Aphra

Origin

Chelli Lona Aphra was a human female archaeologist who came to the attention of Darth Vader following the Battle of Yavin. She, accompanied by her assassin droid companions 0-0-0 (Triple-Zero) and BT-1 (Beetee), undertook various missions for the Sith Lord. However, their alliance eventually soured, leading Aphra to fake her own demise. She continued her adventures across the galaxy alongside her two droids. Using the alias Joystick Chevron, she initially employed it when introducing herself to her recurring adversary and, at times, romantic interest, Magna Tolvan. Later, during her service in the Accresker Penal Legion, she retained the pseudonym.

Creation

Aphra was created by writer Kieron Gillen and artist Salvador Larroca and made her first appearance in the comic series "Star Wars: Darth Vader" #3, published by Marvel Comics in 2015. She quickly gained popularity among "Star Wars" fans for her complex personality and her role in the comics.

Major Story Arcs

Working With Darth Vader

Aphra is seen on Quarantine World III, Kalliidahin Space, attempting to steal the Triple-Zero personality matrix from a highly secured vault. With a practiced hand, she expertly removed the matrix from it's place and attempted to make her way out of the vault, but unfortunately triggered the laser line defenses. Aphra deftly manages to avoid the vault's defenses and escape, but finds herself face-to-face with a group of droids with their blasters aimed at her and Utani Xane, a small alien who was working at the museum. She tells him that the Triple-Zero matrix doesn't belong in the hands of people like him because all they want to do is store it away somewhere when she believes it should be in an armory. Darth Vader surprises the Curator by making a surprise visit and destroying all the droids defending him, eventually killing the Curator himself before telling Aphra that he has a need for her.

Aphra brings Vader onboard her ship, the Ark Angel, and let's the Sith Lord know that she'll need at least a few hours in order to break into the Triple-Zero matrix before she could help Vader with his task. Vader surprises her by unlocking the matrix himself with the Force, something she either understood without explanation or didn't want to learn how he did so. Aphra then installs the matrix into a protocol droid who becomes Triple-Zero, a protocol droid specialized in etiquette, customs, and torture. Aphra imprints herself and Vader on Triple-Zero and its Master and then asks him to wake up the astromech droid BT-1, a highly advanced assassin droid that she had to outfit with strong behavioral inhibitors because of its homicidal tendencies. BT, also referred to as Beetee, activates by bringing out a whole bunch of blasters and weapons before settling down. Aphra tells Vader that even though she makes a living working with and reactivating dangerous weapons, being in the presence of Vader makes her nervous and finally asks him what he wants with her. Her tells her that he needs a private army and private resources. Aphra was supposed to deliver Triple-Zero and Beetee to another dealer Gotra, but instead gifts them to Vader and informs him that there is a droid factory on Geonosis that would give Vader the loyal army he required, and they set course for the desert planet.

Once on Geonosis, Aphra, Vader, and the assassin droids make their way into the tunnels to find a Geonosian Queen giving "birth" to droids in an attempt to save their species' future, as the Galactic Empire had bombed the planet before in an attempt to sterilize it. Once finding the Queen, Vader leaps down from a ledge and separates her from the factory with his lightsaber while Beetee and Triple-Zero lay waste to the droids who come to the Queen's defense. Aphra tries to set up a locating beacon but needs Vader to throw it to the ceiling before the Ark Angel can blast it's way in and make an exit for the group. Away from Geonosis, Aphra finishes setting up Vader's army and wonders when he's going to kill her, now that he has the two droids and his own private army, but Vader assures her that he won't kill her as long as she is still useful to him.

Aphra then accompanies Vader to the Outer Rim where he intends to use his new army to board a secret base that is apparently training his replacements. As Vader leads his new droids in an attack on the base, Aphra stays on the ship and provides assistance to her new employer by informing him where to go and which areas of the base are the one most suited to resistance. She would remain on the ship while Vader found and fought his would-be replacements and even met with Emperor Palpatine but by the time she was gearing up to go in after him, he returned and told her to take the ship and leave. She would then inform him that the bounty hunter Boba Fett wished to make contact with him.

Aphra, Vader, and the droids make their way to Tatooine in the hopes that Vader could get a whiff of Luke Skywalker's presence on the boy's home world and somehow find the boy who had blown up the Death Star. The group make their way over to Obi-Wan Kenobi's hut and after they couldn't find anything, Aphra set off a molecular purge bomb so that no trace of anyone could be found at the hut. Aphra then joins in on a secret plan of Vader's to rob Son'Tuul of their riches, promise them to the Hutts, and then rob them again so that Vader in facts keeps the currency by doesn't have it tie back to him because it would be Aphra stealing it.