Star Wars: Hidden Empire

Star Wars (2020)

by Charles Soule, Steven Cummings (Illustrator)

Qi'ra's final plot to take down the Empire! The mysterious criminal syndicate Crimson Dawn and its leader, Lady Qi'ra, have become the galaxy's most wanted now that Emperor Palpatine has realized the scope of their plans against him and moves to destroy her. But Qi'ra still has tricks up her sleeve - and with the help of the Knights of Ren and her many other allies, she will not go down without a fight! But as her bid to use an ancient Dark Side weapon known as the Fermata Cage to destroy the Sith falls apart and Darth Vader draws ever nearer, can Qi'ra still salvage victory from certain defeat? The epic trilogy begun in STAR WARS: WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS and STAR WARS: CRIMSON REIGN concludes here! Collects Star Wars: Hidden Empire (2022) #1-5.

Genres: Star Wars, Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Marvel, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

128 pages, Paperback

Published July 4, 2023

About the author

Charles Soule is a #1 New York Times-bestselling novelist, comics author, screenwriter, musician, and lapsed attorney. He has written some of the most prominent stories of the last decade for Marvel, DC and Lucasfilm in addition to his own work, such as his comics Curse Words, Letter 44 and Undiscovered Country, and his original novels Light of the Jedi, The Endless Vessel, The Oracle Year and Anyone. He lives in New York.

Reviews

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got to say this is the biggest event in Star Wars comic in the Disney era. This book does not just like up to just live up to the hype, I think it deserves a lot more hype than it was given. This book almost slightly went under the radar.

All of Lady Qi'ra's planning comes down to this. An all-out war against the Sith. However, she is even she ready for the full military might and the matching wits with two of the greatest strategists in the galaxy. What is the trump card she is holding, but will even that be enough.

This book ties a number of stories from the other comics together. It is an epic story, good artwork, and lots of action. This is a must-have for every Star Wars fan. The book finishes with a thumbnail variant cover gallery.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soule has a lot of threads to gather here and, for the most part, sticks the landing.



As a Qi'ra fan I'm looking forward to the additional canon details we'll be getting in the Crimson Climb prose novel soon.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the build-up in Crimson Reign comes to mostly satisfying fruition in Hidden Empire. Qi'ra has caused chaos in the Empire, which order-focused Palpatine and Darth Vader are pretty pissy about. When they find out what Crimson Dawn is up to, they naturally come down hard.

But Qi'ra's ready! The Archivist captured an ancient piece of Sith tech in Crimson Reign that actually gives Palpy the heebie-jeebies. (The idea of a Force bubble in time is OBVIOUSLY going to come into play somewhere else in the new Star Wars canon. Great way to bring old characters forward in time for a shocking cameo. I was really hoping, though, that an old Sith lord would pop out of the Fermata Cage.) Qi'ra's allies tangle with the Empire a few times before One Big Battle at the end. You can guess how it ends considering not much has been seen of Qi'ra in later materials.

I was actually pretty pleased they let Qi'ra live - it would be fun to see her come back later in the timeline. Sort of a Mara Jade character.

Admittedly, the whole three-volume event feels unsatisfactory because it has been slotted in between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. We know that nothing particularly significant can happen here. Smartly, Charles Soule adds a light coda that illustrates how Qi'ra's minor war actually had larger significance. Nice move.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty good as we finally got the conclusion to the massive Crimson Dawn crossover that had been winding through every Marvel Star Wars title for the past 3 years or so. It was a satisfying conclusion, which was great considering how much time and effort had been invested in the story.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this saga a lot. Though things may not have turned out ultimately how a typical Star Wars story would turn out, I think this was a welcome change of pace. I’m excited to see what, if anything, continues in the Crimson storyline and especially to see what becomes of certain other characters in this.

[47Time · Rating 5 out of 5]

This third chapter is a fitting end to the Crimson Dawn trilogy. I dare say it deserves movies that would be far superior to the recent trilogy which can only be described as a chaotic train wreck. Hmm, can train wrecks not be chaotic? If you're looking for something that better resembles the older Star Wars movies, this may be it.

