Star Wars Outlaws: 6 Details We Learned From the Trailer

Star Wars fans have a brand new AAA game to look forward to this year. Star Wars Outlaws is coming on August 30, and it promises to put players in the shoes of smuggler, criminal and all-around scoundrel Kay Vess. Kay must navigate the criminal underworld in a desperate bid to pull off an impossible heist and buy her freedom.

With Ubisoft releasing a new trailer for Star Wars Outlaws, we have a better idea of what Kay’s mission involves and the many criminals and villains she’ll encounter along the way. Let’s break down everything we learned from this new footage, from the new and returning criminal syndicates to that unexpected Han Solo cameo.

Star Wars’ Criminal Underworld

The Star Wars movies may be all about the conflict between factions like the Empire and Rebel Alliance or First Order and Resistance, but there are other powers at play. The Star Wars universe is home to a number of criminal organizations, all vying for control of territory, contraband and even illegal drugs. Star Wars Outlaws thrusts players into the heart of the criminal underworld. You’ll take missions for different organizations, increasing your standing with some while you also risk making enemies of others. Being a free agent in the Star Wars underworld isn’t going to be easy.

The new Outlaws trailer reveals some of the organizations who will play a role in the game. Unsurprisingly, Jabba the Hutt has a part to play in this story. He’s not just the most iconic Star Wars gangster of them all, but also arguably the biggest force in the criminal underworld in this time period. The trailer confirms Kay Vess will come face to face with Jabba during the course of the game, much to her chagrin.

We also see members of the Pyke Syndicate in the trailer. The Pykes have played a major role in various Star Wars TV series like The Book of Boba Fett and The Clone Wars. These unusual, fish-headed humanoids are notorious for controlling much of the galaxy’s spice supply. Not unlike with Dune, spice is a rare substance valued as a narcotic by the galaxy’s wealthy elite.

We also see a representative from Crimson Dawn, the organization first introduced in Solo: A Star Wars Story. At this point in the timeline, Crimson Dawn’s old ruler, Maul, is dead. It’s now led by Han Solo’s old girlfriend Qi’ra. As seen in Star Wars comics like War of the Bounty Hunters and Crimson Reign, Qi’ra’s ultimate goal is to use her power and resources to bring down the Sith Lords who secretly rule the galaxy.

The game appears to be set after War of the Bounty Hunters, as we see the carbonite-frozen Han Solo on display in Jabba’s Palace, but before Crimson Dawn’s final collapse and Qi’ra’s disappearance. Does that mean we could actually see her appear in Outlaws? We’ll find out soon.

Where Is Black Sun?

Not every criminal organization is represented in the new Outlaws trailer. During the time of the Empire, the galaxy’s underworld is controlled mostly by what’s known as the Five Crime Syndicates. Three of those syndicates – the Hutts, the Pykes and Crimson Dawn – are represented in the trailer. However, we don’t see the other two, the Crymorah Syndicate and Black Sun.

Little is known about the Crymorah Syndicate, as they’ve only ever played a small role in a handful of Star Wars novels and comics. But Black Sun is definitely conspicuous by its absence in the trailer. That organization and its ruler, Prince Xizor, were originally introduced in 1996’s Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire. Xizor himself is perhaps the most wealthy and well-connected man in the galaxy after Emperor Palpatine himself.

That said, Xizor was a product of the old Star Wars Expanded Universe. While Black Sun has appeared in Disney’s new Star Wars canon, we have yet to see Xizor himself. Could that change in Star Wars Outlaws, or is Disney holding him back for a different project?

Sliro and Zerek Besh

We may see familiar organizations like the Hutts and the Pykes in the trailer, but they aren’t the main enemy Kay Vess will be contending with in the game. That’s where Zerek Besh comes in.

Zerek Besh is another major power player in the criminal underworld, but not one included as part of the Five Crime Syndicates. This faction was first introduced in Marvel’s Star Wars comics, where we saw Qi’ra and Crimson Dawn manipulate Zerek Besh into waging war on the Hutts. Again, we’re guessing the game is set before that conflict, which is known as the Syndicate War.

As revealed in the trailer, Zerek Besh is ruled by a human named Sliro. Sliro is a wealthy, opportunistic crime lord who sees great opportunity in the current state of galactic affairs. With the Empire spending so much time and effort hunting the Rebel Alliance, that leaves the criminal cartels plenty of room to make their move and rake in more money. If they can work together, of course.

The scene where Sliro is making his pitch to the Hutts, Pykes and Crimson Dawn is taking place on Canto Bight, the casino planet introduced in 2017’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi. That’s no coincidence. Canto Bight is also where we met Benicio Del Toro’s character DJ, a scoundrel with an important lesson to impart. In a galaxy that’s trapped in a perpetual cycle of war, the real winners are those who know how to profit off of that war. Sliro clearly views himself as part of that crowd.

From what we know about the plot of Star Wars Outlaws so far, the conflict begins when Kay runs afoul of Sliro and the crime lord puts a major bounty on her head. From there, Kay is given a choice – run and hide, or attempt to steal Sliro’s vast fortune and buy her freedom. We don’t need to tell you which option she picks. Every mission in Outlaws is about bringing Kay one step closer to her overarching goal of landing the galaxy’s biggest payday.

Meet the Ashiga Clan

It’s also worth mentioning that the game will introduce another new crime syndicate called the Ashiga Clan. We don’t know much about this group yet – they were created specifically for the game – but they look to be one more source of both opportunity and danger for Kay. We do know that they’re native to the icy world of Kijimi, another returning planet from the Sequel Trilogy.

