In this episode of “Everything is Canon”, Steve is joined by author Sarah Kuhn as they discuss her brand-new audio drama “Star Wars: Doctor Aphra”!

Sarah’s words, along with Emily Woo Zeller’s amazing performance, make this audio drama genuinely great and we talk about what it took to finally give a voice to this rising star in the Star Wars universe. They talk about process, finding inspiration, and tapping into Aphra’s romantic side!

They also talk about conventions, working during the pandemic, and the great “Claudia Kishi Club” documentary on Netflix, something Sarah was a part of.

For the full interview, click the link below...

https://www.cinelinx.com/off-beat/everything-is-canon-star-wars-doctor-aphra/

STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA, by Sarah Kuhn, is now available in hardcover as of April 6, 2021, and we have an excerpt for you to read. Doctor Aphra splashed into life in Marvel Star Wars Comics Darth Vader as of 2015. She quickly became known as the Indiana Jones of Star Wars, and with a storyline involving a partnership with Darth Vader, Aphra captured many fans.

Originally conceived as an audio production, the new book is a script. So if you like reading stage direction or seeing how a script looks before it comes to life in your ears, then this book is for you! If you’re interested in the fully dramatized audiobook (released July 2020), make sure to check out this ComicCon@Home panel with audiobook narrators Marc Thompson and Emily Woo Zeller, author Sarah Kuhn, and Del Rey editor Elizabeth Schaefer ,in a conversation moderated by audiobook producer Nick Martorelli. Keep reading for some background on this novel and an excerpt from the hardcover novel, courtesy of Penguin Random House/Del Rey!


The Inception of “Doctor Aphra” as Script and Audiobook
Last year, Random House Audio released the first Star Wars audio original – Star Wars: Dooku – Jedi Lost – to great success. Where do they go from here? Elizabeth Schaefer, Del Rey editor, explained that they looked at other comic book characters and “we had always wanted to do something with Aphra. She’s such a cool character, and I think audio is a really cool format for her because she bursts off the page with such a strong voice.”

Why was Sarah Kuhn picked to pen the audio drama? “It needs to be Sarah Kuhn,” Elizabeth explained, “Especially because of her Heroine Complex series, because it’s the tone you would want for an Aphra story – fun and snarky and a delight.”


This information blew Sarah away because she has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as she can remember. So when she “got that exciting email that you’re always waiting for: ‘there’s an offer for you for Star Wars – and it’s Aphra.’ I Freaked out, times a million, because she is maybe the best character in the Star Wars canon.”

Writing Doctor Aphra
Once Sarah joined the team, she and Elizabeth worked together on the script. “One of the first things we did was reread the Darth Vader comic series (by Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca ) What is the story that exists here and what can we do to make her story bigger? We decided to put it 100% in her POV. Her voice is so delightful. She swoops into the page and grabs you by the throat.”


Because this audiobook is adapted from the original Darth Vader comic, the writing team asked themselves ‘where are the opportunities to expand and connect the dots of Aphra’s story?’ She comes in and out of the Darth Vader comic. So what is she up to while Vader is having his adventure on the page?

This question fueled the story, as well as Aphra herself. Sarah describes Doctor Aphra’s character. “She’s always craving the most chaotic adventure. She’s a chaos monster. But at the same time she also has this survival instinct and those two things are very much in conflict.” This makes for a compelling story.

A Surprise Romance
Author Sarah Kuhn has an exciting surprise in store for readers. “I’m very into romance, and I was looking for ways to expand upon an existing relationship between characters. I am a huge fan of Sana Starros and I always loved the idea of a relationship [between Sana and Aphra]. We see them in way later when they do not like each other. I enjoyed writing these more soft, intimate moments between them, which then makes later moments more heartbreaking.” Sarah is referring to Marvel’s Star Wars comic series in 2016.


Star Wars: Doctor Aphra Book Excerpt
SANA STARROS:

What is that insane woman doing?

APHRA (narration):

My head whipped around—and I saw her. She was standing on the ground below, hands on her hips, head cocked to the side. Looking thoroughly perturbed.

