Doctor Aphra #3 Review

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A one Wookiee army creates a distraction while Aphra searches a Massassi temple.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Doctor Aphra #3.

Doctor Aphra #3

Writer: Kieron Gillen | Artist: Kev Walker | Colors: Antonio Fabela | Cover Artist: Kamome Shirahama | Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna | Assistant Editor: Heather Antos | Editor: Jordan D. White

Invading the Temple

Aphra, her father, Black Krrsantan, and the droids finally arrived at the Massassi temple on Yavin 4. Inside, Aphra’s father hopes to find the secret location of the citadel of the Ordu Aspectu. With that location, he hopes to unlock their secrets to immortality and “save the galaxy.” However, there is one problem. Indeed, it is a big problem, the Empire controls the temple. They took control of the site once the Rebellion fled after the Battle of Yavin. Once a distraction removed the Empire, Aphra and her father uncovered the location of the citadel.

One Wookiee Army

As for that distraction, Black Krrsantan proved up to the task. The stormtroopers, under the command of Captain Tolvan, responde to coded signals he left as a trap. When they investigate, the fierce Wookiee decimates them with relentless assaults and cunning traps. Krrsantan is a nightmare of a beast. From the pages of Vader Down to this battle, he demonstrates his destructive power and unforgiving combat style. There is a reason Aphra keeps him around, but at arm’s length.

Aphra’s Conscience

It may come as some surprise, but Dr. Aphra has a conscience. It’s true. While arguing with her father, she barely contains her anger when he confesses his lack of knowledge concerning the Death Star. Even though she served Darth Vader, the mass murder of millions of innocents gnaws at her conscience. Her father’s ignorance angered and irritated her. As she put it, he was simply too busy to notice. To Aphra’s father, the Death Star was a myth. He heard the rumor the Empire destroyed Alderaan. He dismissed it. After all, what happened to the planet killer? As he puts it, he doesn’t follow current events.

The destruction of a planet is a major current event, wouldn’t you say? Perhaps Aphra’s anger arises from somewhere other than a moral sense. For her, it is personal. Her father always focused on the Ordu Aspectu. In fact, he was so focused, he largely missed the first major victory of the Rebellion. Aphra blames this focus for the death of her mother and their family problems. This raises another question: is Aphra’s anger solely about her mother’s death, or does she have a personal failure she blames her father for? The answer to that question may lie in the future of this series.

Rogue One Connection

This issue contains an obvious Rogue One reference. Aphra’s father is baffled. He cannot understand why Imperial stormtroopers swarm the Massassi Temple on Yavin IV. In response, Aphra attempts to explain the Battle of Yavin and the destruction of the Death Star. Beyond his ignorance of the existence of the Death Star, Aphra challenges him on Jedha. She asks him if he bought the story on Jedha. What exactly that story is remains unsaid in this issue, but the reference is there. In addition, this issue features a hover tank from Rogue One under the command of a hover tank trooper. These tie-ins to the movie are appreciated.

More Indiana Jones Influences

Doctor Aphra #3 continues the Indiana Jones references. Much like the intrepid Dr. Jones, Dr. Aphra needs to locate the resting place of an archaeological treasure in a map room. While Indiana had the Staff of Ra, Aphra and her father have artifacts of the Ordu Aspectu. To locate the citadel, Aphra and her father place the artifacts in a de facto map room. Although the imagery differs from Raiders of the Lost Ark, the scene is strikingly similar. At first, nothing happens. Then, a wall opens to reveal Yavin’s sun illuminating another temple as the citadel.

Gillen’s choice in borrowing concepts from Indiana Jones is a wise choice. Creating and adventurer-archaeologist in the Star Wars galaxy is a unique challenge. The option to mimic Lara Croft from Tomb Raider was one option. However, much of Lara Croft’s appeal was sex appeal. In addition, that heroine was a gunslinger. That isn’t Aphra. Even Indiana Jones is more rugged than Aphra. She relies more on her wits and hired muscle, but she studies and researches like Indiana. So, it isn’t a true comparison. But, choosing story elements from Indiana Jones creates a familiarity that assists the narrative structure and flow of the story.

Conclusion

After three issues, Doctor Aphra continues to tell an intriguing story. This is some of Gillen’s best writing. The rate of Aphra’s character depth continually accelerates. While she has a vicious side, she balances it with a morality that she hides from most others. Although she willingly served Vader, his and the Empire’s brutality ultimately repulsed her. Her father’s callousness, intentional or not, hurts her. When he expresses ignorance of mass murder, she takes it as a personally. After all, his obsession cost him his family and Aphra her childhood. That same obsession hasn’t waned after all these years. One last thing, readers finally get Aphra’s full name. Check the penultimate page for the reveal.

Favorite Panel of Doctor Aphra #3

Kev Walker’s style works very well in Doctor Aphra. He has a gift for conveying expression and emotion. Even if Aphra didn’t have harsh words for her father, her facial expressions give her away. She is incapable of hiding her anger towards him. When he admits his disbelief in the Death Star, Aphra responds with shock, disbelief, and most importantly, disgust. Even if there had been no dialogue, the look on Aphra’s face says it all. Kev Walker captured “disgust” perfectly over three panels. It is written all over Aphra’s face. The final panel of that sequence is the favorite panel for Doctor Aphra #3.