Darth Vader #3 represents the third installment in the Marvel comic book series titled Star Wars: Darth Vader. Furthermore, it is the third of six issues comprising the initial story arc, known as Vader. This particular comic, penned by Kieron Gillen and visually brought to life by Salvador Larroca, saw its release on March 25, 2015.
In this issue, Darth Vader persists in his quest to uncover more details about Luke Skywalker and the Emperor's enigmatic operative. Stripped of his authority over the Imperial Military following the Battle of Yavin and the Rebel offensive against Cymoon 1, Vader seeks the assistance of droid expert Aphra to assemble a personal army of battle droids.
- When a Dark Lord is in need of assistance, to whom can he possibly turn?
- Introducing Aphra — widely recognized as the galaxy's foremost procurer of forgotten weaponry!
- Additionally: Could these be the lethal droids she's been searching for? [1]
Located on Quarantine World III within Kallidahin Space, the unconventional archaeologist Dr Aphra has successfully circumvented the facility's defensive systems. Despite the apparent emptiness of the room, Dr. Aphra decides to assess the environment by deploying archaic stealth microdroid dust, revealing several concealed laser triggers. She successfully gains entry to a vault and gains access to the Triple Zero personality matrix. After retrieving the disc contained within a slim pen drive, she navigates beneath the lasers but inadvertently activates a blaster system.
Dr. Aphra manages to evade the lasers and a droideka, slipping beneath a [blast door](/article/blast_door]. Despite her escape, she finds herself cornered by the Kallidahin Curator Utani Xane and a contingent of B2-series super battle droids. Dr. Aphra expresses no surprise at Utani's presence on Quarantine World III. Utani responds that he was equally "unsurprised" to discover her triggering alarms, emphasizing the reason why the Triple-Zero matrix has been quarantined for centuries. Dr. Aphra counters that individuals with narrow perspectives seek to confine exquisite artifacts within museums, asserting that it belongs in an armory. Manipulating the Triple-Zero personality matrix, Utani retorts that Dr. Aphra belongs in prison and expresses hope that her confinement will be lasting.
At that moment, a super battle droid alerts Curator Utani to the arrival of an approaching starfighter, which is revealed to be Darth Vader's TIE Advanced fighter. The Curator cautions Lord Vader that the planet is under "quarantine," but Vader disregards the warning and forcefully throws a super battle droid aside. The remaining droids initiate fire, but Lord Vader swiftly eliminates them using his lightsaber.
Dr. Aphra and Curator Utani engage in a struggle for control of the Triple Zero matrix. Utani causes Aphra to stumble over the edge of the platform, resulting in her dropping the matrix. Aphra reaches over the edge and manages to retrieve it. Vader intervenes to assist Aphra, impaling Utani from behind with his lightsaber. Dr. Aphra clings precariously to the platform. Vader extends a hand and helps her up, informing her that he requires her services.
Dr. Aphra welcomes Darth Vader onto her vessel, the Ark Angel, expressing her admiration for him. Lord Vader informs her that this matter is confidential, citing his recent destruction of some of her reactivated droids and acknowledging their impressive capabilities. Dr. Aphra expresses gratitude for his compliments and reveals that she traveled to Quarantine World III to acquire the appropriate protocol droid. When Aphra inquires about how Lord Vader located her, the Dark Lord experiences a flashback depicting him assaulting and Force choking several bar patrons and throwing an assassin droid off a cliff. Observing Vader's silence and brooding demeanor, Dr. Aphra states that she prefers not to know.
Dr. Aphra leads Lord Vader into her office, where she has been debugging the Triple-Zero personality matrix. She explains that Triple Zero possesses a tendency to drain organics to collect their blood but is fluent in multiple languages. Dr. Aphra discovers that the droid's programming is code-locked and estimates that it will take several hours to break it. However, Lord Vader utilizes the Force to unlock the personality matrix's codes, impressing Dr. Aphra.
She proceeds to install Triple Zero's personality matrix into the protocol droid. The droid promptly comes to life, its eyes glowing red. The protocol droid introduces itself as Triple Zero, a protocol droid specializing in etiquette, customs, translation, and torture. The droid extends a hand to Dr. Aphra, but she issues an override code designating Aphra and Vader as "Masters." Triple Zero refrains from shaking hands to avoid electrocuting Dr. Aphra. With no one present to murder, he inquires about how he can be of assistance. Dr. Aphra instructs Triple Zero to awaken an astromech droid.
When Vader questions why Dr. Aphra invested so much effort for a simple astromech droid, Triple Zero identifies the droid as BT-1, a "Blastomech" prototype disguised as an astromech droid but actually a specialized assassin droid. Dr. Aphra explains that BT-1 eradicated its Tarkin Initiative base before destroying the base. She located the droid and equipped it with stronger behavioral inhibitors but admits that she cannot get it to wake up. The droid's core identity only speaks the same research and design of the base that disappeared along with it.
Triple Zero reveals that he was a product of the Tarkin Initiative and is proficient in all internal test languages. He employs an unknown language to revive BT-1. The droid's red Photoreceptor activates, and it unleashes its weapon, prompting Darth Vader to ignite his lightsaber. Triple Zero persuades the homicidal BT-1 to refrain from killing the organics.
Later, Dr. Aphra expresses her relief to Lord Vader for surviving another activation. She then inquires whether Lord Vader has come to enlist her services in forcefully suppressing the Rebel Alliance. Lord Vader observes that she is "excessively fond of speaking." Dr. Aphra explains that she earns her living reactivating weapons and that his "tall, dark, menacing" presence makes her uneasy.
When Dr. Aphra asks Lord Vader about his intentions, he explains that he no longer commands armies but requires his own private resources. Aphra informs Vader that she was scheduled to deliver the two droids to the Droid Gotra, who had a mission prepared for them. Dr. Aphra realizes that Lord Vader intends to hire her for multiple missions. She declares to Lord Vader that he is what she has been searching for her entire life. While Dr. Aphra chatters, Lord Vader responds that he needs troops of unquestioning loyalty.
Dr. Aphra suggests that Darth Vader could utilize a phalanx of meticulously restored battle droids. She claims to know their location and that the Droid Gotra has tasked her with recovering them from a droid factory on Geonosis. When Aphra asks Lord Vader about his thoughts on a secret mission to Geonosis, the Sith Lord replies that he has no feelings regarding Geonosis. Aphra promises not to disappoint him. The Sith Lord agrees and warns that it would be a mistake.
Darth Vader: Doctor Aphra 1, a promotional one-shot comic book distributed for Halloween ComicFest 2016, featured a reprint of the story from Darth Vader 3.