Qi'ra's plan to sow chaos in the galaxy is in full swing. Her agents disrupt anything and everything they can of the Empire's operations. The Empire responds in kind. Sidious himself orders the warring crime families to cease fire. He has them focus on the Crimson Dawn, their true enemy who manipulated them into fighting each other in the first place. The Crimson Dawn's businesses and people are outlawed. Qi'ra uses a dark side artifact called the Fermata Cage to gain some time, but she is far from being able to use it effectively - her plan is to free the Sith within it and use him against the Emperor. Sidious wants her knowledge of the artifact, so he must capture Qi'ra alive. This plays into her plan. Mostly.

The Empire has the upper hand against the Crimson Dawn. When the Archivist tries to unlock the Fermata Cage a second time, Sidious learns her location and sends Vader to seize the artifact. Chanath Cha's sacrifice allows the Archivist to escape with the Fermata Cage.

Upon its third activation, Sidious readies his most powerful Star Destroyer to bombard it out of existance. Crimson Dawn's last card is played as well - its whole fleet is mobilized to destroy the Emperor. Sidious and Vader decide to attack like in the old days - with lightsaber in hand. They approach the artifact only to be trapped by it, as was always its primary function. Though they nearly have victory in hand, the Crimson Dawn is betrayed by the Knights of Ren who destroy the Fermata Cage in the jope of gaining the Emperor's favor - they aren't killed, but won't be getting any awards either. The Crimson Dawn fleet is decimated and Qi'ra flees.

She is seen later, after the rebels defeat the Emperor, still alive, but unwilling to join in the celebrations. She contributed perhaps more than she thought to their victory, but she remains alone.

[Tyler Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good event. It’s always great to see Palpatine scared and even better to see him fight. Seeing as it takes place in between “Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi” it was always known that Qi’ra’s plan wouldn’t work. The real mystery was finding out if she lives to see the other end of this event or not. To see what the deal with this Fermata Cage was. To see what is set up by this. I felt it was a good ending to the event trilogy that started with “War of the Bounty Hunters” and “Crimson Reign”. I found this to be a good set up for the future and I’m excited to see where the story goes next. It really seems as if the the current run of Star Wars comics set between V and VI are coming to and end. But what comes after? Stuff set in the wide 30 years between VI and VII? There’s already so much set at the end of that gap, the start of it would be great to explore.

[Mateusz Surowiec · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh god its happening. OMG ITS HAPPENING STAY CALM ! STAY THE FUCKING CALM *flip* AAAAAAAAAAAAA

Okej reasumując, co dostaliśmy od Szkarłatnego Świtu:
Emocje
Mase emocji
Imperatora w akcji
Vadera w potrzasku
Świetnych nowych bohaterów
Giga plot i cudowną intryge
Świetne zakończenie przez które prawie potargałem ten tom

[☮ morgan ☮ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Her life was a story but not the one she thought. As it turns out she was just a character in mine."

the ending was so good!

[ashlabooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hidden Empire: Krieg gegen das Imperium

Das große Finale! Schritt für Schritt kommt Qi‘ra ihrem großen Ziel näher…

Die Handlung:

Qi‘ras Feldzug gegen Darth Vader und den Imperator ist noch nicht vorüber.
Crimson Dawn stiftet Unruhe in der gesamten Galaxis und das Imperium versucht händeringend den Einfluss der Organisation zu stoppen.

Zu allem Überfluss hat Lady Qi‘ra noch ein weiteres Ass im Ärmel: Ein uraltes Sith-Artefakt, dass den Untergang für Vader und Sidious bedeutet könnte…

Meine Meinung:

Hidden Empire ist ein packender und abwechslungsreicher Abschluss der „Qi‘ra-Trilogie“. Die Ereignisse von „Krieg der Kopfgeldjäger“ und „Crimson Reign“ werden in diesem Band weitererzählt sowie glaubwürdig abgeschlossen.

Qi‘ra beweist nun ein weiteres Mal, dass man nicht zwangsweise über die Macht verfügen muss, um einem Machtnutzer die Stirn zu bieten. Sie hat es auf die Sith abgesehen und bekämpft sie mit Motivation und Geschick.

Mir hat die Geschichte sehr viel Spaß gemacht. Ich bin froh, dass Qi‘ras Hintergrundgeschichte nochmals deutlich vertieft wurde. Es bleibt spannend, was die Zukunft für die Corellianerin zu bieten hat.

