The first major pirate in the Star Wars franchise – Crimson Jack – debuted shortly after A New Hope and quickly became a major threat to Han Solo and his newfound Rebel allies. Crimson Jack debuted in Marvel’s classic Star Wars comics, which were among the first Star Wars non-movie properties. In the years between the releases of the original trilogy films, these comics (and other properties, like Alan Dean Foster’s novel Splinter of the Mind’s Eye) expanded the lore of the Star Wars galaxy, keeping viewers invested in the franchise before the next major film came out.

https://screenrant.com/star-wars-crimson-jack-pirate-explained/