SANA STARROS:

Aphra? Is that you? Do you have a death wish or are you just a complete fool?

APHRA (narration):

I . . . Void, this next part is so humiliating.

I let go. I fell. And I crashed right into Sana Starros, who broke my fall and probably saved me from breaking my neck.

SANA STARROS:

Oof.

APHRA (narration):

“But Chelli,” you’re saying. “Why did you let go?”

That’s the humiliating part. I just . . . her voice. Her eyes. Her whole . . . everything. Distracted me. Like they always did.

And then she spoke again.

SANA STARROS:

I don’t know if we’ve formally met. I’m Sana Starros. And that was the most reckless, harebrained, absolutely nonsensical—

APHRA:

I know your name.

APHRA (narration):

That’s when I kissed her for the first time.

To this day, I don’t know why she kissed me back. She always seemed too . . . sensible for someone like me. Studious Sana. Perfect, wrinkle-free clothes, nose in a book, always so serious.

But for some reason . . . she threw her common sense out the window. And we were inseparable all through my university days. Right up until . . .

No, we don’t need to get into that now.

Recording: Please mark this highly embarrassing sequence for possible deletion. Mark it as much as you can.

Excerpts from my review for Dork Side of the Force:
https://dorksideoftheforce.com/2021/04/05/review-star-wars-doctor-aphra-script-book/

"Everyone’s favorite chaotic, morally questionable archaeologist Doctor Aphra learns to be her own boss amidst several brushes with death in the printed script adaptation of the Star Wars audio drama — out April 6. The second audio drama to be adapted into a printed script, Doctor Aphra gives new life and dimension to the adventures of Chelli Lona Aphra, first seen in the 2015 comic runs of Star Wars and Star Wars: Darth Vader.

The screenplay follows the events of the aforementioned comics but is told from Aphra’s point of view as she (sometimes unreliably) narrates her journey on a recording device. An adapted screenplay is the perfect medium for this as it reads like Aphra herself is telling you a story while letting you into the inner workings of her brilliant, turbulent mind. Indeed, anyone who already knows even a little about Aphra knows how witty and wacky her mind is."

"Fans of the comics will be excited to see the return of Sana Starros, as the book explores more of the fraught, romantic relationship between her and Aphra. Their scenes together are intense and sometimes heartbreaking, but they provide key context to the raw emotions Aphra feels but covers up with biting banter and sarcasm.

Overall, Doctor Aphra is an adventurous, complementary addition to the Aphra repertoire of stories. While it is the script of the enthralling audio drama, it feels like experiencing Aphra’s story from an entirely different vantage point.

It’s fascinating to read and hear key events in Star Wars play out through the eyes of other characters besides the Skywalkers, and Aphra is the perfect, unreliable narrator to do so. Doctor Aphra is at times both edge-of-your-seat unpredictable and emotionally thrilling, and a great starting point into the riotous world of Chelli Lona Aphra."

Doctor Aphra by Sarah Kuhn is a delightful retelling of the Dr. Aphra we know from the comic series. Not only does it give us more insight into her thought process, a chaotic one at best, but it also enriches the story we have come to know and love. The format of this hardcover is in the style of a screenplay, which makes it a quick read that's easy to follow. Even the dramatis personae is listed in Aphra's voice, a small detail that makes this worth having on your shelf. This audiobook-turned-screenplay is easily one of the best Star Wars stories to come out of 2020 publishing with plenty of additions to give you a newfound appreciation of Aphra and all of her adventuring. At the heart of this book is her romantic love interest in Sana Starros, something that is somewhat glossed over in the original comic run, as well as Aphra's complicated relationship with Vader, a new father figure in her life she seeks approval of. All this to say, Doctor Aphra is a thrilling tale with plenty of twists and turns. Whether it's your first time with Aphra or you read every preceding comic, there's something for everyone inside these pages.