Fazit:

Schön gestalteter und actionlastiger Abschluss einer würdigen Comic-Saga.

Werbung: Vielen Dank an Panini für die Bereitstellung des Rezensionsexemplars!

[ambyr · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's some great set pieces and moments here, but ultimately this comic never quite rises above the fundamental problem of infill works: nothing that happens here can affect anything that happens after, since what happens after has already been written. And I'm fine with that for smaller-scope events, but for anything this large on a galactic scale . . . well, it's hard to take it seriously.

Also, I laugh at Qi'ra negotiating to take over logistics management for the Rebellion in Crimson Reign only to blow up her entire organization a few . . . weeks? months? later. Sorry, Rebels, you're back to square one for food and fuel.

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Star Wars: Hidden Empire collects issues 1-5 of the comic event written by Charles Soule,illustrated by Steven Cummings, and colors by Guru-eFX.

Lady Qi’ra and Crimson Dawn have revealed themselves from the shadows and have declared full out war against the Empire. Using all of her resources, Qi’ra has found the Fermata Cage, a powerful weapon that she plans to use to capture and destroy Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader.

This was a whole lot of build up that really doesn’t seem to go… anywhere? Knowing that this is set between Episode V and VI, you already know Qi’ra’s plan fails, but I was expecting some of her schemes would have more impact on events we see in Return of the Jedi or even in the sequel trilogy. And unless I missed some small Easter Eggs, I didn’t notice anything. This huge of a battle just doesn’t seem to fit what we see happen in RotJ either. The Empire seems so incredibly cocky as we see them completing the Second Death Star, not that Vader and Palpatine survived by the skin of their teeth, or that the Rebellion is feeling extra hopeful that they can finally bring down the Empire after Crimson Dawn almost succeeded in doing so. Also, if Crimson Dawn is supposed to a clandestine organization, why is every ship outfitted in their color, many contain the org’s insignia, as well as having full armies clad in Crimson Dawn armor? Doesn’t seem so secretive.

The actual story of Lady Qi’ra’s gamble is good, but it was just so long and again I am disappointed that there is really nothing to connect to it RotJ or the Sequel Trilogy.

[Billy Jepma · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of pomp, a lot of circumstances, and a lot of almost-interesting ideas, but it never catches fire and ends with barely a spark to speak of. I like Qi’ra’s motivations, as loosely developed as they are, and the lore Soule plays with has potential; it just doesn’t go anywhere or have any real stakes, gravitas, or anything worth caring about. The final page is good, I’ll give it that, ending things on a slightly better note than I expected. I guess the artwork is also fine. It’s maybe even a slight step above some of the usual we get in the Star Wars books, but it’s still lacking style or personality, just like the writing.

I hope someday we get more of her story—preferably told by a woman—because she deserves better than the comics have given her.

[FrontalNerdaty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This end to Qi’Ra’s story wraps up well. As with any prequel we know certain things will not happen but Charles Soule does a solid job of making the reader forget what they know. Throughout the tension builds and the conclusion is satisfying. The Emperor and Vader somewhat respecting Qi’ra and her efforts was good stuff for helping to elevate her standing. I did not expect to feel the emotions from Qi’Ra’s message to a certain character but it was well done and true to what we know of the character. My only gripe, as it were, is that we never got to see Qi’ra fighting.

4/5

[Joey Nardinelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know it's reductive to say this, but the plot of this felt like two things. First was repetitive, given the Fermata Cage was powered up and destroyed (or caused massive damage around it) THREE times in five issues. The other was that it fell into the habit of spending far too much time telling and not enough time showing. I'm also reading these with pretty big gaps in between volumes, but I had almost no memory of the Orphans so their involvement and demise felt sudden and perfunctory. Vader and Palpatine felt...there? There's a moment when they get onto the space station with the Fermata Cage and Palpatine notes that they've been baited in and says something about not feeling things with the Force that didn't quite make sense. Also, the Knights of Ren and Aphra are thrown into this for...reasons? Aphra I guess was getting her storyline wrapped up -- I actually don't know if I read the issue yet where she escapes the Spark Eternal (or maybe she never did and that's why Vader suddenly Force pushes it out of her, which seems like WAY TOO EASY of a resolution to what was supposed to be something that posed a terminal threat to Aphra). This all just felt like a lot of chess piece maneuvering with really unsatisfying payoffs, which has been much of my experience with the Star Wars crossover comic events from Marvel over the last few years. I definitely don't think of them in terms that rise to the level of Marvel's other big superhero crossover events, like Civil War, House of M, Dawn of X, or even the weirdness that was the recent Sins of Sinister. I also think this largely has to do with these stories being in service to the film narratives (Qira is missing from the OT and so is Crimson Dawn, so all of this feels in service to maintaining the status quo). As such, you never feel like Vader or the Emperor are in any real jeopardy -- I'm guessing it would just be too much to have them "replaced" at some point in the canon by clones or the like, even if someone is going to do that with the Emperor (who somehow returned! lolz) for Ep IX.

