Star Wars Confirms Qi'ra Will Return - But Emilia Clarke Isn't Playing Her
Qi'ra's exploits will continue in a new Star Wars video game, but Emilia Clarke won't be playing the smuggler this time. Publisher Ubisoft is hard at work on "Star Wars: Outlaws," an open-world action game set between the events of "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi." Game Informer confirms that the playable character Kay Vess (Humberly González) will come across Qi'ra. In a statement (via Star Wars News Net), Ubisoft confirmed that Clarke won't be reprising her fan-favorite role.
"Players will encounter Lady Qi'ra on their journey as Kay Vess and the team collaborated closely with Lucasfilm Games to ensure that the voice talent we worked with embodies the energy of Lady Qi'ra. We will share more about the cast at a later date, but we can confirm that she is not voiced by Emilia Clarke," it reads.
It's unclear how prominent a role the Crimson Dawn member will have in "Star Wars: Outlaws," which is set to hit gaming platforms later this summer. Qi'ra debuted in 2018's "Solo: A Star Wars Story," appearing as Han Solo's (Alden Ehrenreich) lover in the prequel spin-off. While that film floundered at the box office, fans were particularly enthusiastic about Clarke's performance. Many have hoped to see Clarke return as Qi'ra in a standalone Star Wars series but this is arguably the next best thing.
How will Qi'ra factor into Star Wars: Outlaws?
Ubisoft is remaining tight-lipped regarding concrete "Star Wars: Outlaws" details and hasn't revealed how Qi'ra will factor into Kay Vess' (González) journey. It's fair to assume, based on the game's open-world structure, that Vess will seek out Qi'ra for various missions related to the Crimson Dawn faction. Bringing Qi'ra back is an inspired choice, as the character's only post-"Solo" appearances have been in novels, comic books, and the animated series "Star Wars Forces of Destiny."
While Qi'ra returning to the galaxy far, far away is exciting, it is disappointing that "Star Wars: Outlaws" couldn't bring back Emilia Clarke for the role. Creatives have continued to expand Clarke's character in other projects and it will be interesting to see how the folks behind the game tackle Qi'ra's presence. The character's arc set up in "Solo" was never really fulfilled, as we saw her teaming up with Maul (Ray Park) at the end of the flick. Seeing as "Outlaws" features Han Solo in carbonite, Qi'ra may have a (twisted) reunion with her old beau.
However, it isn't that surprising that Clarke isn't returning. The "Game of Thrones" star has had horrible luck with franchises in the past and is probably okay with leaving the Star Wars character behind.
"Star Wars: Outlaws" hits PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows on August 30.