Caution: Spoilers for Star Wars: The Battle of Jakku – Republic Under Siege (2024) #1 ahead!
Doctor Aphra is undoubtedly one of Star Wars’ best original comic characters, and she finally makes an appearance after the events of Return of the Jedi in Marvel’s latest miniseries, crossing paths with Luke Skywalker at a pivotal moment. Though she has never appeared in live-action, Aphra has been a foundational part of the Star Wars franchise since debuting in Marvel’s Darth Vader ongoing series in 2015.
In Star Wars: The Battle of Jakku – Republic Under Siege (2024) #1 – written by Alex Segura, with art by Stefano Raffaele – Luke Skywalker and Rynn Zenat duel the Acolytes of the Beyond, each seeking to obtain an ancient Jedi relic called the Compendium that once belonged to Ky Narec, the master of Asajj Ventress.
Though Luke and Rynn overpower the Acolytes and question their leader, Yuan Howzell, Luke’s bag containing the relic is stolen by a shadowy figure. Luke and Rynn chase the figure to Luke’s X-Wing, where he realizes the relic thief is actually Doctor Aphra.
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Star Wars: The Battle of Jakku – Republic Under Siege (2024) #1 – Written By Alex Segura; Art By Stefano Raffaele; Color By Alex Sinclair; Lettering By Joe Caramagna
Doctor Aphra is a rogue archaeologist, who was recruited by Darth Vader after his failure at the Battle of Yavin. Vader needed her expertise of thieving for a few tasks to gain back favor with the Emperor, and she searched for a weakness she could use as collateral. Eventually, she discovered that Luke Skywalker was Vader’s son. When she feared Vader was going to kill her, she told the Emperor all the things Vader had her do against the Empire, leaving out the parentage part. Emperor Palpatine admired Vader’s dedication, and Vader ended up throwing Aphra out an airlock anyway.
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Doctor Aphra had foreseen the possibility of her scheme failing, and had a plan to survive that too. Over the years, she has run into Luke Skywalker many times, often competing with him to find an expensive artifact. The last time they worked together, Aphra led Luke to a Jedi Temple that she believed would contain valuable contents, and she needed him to unlock the door. Aphra’s latest appearance after Return of the Jedi could mean a big treasure hunt is coming for Luke, as Aphra usually finds him when she needs his help.
Doctor Aphra’s Latest Appearance Could Mean A Live Action Debut Is Still Possible
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Before Republic Under Siege #1, Doctor Aphra’s fate after Return of the Jedi was unknown. Without being present in the movies, there was no way to know, but her lack of loyalty to any faction meant she could be doing anything, with anyone, anywhere in the galaxy. Now that it is confirmed by her latest interaction with Luke Skywalker that Aphra is still kicking around and hunting for treasure, it is even more likely that she will make a live action Star Wars debut in the coming years, in some form or another.
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Star Wars: The Battle of Jakku – Republic Under Siege #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