This is why I miss the KotoR and Legacy comics -- I never really knew WHAT could happen to this characters, so the stakes were always a bit more engaging and the world building a lot more fascinating. Sometimes.

[Yoshiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

POPKulturowy Kociołek:
Na kolejnych stronach komiksu śledzimy tu losy bohaterki, która stała się jedną z najbardziej poszukiwanych osób w całej galaktyce. Jej tropem podąża nie tylko imperialna armia, ale również sam Vader. Lady Qi’ra nie ma jednak zamiaru łatwo się poddać i przygotowuje ona dla wrogów kilka niespodzianek. Jej wiedza i umiejętności mogą się również przydać wrogom Imperium, dzięki czemu może ona zyskać cennego sojusznika. Do samego końca nie będzie jednak wiadomo czy to wystarczy, aby zdołała ona ocalić życie.

Mamy tutaj do czynienia z finałowym tomem serii gdzie jedną z głównych ról odgrywa przywódczyni pewnego tajemniczego syndykatu zbrodni. Decydując się sięgnąć po ten tytuł, trzeba więc znać poprzednie odsłony, aby móc w pełni zrozumieć wszystkie ukazane tutaj wątki.

Od finału historii można więc wiele oczekiwać. Założenia te są spełniane już na samym początku albumu. Głównie jest to zasługa ciekawego zaprezentowania przez scenarzystę zuchwałego oblicza Lady Qi’ra. Bohaterka wydaje się gotowa na różne niesprzyjające jej okoliczności, zaskakując zarówno swoich przeciwników, jak i samego czytelnika. Całkiem dobrze wypada również samo tempo historii, gdzie intrygi mieszają się z akcją.

Niestety, ale wraz z kolejnymi zeszytami (album składa się z pięciu zeszytów) początkowy urok tytułu zaczyna wyraźnie blednąć. Plany, które wdraża w życie bohaterka, z kolejnymi stronami zaczynają być coraz to bardziej przekombinowane. Autor miał tu kilka fajnych pomysłów, ale wyraźnie nie miał koncepcji jak je dobrze rozwinąć.

Dotyczy to również wątków pobocznych, w których pojawiają się znane postacie uniwersum. Ciekawa początkowa koncepcja szybko ustępuje miejsca sztampowym rozwiązaniom, co po niezłym początku albumu trochę rozczarowuje....

https://popkulturowykociolek.pl/star-...

[Nunya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Something I've noticed a few times in new Star Wars canon is the attempts to create an almost anti-Leia character, somebody who embodies her worst traits and serves as the antithesis to everything she stands for. I believe in Qi'ra this character has finally been done properly. She wants to see the Empire fall, the Sith destroyed, and the galaxy freed from their grasp, but she does not want it for noble reasons, she wants it because the Empire represents everything she wants for herself. Qi'ra covets the power, the control, the glory of having the whole of infinity at her fingertips, when the Empire does fall she seems almost disappointed, because despite the victory it was not her who achieved it, the galaxy might be given peace but she has gained nothing, if only she had access to such powers as her foes, she might have been a tremendous Dark Lord. There's a real beauty to her defeat as well, the Knights of Ren simply prove themselves to be just as selfish as she is, and thus her Hidden Empire is torn asunder, and everyone who risked themselves in aiding her are slaughtered as she flees. She could have called upon anyone to join her in that final battle, the Rebellion certainly would have taken the opportunity, their combined fleets would have proven a true thorn in the Empire's side, instead she chooses to immerse herself in distrust and it proves to be her undoing.

