Dr. Chelli Lona Aphra, rogue archaeologist, is in trouble again.

A pioneer in the field of criminal xenoarchaeology, Aphra recognizes no law, has no fear, and possesses no impulse control. To her, the true worth of the galactic relics she discovers isn’t found in a museum, but in an arsenal. This viewpoint has led to a lot of misunderstandings. After her latest plan goes horribly wrong, her roguish ways are on the verge of catching up to her, when suddenly Darth Vader, terror of the galaxy, swoops in with his lightsaber ignited and…saves her life?

Don’t get her wrong – it’s not like she’s ungrateful. Sure, her new boss is a lord of the Sith. And okay, she may have just become a pawn in a deadly game being played by him and his boss, who happens to be the Galactic Emperor. And yes, the life expectancy of anyone who disappoints Vader can be measured in seconds.

But she’s back doing what she does best. She’s got a ship to fly, a heist to pull, and two unorthodox but effective metal buddies: Triple-Zero, a protocol droid specializing in etiquette, customs, translation, and torture; and BT-1, an astromech loaded with enough firepower to take down a battlecruiser. Together, they might just find a way to get the job done and avoid the deadly performance review that waits at its conclusion.

Just kidding. She’s doomed.

This Doctor Aphra audiobook is like a confluence of a lot of different of things for me, and this review could be a bumpy ride, so hang on.

First & foremost, this was fucking fantastic, and I sincerely hope to see Sarah Kuhn writing more in the Star Wars universe, because the amount of heart she poured into this project is amazing! And this is legit as much fun as Star Wars gets, full stop.

So, Doctor Aphra. And Star Wars comics. It kills me to have not read any of the new Star Wars comics, but so far, it’s been a conscious choice because I get…overwhelmed. I’ve been an off & on comic reader since I was little, but I went through a phase in my late twenties of OBSESSIVELY buying graphic novels/trade paperbacks, and I finally just sorta quit, cold turkey. Which sucked.

And it especially sucked back when The Force Awakens was coming out, and there was all manner of new Star Wars comics hitting the shelf. I did buy the very first issue of the Princess Leia comic, but that was it. I was committed to reading all the new Star Wars novels, but I continued to stay away from the comics. And then as the years went by, there were just so many Star Wars titles, and…I mean, maybe someday? But for now, it’s one part of the Star Wars fandom that I’m not super aware of.

But there was always Doctor Aphra. I couldn’t help but be very curious about her, knowing that she had become such a fan favorite, and that she was the first all-new character to have her own Marvel comics series. And she just looked like such badass!! I mean, that character design!

BUT THEN!!! The short story collection, From a Certain Point of View came out, and it was like THE BEST ACTUAL THING EVER!!! And there was a Doctor Aphra story!! So like, at least I got to meet her? But I was always hoping for more, and well…here we are!

Dr. Chelli Lona Aphra. A rogue archaeologist. A hot mess? She’s sort of like the anti-Indiana Jones. Where he’s all “It belongs in a museum,” Aphra is like “It belongs in my pocket, gimme that!” She’s perhaps the truest antihero that I can think of in Star Wars, maybe? You know how Han Solo likes to project that look-out-for-number-one mentality, but then he doesn’t? Well, Aphra is definitely looking our for number one. Except…when she’s not. Look, SHE CONTAINS MULTITUDES is what I’m saying.

And while there have been canonically queer characters in some of the Star Wars books, to the best of my knowledge, Doctor Aphra is the first canonically queer main character in a Star War, and that’s fucking radical. And as I learned reading Kuhn’s Heroine Complex recently, she writes some seriously gut-punchy, heart-squishy romance, and that’s a skill that’s on full display in Doctor Aphra. Oof.

The story is almost like a series of vignettes, as Aphra recalls some of her earlier memories at university, as well as her time working for Darth Vader. The book is cleverly constructed with some meta/4th wall vibes, as Aphra is telling us her story, while occasionally making notes, usually to go back later and erase parts that might be embarrassing to her.

We really get to know Aphra so well in this, and it winds up being one of the most character-driven Star Wars stories yet. She has the devil-may-care attitude locked down, but as I said earlier, there’s a lot more to her than that. She fights against it, but there’s this side of her that is caring & loving & vulnerable. The way that Emily Woo Zeller brings Sarah Kuhn’s words to life is truly special, and makes this really feel like a recording Aphra personally gave to you. It’s spellbinding.

The entire cast of this is incredible, and I feel like I met some new favorite Star Wars characters! Black Krrsantan is a Wookiee bounty hunter that Aphra connects with, and nicknames “Santy.” Their interactions are particularly hilarious, as I’m a sucker for any human & Wookiee dialogue! Aphra also employs a couple droids of the, um, murdery persuasion, which is always fun.

I’ve been dipping my toes in the audiobook waters and have found that I really need to work on tuning everything out, otherwise I get a bit lost. But this wasn’t the case with Doctor Aphra at all, and I think that had a lot to do with the fact that it’s done with a full cast & sound effects, and also the fact that it’s absurd amounts of fun & super engaging.

I’m a little behind on current Star Wars books which is stressing me out somewhat, but I was so excited to check out Doctor Aphra, and I just jumped right in. I still have to check out the audiobook for Dooku: Jedi Lost, and I’m REALLY hoping that Del Rey will do exactly what they did for that one, and release a physical book for Doctor Aphra! Because I NEED this sitting on my Star Wars shelf!

Aphra is a one-in-a-million kind of Star Wars character, and I’m REALLY hopeful we will see more of her, outside of the comics. A live action Doctor Aphra show on Disney+ would be BRILLIANT! I couldn’t have loved this any more, and I hope lots more people will check this out & fall in love with Doctor Aphra!

May the Force be with you!!