Review: ‘Doctor Aphra’ #34 – ‘Resonance’ Pits Aphra and Luke Skywalker Against The Starweird
Issue #34 of Doctor Aphra gets a bit weird and plenty of fun as it wraps up what I’m now dubbing the “Starweird” arc; it has all the hallmarks of a classic Doctor Aphra adventure as Aphra and Luke Skywalker find themselves reeling from their discovery in the Temple of Sason.
It turns out the creature they accidentally unleashed in the previous issue is called a “Starweird” — a remarkably goofy name — part of a species previously thought extinct according to Aphra. Silly name aside, the monster is no less terrifying and the whole issue is really about Aphra and Luke doing their best to survive as they escape the temple.
It’s a remarkably entertaining issue with a frenetic pace and plenty of witty banter to provide levity as they escape the dangers of the tomb, Indiana Jones-style. Everything’s wrapped up in a bow nicely, leaving just enough of a loose end to wonder how in the Force it might be brought back in future Star Wars comic stories.
Spoilers ahead…
We’re told pretty early on that the Starweird is a planet killer. I don’t know if it’s a Galactus-style being in that it literally eats planets or if it just stucks the life out of anything it touches, but it’s a big enough threat that Aayla Secura and Shaak Ti thought it necessary to trap the being in the Kythoo Bell. We get this piece of exposition through a flashback that shows the two Jedi Masters firing on the entity in space from their starfighters.
Doctor Aphra provides the rest of the exposition in the present day, adding that she believed all Starweirds to be extinct. Just a hunch, but I wonder if we might see more of these beings in Phase 3 of The High Republic. The focus then turns to getting the hell out of there, with Luke accidentally impaling the monster with several crystal shards as his Force powers are amplified by the Force wave.
They run into the crystal mirror maze and Luke uses the Force to project visions of himself and Doctor Aphra on every surface in order to distract the Starweird while Aphra searches for the hologram projector that beamed lifelike versions of Aayla Secura and Shaak Ti elsewhere in the temple. It’s a very creative way of turning one of the temple’s defences in their favor and it worked to keep the pace up.
Luke and Aphra’s banter as they ran away was already plenty entertaining, but that levity was heightened further as they goaded the Starweird in the mirrors and the monster’s confusion over the Jedi holograms. I laughed a lot at the monster’s questioning screech as it passed straight through their bodies.
That distraction buys them enough time to make it back to the landing pad, but the Starweird catches up. It knocks Luke off the side and as he clings to the edge, Doctor Aphra’s self preservation instinct kicks in and she’s tempted to run to the Ark Angel and leave Luke to die.
However, she decides to do the right thing and grabs Luke’s lightsaber instead, distracting the Starweird long enough for Luke to pull himself up and even manages to cut one of the monster’s hands off, with Luke knowingly remarking how much that hurts in another of the issue’s goofier moments.
Aphra constantly states that she’s only doing this to save her own skin from Darth Vader, but she protests too much. It’s clear that she actually wanted to do the right thing, as she starts to become a better person and resists the urge to return to that backstabbing and self-destructive loop. There’s also a moment where she pushes past her own electro-tattoo-related trauma to activate the Jedi hologram, which was similarly great to see.
They board the Ark Angel but realizing that the monster will just leave the planet and roam space, killing everything in its path, Luke comes up with an idea to trap the Starweird back inside the Kythoo Bell. They fly into the storm, which messes with the creature’s gravitational pull, and Luke uses the Force to suck the Starweird back inside the ancient artifact.
The two of them return to Numidian Prime and Luke imparts some words of wisdom upon Aphra. He tells her that he would have helped her had she just asked; no bribing necessary. When she remarks that his kindness will get him killed, he responds that he doesn’t want to close himself off from people in need, remarking that it will only ever lead to loneliness. Of course, Aphra feels pretty lonely herself at the moment so perhaps she’ll take heed and stop being so self-serving. Perhaps that will be the path back to Sana.
Luke leaves and Aphra curses, realizing that the Jedi swiped Kythoo’s Bell from under her nose. While Luke believes the artifact is better in his hands, she’s proud of him for pulling off such a “scoundrel” move. With Luke in possession of the Starweird, I have to assume that the monster will return at some point. I have no idea if it will come back in this run of Star Wars issues or in some future story set after Return of the Jedi, but I look forward to seeing what happens regardless.
Next month, we’ll be starting Doctor Aphra‘s part of the Dark Doids crossover arc. This Starweird arc was short and sweet, an absolute breeze to read while everything gets in place for the crossover. Other Star Wars comic writers should take note of what Alyssa Wong’s doing here, setting the template for a fun story that bridges the gap between larger adventures.
Rating: 9/10
Josh is a huge Star Wars fan, who has spent far too much time wondering if any Star Wars character could defeat Thanos with all the Infinity Stones.
