Solo [Official Info] Emilia Clarke (Qi'ra) in Solo

I think that was specifically referring to her Teras Kasi training (my favorite throwaway reference!). I'm not a martial arts expert, but I assume looking for weaknesses is a big part of most of them.

 

1) Time and suffering has hardened her heart. When we're young and innocent, there's nothing more important than finding true love. When we're struggling adults just trying to survive, we'll gladly trade romance for money.

2) Qi'ra has been coerced into servitude her entire life. For her, a chance at power and agency is more important than love and physical safety. If she leaves with Han, she's just a "scrumrat" again -- bottom of the ladder. By working with Maul, she can take Dryden's place as a mob boss, wield some real power.

3) Like many victims of abuse, Qi'ra may believe that she's no longer worthy of Han's love (or anyone else's). She's had bad things done to her and she's done bad things to others. She even tries to tell Han that during the scene in Lando's closet. Qi'ra is running from Han as much as she's staying with Maul.

 

I don't see how Han would have survived if she hadn't gone off with Maul. It's the same as at the beginning of the movie. When they met again she clearly says she wanted him to leave as they would have killed him. She had no issue sacrificing herself when she was young. It's no different at the end, but this time she chooses to close the door and stays behind to save him. She covers for him, places the blame elsewhere and leaves so that no one will look for him. The whole movie is everyone saying how naive Han is for not understanding a price on his head. It's a line repeated over and over.

For this reason I'm really annoyed her costumes have been placed in the 501st instead of in Rebel Legion. After watching the movie again I'm even more unsure why this move was made and what decision was to place her and her outfits there. There aren't a ton of nuanced characters in Star Wars movies, but I think the choice is super awkward at best.

 

I don't understand this costume reference and am too lazy to look it up. But I think that (breaking things down to a Star Wars binary), Qi'ra's path is towards the dark side. She loves Han--he is the good guy--but she chooses more questing after power and danger, even as she protects him from the darkness. I know that Qi'ra is good, but she doesn't believe she is good. And if she survives and makes progress in this relationship with Maul, she will become darker, is my current opinion. I think she might very well also screw him over, leading to him being stranded on Malachor.

One of the reasons why people like Proxima and Vos like Qi'ra is that she is a very good student. She learns from them, and she learns very well (it flatters any instructor to have such a good student). She will also learn from Maul, and he has nothing but evil to teach.

And someone who'd read more comic books than me countered that Sidious might be Maul's boss, but upon my second viewing I noticed it wasn't me misremembering: Enfys said Crimson Dawn is in league with the Empire. And Maul leads Crimson Dawn. Qi'ra can try to cover up her CD brand, from others and from herself, but the evil it represents is what it is. That is her choice now, even if it wasn't in the beginning.

So the tragedy of Qi'ra is that she is good and she is warm, but she doesn't believe in herself in that way. She doesn't believe she can ever be the good that Han or Enfys are, no matter how much she admires them. And so the only path left is towards evil. Power sends a chill up her spine, and she is drawn to it, and she wants more.

 

The thing that keeps coming back to me is that Qi’ra was the only one who could have told Maul what happened on Dryden’s ship.

Had she left with Han, who would have told Maul that they were alive?

 

The janitorial staff, who'd seen them leaving? CCTV (or Star Wars equivalent) recordings of the fight, since she hadn't stayed to wipe them?

 

I would have preferred to have Thandie Newton as Qira and Emilia Clarke as Beckett's girlfriend.

 

Yeah, am sure that ship had a crew, surveillance and spyware.

Maul is like what Xixor was of the EU, he's head of a vast criminal empire . Spies and whatever are at his beck & call. Moreover he's a telepath and empath, and he's the ultimate hunter, if he wanted to get to the bottom of things that went down, it would be easily done by himself. Qi'ra stood no chance when she lied him, he knew it. He seems to follow same Sith principals for his organization. Qi'ra killing Dryden, essentially she replaced him in combat, as Beckett knew more about Qi'ra than Han did . He was right to the end when he noted that it was she that killed Vos.

 

She's a survivor. Her past experience has dictated to her that being good does not equate to survival. But doing bad things when necessary does. I think she actually believes Han is playing a riskier game by being a "good guy" than she is as someone in bed with power.

Just one example of why I like this script a lot. It's straightforward and the character motivations are easy to grasp.

 

I guess this settles it...

https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/15-things-learned-solo-star-wars-story-ron-howard/

3) Howard sees Qi’ra’s final motivation as tragic and altruistic


Instead of jetting off with Han in the Falcon at the end of the film, Qi’ra sticks around on Dryden Vos’ space-yacht for a quick space-Skype with Maul. The scene’s been interpreted by some as a power-grab move, but Howard sees it differently. "In my mind, she knew she couldn't run off with Han. It would be his death and hers,” he reckons. “She set him up to go, assuring him that she'd follow, but knowing she couldn't really. She had to clean this situation up as best as she could. I think she hoped she could report in and then disappear, but [Maul] trapped her. He said, 'Come to Dathomir and we're going to be working closely together', and you realise, 'Oh my god, she's traded one oppressive boss in for an even scarier dude'. In a way it fuels her ambition and puts her in a position of heightened power, perhaps. Or heightened danger. I thought it was kind of courageous for her."

 

I like Howard's take. It makes far more sense for the character. One of the best female characters in Star Wars.

 

Who is Emilia Clarke's stunt double? She is not listed on https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3778644/fullcredits , although Bettany, Ehrenreich, Chewbacca and Harrelson's are listed.

