Star Wars: Outlaws sends players on a planet-hopping adventure as Kay Vess, a novice rogue who finds herself entangled in the galactic underworld in search of a fresh life. Unlike a lot of recent Star Wars content, you don’t need to know much about the franchise’s expanded universe to understand the events Outlaws. It’s a game rooted firmly in the fiction and aesthetic of George Lucas’ original trilogy. If you’ve seen those classic Star Wars movies, you’ll be very familiar with the sights and sounds Outlaws.
But there are a few things you might want to know about where Star Wars: Outlaws fits into the larger Star Wars franchise. We’ll explain.
When does Star Wars Outlaws take place?
Ubisoft’s fresh open-world Star Wars game takes place between the events of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back AND Return of the Jedi. The Galactic Empire is in full force in this game, and is busy destroying the Rebel Alliance. This means that the galactic criminal underworld is growing while the Empire looks the other way.
What Star Wars characters appear in Outlaws?
You’ll meet some familiar faces, like Jabba the Hutt and his henchmen hiding out on Tatooine, and play cards (Sabacc) against Lando Calrissian. You’ll also meet other characters from the Star Wars universe, including Qi’ra, who was introduced to Star Wars fans in 2018. Solo: A Star Wars Story. In the movie, Qi’ra was played by actress Emilia Clarke Solobut does not repeat his role in Outlaws.
Most of the cast Outlaws is original to the game. Kay Vess, her merqaal companion Nix, Rodian mechanic Waka, and BX Commando droid ND-5 make their Star Wars debuts in OutlawsBad guy Sliro and bounty hunter Vail are also original characters created for the game.
Who is Crimson Dawn? And Pykes?
Star Wars: Outlaws a number of crime syndicates emerge that Kay can either affiliate with or take advantage of to gain the right opportunity: the Hutt Cartel, the Pyke Syndicate, the Crimson Dawn, and the Ashiga Clan.
Even casual Star Wars fans are probably familiar with the Hutts, or at least the giant, slug-like crime lord Jabba the Hutt. While players will meet Jabba the Hutt himself in Star Wars: Outlawsis a man of rest and prefers to remain in a prone position on Tatooine. As you play, you will interact more with Jabba’s subordinates from other alien species who represent the Hutts.
The Pyke Syndicate is a powerful group of spice traders from the planet Oba Diah, home of the Pyke species. The Pyke first appeared in Star Wars fiction in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Warsand made his acting debut Solo: A Star Wars Story. They were also a major part of the Disney Plus series The Book of Boba Fettif you want to know more about Pykes.
Crimson Dawn was introduced in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Crimson Dawn was formed from a group of ruthless mercenaries and at one point was led by the Sith Lord Darth Maul (from The Dark Specter) and became one of the most feared syndicates in the Galactic Empire. Crimson Dawn in Outlaws is led by Lady Qi’ra, a former love interest of Han Solo.
The Ashiga clan is fresh to the Star Wars universe and was created specifically for OutlawsThe Syndicate was founded by the Melitto species, which has appeared in many parts of Star Wars fiction, and is based on the planet Kijimi, which is briefly seen in Star Wars: The Rise of SkywalkerAshigi’s design was largely inspired by Japanese architecture and clothing.
There is another syndicate: Zerek Besh. It is run by the bad guy Sliro and is original Star Wars: OutlawsPlayers will learn his true origins and purpose throughout the game.
