Summary

• Star Wars Outlaws unveils a story set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, focused on the criminal underworld.
• The game introduces main villain Sliro, head of the Zerek Besh Crime Family, along with a new character, Vail, a skilled hunter.
• Crimson Dawn, previously introduced in Solo: A Star Wars Story, plays a role in the game, with interactions with Lady Qi'ra and multiple criminal syndicates.

Star Wars Outlaws' latest story trailer has provided a greater look at Kay Vess' adventure, and the threats she'll be facing as she attempts to carry out the biggest heist the Outer Rim has ever seen. Along with a look at some of the allies she'll be working alongside - some of whom were already introduced in previous promotional footage - the story trailer introduced the game's main villains, and those who have read some of the recent Marvel comic arcs may recognize some of the names mentioned.

When Massive Entertainment announced Star Wars Outlaws last year, it was confirmed to be taking place between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, focusing on the criminal underworld instead of the core conflict between the Empire and the growing rebellion that was the focus in most Star Wars media set around this time.

This era was last explored in gaming in the Shadows of the Empire multimedia event of the '90s, but while some elements such as the Black Sun crime syndicate were integrated into the fifth season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, establishing them in the new canon timeline, most of the rest has been moved to the non-canon "Legends" timeline. Fortunately, Star Wars Outlaws has plenty of new stories set around this time to pull from when reestablishing this Star Wars era in gaming.

Star Wars Outlaws' Story Trailer Introduced Its Main Villain, Sliro

Sliro Is The Head Of The Zerek Besh Crime Family

Sliro was shown briefly in Star Wars Outlaws' reveal trailer, standing overlooking the lavish gambling destination Canto Bight, which fans will recognize from The Last Jedi. The new story trailer goes into far more detail about the character and establishes him as the main antagonist in the game. In the opening moments, it's revealed that Sliro has brought together the Outer Rim's main crime syndicates, establishing his power and influence from the outset. During this meeting, Sliro explains to of each organization that the underworld has the opportunity to "make millions" as the Empire is distracted by the growing rebellion, calling it a "golden age".

Sliro has a past with Kay Vess, with the two having crossed paths on Canto Bight, and has put a bounty on her head. The trailer also introduced a completely new character, Vail, who is described as "one of the best hunters in the Outer Rim". A story breakdown trailer on Ubisoft's YouTube channel revealed that Vail has been raised in the underworld, working with each syndicate to develop a skill set that makes her a formidable foe.

When a mysterious smuggler, Jaylen, offers Kay a "death wish" of a job to steal Sliro's fortune on Canto Bight, it's revealed that Sliro is one of the galaxy's major crime lords, working for the Zerek Besh crime family. Zerek Besh is described as being "new, rich, and lethal", and while they have not appeared in the movies, this crime family has appeared in Marvel's Hidden Empire comics via a hologram, after being mentioned in 2022's Crimson Reign storyline as part of a major arc involving the crime syndicate, Crimson Dawn.

Crimson Dawn Was Also Revealed In Star Wars Outlaws' Story Trailer

The Comics' Syndicate War Could Play A Part In Star Wars Outlaws

While previously, this thread was largely dropped on-screen. The comics, however, showed Lady Qi'ra played a major role in the workings of the galaxy's syndicates during this era, restructuring and expanding Crimson Dawn following the death of Darth Maul and using agents from across the galaxy to pit the criminal factions against each other before trying to take down Palpatine himself.

In coverage from Game Informer (via Star Wars News Net), it was confirmed that Kay Vess will be interacting with Lady Qi'ra on her adventure. One of Star Wars Outlaws' key gameplay mechanics revolves around the kind of choices players make and how this will impact their relationship with different criminal syndicates, so it's likely that Kay could get involved in some of Crimson Dawn's plans to play the other syndicates against each other.

Emilia Clarke will not be reprising her role as Lady Qi'ra in Star Wars Outlaws, according to Star Wars News Net, but Ubisoft stated that the team at Massive Entertainment worked closely with Lucasfilm to "ensure that the voice talent embodies the energy of Lady Qi’ra".

One of the major clues that players will see Qi'ra's schemes from the comics unfold is that the game's reveal trailer showed Han Solo, frozen in Carbonite, being transported across Tatooine, and the new story trailer showed it in Jabba's palace, where it's situated at the start of Return of the Jedi. In 2021's Boba Fett-centric War of the Bounty Hunters comic arc, Crimson Dawn stole Solo as bait for a trap before Boba Fett reacquired him. The fact that the trailers showed the before and after of this moment further suggests that this story may unfold either alongside or prior to Kay's story, given the focus on the different syndicates and the Outer Rim's criminal underworld at its core.

Charles Soule's War of the Bounty Hunters, Crimson Reign, and Hidden Empire comics are a trilogy called the "Crimson Dawn Saga".

Players don't have to wait too long to see exactly how Kay Vess' story will unfold, as Star Wars Outlaws is due to be released on August 30, 2024. Hopefully, with all the pieces in place, Massive Entertainment and Lucasfilm have brought some of Marvel's recent comic stories to life in the game, introducing them to another audience while letting players feel more involved in their outcome.

Sources: Ubisoft/YouTube, Star Wars News Net