Charles Soule continues to be one of Star Wars' most innovative creatives, his ability to take pieces from other stories and give them new life makes for some of this franchise's best stories and that is just as evident here as ever.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The conclusion to the trilogy which also comprised of 'War of the Bounty Hunters' and 'Crimson Reign', wherein Lady Qi'ra and Crimson Dawn attempt to break the stranglehold held on the galaxy by the Dark Lords of the Sith.
As the Empire begins to disassemble Crimson Dawn, Qi'ra and her allies put their final plan into effect, intending to activate the powerful dark side artifact known as the Fermata Cage.

Perhaps because there's too much going on and too much that needs to be included but this book felt a bit overcrowded and unfocused. The result is that there isn't really a terribly satisfying conclusion to the Crimson Dawn narrative, not for the specific stories of the characters featured. Honestly, Soule leaves far too much unresolved and it leave the book as a whole feeling a bit woolly.

There is good stuff here too though.
My favourite element was seeing just how much the two Sith Lords outmatch all of the enemies arrayed against them. Also, too many stories have focused on the Sith infighting, with Palpatine treating Vader as an incompetent slave and Vader, in turn, constantly planning to overthrow the Emperor, but here we actually see Master and Apprentice working closely together to ensure the Sith control of the galaxy. And, honestly, it makes them much more compelling villains than when they're being all bitchy and back-stabby.

Overall a slightly disappointing end to the Crimson Dawn arc, but not an awful one by any means.

* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *

[Jota Salamanca · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

Estos cómics deberían adaptarlos a cine o a una serie!!

Final de la trilogía escrita por charles soule (el mejor escritor de star wars en mi opinión) y termino de manera excelsa.

Conceptos muy interesantes, pienso que se acopla bien y es una buena adición al canon de star wars, las escenas de acción geniales en especial volver a ver al emperador en modo carnicero junto a su padawan (una escena que ojalá se pudiera ver en live action). Los personajes estuvieron bien, Qi'ra es un gran personaje, desde la película de solo ya era interesante y se veía su potencial y en estos cómics y en especial esta historia demuestra su gran desarrollo y lo buen personaje que es.

Si no le di 5 estrellas es por dos razones y una es que la explicación del misterio final, aunque me gustó y se me hizo bueno, siento que se perdió una oportunidad ahí, o que simplificaron mucho el misterio, hubiera sido una buena oportunidad para canonizar algunos de los números sith de la antigua republica. Y la otra razón son los caballeros de Ren, estos personajes desde las secuelas se me hacían desperdiciados y aquí solo me demostró que no me llaman la atención, se me hicieron un poco molestos o muy tontos, a pesar de que gracias a ellos debemos que en el canon hubiera episodio 6 (algo que no me agrado mucho).
A pesar de eso esta historia es espectacular, de los mejores cómics que he leído de la saga y de la que ojalá se adaptará a material audiovisual 👌🏻

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

And thus ends the Qi'ra trilogy that soule had been promoting for so long and I loved it. See it was pretty obvious her plans wouldn't work since its set before episode 6 but whats interesting is the execution, seeing how Soule shows how Qi'ra has unleashed all her plans and resources and with the empire specifically Darth sidious after her, targeting her spies, resources, ships to bring it down, she unleashes her last gambit in the form of "Fermata cage" using Sava sun from "Crimson reign" and I love the hide and thrill of it and how it leads to one chase after the another until the final confrontation and maybe the emperor would have been brought down too, but then again its showing how far her plan may have worked and how she proved to be such a challenge for the emperor and that was so fascinating!

I love her characterization here but especially the prologue omg making it out to be Luke and Leia listening to Sava sun was so awesome and I love it, it connects all so well and knowing she is alive even after episode 6 has me so excited omg, I really hope Soule continues writing SW even after episode 6 and fills in the blanks, this run has been awesome and the way he is connecting it all is *chefs kiss*!

Overall, a great event and more awesome things coming down from this run!

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charles Soule's Star Wars trilogy ends as the plot threads from Crimson Reign reunite, pulling in characters from Darth Vader, Doctor Aphra, Bounty Hunters, and the main Star Wars book. Thetruth of the Fermata Cage is revealed, as Qira makes her final move.