Sarah Kuhn meaningfully expands upon Doctor Aphra’s first appearance in the Darth Vader (Kieron Gillen, 2015) comics, in addition to briefly covering her role in Vader Down and the Rebel Jail arc (Star Wars, 2015), while also creating another notable entry point to Aphra’s adventures for new audiences. While reading, I was in awe of how profound Aphra’s voice is, especially in sections where she’s narrating, and it’s truly magical to read which is what prevents this script from feeling flat; Kuhn’s words dance across the page, which makes a captivating story from beginning to end. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this script, and I can’t sing enough praise for Sarah Kuhn’s flawless writing: the tone was spot on and she did an amazing job! I hope to see more Aphra stories outside the comics - hopefully an original novel, but one can hope.

Doctor Aphra: An Audiobook Original, written by Sarah Kuhn and performed by a full cast, takes the earliest adventures of the titular doctor and presents them from her own point of view. Thanks to it being full of humor, heart, and adventure, this Aphra fan (I can’t pretend to be anything but) had every expectation broken by the audiobook, and the cast, especially Emily Woo Zeller as Chelli Lona Aphra and Nicole Lewis as Sana Starros, dazzled to the point I grinned the entire way through the production and immediately wanted more!

{Scriptbook Review as Follows, See below for Audio review}
Audiobooks aren’t for everyone, for a multitude of reasons, be it a hearing impairment doesn’t allow one to partake or one doesn’t really enjoy sitting and listening no matter how entertaining it will be, so it’s awesome Random House Audio and Del Rey made it a habit to release the scripts in hardcover for all fans to enjoy. Doctor Aphra’s script, out April 6, gives us a glimpse into some of the funny descriptors and little additional details Sarah Kuhn hid amongst its pages. As you can tell from my glowing review above, the production and voice acting is absolutely stellar for the script, giving it a humorous and heartfelt life that’s infectious to listen to from start to finish, so if you can enjoy it, I’ll continue suggest you do so. Otherwise, or to add to your next listen of the production, you can’t go wrong reading this story via Kuhn’s script.

Reading this through gave me an even bigger appreciation of Kuhn’s writing, handling of Aphra, and how she weaved a more cohesive, Aphra-focused version of events originally seen in Darth Vader-focused comics. The story stands out more, as much as the excellent voice acting, and Kuhn’s ability to mesh the story we know with more agency for Aphra, as well as fill in some much needed (and VERY APPRECIATED!) blanks regarding the past between Sana Starros and Aphra, is what really makes this such a compelling read/listen. In a way, reading the scenes revealing Sana and Aphra’s past together made them feel even shorter than I remembered when listening, more so because these are compelling, heartfelt, and honest moments between the two and I couldn’t help but read faster than I listen to an audiobook. These scenes show the genius of their addition by adding context to their reunion later on in the story and reading it solely as a script brought it to my attention even more than I appreciated while listening. Likewise, the added aspect of Aphra’s thoughts and purpose through the story bring the comic version of her to talkative, but enduring life, feeling like a natural extension of her first prose appearance in From a Certain Point of View.

Insight into Kuhn’s directions regarding atmosphere for specific locations, specific beats for Aphra and her narration, or directions for those awesome Wookiee growls for Black Krrsantan, also highlights how great the production team and actors were in implementing those ideas. In particular, seeing the atmospheric descriptors for planets and locations really made me appreciate the background noises they used, as it invokes what Kuhn was thinking better than I realized. Having heard how voice actors like Emily Woo Zeller, Nicole Lewis, and Marc Thompson (in particular Vader and Krrsantan) imbue the script with so much emotion and humor (or very specific Wookiee growls!), reading the script makes it very obvious how wonderfully written the material was for them, assisting with their fun, memorable performances. Though if you haven’t or won’t be listening to the audio, from Kuhn setting the scene to those acting directions, it’s easy to build up a similar profile for situations and how these voices might be brought to life in your own mind. Like I said, reading this script now, after several times listening to the audio, has really expanded my appreciation of the script. Not listening does mean the absolutely choice decisions for music placement or little noises Zeller makes to add to Aphra’s conversations and narration aren’t included with the script but it’s not hard to image them included.

