"Star Wars #22: Crimson Reign, The Last Division" by Charles Soule

"Star Wars #22: Crimson Reign, The Last Division" written by Charles Soule, illustrated by Ramon Rosanas and Rachelle Rosenberg

First off, please note that I'm one issue behind in this series. Secondly, my goodness a lot happened in this issue!! Things are finally cooking in this series and I couldn't be happier. We get Shara Bey action, Kes disobeying orders with a whole host of helpers (an awful lot like Rogue One honestly *heart*), Qi'ra and Leia making a deal, and Imperial Commander Zahra being as arrogant and sneaky as ever. I'm actually genuinely looking forward to reading issue #23! If all goes as planned, that will be my review for tomorrow. On to details on this issue...

Remember how Qi'ra wanted to get the Rebels involved in her plan? Well, this issue starts out with the Crimson Dawn flagship, the Vermilion, arriving next to Home One and sending a smaller shuttle (see below) with Qi'ra and her closest advisors and guards aboard to the Rebel ship. Thus begins a very interesting conversation... But before I get into that, I do have to mention that poor 3PO gets brushed off when he tells Leia that he's prepared an array of refreshments for Qi'ra and crew. Leia proclaims that Qi'ra won't be staying long and is ever cautious about the Crimson Dawn leader's intentions. 3PO tries so hard to be helpful but never gets any recognition. I feel for him, truly.

As for the conversation, Qi'ra is such a freaking player!! She tells Leia, "You may have heard that the syndicates are at war. Black Sun, the Hutts, and the like. I think that is foolish. Others can make enemies, if they wish. I prefer to make friends." ...but Qi'ra was totally the one that started the flipping war! Luckily, Leia won't have any of it. As the princess says, "You want the war to go on as long as it can." Still, the two women make an uneasy alliance of sorts with Qi'ra providing the location of the last Rebel division (Qi'ra's first gift to Leia).

Qi'ra then asks for Chewbacca!! The Wookiee has been spending his time planning and working out an assault on Jabba's palace to rescue his best friend single-handedly and we some of that in action. Leia and Qi'ra stand in the observation room, viewing Chewie's assault from above. Leia says to Qi'ra, "Han is his best friend. And right now, he's stuck in carbonite on Jabba's wall. Largely because of choices you made, Qi'ra." But Qi'ra retorts with a brutally honest remark that I can't help but agree with, "Oh? I'd say choices made by Lando Calrissian, Boba Fett, Darth Vader, Jabba, and Han all had more to do with it than I do." Still, the two women find a way to work together as...

The second gift is the location of Commander Ellian Zahra and her squad! Which brings us to the Shara Bey storyline!! Hallelujah--poor woman has been way too small a part of the story for FAR too long. Zahra has been torturing her (see Shara all cut up below) and has gotten out of her all the things she already knew, things having to do with Shara's hiding out on the Star Destroyer Tarkin's Will. But Shara, being a crazy strong woman, has not given anything up on the Rebels...until...Zahra brings little baby Poe into the mix (see below) and Shara breaks. But of course, we don't know how much she breaks because that will have to wait for next issue *sigh*.

Now for a great canon connection that I personally adore--there's a tall lady with bright orange hair in a messy up-do and I seriously wondered if it was Amilyn Holdo...lo and behold it is!! See the bada**, quirky, pansexual below. Apparently she has been in charge of getting supplies from the syndicates to keep supporting the Rebels. Qi'ra makes a deal that changes this arrangement, with Crimson Dawn taking over the supply chain while the other syndicates are at war.

Talking with Amilyn, Leia discovers that Kes took off with Starlight Squadron without authorization to go rescue Shara, his wife. Leia's response is great, "Dameron did what? Unbelievable. You almost have to admire it. Almost." From the image following this exchange (see below), we see that Starlight Squadron consists of Wedge Antilles, Mart Mattin (from the "Rebels" episode with Iron Squadron!!), Evaan Verlaine (the person Leia believes should be the new leader of the remaining Alderaanians), and Freyta Smyth all flying X-wings, L'ulo L'ampar (the Duros who was a big part of Poe's childhood) flying an A-wing, and Kes Dameron aboard a U-wing with a number of other people. The plan is for the starfighter pilots to distract the TIE fighters and Star Destroyer while Kes and his U-wing crew fly into the open, damaged part of Tarkin's Will undetected. Unfortunately, Zahra happens to be really intelligent and quickly figures out that the space battle is simply a diversion, "They're not trying to end the battle. They're trying to...extend it." Then she gets a call with the location of another Rebel division (on Panisia) and leaps the Tarkin's Will into hyperspace with Kes and crew aboard, leaving the TIEs and Rebel fighters still battling it out behind them (see below).

Kes and Shara really can't win. Goodness they keep having terrible luck. So Zahra jumps to the coordinates of the last remaining division...the same coordinates that Leia is headed for (courtesy of Qi'ra) and a large-scale space battle is set up just right for the next issue!! See all the Rebel ships facing the one Star Destroyer below. I cannot wait to see how this turns out!! On a side note, it really looked like Cadeliah was on Panisia...but she's been captured by Crimson Dawn...but Wookieepedia says it was her in this issue...I'm really confused...

Overall, I really enjoyed this issue and feel like maybe this series is starting to find its footing again. I guess we'll see. Hopefully the next issue isn't stellar followed by more uncertainty in the series' direction. Fingers crossed it just stays stellar.

Trivia: Commodore Grek appears to be a part of Rebel High Command with Mon Mothma and Ackbar.

-Marie E. Wilson: @AliaMorgaine