There’s a line in Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca’s original run on Darth Vader that has stayed with me ever since I read it. It’s Aphra looking up at Vader as she agrees to work with him. “But you’re my next mission, aren’t you?” she says. “And the next. And the next. You’re what I’ve been looking for all my life.” It’s a line that also appears in the audio drama and one that rang through my mind as I heard Darth Freaking Vader say “Doctor Aphra” for the first time because apparently that’s what I’ve been waiting for all my life.

I won’t pretend to approach Doctor Aphra, a Star Wars audiobook original by Sarah Kuhn, from an unbiased point of view. If you’ve ever seen any of my tweets or any of the relevant reviews here at Tosche Station, you’re likely aware of how much I love Aphra. Not only do I adore her as a character but she also means a ton to me as a half-Asian queer woman. She was one of the first times I can recall feeling truly represented within the Star Wars universe. So while I was predisposed to appreciate this story because I love the main character, my expectations were also absurdly high. Sarah Kuhn not only met those expectations but soared over them with an audio drama that’s fun and engaging and does everyone’s favorite rogue archaeologist justice. Continue reading →