In the end, the Doctor Aphra audio drama’s scriptbook is the same great story, with the same great humor, emotional resonance, and overall sense of fun, all emanating from the page this time. If you’ve been waiting for this release due to avoiding the audiobook for a variety of reasons, this will be well-worth the wait, while fans of the audiobook and character can’t go wrong by adding this book to their collection.
{End scriptbook review. Original audiobook review as follows}

Doctor Aphra: An Audiobook Original adapts and expands upon the doctor’s initial appearance in the comics, which started with 2015’s Darth Vader #3 (Vol. 1) and ends with 2016’s Darth Vader #25 (Vol. 1), including the crossover Vader Down and the “Rebel Jail” arc of the Star Wars (Vol. 1) series. But to call it simply an adaptation is disingenuous, as reframing the entire story from Chelli Lona Aphra’s own POV, providing new and perceptive windows into her thoughts, and expanding with new story content heightens this audio drama into something far more…a true original. Writer Sarah Kuhn weaves a thrilling, humorous tale of both the source material and new content, while adding motivations and deeper characterizations of Aphra as she navigates life working for the Dark Lord of the Sith himself, Darth Vader. Much like in many of her series’ own issues, Aphra narrates her adventures as a recording to the listener, which the audiobook plays up to great effect, as she rewinds, encrypts, and deletes sections, producing laughs, tears, and so much more (like an excellent reveal regarding the whole conceit later on). Most of the new content, beyond the brief space battle between Aphra and Maz Kanata as heard in the first excerpt, is focused on the history between Aphra and Sana Starros, an ex we met early in the comics, finally filling in the blanks regarding what caused bad blood between the two. The source material is already an excellent story to cover, and Aphra’s exploits and bumbles through working with Vader are what made me come to love the character so much, but the additional scenes really shine, while Aphra’s narration elevates the stories we’ve already had. In fact, reading the original material is not a necessity to enjoy the audiobook, it stands firmly on its own, so fans curious about the phenomenon of Aphra can jump right in here and get arguably one of the best glimpses at what makes the character so special to so many of us. That being said, having a few issues open to read along is a great supplement, as I didn’t find Triple-Zero as scary without his glowing red eyes (he’s still very funny and creepy!), so if you happen to have the comics, or end up getting them after listening, it would be a fun way to enjoy a re-listen to the audio drama*; I didn’t have the comics out often, but many of the lines and moments in the audiobook brought back images of specific panels…I may have read them a few times! When I finished the audiobook, I immediately wondered when we would get another one, adapting the first volume of her own comic series maybe, because I so thoroughly enjoyed the overall experience; Bravo, Kuhn and team!
Doctor Aphra An Audio Original Cover
Art by Kevin Tong

As for the cast, let’s talk about the star of the show: Emily Woo Zeller. I always had an idea of what Aphra’s voice would be like in my head, and while I can’t for sure say exactly how it sounded, Emily Woo Zeller’s take turned out to be even better than I ever could’ve imagined. Zeller IS Aphra, bringing to life every little inflection, deception, snarky comment, and “pew pew” with an unmatched gusto; you can hear how much she puts into the role and it pays off time and time again, taking Aphra effectively off the page and providing fans with even more reasons to love the character. The way her voice drops and sweetens around Sana, how big she goes when she’s cueing up for the epic reveal or moment to her story, the steely determination to find the next door and survive, to even a few tears, Zeller spares no expense to give fans a fully realized and memorable Aphra. And the script Zeller has to work with is such a big expansion on who and what Aphra is, digging into what drives her, why she lives life on the edge, and even how a relationship with Sana effects her, it broadens our understanding of Aphra in ways we only were beginning to discover in her prose debut for From a Certain Point of View. I’m an even bigger fan of Aphra after this audiobook than I was before, which I did not think was possible as she’s already my favorite character of all time now, and it’s thanks to Kuhn’s script and Zeller’s killer performance.



