Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: Battle of Jakku - Republic Under Siege #1-2Luke Skywalker’spost-Endor Jedi era has opened the door for a major rogue’s live-actionStar Warsdebut. As seen in Marvel’s new and canonicalBattle of Jakkuseries, Luke Skywalker’s time has been divided between helping the nascent New Republic get on its fight and fight the shattered Empire, while also searching for relics and lost texts that can help him rebuild the Jedi Order. To that end, a key ally and popularStar Warsrogue has returned to help him out.
As seen inBattle of Jakku’sfirst chapterInsurgencyRisingand now inRepublic Under Siege, Luke Skywalker is trying to find anything and everything he can to learn more about the Jedi of the past. However, not every artifact he’s found has been the real deal. Thankfully,Luke Skywalker recently received a hand from none other than the rogue archaeologist Doctor Chelli Aphra whose return in this new era may open the door for herStar Warsfuture in some pretty exciting ways.
Star Wars' Doctor Aphra Returns To Help Luke Skywalker In Republic Under Siege
Offering Her Unique Expertise As A Rogue Archaeologist
First debuting in the comics set betweenA New HopeandThe Empire Strikes Back,Doctor Aphra has been a frequent staple of Marvel’s canonicalStar Warscomics since 2015.Initially appearing as the anti-Indiana Jones seeking fortune and glory, Aphra found herself in the service of Darth Vader. However, Aphra does have a hero streak, one that saw her helping keep the Rebellion’s secret base on Hoth secret from her boss. After parting ways with the Dark Lord of the Sith, Aphra became an on-again, off-again partner to Vader’s son Luke Skywalker before the events ofReturn of the Jedi.
“Doctor Aphra’s return is far more exciting than this newStar Warsissue alone…”
Now, Doctor Aphra has returned inBattle of Jakku - Republic Under Siege #2from Alex Segura and Stefano Raffaele, confirming that her story also continues beyond the events of the original trilogy and into theNew Republic Era. Running into Luke Skywalker during his search for a Jedi compendium,it’s Aphra who confirms that the relic is a fake with the false artifact having been planted by Grand Moff Adelhard and the dark side cult known as the Acolytes of the Beyond to keep Luke distracted in the Outer Rim. That said, Doctor Aphra’s return is far more exciting than this newStar Warsissue alone.
Doctor Aphra Can Be A Major Ally To Luke And His Jedi Academy
Helping Him Find Relics and Artifacts
While the extent of Luke’s journey betweenReturn of the JediandThe Force Awakensis not fully known, there have been shows, comics, and books that have filled in some of the gaps.This includes Grogu becoming Luke’s first (and temporary) student, Ben Solo’s eventual corruption to the dark side by Supreme Leader Snoke, and the Church of the Force’s Lor San Tekka helping Luke find many of the Jedi artifacts he spent years searching for across the galaxy. However, it’s not possible that Luke had other allies helping him as well.
As proven byRepublic Under Siege #2,Doctor Aphra could become a major asset to Luke Skywalker in his search for genuine Jedi relics. Likewise, one of the lastStar Warscomics set betweenEmpire Strikes BackandReturn of the Jedisaw Aphra stumbling into an old Jedi temple where she found an ancient book containing secrets of the past Jedi. To that end, it stands to reason that Aphra could help Luke in some pretty big ways (or could at least provide her services and expertise for the right price).
Doctor Aphra’s New Appearance Confirms She Could Appear In Live-Action
Debuting During The New Republic Era
What’s truly exciting about this new issue ofRepublic Under Siegeis that it helps confirm that Doctor Aphra was still active during the New Republic Era.This means that she could easily debut in live-action at some point in the future. After all, the New Republic Era is the period of theStar Warstimeline where the bulk of the franchise’s live-action shows have been taking place, such asThe Mandalorian,Ahsoka,The Book of Boba Fett, andSkeleton Crew.
The Star Wars Timeline Explained, Completely & Succinctly
The Star Wars timeline is only going to get more expansive as the franchise continues, making it more necessary than ever to explore every era.
Luke Skywalker himself appeared inThe Mandalorianseason 2’s finale when he saved Din Djarin and his allies from Moff Gideon’s Darktroopers. He was also featured inThe Book of Boba Fettbuilding hisJedi academy on Ossus while training young Grogu. To that end, perhapsDoctor Aphra could make her live-action debut in a New Republic show, either helping Luke find new relics, or simply doing her own thing as theStar Warsgalaxy’s resident rogue archaeologist. After all, there are plenty of artifacts and treasures to be found across the galaxy beyond those connected to the Jedi.
When Could We See Doctor Aphra In Live-Action?
There Are A Few Options
While Doctor Aphra’s live-actionStar Warsdebut is nothing more than conjecture, she could easily appear in any ofStar Wars’live-action series set in the New Republic.This includes the newest showSkeleton Crewwhich is all about a lost and legendary treasure that’s being hunted for by bands of pirates. To that end, perhaps Doctor Aphra could provide some key knowledge and expertise no one else has.
At any rate, the mere confirmation that Doctor Aphra could canonically appear in the New Republic Era is very exciting. The potential is there, and it would be very fun to see such a beloved and fan-favorite character from the comics finally making her debut at some point in the future of theStar Warsfranchise.Aphra is incredibly charming and a morally complex figure, meaning that there’s a lot of fun depth and dimension to be explored. To that end, it would be fascinating to see how the iconic rogue archaeologist would be translated into a live-actionStar Warsproject.
Star Wars: Battle of Jakku - Republic Under Siege #1-2are on sale now from Marvel Comics.
Doctor Aphra
An archaeologist who trained at the University of Bar’leth, Doctor Aphra has always tended to put her own interests first. She’s particularly interested in retrieving valuable relics related to ancient (and forbidden) Force traditions, and this has often brought her to the attention of Darth Vader and even Palpatine himself. Aphra is an unlikely ally for the Rebel Alliance, but she’s clearly on a path of redemption, one that could potentially lead to uncovering ancient Jedi secrets.
