Star Wars Wednesday: Who the heck is Doctor Aphra?

Who the heck is Doctor Aphra?

          There have been thousands of characters created for the Star Wars universe ever since it began in 2017, ranging from such beloved names as Luke Skywalker, Yoda, Darth Vader, and Ice Cream Maker Guy.

          But because of this, sometimes a great character will fall through the cracks and be overlooked by most of the audience. So I’ve decided to start a new mini-series called “Who the heck is…?” where I pick a lesser known character from the movies, books, comics or wherever and explain what makes them great.

          For the first character I’ve decided to go with a more recent introduction to the comics, but still a very notable one. Doctor Chelli Aphra has been a powerhouse character ever since Marvel got the rights back for Star Wars appearing across multiple series and in crossovers, and is currently starring in her own standalone series. But despite this, she isn’t exactly a household name. So who is she?

          Aphra made her first appearance in Marvel’s first Darth Vader comic, issue #3 to be exact. She sort of acts as a reverse-Indiana Jones when we first meet her, stealing old weapons from museums (at one point she even lampoons Indy’s classic “It belongs in a museum!” line) before being offered a job by Darth Vader himself. Over the course of the rest of the series she jumps in and out of the Sith Lord’s life, as well as occasionally meeting up with the main trio and interacting with them.

          So what makes her a character worthy of being given her own series after Darth Vader wrapped up? Well, first and foremost her personality is fantastic. She works at a fantastic counter to Vader throughout the story, being chirpy and optimistic to Vader’s cold and calculating behaviour. It’s also really fun in the early chapters to see her trying flattery to try and not end up on the bad side of his lightsaber.

          But personally what I enjoy about her the most is her ability to introduce us to the more adventurous side to the Star Wars galaxy. While I haven’t gotten too far into her solo series yet, the opening arc of her discovering the secrets of Yavin IV was fascinating to read and hinted at a much larger mystical side to the Star Wars galaxy, sort of like how Doctor Strange added magic to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Recently Doctor Aphra crossed over with the mainline Star Wars comic for a crossover called The Screaming Citadel, and while I haven’t read it myself, I’ve heard good things.

          Aphra is a fun character that has enjoyed a considerable amount of the spotlight thanks to her breakout role in Darth Vader, and from what I’ve read and heard about her solo series it seems she’s still in good hands. If you’re interested in exploring her further the entire Darth Vader series is available in various collections (and as I’ve said before it’s well worth a read) and her solo series is available at your local comic shop. If you’ve been looking for a way to get into Star Wars comics, following Aphra’s story is a good way to start.