Star Wars: Outlaws could deal with a brand new character – smuggler, thief, and all-around scoundrel Kay Vess – however it’s additionally a narrative set smack dab in the center of the authentic Star Wars trilogy. The sport takes place in between the occasions of The Empire Strikes Again and Return of the Jedi. That leaves loads of room for acquainted heroes and villains to seem throughout the course of the sport, they usually undoubtedly do.
How precisely does Outlaws match into the larger image of the Original Trilogy? How does the sport forge connections between Kay and iconic Star Wars heroes and villains? Right here’s what it’s essential know.
Warning: this text comprises full spoilers for Star Wars: Outlaws!
Woman Qi’ra and Crimson Daybreak
In Outlaws, Kay slowly makes a reputation for herself and works her manner up the chain of command in the sport’s varied legal syndicates. It’s inevitable, then, that she’ll finally encounter some acquainted faces. The Star Wars franchise actually has its share of memorable crime lords.
Kay finally encounters Crimson Daybreak’s chief, Woman Qi’ra, throughout her missions on the icy planet of Kijimi. Qi’ra was performed by Emilia Clarke in 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story (although she’s voiced by Tamaryn Payne right here), the place we realized that she was Han’s previous flame earlier than being recruited into Dryden Vos’ group. The film ends with Vos being killed off and Qi’ra touring to satisfy the actual boss of Crimson Daybreak, Darth Maul.
Should you solely observe the Star Wars films, you won’t know the way Qi’ra’s story has unfolded since then. She finally takes management of Crimson Daybreak herself after Maul is killed shortly earlier than the occasions of A New Hope (as seen in the animated collection Star Wars Rebels). Qi’ra has gone on to play a pivotal function in Marvel’s Star Wars comics; she’s at the heart of 2021’s Conflict of the Bounty Hunters crossover, the place she steals the carbonite-frozen Han from Boba Fett and auctions him off to the highest bidder. In Outlaws, ND-5 even references that ill-fated public sale in a dialog with Kay.
As Conflict of the Bounty Hunters and subsequent storylines set up, Qi’ra’s final aim with Crimson Daybreak is to make use of it to destabilize the Empire. A loyal pupil of Maul, Qi’ra understands higher than most how Emperor Palpatine has been pulling the strings of the galaxy for many years. Qi’ra needs to free the galaxy from the tyranny of the Sith, which is what she’s referencing when she talks to Kay about true freedom. So though Qi’ra comes throughout as an antagonistic determine on this sport, manipulating Kay and utilizing her to assist weaken the upstart Clan Ashiga, finally her objectives are fairly noble.
What occurs to Qi’ra after the occasions of Star Wars: Outlaws? As explored in comics like Star Wars: Crimson Reign and Star Wars: Hidden Empire, Qi’ra finally makes her transfer in opposition to Palpatine. Whereas unsuccessful in destroying the Sith herself, Qi’ra’s actions assist give the Insurgent Alliance a much-needed increase and lay the groundwork for Palpatine’s eventual defeat at the Battle of Endor. With Crimson Daybreak in ruins, Qi’ra goes into hiding. Her post-Return of the Jedi story has but to be instructed.
The Wrath of Darth Vader
Is it a correct Star Wars sport with out an look from the Darkish Lord of the Sith? Darth Vader himself performs a small however key function in Outlaws as gamers be taught the reality behind Sliro and Zerek Besh. It seems that the galaxy’s latest and hottest legal syndicate is definitely only a entrance for the Imperial Safety Bureau. Sliro himself is a soldier for the Empire, albeit one who has used his place to amass nice wealth and energy.
The ISB has performed a significant function in lots of Star Wars initiatives in the Disney period, most notably Star Wars: Jedi Survivor and the Andor collection. This group represents the different type of Imperial energy throughout the Galactic Civil Conflict. Star Destroyers and Demise Stars are nice, however with regards to rooting out terrorists and Insurgent sympathizers, generally a subtler hand is required.
As Outlaws reveals, that’s precisely what Palpatine has tasked Sliro with undertaking. The aim of Zerek Besh is to construct an enormous intelligence community that may pierce the legal underworld and reveal the id of many hidden Insurgent brokers. However though Sliro has managed to shortly construct a strong syndicate, he hasn’t truly produced the outcomes Palpatine needs. That’s the place Vader is available in. He’s a terrifying enforcer meant to remind Sliro that failure for somebody in his place means demise.
