Novelization Of Solo: A Star Wars Story Reveals An Exciting Twist To That Major Cameo

Solo: A Star Wars Story was chock full of surprises, and the biggest one came in the form of a fan-favorite villain – the former Sith Lord, Maul.

While Darth Sidious' first apprentice had multiple appearances in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, the last time fans got to see Maul on the big screen was in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace where the Dathomirian Zabrak would find himself cut in two by Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi.

However, those who've seen Solo know that Maul makes a startling cameo in the Star Wars spin-off. After Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke) manages to kill Dryden Vos, she makes the decision to contact the Crimson Dawn's leader, which is then revealed to be Maul. Qi'ra and Maul share a short conversation that helps tease a sequel to Solo, however it is largely unclear whether Han's (Alden Ehrenreich) paramour and the former Sith Lord have had any previous connection to each other.

According to Solo novel writer Mur Lafferty, it turns out Qi'ra had no idea who she'd expect when she made the call. Speaking in an interview with StarWars.com, Lafferty reveals that Qi'ra had no actual knowledge of Maul and his past, only that he was Dryden's leader.

"I don't think she would have known who he was," Lafferty said. "They sort of implied that Dryden was beholden to someone a lot more powerful than he was. And so she knew that whoever it was scared him, but she didn't know that the guy used to be a Sith Lord. She didn't know who he was. She just knew that that button would call Dryden Vos' boss."

This new revelation adds a whole lot of color to the potential sequel to Solo. Will Qi'ra, later on, learn about Maul's former ties to the Sith? Will she be taught the ways of the Dark Side of the Force? How deep will her relationship with the Crimson Dawn and Darth Maul go?

We can't wait to find out.

The novelization of Solo: A Star Wars Story makes its way to shelves on September 4.

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