Star Wars: Doctor Aphra Vol. 1 by Kieron Gillen, Jason Aaron

Star Wars: Doctor Aphra Vol. 1

by Kieron Gillen and Jason Aaron

Collects Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #1-8, Star Wars: The Screaming Citadel #1 and Star Wars (2015) #31-32. Rogue archaeologist Doctor Aphra barely escaped Darth Vader's wrath. If the Dark Lord of the Sith ever learns that she still lives, he'll hunt her to the ends of the galaxy. But for now, it's time for a return to what Aphra does best! With killer droids Triple-Zero and BeeTee-One in tow, she's off in search of the rarest of artifacts - as long as she can stay one step ahead of the Empire, bounty hunters…and just about everyone else! But soon, archaeologist and rebel pilot stand side-by-side when Aphra persuades Luke Skywalker to join her in a journey to the heart of the Screaming Citadel! What secret are they after? And when word gets out, can Han and Leia be far behind them?

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

4 of 5 stars

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The events in Doctor Aphra follow her time with Darth Vader, and shortly follow the events of the battle of Yavin. Along with her droids, 0-0-0 (a modified protocol droid) and BT-1 (an assassin droid), Doctor Aphra seeks to find artifacts and sell them in order to keep herself afloat, and with any luck, away from Vader.



Doctor Aphra is a spin off series from Darth Vader (hence her backstory with him), that being said you don’t actually need to have read all of Vader to understand what’s going on (I’m not up to date with it and I understood it fine). Her fear of him finding her again is pretty self-explanatory, and adds a sense of foreshadowing to the series.
Aphra and her dad are off on a quest to find proof of the Ordu Aspectu, something that her dad has been researching for Aphra’s whole life (if not longer). How did Aphra get involved, if this is her father’s quest? Blackmail of course. On their journey they come across a Jedi temple - the one almost destroyed by the battle of blank (which her father was completely unaware of – gives you a good idea of how focused/oblivious he is). So needless to say, if you’re a fan of Star Wars lore and history, this is the graphic novel for you.
Personally, I’ve always really loved the characters the blur the line between antagonist and protagonist. In Aphra’s case, she switches from antagonist to protagonist, while still holding some of the more…gray…morals of an antagonist. It makes for a really interesting character and storyline. Speaking of grayscale characters, Krrsantan; I would love to know more about this character and his backstory/goals.
What I really loved about this series was the addition of 0-0-0 and BT-1, they’re absolutely hilarious. I’ve never seen a protocol droid modified in the manner that 0-0-0 is, nor one so intent on harming others (the moment where he went out of his way – without orders – to kill somebody that was a threat to Aphra? My jaw dropped). BT-1 is pretty much in the same boat, as he considers a grenade perfectly aimed an effective manner of stalling somebody (well, technically he isn’t wrong…). The two of them together make a pretty interesting pair.


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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 9 July, 2017: Finished reading
  • 9 July, 2017: Reviewed