How Crimson Dawn Almost Found Yoda On Dagobah
*Spoilers for Crimson Reign 3*
Crimson Reign continues to be one of the most unexpected Star Wars comics we've seen in a long time. Set immediately after the events of the War of the Bounty Hunters crossover event, long-time Star Wars writer Charles Soule's latest comic miniseries continues the story of Crimson Dawn and their new leader, Lady Qi'ra.
During her attempt to auction off the still-frozen Han Solo to various criminal syndicates, Qi'ra was confronted by Darth Vader, who fought her off before taking the smuggler for himself as a lure for Luke Skywalker. Though the auction was interrupted, and Solo was ultimately delivered by Boba Fett to Jabba's Palace, Qi'ra and Crimson Dawn still showed their willingness to defy the Empire and the Sith Lords ruling it. This has paved the way for Qi'ra to go onto the next phase of her ultimate plan; to assassinate Emperor Palpatine himself.
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Over the course of Crimson Reign's first few issues, we've seen Qi'ra and her crime syndicate set the stage for their attempt on Palpatine's life. From starting a war amongst the major crime families, to assassinating the Emperor's royal guards, Qi'ra is making the distractions and gathering the forces she needs in order to strike at the heart of the Empire. Crimson Reign's third issue continues this by showing how Qi'ra came to recruit Madelin Sun; a lonely archivist who specialized in studying Force-related artifacts until the Empire made owning such artifacts illegal. After saving Sun from a couple stormtroopers, Qi'ra reveals to her that Emperor Palpatine is none other than the Sith Lord, Darth Sidious, and that his quest to destroy the Jedi is what robbed Sun of her previous life. Expressing her need for revenge, Sun is taken by Qi'ra aboard her ship, the Vermillion, which houses countless dark side relics. Qi'ra then offers Sun all the relics she wants in exchange for her aid in Crimson Dawn's plan to destroy Sidious and his Empire. When Sun asks what Qi'ra wants her to do, Qi'ra says she wants Sun to find a surviving Jedi who could help them in their plan; finding Jedi Master Yoda.
Qi'ra goes on to explain that the Empire never announced Yoda's death, meaning he must still be at large. To this, Sun agrees to track down the Jedi and bring him to Qi'ra. After much research, Sun deduces that Yoda must have been helped by Bail Organa aboard his ship, the Tantive III. She then goes to an Imperial prison where she finds Jeremoch Colton; a pilot who previously worked for the Organa family. After Sun interrogates Colton with a dark side device called a thought dowser, she discovers that Yoda was dropped off in the Sluis Sector. From there, she travels to the Sluis Sector and follows her sense for the Force to a planet called Dagobah.
Upon arriving on the planet, she is attacked by a monster before being saved by a mysterious force calling to her. The force then leads her into the Cave of Evil where she sees visions that she cannot describe, changing her appearance and helping her to realize that pursuing vengeance will not bring her peace. As Yoda watches from afar, Sun leaves the planet and returns to the Vermillion. She then meets with Qi'ra and lies to her that Yoda is dead, protecting him from Crimson Dawn and any potential discovery by the Emperor.
Throughout Crimson Reign #3, we see how Madelin Sun's life is destroyed by the Emperor and how Qi'ra attempts to use that to her advantage. Despite Sun being set on destroying Sidious, she is given another chance by Yoda, guiding her away from this destructive path and saving Sun and himself in the process. Yoda's role in the issue is, much like the character, small and large. While he is mainly in the background and visible for just a single panel, he has a profound impact on Sun and Crimson Dawn as a whole. With no Jedi on their side, Qi'ra's plan for revenge seems destined to fail. Much like the dark side, it will most likely leave her with nothing at all. But for people like Yoda and Sun who choose healing over vengeance, the Force is a powerful ally.
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