Writing over at StarWars.com, Bria LaVorgna explains why Doctor Aphra means so much to her, describing the impact the character has had on Star Wars and on her personally.
I’ve been a Star Wars fan since before I can even remember, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I truly felt seen by the galaxy that I loved so much. And that was due in great part to Doctor Aphra.
Everyone comes to Star Wars through different avenues and everyone stays for different reasons. Usually, those reasons involve finding characters and storylines that we connect with. For me, my love of Star Wars began with the original trilogy. I used to run around my yard pretending to be Princess Leia and turning empty wrapping paper tubes into lightsabers with the copious use of markers. As the years passed, that love only deepened as I discovered the Legends books and the prequel trilogy was released, and I found more women in the galaxy far, far away to love (and wish I could be as cool as). But none of the ones in prominent roles looked like me (a half-Chinese girl) and, although I didn’t realize this about myself until I was older, there were no characters in the Star Wars galaxy who were queer like I was, either. At times, it felt as if you could only be a part of the galaxy if you looked and were a certain way. But still, I loved Star Wars even if I couldn’t see myself amongst those characters up in the stars.
