It’s been nearly two months since we checked in on rogue archaeologist Dr. Chelli Lona Aphra in her own Marvel Comics title, though the character did pop up– in her Spark Eternal-possessed form– for a confrontation with Darth Vader during the climactic final issue of the Star Wars: Hidden Empire miniseries.
And that’s where Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, Volume 2, #30 throws us into the story– as a way to get Chelli’s perspective on how that whole situation on the Amaxine Station went down.
Doctor Aphra #30 begins on said station, with Vader and his master Darth Sidious (AKA Emperor Sheev Palpatine) drawing ever closer to the ancient piece of technology called the Fermata Cage. But Spark-Aphra intervenes, using the Ascendant weapon known as the Null Blade to go up against the younger Dark Lord of the Sith’s red-bladed lightsaber. Meanwhile, on the ship named the Fleeting outside the station, Aphra’s frenemies (a couple of which are ex-lovers) ex-lovers Sana Starros, Just Lucky, Ariole Yu, and Magna Tolvan attempt to survive the space battle raging between the sizable forces of the Empire and Crimson Dawn. They manage to board the station just in time to see Vader use the Force to blast the Spark Eternal out of Aphra’s body, a moment which happens to take place just before the Fermata Cage opens, distracting the two Sith Lords. But here’s the part we didn’t get to see in Hidden Empire– the Spark actually reenters Aphra, forcing her allies to perform an Ascendant Ritual at the last minute to banish it from the chaotic-neutral doctor’s physical form for good.
This procedure isn’t quite as easy as it may sound of course, and the team must conduct it while battling off the evil droids Triple-Zero and BT-1, not to mention that Sana basically has to stab Chelli in the chest with the Null Blade. But our antiheroes win out in the end, naturally, and the Spark Eternal is forced to flee. As for where it ends up, that part is covered in Hidden Empire. Anyway, we pay one final visit to Aphra’s “Memory Box” and bid farewell to Miril before Chelli awakens on the Amaxine Station, surrounded by those who saved her, including her own father. The twist here is that the usually-unflappable Dr. Aphra is left in a fragile emotional state after being rescued from the Spark’s grasp, and her tearful reunion with those who cared enough to come after her leaves this comic open to plenty of juicy drama in the coming months. It’s been a while since we’ve had the real Aphra around, wreaking havoc in her own way, so it will be fun to watch writer Alyssa Wong play with that idea, plus explore the possibilities of how Chelli may have been changed by this experience. Regardless, I felt like this issue– partnered with the Hidden Empire finale– was a pretty satisfying way to bring the Spark Eternal arc to a close, though I’m guessing we may not have seen the last of that particular artificial intelligence just yet.
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #30 is available now wherever comic books are sold.