I'm not sure how to describe the way this plays out. It's not a bang, it's not a whimper, it's kind of just a thud, and I think it's because of the problem that's plagued these Star Wars books for a while - we know nothing bad can happen to these characters. There's a lot of build-up to something big, there's a promise of something exciting in the Fermata Cage, and then everything just kind of falls apart. It's a shame, but it's to be expected, I suppose.

There are some aftermath-like effects which are reverberating out into the other Star Wars books, but Hidden Empire itself doesn't really do anything on its own. Even Qira, who's been such a big player in the last few years, sort of just slinks away into the shadows again in case Disney can rope Emilia Clarke into appearing in a movie again.

Steven Cummings is on art again after pencilling Crimson Reign, so this is more of the same. He and Soule are a decent team, but I don't have much more to say than that.

Hidden Empire's fine, but hog-tied by its own continuity. Ambitious, but unable to fulfil that ambition, by edict of the Mouse.

[Leensey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maaaan, Qi'ra was /so close/ to succeeding!! 😭 The Knights of Ren are such idiots for thinking saving Sidious and Vader from the Fermata Cage would earn them any favors. They're angry at Qi'ra for accusing them so, but their decisions and actions just constantly prove her point.

Qi'ra's patience and determination to play this big chess game against Palpatine was a sight to behold. I knew she wasn't gonna succeed, considering the timeline of this event, but I really wish she did. She really could've taken Sidious and Vader out, and I admire her so much for it.

I also feel really bad for her. The Archivist is right-- Qi'ra's all alone, which is what the Rebels had as an advantage.

The revelation that it was Luke and Leia who were receiving the holomessage from the Archivist was such a surprise.

All in all, a solid end to Charles Soule's 3 part comic series. And just makes me want soooo much more.

Also makes me think of possibilities of Qi'ra's involvement later down the line. Considering that the First Order had the Knights of Ren, I wonder if she will ever decide to mastermind a plan in the shadows and revive the Crimson Dawn with Cadeliah. Heck, Cadeliah herself. I wonder what path she would choose to take, given all the inheritance that Qi'ra passed onto her.

Let me end this review by saying, "Await the Dawn!" ✊

[Rocky Sunico · Rating 3 out of 5]

The build-up for Crimson Dawn had been rather exciting but the actual event felt a little neutered as it was more of a setup event in anticipation of this book. But by then, my expectations were somewhat tempered as I had already been weirded out by how things had unfolded.

As expected, this book ended up being just okay as Qi'ra's plans really lacked more legs despite her claims of being this master planner with extensive resources. I knew she'd never be as big as the Empire or anything like that, but it pretty much felt like she probably could have fielded a force similar in size and maybe greater in scale than the Rebellion at the time but decided to go it alone with a singular desire to eliminate the Sith and not necessarily the Empire.

This far into things, I had already gotten sick of the constant Qi'ra only panels where she has some one-liner to indicate how confident she is about the next step even though everything was falling apart. It gets a little jarring over time given how many times they do it and her big scheme just wasn't all that.

Yes, I understand a lot of her "failure" was because she treated people as things and didn't truly earn their respect and loyalty. That's a lesson for sure but I don't know if we needed all these tie-in comics to deliver that simplistic message.

[Jared Corriher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saw this book at my local comic shop and impulse bought it. One of the best star wars comics I've read honestly. I do hate the "group if individuals decides to turn against the group they've been helping in order to get empathy from the bad guys". It's honestly cliche and made me roll my eyes. Took the exciting climax of the book and dulled it a little bit. Regardless, I throughouly enjoyed the book. The Fermata cage is a cool concept. The use of it to trick the sith was really smart and a fun twist. Obviously the sith were gonna win but I wish the writers had either done it in a more creative way or made the knights of rens betrayal a little more personal. We see quira doesn't value her people in her ironic speech to her crimson dawn followers. Wish she had someone who she had a little bit more of a personal betrayal be the ones to free Vader and palpatine. Also Vader is like shockingly chatty and never makes the breathing sounds. Not a big deal but I can't read a Vader line and not do the breathing lol. Still, the concept of the fermata cage, the delightful characters and hooking story was a wonderful journey. 9/10

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3-4 ABY with a few pages that take place after the fall of the Empire)

This graphic novel is the conclusion to the trilogy that all started with War of the Bounty Hunters and Crimson Reign, featuring Qi'ra in the height of her Crimson Dawn ruling and her plan to bring down the Empire. In an attempt to activate a Sith artifact to bring down Palpatine and Vader, it only causes a disturbance in the dark side that both Sith can feel. Qi'ra is running out of plans and people. How will the story of Crimson Dawn come to a close?

