Star Wars: 10 reasons a Doctor Aphra TV series must happen

Josh Sippie

Disney+

Star Wars is announcing all kinds of series in the coming years, but any hopes of a Doctor Aphra series are still merely rumors. Here are 10 reasons it has to happen.

Disney+ has completely changed how the viewing public consumes the Star Wars universe, and with the Skywalker saga behind us, the future is a wide-open treasure trove of content that can be set in the galaxy far away.

Just in the past year, we’ve learned Obi Wan is getting a series, Cassian Andor is getting a series, a rumored new Star Wars movie series will take place in the High Republic, and there’s more to come.

One such thing fans are hoping will come is a TV series centered on Doctor Aphra, the original graphic novel character who began her rise to Star Wars immortality in the Darth Vader comic series. She was just so great that they had to give us more. And every step of the way has been a tremendous journey that has been nothing if not unique.

There is no guarantee that an Aphra series is coming (although it sounds hopeful), but what do we have if not hope?

There’s so much content to come from in this series, and with it continuing this year, we will be able to see where the storyline takes us, but even if the series deviates from the comic book line, Doctor Aphra is a character that deserves the screen.

And so, if you needed any further reason why Aphra should make it beyond the page, I’ve compiled a list of ten reasons. As a courtesy, I’ve left Black Krrsantan off, since I feel like I’d just be belaboring the point after how much I’ve advocated for his screen debut (Obi-Wan series! Bring it!)

Anyway, enough dawdling. Let’s talk specifics. We’ll start with No. 10.

10. It’s Star Wars, right?

Okay, maybe this is a cheapie, but come on. If you attach the Star Wars name to anything, it will succeed. If you attach the Marvel name to anything, it will succeed. According to the rumors of this show happening, it would be a mash-up of Star Wars and Marvel (both owned by Disney, of course) that would bring two of the goliaths of the film-making world together.

Even when Star Wars fails, it still succeeds. I’ll admit, I struggled with the first few episodes of The Mandalorian, even with ~~Baby Yoda~~ The Child’s cuteness. But you better believe that I was going to watch every minute of it solely because it took place in a universe I knew and loved.

Think of the prequel trilogy. Many people did not like The Phantom Menace or Attack of the Clones, but who out there actively chooses not to watch them? Not me. I watch them all the time because I watch Star Wars all the time and they are Star Wars. Like it or not.

Doctor Aphra carries the Star Wars insignia. Therefore it will succeed no matter how it turns out. But as we move forward, we will get into more reasons why it will succeed for far more reasons than it just being affiliated with Star Wars.

On to No. 9

9. Darth Vader

Doctor Aphra got her start in the Darth Vader comic book series, as she starts working for the dark lord of the Sith, but the clear contrast of their characters, combined with their odd similarities, made her stand out as someone in need of her own story.

That said, Vader is a huge draw to having an Aphra series, because Vader would likely play a prominent role at a time when we don’t see a lot of him.

I made the point not long ago that Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order gave us that same thing—a Vader we’ve never seen before. Peak Vader, if you will. He was a beacon of power, completely unstoppable.

There is a big difference between seeing that Vader on the page and seeing that Vader on the screen. And we still haven’t really seen that Vader on the screen. But a Doctor Aphra series would give us that Vader at a time when he’s full of rage and vengeance. Yes please.

No. 8 is next.

8. Sense of humor

There has always been a decent sense of humor in Star Wars. Always someone to provide a lift. In the prequels it was (supposed to be, but was absolutely not) Jar Jar Binks. Obi-Wan had his laughs too. In the original trilogy, Han and the droids gave us some titters. Then came Finn, who was quite funny, along with more droids and a few one-offs like Babu Frik.

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But the sense of humor of Doctor Aphra is tremendous, and it’s not just character based. The tone of the series is grounded in comedy like no other Star Wars comic book series, and presumably, that would carry over into the TV series as well. It would defeat the purpose if it didn’t.

