doctor-aphra

If you’re a Marvel Star Wars fan then unless you’ve been living under a rock you know that ‘Doctor Aphra’ is about to team up with Luke Skywalker for “The Screaming Citadel” crossover and and writer Kieron Gillen shares details on Aphra and a tease about the event itself. We’re only five issues in but have already learned more about the character’s past than what was shown in her appearances as Darth Vader’s lackey.

Currently, in the book, we’ve seen up with her father who tricked her into helping him find an ancient site which the Jedi had fought against an order which broke away from their path. Also, the leader of this splinter group appears to still be alive, and they’ve awakened him from a slumber that would have lasted for eternity.

Oops.

Still, the two have been a fun pair to read, and this arc has had the clear point of exploring her past as Gillen states:

For DOCTOR APHRA, when planning the arc, I wanted to show how Aphra came to be, and what she was reacting against. We’d talked about her mother during DARTH VADER, but I wanted to dig into that more; which means bringing in the father. And I laugh, as I see exactly what dynamic we’re flirting with.

What is interesting to find out though is this examination of Aphra and learning that she isn’t quite as coldhearted or jaded as she had previously been shown as. In fact, it almost looks like some of what she is doing could be thought of as “good” for a moment here:

If Aphra inches closer to the light you have to presume she’s about to set off some light-activated trap.

Seriously? Yeah, you can certainly take it like that. Or you could take it as Aphra scoring points with her father for her analyzing his moral hypocrisies. Or somewhere between the two; Aphra is highly capable of being petty, but she isn’t someone who actively thinks people should die. Ideally, no-one would have to die. In practice, for Aphra, it’s just not that easy.

I’ll say this: there’s so much more in here in The Screaming Citadel [crossover event]. Getting Aphra and Luke on an adventure together and letting them talk really illuminates these different priorities in a fun way.

Watching these two working together is something that I am eagerly looking forward to. If she were to switch sides though there is a large consideration that you might not think to factor in right off the bat:

A good question. Way back in the solo story in DARTH VADER, Triple-Zero did say “Heaven Help Us If I Get Bored.” Good, he wouldn’t care about. Bored? That is the one thing the droids won’t bear.

Ut-oh. We might be seeing Aphra having to go up against her own droids. While their partnership is solid at this moment the comment which Triple-Zero made and quoted by Gillen hints at exactly how easy it could fall apart.

Back to her father and their investigation of Jedi ruins and the Aspectu Ordu, it has to make you wonder if this is secretly a lead-in to “The Screaming Citadel” and Gillen hints:

The Screaming Citadel grows from both our books. The big events we always want to stay self-contained so newcomers can jump on, but it’s integrated entirely into the plot of DOCTOR APHRA. For readers of DOCTOR APHRA, consider it volume two. So, there’s certainly elements of our story which flow directly into it in a natural way.

Yes, I am an oblique tease.

It sure sounds like the current adventure of ‘Doctor Aphra’ is going to directly kick off this crossover. I’m just wondering how Luke is going to stumble into this mess.

Are you looking forward to seeing how ‘Doctor Aphra’ evolves as a character or do you think that she’ll mainly be the same moving forward? How do you think her working with Skywalker will end during “The Screaming Citadel” arc? Share your thoughts below!

You can pick up ‘Doctor Aphra’ #6 in your local comic shop on April 12th, 2017!

Source: Marvel

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Stuart Conover is an author, blogger, and all around geek. When not busy being a father and husband he tries to spend as much time as possible immersed in comic books, science fiction, and horror! Would you like to know more? Follow him on Twitter!