The majority of the audio drama is Zeller’s show, but there’s a full cast and every member really makes a mark. The next big standout, and for good reason, is Nicole Lewis as Sana Starros, a character who has far outgrown her initial shock introduction as Han Solo’s “wife” into a wickedly good character on her own. Lewis ensures Sana’s voice absolutely fits the description of Corellian whiskey Aphra so lovingly calls her when she lays eyes on her, and she transforms between the young, studious Sana to cold and hurt so damn well, each side can be felt in her voice. The chemistry between Lewis and Zeller is infectious, making Sana and Aphra’s eventual bad blood all the more saddening, and all their scenes together so damn compelling regardless of how things do down; the chemistry is even more impressive once you realize they didn’t even record together! This relationship is the lynchpin of the audio drama and Lewis and Zeller secure its place as some of the best material within, as their parts together are definitely my favorite. In the comics, it hadn’t been explored what happened between them so I’ve been dying to learn what went down and what’s revealed here lives up to all my expectations, plus I’m very glad it happened in this audiobook over anywhere else. It’s also some of the Star Wars’s biggest, most out there and open LGBTQ+ representation, taking what was merely hinted at in the original run of these comics and bringing it fully into the light; Aphra’s current comics haven’t skimped on her relationships with other women, but having an LGBTQ+ relationship at the center of one of the bigger releases of the year is another great step in expanding representation in the GFFA. We’re still a long way from better and more visual rep, of course, but each step like this is a win.

The rest of the cast, and the overall production, shines as well. Sean Kenin delivers some creepy, posh murderbot as Triple-Zero which, despite my mention earlier about the character losing a little creepiness without a better description of/seeing his spooky red eyes, brought plenty of hearty laughs and a constant unnerving feeling whenever he was around and talking of torture; it’s much like I imagined Trip to sound like and I’d love to hear Kenin continue the character, especially if they were to audiobook the “Remastered” arc of Doctor Aphra (Vol. 1), while the beeps and boops of Beetee were much as I hoped. Marc Thompson, from the bass tones of Vader (and the production messing with the voice/adding the breathing) to the growls and howls of Black Krrsantan (among others) really showed his impressive range. Seeing Vader from Aphra’s POV offered much of what added to her characterization, as we see her struggle to be seen for what she can be, something her parents Korin and Lona miss in their misguided attempts to protect her…and Aphra thinks Vader might just be able to see. With Krrsantan, the original Vader comic didn’t really explain how the two came to work together so I appreciated how the audiobook expands on their connection in fun ways. Speaking of Aphra’s parents, Korin and Lona, the flashbacks here also helped build into Aphra’s characterization, why she has this drive to survive and the (sometimes false) bravado, not wanting to appear weak as she feels Lona was on their journey away from home when she was younger. Digging into these vulnerable areas is part of what makes this such an excellent glimpse and take on Aphra. Along the way, Han (Thompson again), Luke (Sean Patrick Hopkins, in one of the best non-Mark Hamill Luke’s I’ve ever heard), and Leia (Catherine Taber) all make appearances, as the story covers the events of the Vader Down crossover, arguably turning said miniseries into a more enjoyable experience by kind of laughing at the seriousness of the original story, and also the “Rebel Jail” arc of the Star Wars (Vol. 1) series, which allowed the women to team up, reluctantly, and save the day from without any help from the guys (one of my top 10 moments from the comics over the past 5 years). And for a few smaller appearances: Euan Morton’s time as Palpatine left a memorable impression and I almost wish he got to have more lines!; Carol Monda seemed to enjoy being Maz Kanata but her part in the audio drama was over far too quick; and Jonathan Davis helped Boba Fett really live up to Aphra’s nickname, Boba Man. Nick Martorelli, the producer of the audiobook, really put together an excellent overall package, from the usage of John Williams’ music at key moments (plenty of prequel soundtrack love) to the fun effects for Aphra messing with the recording, and many thanks to Elizabeth Schaefer for putting this together and thinking of Kuhn immediately, because she was definitely the right person for the job. Many of the nitpicks I had for Dooku: Jedi Lost weren’t as prominent or as noticeable here, but that might be my Aphra fan bias showing (like it likely has for most of this review)!

This Aphra-fan is still grinning from listening to Doctor Aphra – An Audiobook Original, which improves on its source material and expands everything we know about the character with a heartfelt, humorous script by Sarah Kuhn, while a captivating performance from Emily Woo Zeller and the rest of the full cast, including Nicole Lewis as Sana, helps break every expectation. I need another entry, immediately!