, because Beckett doesn't just turn on Han when it becomes clear that Enfys Nest has subdued the Crimson Dawn troops and that the real coaxium has been on the yacht the whole time, Beckett turns on Vos, shooting all of the guards on the yacht. Taking the coaxium for himself, Beckett kidnaps Chewie and forces the Wookiee to carry the coaxium to his ship.
This leaves Vos, Qi'ra, and Han on the yacht. In the ensuing struggle, Vos and Han propose teaming up against Beckett, but it's clear that neither one of them intends to work together. Qi'ra makes it look like she is going to kill Han for Vos, before turning on and killing Vos.
Qi'ra tells Han to track down Beckett and save Chewbacca, saying that she plans to follow behind him after she loots Vos' yacht. Han manages to intercept Beckett and Chewie before they make it to Beckett's ship. With his gun trained on Beckett, Han ends up shooting the old criminal in the middle of a speech. Han rushes over to Beckett, and Beckett tells him that he made the right choice, as Beckett was planning to shoot him. Good thing Han shot first.
Related: The State Of The Empire & Rebellion During Solo
Qi'ra
As soon as the elevator door shuts on Han, Qi'ra drops any pretense of following him. She takes Vos' signet ring and uses it to open a communication channel with the apparent leader of Crimson Dawn, Vos' boss. There are references throughout Solo to the leader of the Crimson Dawn who controls Vos, but only in the final moments is this leader revealed to be Darth Maul.
Qi'ra tells Maul that Beckett and his associates have killed Vos and stolen the cargo. She takes Vos' place, and, following orders from Maul, leaves Savareen - and Han - behind. Qi'ra was always fated to be a femme fatale; given the gruff and damaged Han in A New Hope, it seemed obvious that Qi'ra would either betray Han, die, or both. In Solo, she betrays Han and lives to die another day.
Whether Qi'ra was planning to betray Han all along or if she decided to pursue an unexpected opportunity is debatable. But when given the choice between running off with her childhood sweetheart or becoming the second-in-command of the formidable crime organization, Crimson Dawn, Qi'ra made up her mind without a second thought. So much of Qi'ra's story is a mystery, especially the three years that she and Han were apart. She didn't want to be saved by Han, not on Corellia and not on Savareen, and she chose to keep vying for power within Crimson Dawn.
Darth Maul
The Phantom Menace villain Darth Maul's return to the Star Wars films is one of the most major ties between the films and the animated series. Fans of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Rebels will already know that Darth Maul survived being chopped in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi. Maul is a major antagonist in Rebels, which is set after the events of Solo: A Star Wars Story and just a few years before the events of A New Hope.
Even for Star Wars television fans, however, his presence as the leader of the Crimson Dawn was a major twist, and his inclusion acknowledges a greater awareness of the Star Wars expanded universe than filmmakers have previously done. Maul's involvement in the Crimson Dawn generates a number of questions. For instance, on Rebels, Maul's agenda has always focused on destroying the Sith, so it's surprising that his Crimson Dawn organization is helping the Empire - does his experiences with Crimson Dawn affect his outlook in Rebels? Is Crimson Dawn part of a plot to infiltrate the Empire? Does he work for the Empire simply because they have the most money? Or perhaps Crimson Dawn's relationship to the Empire is more complicated than Enfys Nest realizes. There is a new world of possibilities for Maul in the Solo films and beyond.