Vader finally seals Sliro’s doom by agreeing handy management of Zerek Besh over to Jaylen Vrax (revealed to be Sliro’s estranged half-brother). Due to Kay, although, Jaylen is stopped earlier than he may give over the invaluable intel to the Empire, and Zerek Besh is successfully destroyed together with Jaylen himself.
In her personal manner, Kay herself winds up contributing to the downfall of the Empire in the build-up to Return of the Jedi. Zerek Besh’s destruction robs the ISB of a invaluable useful resource and weakens what had been one in all Palpatine’s most potent weapons in opposition to the Rise up. The failure of Zerek Besh possible made Palpatine pivot all the extra in the direction of battlestations and weapons of mass destruction as a method of sustaining order. And everyone knows how that works out for him in the finish…
Playing With Lando Calrissian
Whereas most of the core heroes of the Star Wars Original Trilogy stay MIA in Outlaws, busy with rebuilding the struggling Insurgent Alliance, Kay does meet one key determine throughout her travels. It’s solely becoming that she rubs elbows with fellow scoundrel and gambler Lando Calrissian (voiced by Lindsay Owen Pierre).
Lando seems to be as much as his previous tips in the sport, as he approaches Kay with a mission to get better a invaluable artifact he gambled away in a high-stakes sport of Sabacc. That’s a callback to the time Lando infamously misplaced the Millennium Falcon to Han Solo in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
However after successful the merchandise again and serving to a band of Rebels battle off an Imperial assault, Kay learns the reality behind her mission. Lando was utilizing the artifact as a covert manner of retrieving intelligence from a Insurgent spy planted in the legal underworld. His days of idly playing away his most useful possessions are behind him.
This questline provides higher perception into Lando’s function in the Rise up earlier than changing into “Common Calrissian” in Return of the Jedi. At this level in the timeline, Lando and Chewbacca have tried and didn’t liberate Han from Jabba the Hutt’s palace, and Lando hasn’t but taken up a canopy id as one in all Jabba’s palace guards. He’s merely biding his time, preventing alongside the Rebels and proving he has the coronary heart of a hero.
Lando additionally exhibits us what Kay may change into if she, like him, commits herself absolutely to a trigger larger than herself. As talked about earlier, Kay winds up dealing a major blow to the Empire with out essentially even that means to. What may she accomplish if she put her thoughts to it? For now, although, Kay is worried with defending her personal crew and making just a few credit wherever she will. Possibly she’ll assume larger in the sequel.
We all know this received’t be the solely encounter between Kay and Lando. The primary DLC story marketing campaign for Outlaws, “Wild Card,” will reunite the two as Kay enters a Sabacc match whereas working for the Empire.
Assembly the Future Resistance
Outlaws could also be set throughout the Original Trilogy, however there may be one acquainted character from the Sequel Trilogy who seems throughout the course of the sport. Throughout a mission on the planet Akiva, Kay encounters a teenage mechanic named Temmin Wexley (voiced by Sam Scherzer). Followers could know him higher as hotshot Resistance pilot Snap Wexley (performed by Greg Grunberg in the films).
The sport builds on the origin story for Temmin that was established in the Star Wars Aftermath novels. At this level in his life, Temmin is on his personal, together with his father having been captured by the Empire and his mom serving in the Rise up. He’s a humble mechanic who builds droids to maintain himself firm. Finally, although, Temmin will observe in his mom’s footsteps and be a part of the Rebels, coaching beneath no much less an authority on piloting starships than Wedge Antilles. The remaining is historical past.
The Hondo Ohnaka Easter Egg
Outlaws options an Easter egg that appears to be instantly establishing future DLC missions. Throughout one in all Kay’s encounters with Tatooine’s Sheriff Quint, Quint references the notorious pirate Hondo Ohnaka. Hondo is principally ubiquitous in animated collection like The Clone Wars and Rebels, and it appears he’s going to make his online game debut quickly.
This Easter egg appears to be establishing the sport’s second DLC marketing campaign, dubbed “A Pirate’s Fortune.” There, Kay will staff up with Hondo to hunt out a legendary treasure. However can she truly belief this notoriously self-serving legal? Most likely not.
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For extra on Star Wars Outlaws, try IGN’s overview of the sport and discover out what fixes are incldued in the newest patch.
Jesse is a mild-mannered workers author for IGN. Permit him to lend a machete to your mental thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.