When Disney announced that it had purchased Lucasfilm and planned a new trilogy of Star Wars films starting with Episode VII, we always knew that this would only be the beginning. Such a massive and lucrative undertaking would surely go beyond the basic idea of a new trilogy. Once The Force Awakens was released to financial and critical acclaim, the movie managed to rekindle the Star Wars flame, showing people that they could trust in the franchise again. This gave Disney the green light, as well as the confidence, to march on ahead with all of their plans.

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Anthology movies would soon follow, in the form of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story, and quite a few others to come featuring various characters like Obi-Wan Kenobi. Then, yesterday brought more news of Disney's plan. Not only was it announced that The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson would spearhead another trilogy in the Star Wars universe detached from the main Episodes, but also that a live action series would be produced to be released on Disney's very own streaming service, tentatively dated for 2019.

While we've had eight Star Wars movies, various video games and quite a few cartoon series, this will be the universe's first foray into live action television. Not only is this an unprecedented and already highly-anticipated project, it's also filled with possibilities. With the Star Wars universe as big as it is, there are so many directions the series could potentially take. While there is always the chance that Disney will opt to start a brand new original story, there is actually a character already in their arsenal that would make for the perfect character for a television series... and her name is Doctor Aphra.

Doctor Aphra 4 feature

Doctor Aphra was created by writer Kieron Gillen and artist Salvador Larroca, and first appeared in the 2015 Darth Vader comic book series published by Marvel Comics. While the book starred the titular Dark Lord, Aphra first appeared in issue #3 and essentially became to co-lead of the series, before being spun-off into her very own solo comic book series, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra. Among the very successful line-up of Star Wars comics by Marvel, Aphra garnered an incredibly strong following, to the point that, to some, she just might be as important a female character as the likes of Rogue One's Jyn Erso and The Force Awakens' Rey.

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While the movies have begun to let the women of their universe shine, it would make sense for the television side of the universe to follow suit. A TV series starring Aphra would not only bring her devoted fanbase along, it would also allow the great majority of regular Star Wars fans to be introduced to a fascinating new character that started out in the pages of a comic book.

Doctor Aphra from Darth Vader 03

But make no mistake. Aphra is no Jyn or Rey. One wouldn't necessarily describe her as evil, but she is definitely an anti-hero. She was, after all, working with/for Darth Vader for quite a long time, going on missions for the Dark Lord as his own private (and secret) employee. You see, Vader was disgraced after his defeat at the hands of the rebels, and on a a search for validation. Demoted and shunned, he opted to use Aphra to achieve his many nefarious goals away from the watchful eye of the Emperor, much to Aphra's excitement. She is an opportunist, she's manipulative, she's resourceful and she isn't shy of pulling the trigger. But she's also quite charming and funny, and she has a whole lot of heart -- if she isn't busy stealing, blackmailing or shooting up the place, that is.

As a space archaeologist, Aphra's adventures would be tailor-made for television. Her character borrows quite a lot from Indiana Jones (she was first introduced running away from a giant boulder-like droid after stealing a precious piece of equipment, after all) and her missions are always exciting and unpredictable. She travels on her own wherever she pleases, meaning that, through Aphra, the series could explore countless other corners of the Star Wars galaxy that we have never seen before, while mostly staying away from the main conflicts plaguing the movies. In the comics, she was introduced after the battle of Yavin IV and the destruction of the original Death Star, which would place her timeline squarely in-between Episodes IV and V. This would allow the series to explore a time period that hasn't been touched upon yet.

BT-1 0-0-0 Star Wars Aphra

On top of that, working for Darth Vader could be a way to have the character as part of the series, without having him constantly there, were he to only appear in hologram form, for example. The duo had an interesting relationship, one that was constantly on the verge of antagonistic but also of mutual respect, and that would be fascinating to explore in the long form storytelling of television. Besides, to go along on her adventures, Aphra has her very own spaceship, the Ark Angel, and her two personal (and quite murderous) droids 0-0-0 and BT-1, dark and twisted (but still endearing) versions of C-3PO and R2-D2. Part of the cast and setting would already be established, and it wouldn't be impenetrable for casual fans, offering quite a bit of the familiar before shooting off into the unknown.

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Whether she would be working for Darth Vader, or whether she would be on her own, chasing after the most valuable and dangerous artifacts in the Star Wars universe, Doctor Aphra is a fascinating, multi-layered character that isn't pegged or defined by the one quality. She can as easily work for Darth Vader as ally herself with Luke Skywalker. She isn't all good, or all bad. She's a survivor, and a fighter. She is smart, and she loves what she does -- even if she got her doctorate through less than academically-approved means. She's a captivating character that could easily lead her own show. One that deserves to be known not just by comic book fans, but by everyone.