The Han Solo Cameo

Star Wars Outlaws is avoiding a lot of the trappings fans might expect from the franchise. There are no Jedi Knights or lightsabers in sight. Even though this game is set during the year between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, the Rebel Alliance is out of the picture – biding their time and waiting for the right moment to strike. This game is all about shining a light on the dirty underbelly of the Star Wars universe.

Han Solo may be the only main character from the original trilogy we actually see in this game. And as we’ve already discussed, this is taking place during that period where Han is stuck in suspended animation as a trophy on Jabba’s wall. Han is there as a pointed reminder of how delicate Kay’s position is. As she navigates her way through the underworld and curries favor with the different crime syndicates, Kay is one wrong move from ending up like Han Solo.

So will we see any existing Star Wars characters at all, or are Jabba and the frozen Han the sole links to the larger franchise? There’s certainly potential to bring in other familiar faces. We’ve already pointed out how Qi’ra is one character with the potential to return, whether or not she’s still voiced by Emilia Clarke.

We’d bet good credits on at least one familiar bounty hunter rearing their head during the course of the game. The trailer introduces a new female character whom Sliro hires to pursue Kay, but we highly doubt she’s the only one after that bounty. We could see characters like Dengar, 4-LOM or IG-88 take up the hunt. Heck, maybe Outlaws will follow in the footsteps of Dark Forces and Shadows of the Empire by including Boba Fett as a major boss character.

We’re even crossing our fingers that Outlaws might serve as the video game debut for fan-favorite character Dr. Chelli Aphra. Aphra is a rogue archaeologist and former right-hand-woman to Darth Vader himself. She’s perfect for a game set in the seedy underbelly of the Star Wars universe.

Kay Vess’ Crew

Kay won’t be working completely alone in Star Wars Outlaws. The trailer gives us a slightly better look at the crew of the Trailblazer. We don’t know all of these characters’ names yet, but Kay will be accompanied by a motley team of droids and aliens as she prepares for the biggest heist of her career.

That crew includes ND-5, the reprogrammed, trenchcoat-clad commando droid seen at several points in the trailer. ND-5 looks to be helpful as a bodyguard, as at one point we see him pushing away Sliro’s hired bounty hunter.

Kay’s crew also looks to include a Rodian. This character is apparently good with technology, as we can see him activating a black protocol droid. That protocol droid may also be part of Kay’s crew. Interestingly, the droid looks very similar to Triple Zero, a sadistic former partner of Doctor Aphra. Is this just a superficial similarity, or is this a clue that a popular Star Wars comic character is making the jump to the games?

Undoubtedly Kay’s most important ally, however, is her furry companion Nix. Nix is a merqaal and the closest thing Kay has to a family in this lonely galaxy. The trailer hints as to how Nix will play a role in the game. We see him sneaking through an Imperial facility and stealing a blaster rifle for Kay to use. Expect him to be an integral part of stealth missions and puzzles, as he can activate faraway buttons and distract enemies.

Fighting the Empire

While Outlaws is all about navigating the criminal underworld, it’s also clear Kay will be directly clashing with the Empire during her missions. As she stirs up trouble on the various worlds in the game, Kay will attract unwanted attention from the Empire and even directly do battle with them, both on the ground and aboard her ship.

Most of the footage in the trailer of Kay battling Imperial forces seems to emphasize stealth. We see her sneaking around a facility and relying on Nix to pilfer a blaster rifle. We also see her stealth-attacking an Imperial officer. But the shot of a charging Death Trooper suggests that Kay won’t be able to navigate every confrontation with stealth alone. The more attention she attracts, the more Kay will draw the wrath of Emperor Palpatine’s military down upon her.

That includes vehicular combat as well as gunplay. The trailer features a shot of an AT-ST walker, and we see footage of a dogfight between the Trailblazer and a group of TIE Fighters. The Rebel Alliance may be lying low right now, but the Empire is out in full force for this game.

The Monsters of Tatooine

Tatooine may just be the most iconic planet in the Star Wars galaxy, and it’s one of the open-world playgrounds on offer in Outlaws. It makes sense that Kay would be visiting Luke Skywalker’s former home planet, as both Jabba the Hutt and the Pyke Syndicate control territory there.

The trailer makes it clear some of Tatooine’s more dangerous fauna will be appearing in the game. At one point we see Kay plunging down toward the Sarlacc. We can only assume this means her meeting with Jabba doesn’t go well, and the vicious gangster dooms Kay to be digested over the course of 1000 years. Somehow, though, we’re sure she’ll weasel her way out of that fate.

We can also see Kay dodging a massive krayt dragon in the open desert. These enormous beasts are pretty much the biggest and nastiest creatures on the planet. They’re incredibly hard to kill, but that doesn’t stop a handful of foolish treasure hunters eager to harvest the valuable pearls inside their bodies. Kay seems just desperate enough that she might take on a mission to kill a krayt dragon and steal its treasure.

At this point, we can only wonder what other giant beasts might be in the game. Will we come face-to-face with Jabba’s Rancor? What about the native species on other planets like Kijimi? Massive Entertainment has even created an entirely new world called Toshara. Who knows what monsters lurk on this brand-new planet?

For more on the future of the Star Wars franchise, find out what to expect from Star Wars in 2024 and brush up on every Star Wars movie and series in development.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

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