Star Wars: Doctor Aphra No. 40 review: Letting go

Doctor Aphra has a secret. In the final issue of this run of her Star Wars story, we learn what happens when she tells Darth Vader about it.

Destination: Hoth. At least, that’s what Aphra wants us to think.

“Dress warm” was the final line we got from her at the end of Doctor Aphra No. 39, which would imply we would soon head to Hoth for an untimely reunion with a certain rogue Alliance.

But it turns out the frozen tundra to which Aphra leads Vader and his men is actually Tython, not Hoth. And as you can probably guess, Lord Chokey McChokeHands isn’t too happy about the lack of a rebel base on this useless frozen rock.

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It was no surprise that Aphra would lead her “boss” astray. But by now, the predictability of Chelli Aphra is what keeps us coming back. If one tech savvy archeologist can trap a Sith Lord in a cave and manipulate his machinery to “save” the rebellion, does the transparency of her deception matter? Not in the slightest.

By the end of it all, Aphra has managed to scramble the probe droids’ data just enough to give the Alliance a chance to build up their defenses on Hoth before the Empire finds them. She then takes the remains of her murder droids (who she manipulated into helping her, naturally) and a ship and presumably flies off into the unknown.

This whole final issue is a love letter to Vulaada, Aphra senior, and of course, Tolvan — a love letter that includes a goodbye, because “love means letting go.” Sobbing.

The writing of this finale truly felt like an ending in the best way possible — a literal voiceover that you might hear during a film or TV show’s epilogue (think Sabine’s monologue at the end of` Rebels, but darker).

It’s no secret that this is an (almost) conclusion. It doesn’t try to close off any chances of the story continuing on, either. It leaves things open. And it’s a good thing, too, because Tolvan and Aphra haven’t gotten their happily ever after, and the fandom will not rest until they do.

Thankfully, this is not actually the last we will see of Aphra and her loved ones (and partial murder droids). Her story will continue for at least one more comic issue (that we know of) in Empire Ascendant, the grand finale of the current Star Wars main comic run combined with the conclusion of a few other smaller stories within.

After that, we don’t know what Aphra’s future in canon will look like. Nothing beyond next week’s appearance has been confirmed, and won’t be until at least January when we’ll get a whole new round of announcements following the Rise of Skywalker hype.

It could be the end of her story. It could just be the beginning. Either way, how blessed we are to have had this rogue archeologist in our lives for this long. We hope there’s a happy “ending” on the horizon. Force knows she deserves one.

Don’t forget to pick up Empire Ascendant #1 on December 18 for the conclusion of Doctor Aphra’s story — and the beginning of something new.