Star Wars Almost Killed Off A Fan-Favorite Character For Good

Doctor Aphra was an immediate hit in the Star Wars universe, as the treasure-hunter fit in seamlessly as an antihero that nobody could trust. However, at the height of her popularity as a new character in the Star Wars universe, Aphra was nearly killed off.

Chelli Lona Aphra was created by Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larocca. Aphra was Star Wars’ answers to Indiana Jones, however, her actions consistently fell into a moral gray area – one issue she seemed good, the next a bad guy. She first appeared in Star Wars: Darth Vader #3, and was hired by Darth Vader after being impressed with droids she reactivated. Vader had Aphra join his inner-circle in an effort to build an army of droids. The pair would work together before the relationship soured (partnering with Vader is never the best long-term move) and Aphra tried to save her butt by telling Emperor Palpatine of Vader’s secret missions. Unfortunately, Palpatine was impressed with Vader’s work which was not good news for Doctor Aphra.

In Star Wars: Darth Vader #25, Aphra pleads her case after her betrayal of Vader to Palpatine. She tells him she didn’t have many options and had to prove herself to the Emperor. She tries to spin it as a positive for Vader, who has no interest in hearing Aphra out. He leads to an airlock which immediately terrifies Aphra, as her biggest fear was dying floating in space. “You promised me the saber. Nice and quick! You promised!” Despite her pleas, Vader ejects her into space.

The image of Aphra floating in space is a gruesome one. But, thankfully, her apparent death was avoided. Aphra is saved by Black Krrsantan, Triple-zero, and Beetee. It turns out she used special equipment from a previous mission to stay alive in space. When she sees her friends and rescuers and they suggest Aphra could have died by his saber instead, she responds with “he’s Darth Vader. He was never going to be kind.”

The fake-out is one of the more dramatic moments to come from the Star Wars comic canon as the idea of losing Aphra as soon as she became a fan-favorite in the universe would have been extremely shocking and controversial. Ultimately, Aphra’s resourcefulness saved her from being another victim of Vader and she would go on to star in her own comic series – and is even rumored to have her own Disney+ series on the way. It’s a good thing Marvel kept her adventures going because killing Doctor Aphra would have been a massive mistake.

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Liam McGuire
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Lead writer for Screen Rant’s comic team. [email protected]. Find me on Twitter @LiamRMcGuire for comic news and reporting.

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