Three years ago, I sat down to write a piece titled “On the Importance of Dr. Aphra.” At the time, we were just barely two months past Aphra surviving the end of Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca’s Darth Vader series. That in itself had been enough of a surprise but then, when Marvel gave Aphra her own ongoing series? I was genuinely shocked and in the best way possible. Not only was she the first female character to get a Star Wars ongoing title but she was also one of the first characters unaffiliated with the films or TV shows to headline her own comic or book. And now that comic book has come to an end with the publication of yesterday’s Doctor Aphra #40, a more than respectable run especially in this modern comic book world.

I didn’t think the book would make it past issue #12. I’ve never been happier to be wrong.

I know I’m biased when it comes to Aphra. It’s hardly a secret that I’ve cosplayed as her almost since the start and that my love for her has opened some pretty cool doors for me. The not so good doctor has meant a hell of a lot to me ever since we first met her in Darth Vader #3 in March 2015. Back then, I was just delighted to see Asian women represented in the galaxy that I love. In the first two years of Aphra’s existence, we also got very strong hints that she was probably queer. The Doctor Aphra book put Aphra’s sexual orientation right there in full page kisses with Magna Tolvan and the writers even said in interviews that she was lesbian. That sort of representation was something that the me from ten years ago never would have dreamed would be in Star Wars. It’s not just me though because I know she’s meant a ton to other Asian and other LGBTQ+ Star Wars fans who finally can see themselves in the galaxy far, far away.

But, as important as it is, Aphra’s always been more than just representation. We’ve all seen the comments claiming she’s just checking boxes and most of us know how completely and utterly wrong such claims are. She has more than earned her place in the Star Wars mythology as a leading lady.

Doctor Aphra has been the book where Star Wars and Marvel could take risks and they consistently have. Aphra is a walking, talking disaster. She makes bad choices on a daily basis and frequently does things that screw over people she cares about for her own gain. She should have died at least five times in the last few story arcs alone. She’s not a hero but neither is she a villain. Sure, she’s crossed paths with a lot of the well-known characters of the era but she’s not one of them. She’s been a fun twist on the underworld sort of character that takes us away from well-trodden territory of bounty hunters. Ultimately, that sums Aphra up: she’s something exciting and new for Star Wars even almost five years after her introduction.

Aphra’s moral ambiguity gives Star Wars the opportunity to question what’s right and what’s wrong without working within the strict, limiting dichotomy of the light side and the dark side. More often than not, she knows that what she’s doing is wrong and she’ll openly acknowledge it. And then she’ll do it anyways. At the same time, she also has moments where you can tell how much she cares about certain people in her life. Even those moments are often tinged with selfishness such as when she wiped Tolvan’s memory of her so Vader wouldn’t be able to find Aphra. There aren’t many other characters who can raise these sorts of questions naturally within their narratives. This is the question that the creative teams of the book, starting with Kieron Gillen and Kev Walker all the way through the final team of Simon Spurrier, Caspar Wijngaard, and Lee Loughridge, have asked while always making sure to keep the story fun with banter, romance, and the occasional exploding tooka.

This isn’t the end though; it’s the start of something new. Along with the rest of the Star Wars Marvel books, the comic is being relaunched in 2020 and finally, come April, we’ll see Doctor Aphra written by an Asian writer: Alyssa Wong. Marieka Cresta will be on art duties. I don’t know what Wong and Cresta are going to bring to the shady archaeologist but I do know that I’m excited to see where they take her. Aphra is the sort of character whose potential is limitless and she is not contained by the ups-and-downs of the Rebellion or the Empire… as long as she stays out of Vader’s way. It’s a big galaxy and they could take this unpredictable archaeologist anywhere.

Keep on surviving, Aphra, and get out there and see everything while you’ve got the chance. You deserve it because you’re one of the best things to ever happen to Star Wars.