There is a lot of character-specific humor as well, the likes of which is unique to the Aphra series alone. Triple Zero, for instance? A complete hoot. A complete, murdering hoot. And Beetee isn’t far behind.

It’s also situational humor. Doctor Aphra is constantly getting herself into jams and finagling her way out of it with wit and humor. That’s just not something that the Star Wars universe has seen on the screen, and it will help the deeper elements of the show hit that much harder.

Onwards to No. 7.

Alden Ehrenreich is Han Solo and Joonas Suotamo is Chewbacca in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY.

7. Parallel successes

If you look at Doctor Aphra’s primary cast of characters as an itemized list, it may sound familiar—A scoundrel, an angry Wookiee, an astromech droid and a protocol droid. It’s Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO and R2-D2, right?

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Yes.

But it’s also Doctor Aphra, Black Krrsantan (I knew he’d pop up in here), Triple Zero and Beetee. The characters mirror some of the more memorable characters of the Skywalker saga, but without wanting to be identical, they took completely different spins on what was already proven successful.

Rather than have a dainty protocol droid, how about a hard-nosed, evil one. Why have a mischievous astromech when you can instead have one that boasts and explosive arsenal that can take down entire platoons. Oh, but still make them best friends.

And the Wookie/Scoundrel pairing may not be quite as prevalent in Doctor Aphra, but it still exists enough, and possess enough charm, that it carries the same strength within the relationship as Han and Chewie’s did. Perhaps even more so, in its own unique ways.

The structure of these characters is proven to work. It will work again. More on this later. But first, No. 6.

Star Wars The Mandalorian — Scene from Disney+ series THE MANDALORIAN.

6. Detachment from the Skywalker saga

What made The Mandalorian so successful? Well, a lot of things. But one of the main things was how detached it was from the Skywalker saga and anyone in it.

It created it’s own brand. At a time when Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker was meeting mixed reviews, The Mandalorian was sailing in the exclusively positive direction. It was a Star Wars story like we hadn’t seen before, which I’ve already said about 17 times about a potential Doctor Aphra series.

When it was announced that some saga characters would be appearing in The Mandalorian Season 2, there were mostly groans, not cheers. People appreciate it for being different, for creating new characters and focusing on something other than the collapse of the Jedi and/or another oppressive regime.

Doctor Aphra has nothing to do with the Skywalker series. There could be overlap, if the makers want there to be, but there 100% does not have to be. Just like The Mandalorian.

In case you didn’t know, the Star Wars universe is huge, and there are so many stories that don’t have to involve the same cast of characters and their quest to save the galaxy. Aphra does not care about the fate of the galaxy at all. And it’s remarkably refreshing.

That said….

5. Still connected enough

Yes, Doctor Aphra has nothing to do with the Skywalker saga. Just like The Mandalorian doesn’t. But some of the main draws of The Mandalorian have foundation in the Skywalker saga. Din Djarin is a Mandalorian, just like Boba Fett. Everyone immediately wanted to know if he knew Boba Fett.

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Baby Yoda

? Sorry… The Child? Sure, we care about him because he’s just so damn adorable, but what’s the one thing on everyone’s mind? Does he know Papa Yoda? Are they related? What can we find out about the Yoda alien species? That’s all grounded in the Skywalker saga.

Same as Doctor Aphra. This story has the liberty of being its own thing while still having enough crossover to appeal to both fans of Star Wars in general, and just fans of a new Science Fiction series that just so happens to take place in the same universe where Luke once blew up the Death Star.

As I mentioned earlier, one big draw is the potential presence of Darth Vader, and it stands to reason that we’d see more familiar faces throughout the series, and that’s fine. But it won’t be a main factor of what makes this show successful.

Next up, No. 4.

4. Trip and Beetee

There are a lot of fantastic droid personalities across the Star Wars universe. C-3PO and R2-D2 set the bar pretty high, but droids like BB-8 and BD-1 have carried that torch in tremendous fashion. IG-11 added heartfelt badassery and IG-88 gives us the thrill of mystery.

