That’s right, Star Wars fandom. We’re back to discuss Solo: A Star Wars Story, and in particular a mega-leak that has surfaced. The leak is confirmed. Today we’ll speculate on the deeper connections that this could imply. Major spoilers below, so proceed with caution.
If you’re still here, I assume you want some leaks on Solo, eh? Well, then proceed. There is a history connecting the character in this cameo. What’s very intriguing is the fact that these connections cut deep into Star Wars canon.
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If you didn’t see last week’s recap, this won’t be big news, but here is a peak at the leak:
The major leak that we’re referring to is regarding who could be the bad guy pulling the strings in Solo. It turns out, that the crime-lord behind this scenes is none other than Darth Maul. He just went by “Maul” during Rebels, which takes place around 7 years after Solo, but we’re not sure what he’s going by at this point. Let’s just call him “Maul”. At the end of the film, Qi’ra has a holo-call with Maul, and it appears Maul is the leader of Dryden Vos. Dryden was the believed big baddie, until we find out later in the film (after he dies) that he is under the leadership of Maul himself. I think this is analogous to Vader seeming like the head bad guy in A New Hope, only to find out later that the Emperor is behind the scenes. Qi’ra regrets to inform Maul of Dryden’s death, and she tells him that it was Becket who killed Dryden. We’re not 100% sure if she is telling the truth, but that’s what it is. Qi’ra is seen fighting Dryden in a trailer, but we don’t know if this was just sparring or a real fight. So it’s possible that Qi’ra kills Dryden and blames it on Becket. Qi’ra will start “working closely” under Maul. Here is a gif of the holo-call with Qi’ra. Here is a video!
Maul has done tons of networking in the criminal underworld, leading to tons of speculation of how his connections could play into Solo and future Solo sequels.
Maul’s past with Bounty Hunters
Before the events of The Phantom Menace, Maul connected with some of the bounty hunters of the Star Wars galaxy. He hired Aurra Singh and Cad Bane to help him gain access to a captured Jedi against the commands of his master Darth Sidious. In the end, Sidious was pleased by Maul’s transgressions, and this was an early instance of Maul going off on his own. These events were basically part of the Marvel Darth Maul comic series.
Interestingly, there is good evidence that Aurra Sing is actually mentioned in the film, and Digital Spy now reports that Beckett killed her. While I think her appearance is brief, this suggests to me the possibility of her significance being expanded in future Solo sequels. Maul may have only a loose affiliation with her from early on, so would he want to claim some revenge for her death? Or will this lead to other bounty hunters to be introduced in the sequel?
Maul’s past with the Shadow Collective
Darth Maul started a criminal organization called the “Shadow Collective“, which included the Death Watch, Black Sun, the Pyke Sydicate, and the Hutt Clan. Talk about a wide-reaching group of criminals. When you consider that it was Maul that started this alliance, it make sense that he would be pulling the strings. That said, the Shadow Collective only lasted one year, and ended in 19BBY, which is the same year it started. This puts it 9 years before the events of Solo. That said, Maul used a Shadow Collective base in Rebels, so it’s fair to say that their impact extended beyond their years of operation.
The interesting thing about this is that the Pyke Syndicate are confirmed to be in Solo. As far as the Hutt clan, according to available sources, Jabba is implied to be the “big shot gangster” that is putting the crew together. Other sources actually claim him to be in the film. The Hutt Cartel is also mentioned by Qi’ra. As far as Death Watch, we at least know that some Mandalorian armor will be featured in the film, and will be in the possession of Dryden Vos. This might not be a coincidence:
As mentioned, the Pyke Syndicate is in the film, and the character Quay Tolsite is believed to have some amount of screen time. He runs the operations on Kessel, and may be involved in holding the Wookiees captive.
While the Shadow Collective is no longer in operation, some of these connections could persist. Maul’s networking in the criminal underground could be part of his plans in the Solo films to come. I don’t expect these connections to be expanded on too much, maybe only hinted at in this film.
It isn’t clear how Maul got into this particular position, but it is clear that he wasn’t just hanging out on Malachor during the events of Solo. He seems to be stationed on Dathomir at this point, and might be doing similar things to his days with the Shadow Collective. Perhaps he started another group during these years, and ultimately build a network of crime-lords that could go all the way to Jabba the Hutt. How do you think it will work out? Leave your comments below.
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