Doctor Aphra (2020) #31
ALL MADE ONE
An uneasy truce between Aphra and the Spark brought the dual-inhabited body of the archaeologist to the Amaxine Station.
There, Aphra came face-to-face with Darth Vader.
After an intense battle, Aphra and the Spark were finally separated, with the good Doctor saying goodbye to the locked-away spirit of Miril.
Now it’s time for Doctor Chelli Aphra to get her life back on track….
Writer: Alyssa Wong
Artist: Minkyu Jung
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Cover artist: Rachael Stott
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publication date: May 3, 2023
We’re finally beyond the Spark Eternal storyline, but much in the way that Jean Luc Picard never truly got over his assimilation by the Borg, so you have to believe it will be with Aphra as her similarly invasive coercion is simply too huge an event to just forget. We’re with her at Mareti Base on Hiorin in the Outer Rim, and as Chelli checks the mark left behind by the Spark she walks back into a dimly lit room where Ariole Yu, Just Lucky, Magna Tolvan, Eustacia Okka, her father Korin Aphra, Detta Yao, Sana Starros and Kho Phon Farrus sit waiting. What they don’t expect is Aphra to tear into them, telling them to go home, help the rebellion, whatever they want. Magna is annoyed, while Kho defends herself when accused by Aphra of risking everything to crack the secrets of the Ascendant. As Korin calms the tension somewhat, Aphra reminds them that she didn’t ask them to risk their lives, to which Magna replies that no, she didn’t – Sana Starros did. Frustrated, Tolvan walks away and Sana tells Chelli to go after her and apologise, and following close behind we learn that Sana orchestrated the situation so she was there with Tolvan, the two people Aphra loves the most.
Magna and Chelli speak, Aphra as cutting as ever as she refuses to aplogise for their night together back in issue #39 of the orignal run of Doctor Aphra, claiming she did it to protect Manga and keep Vader away. Chelli knows Magna is leaving and wants their last memory to not be one of them fighting, but Tolvan makes it clear that the rebellion will always be her priority just as Aphra will always choose herself.
Back with the group, Korrin and Eustacia discuss the Shadow University while Detta and Kho tussle before kissing, the pre-emptor to the door locking as Just Lucky and Ariole walk by and have their own moment, Lucky propositioning Ariole as they too kiss. We cut to Sana and Aphra, and after explaining a thousand reasons why she should run for the hills, Sana tells Aphra she loves her and they also kiss. However, Sana then explains why she has to go, how she’d go through it all again but doesn’t believe Aphra would do the same, or even tell Starros that she loves her in return, which Aphra can’t do.
We leave a broken Aphra as we shift location to Numidian Prime a while later and Luke Skywalker walking back to his X-Wing where R2-D2 waits. However, the droid is on his side and as Luke checks closer a cannister opens and smoke plumes out, knocking Luke unconscious as Aphra steps in looking for ‘a little adventure‘.
This is certainly a reset, and while very little happens in the issue there’s certainly plenty to ponder. Magna Tolvan has left, Detta and Kho are a couple, as are Just Lucky and Ariole. Even Korrin and Eustacia are planning to work together, but it’s the love life of Aphra that drives this issue and leaving her bereft after Sana leaves (quite possibly for the events of her currently ongoing mini series) she appears to be turning her attentions back to her stock-in-trade and luring Luke into helping her achieve it. There needed to be a tonal break between the Spark Eternal storyline and whatever comes next, and again the consistent thread was everyone highlighting what a thoroughly lousy person they believe Aphra is. Of course, as a reader we can see things in Chelli her companions cannot (especially her lack of worth, something she often states but her group clearly don’t believe she means), but the trick of Alyssa Wongs writing is to in turn take us to ground level to show us how she is seen by everyone around her. On that basis, she really is a contradictory, hypocritical, complusive, manipulative ‘horrible little womp rat of a person‘ – the trick to keeping us coming back is her friends are every bit as morally bankrupt as she is. Fascinating stuff, and with the Skywalker ending we’re all geared up for the next adventure in issue 32.