Okay, this graphic novel is pretty epic. I felt it was average at first, but it pulls from a key character featured in War of the Bounty Hunters, characters from Doctor Aphra make for some interesting appearances (make sure you are caught up to The Spark Eternal before reading this volume), and we get references to the latest issue of Star Wars 2020 (Volume 5 Path to Victory) that make the end of Qi'ra's story so...I just have a lot of emotions with where this went. Quite intriguing is all I can say about this volume.

[Jamieson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hidden Empire is culmination of the Qi'ra and Crimson Dawn arc that's been permeating the four main ongoing comic series from Marvel. It all comes down to this as Qi'ra lures Vader and the Emperor into a trap that will, in theory, end their threat forever by essentially trapping them in a time pocket. It's a really fun story that began back in the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover and continued in Star Wars: Crimson Reign before ending here. The art is excellent and the story was easy to follow. Of course the Emperor and Vader escape (because we've had Return of Jedi for 40 years now), but the method of their escape works well and adds a little connective tissue to the sequel trilogy. A fitting end to a long arc through the comics.

[Chandler Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well done finale to Soule’s trilogy. Though the final volume has come a long way and feels far different from “War of the Bounty Hunters.” Still, this graphic novel feels like a very grand conclude with a lot of stakes (even though we already know that Qi’ra isn’t going to take down Vader and Sidious). Some may feel that the ending to the final battle is either infuriating or anti-climatic. To me, it felt perfectly tragic and fitting to the build-up of the story as novels continually highlight some of Qi’ra’s leadership weaknesses that led to her failure. This graphic novel also shows how the Knights of Ren came to work for the Sith (though not Sith themselves), and we also see the dark side garden where Snoke resides in “The Rise of Kylo Ren.” That location plays a very key role in this novel. Well done conclusion. Soule is an excellent writer for Star Wars, and he took a character that had no resolution in Solo- A Star Wars Story and made her a very compelling figure.

[Cale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Look, we all knew how it had to end.... Placed between Empire and Return of the Jedi, Qi'ra's rebellion is doomed. But I still felt the tension and suspense as everything fell into place, as the pieces moved across the board, and as Qi'ra plays all her cards. This book plays fair, keeping her character as intelligent and cunning as we had seen before; too many times we've seen brilliant characters make dumb mistakes, but what happens here truly has the feel of near-equals playing chess, sacrificing pawns and throwing out any number of strategems to pull off victory. While I think Qi'ra's ultimate fate may have been a bit out of character, everything else in this book makes for some of the best Star Wars I've read in a long time. It does a good job of paying off many of the threads from throughout the various eras and series (Having just read

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was pretty onboard until the ending. This trilogy of crossover events has had some bright spots, but it has always faced the looming specter of how to resolve it. Qi'ra can't kill the Emperor or meaningfully impede the Empire before the events of Return of the Jedi, so how do you tell a story about her conflict that doesn't feel hollow by the end. A tall order, but you can imagine various ways of allowing her to have a meaningful contribution without altering the events of the films. Maybe she could affect something behind the scenes or do something that kicks off the events of the sequel trilogy, even. Unfortunately, Soule opts to go for the easy out: its all for naught, and nothing affects anything. Gee, what a rewarding read.

[Sal Perales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sith hunting! Dark side artifacts! Underworld war! And the aftermath of it all…

Charles Soule brings his “Qi’ra trilogy” to a close with this final chapter. The story explodes with twists, turns, and an army of characters to cheer for!

Hidden Empire takes us on the pulse-pounding thrilling conclusion to the battle between Crimson Dawn and the Sith lords! Steven Cummings‘ art is gorgeous with plenty of expression, dynamic action, and wonderful splash pages. Along with War of the Bounty Hunters and Crimson Reign, Qi’ra’s story gets some brilliant beautiful chapters.

This comic is a must-read for fans of underworld intrigue and ready for Qi’ra’s final stand against the Sith!