 

Performance was I felt both her and Ehrenreich were a little dodgy early in the film but I'm thinking that was maybe down somewhat to the story being heavily reworked? they felt introduced rather too quickly for me. She was far better on her introduction though and honestly I think the most obvious weakness of the film for me is that it didn't focus more on her character who seemed the most interesting.

 

Both Han and Qi'Ra are a tad obnoxious in the opening scene with their talking about luv and taking on the galaxy, but I think they're going for a "teenage lovers in a dangerous time rebels against the system" vibe, which comes crashing down when Qi'Ra gets stuck behind the gate.

 

I would say the latter seems to sum up the character best to me and indeed I think it was very interesting to see such a story given to a female character in a mainstream blockbuster, I spose you could argue Furisoa in Fury Road is somewhat similar. I do certainly get the impression that its not a lack of feeling for Han from her side but more trying to protect him, both from retribution and from herself.

Whilst I found the film enjoyable I did personally end up rather disappointed that it didn't give us more of her character as there was IMHO definitely potential for it and indeed a bigger dramatic climax at the end than the one we got.

As far as Emila Clarke goes she really does seem to divide people doesn't she? not sure I'v seen so much comment both praising and criticising an actress(maybe Scarllett Johansson in the past?). I mean I spose you could argue part of it comes down to the rather sexist idea of an actress trading on looks alone but beyond that I spose I can somewhat see where it comes from. To me she seems like an actress who performs much better when she has more depth to a character, I mean to some degree that's going to be universal but I don't think she's a natural character performer who gives personality to a simpler role as well(Qira early on here and Dany in the second season of Game of Thrones) as some but can sell weightier drama and more compelx motivation well.

 

I think it's regrettable that we probably won't see her character again due to Solo's poor box office, but I agree that there's so much more to do with her. Apparently, the Qi'ra-centric novel, Most Wanted, is quite good in fleshing out the character. Still, I would have loved one more movie to see her tenuous new partnership with Maul.

Overall, I thought Clarke was solid in the role. She handled the quiet emotional scenes well but was a bit bland in the more upbeat moments. However, I randomly caught Me Before You -- a corny tearjerker with a terrible message -- and Emilia was great in it! Playing a quirkier, sweeter, grounded character seemed to suit her. I remember reading that Naomi Scott was in consideration for Qi'ra, and yeah, I think she would have been the best choice. That said, Scott ended up with the role of Jasmine in the live-action Aladdin remake so maybe that got in the way.

 

It might I spose be possible that we see her and Maul again in another anthology film without Han although it seems like it might be the entire anthology concept thats at risk. Personally my view that besides outside issues(reception of TLJ, release soon after it close to two other massive blockbusters, questionable marketing, etc) the lessons to be learnt are perhaps that anthology films need decent stakes not just nostalgia and indeed that often original characters can give you more weight.

 

She and Maul would fit very neatly into a Boba Fett movie. Let's say Maul offers a huge reward for the capture of Character X, and every bounty hunter in the galaxy is on the prowl. Maybe Qi'ra tries to win the reward herself or secretly helps X escape capture.

To me, the biggest reason for Solo's financial failure is marketing/timing. First teaser 3 months from release instead of the usual 8? Opening just 1 week after Deadpool 2 and 3 weeks after Infinity War? Even an Obi-Wan spinoff would have underperformed in those circumstances. I actually loved the "low stakes" nature of the story and I think that's how these standalones should work. But I agree that they should move away from existing characters in general. There's so much more they could do with these one-offs.

 

I'v not followed any extended universe beyond the films but it seems like Maul and his organisation is involved with some kind of major plot needing that amount of hyperfuel which could potentially be revealed in a film without Han.

In terms of stakes a film doesn't automatically need to be massive in scale but I think Solo was simply lacking in effective drama, there were a number of plots that did have some potential of weight to them but none of them for me were exploited as well as they might have been, most obviously Qira herself felt underused to me.

 

I've been able to extract a great deal of value from Emilia Clarke's performance, expressions, how the camera gives her entire lines without her saying a word, but this method admittedly requires MULTiple viewings. What the camera makes her say, without her saying a word, when she looks at Dryden when he says, "We'll be all out of options <cheerfully>" merits long paragraphs. What the camera makes her say, without her saying a word, when she is looking over at Enfys Nest who has just come onto the scene, merits long paragraphs. I cannot assert that the femme fatale lurking beneath the surface is gob smacking obvious, because Ron Howard in his press efforts to provide an appealing, warm narrative for Qira has said that what she does is for Han's good. That may be, and that may be factual in-universe. It does not have to be the entirety of what is going on when this is watched N times. Howard's narrative covers 1 viewing.

 

From my POV Qi'ra vs. Maul IS a movie. It shouldn't be part of someone else's story. Qi'ra should be at the center and Maul the antagonist. Enfys is the other point of interest. If they really want new and fresh, that's what it is. They have to let go of trying to make endless material on characters like Han who have long had their day.

And I'm not against more Han movies or the Fett movie, but to me the real meat and interest is Qi'ra and Enfys and Han or Fett are more dressing on the cake. Dressing without the cake is... unsatisfying.

 

Emilia Clarke is brilliant in this film. One of her best performances yet. Second only to this episode of GoT:

Spoiler

 

Maybe "brilliant" when talking about Emilia Clarke is a bit too much, but, well, it's a matter of opinion, I guess.

 

It's amazing to me how hard of a time people can have with other people's opinions on something as subjective as art...

 

I agree. It's precisely what I was saying. I wasn't teasing you.