Doctor Aphra (2016) 30

Publisher's summary

"WORST AMONG EQUALS" PART 5: WHEREIN: PUBLIC RELATIONS DISASTER! DOCTOR APHRA's race across an alien city continues, pursued by innumerable enemies – not least the EMPIRE'S villainous propaganda division. But with the timer ticking down on the bomb in her throat, the truest horror might come from some unscheduled soul-searching. Could it be that her psychotic droid companion TRIPLE-ZERO is the closest thing she has (or deserves) to a true soulmate?

Opening crawl

Doctor Aphra is on the run! Implanted with a proximity
bomb, she's forced to stay close to her nemesis,
Triple-Zero, or they will both face an explosive death.
The two must travel to the only specialist on Milvayne
who can remove the bombs before the timer runs out!

It's all part of a grand experiment by Doctor Cornelius
Evazan, who has watched their every move from a live
feed through Triple-Zero's eyes while broadcasting it to
all the residents of Milvayne. With the whole planet
watching, Aphra and Triple-Zero worked together to
escape many enemies and in the process, gained the
favor of the viewers.

Not every viewer was rooting for the escapees. The
shadowy agents of Imperial Propaganda watched as
Aphra's shenanigans sowed the seeds of dissent
against Imperial law. Its mysterious leader decided to
nip the Rebellion in the bud — with an orbital strike.

Plot summary

Surviving the crash in Milvayne's undercity, Dr. Aphra and Triple-Zero are immediately captured by Imperial stormtroopers led by Coalition for Progress officer Captain Okma. To escape, Aphra detonates a secret seismic pulse she planted within the droid, an act that incapacitates their captors but leaves her temporarily paralyzed. While she was unconscious, Triple-Zero killed the stormtroopers and tortured Okma to death, obtaining high-clearance codes. The blast also revives Cornelius Evazan's rogue broadcast, through which Triple-Zero shows Aphra a devastating image: Magna Tolvan shaking hands with Mon Mothma, branding her a Rebel turncoat in the eyes of the galaxy.

Heartbroken for Tolvan, Aphra has a moment of strange clarity, finding a humorous kinship with the psychotic droid. She gives him his long-lost memories, which are then broadcast live for everyone to see. They are interrupted by the monster hunters Winloss and Nokk, who deliver a final, psychological blow. Instead of killing Aphra, they declare that her miserable life is a greater punishment than death before abandoning her. As they leave, Triple-Zero awakens, having finally learned his origin. The broadcast reveals he wasn't a masterfully designed weapon, but an accidental "fluke" personality matrix, deemed a reject and thrown away by his maker. Stripped of any grand, malevolent purpose, a disillusioned Triple-Zero simply walks away.

Media

Editions

• UPC 759606086290; March 27, 2019; Marvel Comics^[1]
  • 03011; Cover A; Ashley Witter
  • 03021; Cover B; Adam Hughes

Cover gallery

Cover A

Cover A, unlettered

Cover B

Cover B, unlettered

Collected in

• Star Wars: Doctor Aphra Vol. 5 — Worst Among Equals
• Star Wars: Doctor Aphra Omnibus Vol. 1

Appearances

Notes and references

External links

• Star Wars: Doctor Aphra (2016) #30 on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link)

Aphra: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 The Screaming Citadel: 7 · 8 The Enormous Profit: 9 · 10 · 11 · 12 · 13 Remastered: 14 · 15 · 16 · 17 · 18 · 19 The Catastrophe Con: 20 · 21 · 22 · 23 · 24 · 25 Worst Among Equals: 26 · 27 · 28 · 29 · 30 · 31 Unspeakable Rebel Superweapon: 32 · 33 · 34 · 35 · 36 A Rogue's End: 37 · 38 · 39 · 40 Trade paperbacks 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · The Screaming Citadel Other Annual 1 · Annual 2 · Annual 3 · Hardcover 1 · Omnibus Related media Doctor Aphra (2020) · Doctor Aphra – Chaos Agent Audiobook Original (script) · Epilogue
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