Everything you need to know about the adventurous, resourceful, and openly-lesbian archaeologist.
There is no shortage of interesting characters in the far, far-away galaxy of Star Wars, and Doctor Aphra has proven herself to be a fan favorite. A criminal archaeologist, as well as the franchise’s first queer woman of color, Chelli Aphra was intended by creator Kieron Gillen to be the moral inverse of fellow fictional artifact-seeker, Indiana Jones. Gillen believed the treasure-hunting swashbuckler archetype would fit well in the Star Wars universe, and Aphra’s popularity has certainly proven him right.
But who exactly is Doctor Aphra? And why was she forced to fake her own death at the hands of the notorious Sith Lord, Darth Vader?
Chelli Lona Aphra was born 24 years before the events of A New Hope. Having gone through a difficult childhood, which included her father’s neglect and her mother’s death at the hands of pirates, Aphra became self-centered and reckless. Despite her hardships, she made it into the University of Bar’leth, where she cultivated her passion for galactic history and ancient civilizations. Upon getting her hands on her doctorate (through underhanded means), Aphra embarked on a series of adventures.
Making her first comic book appearance in Star Wars: Darth Vader #3, the droid-savvy archaeologist was enlisted by Vader to create a private army of battle droids (unbeknownst to Emperor Palpatine, who had demoted Vader following the destruction of the Death Star). Aphra, a self-proclaimed “big fan” of Vader’s, was more than happy to take the job. Though the pair entered a fruitful partnership, Aphra was rightly cautious of the Sith Lord, even going so far as to negotiate her means of death for when their business arrangement reached its inevitable ugly end. Her request? To not be ejected into space to freeze and asphyxiate; something she had always had nightmares about.
As predicted, Vader and Aphra’s partnership soured, and Aphra tried to save her skin by informing the Emperor of Vader’s secret work. The bad news? The Emperor was actually impressedwith Vader. To Aphra’s horror, Vader then led her to an airlock and, despite her pleas, ejected her into space.
Though her death seemed apparent, Star Wars fans were relieved to find that Aphra used special equipment to survive in space, and was soon rescued by partners-in-crime Beetee and Triple-zero. With her survival a secret from Vader and the Emperor, the crew takes to hyperspace toward new adventures. This leads directly into Aphra’s very own comic book run.
Marvel made the right call when they decided to keep Aphra alive, because the character has proven to be a fan favorite, with an award-winning comic book series and rumors of her own Disney+ series on the way.