But the two droids in Doctor Aphra, Beetee and Trip, are (I can’t believe I’m going to do this) a trip. Literally.

Picture C-3PO with red eyes and a passion for murdering people in the most gruesome ways possible. That’s what you get in Trip. It isn’t just immensely entertaining, it is surprisingly deep and worth exploring from a character standpoint. While his one-dimensionality is hilarious, the potential for major growth and exploration adds levels to this droid that you would never see coming.

And Beetee? He’s R2 with an arsenal of explosives. He’s the deadliest droid you’ve ever seen, and he’s Trip’s best friend. They are an incredible duo, a dynamic combination, and it would be a crime to never see them on the screen together.

Next up, No. 3.

3. First openly gay main character

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker gave viewers the first ever gay romance in the Star Wars cinematic universe, though it was isolated to a single kiss at the end of the movie. Not everyone was happy with that, as many believed that Finn and Poe should have come out as an openly gay couple. Oscar Isaac himself wanted that to happen. Alas, it didn’t.

Doctor Aphra would be the first title character to be openly gay, which is a monumental step forward for the iconic franchise.

Aphra’s love interests don’t come out in the early goings of the comic books series. You have to get pretty deep into the series for her to make even the slightest allusion that she’s interested in women, but when she does, it fits the story like a glove—pardon the cliche.

I have to believe that any TV series would do things differently. They wouldn’t wait until a hypothetical season three to bring out this major, groundbreaking point. Plus, adding romantic elements always has a way of making a story pop even more.

No. 2 is next.

2. The History of the galaxy

Many have likened Doctor Aphra to the Indiana Jones of the Star Wars galaxy, and that’s pretty apt. All of her misadventures are based in her discovering old and, naturally, deadly artifacts that she wants to sell to make a nice living for herself.

One of the delectable side effects of this primary plot drive is that we get to learn a lot about the history of the Star Wars universe that isn’t just exposition. Aphra’s personality is a stroke of brilliance, so to mash her questionable morality with her fantastic intelligence is a tremendous way to shed light on a massive galaxy full of rich history and not make it feel like a history lesson.

Even more than Indiana Jones did.

Everything Aphra finds, she has to go through history to get to. And more than that, she has to elaborate on why there is so much value placed on this one item, which could have been used a thousand years ago in the Jedi-Sith Wars, which inevitably leads to her geeking out over the Jedi-Sith Wars.

For the History buffs out there who also happen to live in the Star Wars universe, you need Aphra. And Aphra can help educate even the most passive of Star Wars fans in just how deep and diverse this universe is.

Finally, No. 1.

1. Doctor Aphra herself

Yeah, I did the same thing with my list about the Obi-Wan series, but for Doctor Aphra, it’s even more important to swoon over her character as a promotion of the series itself.

There’s a reason why Aphra got her own comic book series so soon after appearing in the Darth Vader series. It’s because Marvel had created a genuinely awesome character with the kind of depth we haven’t seen in a primary character before.

What makes Aphra so appealing is her completely middle-of-the-road morality. The murderous Trip thinks she’s too good, but the saintly Leia thinks she’s too evil. Just when you think Aphra may lean one way or the other, she flips the script and goes back in the opposite direction.

This leads to internal conflict over her own morality that is even more compelling that that of Ben Solo’s because with Ben, you see him go full evil, then full good. Aphra doesn’t have that. Aphra is like an FM wave of fluctuating morality and it keeps the reader (and hopefully the viewer, eventually) on their toes every single minute she is on the page (screen).

And this ties everything together, beyond just her morality. She would be the first openly gay character. She is a scoundrel not unlike Han Solo. She has questionable friends that bring out her personality more. She is dynamic. That’s what you want.

What do you think, Aphra fans (or dissenters)? Do you want this series to be made?

Josh Sippie

Josh is a professional writer living in New York City. When not writing, he can be found wondering why he isn't writing.