War of the Bounty Hunters #4, written by Charles Soule, with art by Luke Ross and David Messina, and cover by Steve McNiven comes out next Wednesday, September 8, 2021. So does Doctor Aphra #14 written by Alyssa Wong,with art by Federico Sabbatini, and a cover by Sara Pichelli. We have previews via starwars.com for both below!
You can still pre-order each issue at at the following retailers:
War of the Bounty Hunters #4
Doctor Aphra #14
Dryden Vos Easter Eggs
Now before we jump into the previews, I wanted to take a second to analyze the last page of the War of the Bounty Hunters #4 preview. In it, we see Qi’ra debriefing with her advisors. She sits in an office adorned with many familiar artifacts from Dyden Vos’ ship, the First Light from Solo: A Star Wars Story. The significance of most of these to the story may just be that they are references back to Qi’ra’s predecessor as leader of Crimson Dawn. However, some might foreshadow bigger things to come!
Dancing Goddess Statuette: The Dancing Goddess statue was an essential component of the House of the Goddess machine from the planet Godo. It was designed to protect the Godoans from extinction. The Dancing Goddess statue had a companion statue called the Statue of the Minstrel which was also green. Both statues first appear in comics in Star Wars (vol. 1) #79. The statues were highly sought after as they were said to have great powers when brought together. In Legends, BoShek, seen in the Mos Eisley Cantina during A New Hope, once retrieved the statue for Prince Xizor in exchange for forgiven debts. (Source: Underworld: A Galaxy of Scum and Villainy, Star Wars Insider 89). Also in Legends, Lando was said to have owned both statues since his days as administrator of Cloud City. However, now that wouldn’t line up with the statue being in Dryden’s possession before A New Hope, and now Qi’ra’s between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. This statue was destroyed during Qi’ra and Han’s skirmish with Dryden Vos during Solo: A Star Wars Story, though. So, Soule’s got some explaining to do.
Alderaanian Armillary Sphere: These Alderaanian constellation tracking devices seem to only have significance here as being owned by Dryden Vos.
Ashes of Constipex I: Constipex I was a male human member of the Coruscant merchant’s guild in 11,987 BBY (Before Battle of Yavin). He joined an anti-alien religious cult called the Pius Dea. The Pius Dea started an impeachment of Constipex’s predecessor chancellor and elected Constipex as chancellor. He reigned for 40 years and pursued crusades against the alien worlds in the Outer Rims, beginning the tradition of trust between the two regions. His first campaign was against the Hutts in Hutt space. He sanctioned violent oppression of non-human species. His descendants ruled the Republic for one thousand years as a Pius Dea theocracy. This, of course is all Legends. None of this appears in comics, but reference books and as a codex entry in the Old Republic video game.
Dryden Vos’ Kyuzo Petars: These of course were owned by Dryden Vos as a dedicated practicioner of the Teräs Käsi hand-to-hand fighting style. These weapons first appear in comics in Solo: A Star Wars Story Adaption #2. Although Teräs Käsi first appears in Shadows of the Empire novel, Teräs Käsi is actually first mentioned and shown in comics fairly recently in Solo: A Star Wars Story Adaption #3.
Masthead of Xim: Xim the Despot, was a Human male and one of the most notorious pre-Galactic Republic tyrants. He used the wealth of his father, the Pirate-King Xer VIII, to conquer a large interstellar empire in the Tion Cluster. Xim the Despot commanded one of the Pre-Republic fiefdoms of his time. Xim’s reign only lasted from about 25,130 BBY to 25,100 BBY, his legacy remained firm through the secret guild of the GenoHaradan and the legends of his lost treasure. Xim first appears in the novel Han Solo and the Lost Legacy. This crystal skull, made of Mytag crystal, first appears in comics in Solo: A Star Wars Story Adaption #2. However, like the Dancing Goddess statue, it was destroyed in the skirmish with Dryden Vos, so Soule has some explaining to do.
Sith Holocron: Finally, we have the Sith Holocron. This particular Sith Holocron first appeared in comics in Solo: A Star Wars Story Adaption #2. It’s significance is not yet known, but it looks like Qi’ra is taking an interest in using it soon…
