Doctor Aphra (2020) 1

NEW CREW, NEW MISSION! With the Rebel Alliance back on the run after their defeat at the Battle of Hoth, it's never been a more dangerous time for outlaws, scoundrels and the errant rogue archaeologist to make their way in the galaxy. But after a string of bad luck and near escapes, DOCTOR APHRA is back on the job! She's been keeping a low profile – jobs are scarce and credits scarcer. But the promise of the score of a lifetime is a chance too good for her to pass up. And to find the cursed RINGS OF VAALE, Aphra will need a crew of treasure hunters the likes of which the galaxy has never seen before! But RONEN TAGGE, heir to the powerful Tagge family, also has his eyes on the prize. Do Aphra and her team stand a chance at fortune and glory?

Set circa 3 ABY, some weeks following the Battle of Hoth, snowtroopers serving the Galactic Empire are depicted gathering illicit goods from the abandoned Rebel Alliance base, Echo Base, situated on the planet of Hoth. A transport vehicle then appears to collect these items, though one trooper insists that their orders dictate continued searching for signs indicating rebel presence. While on the transport, the snowtroopers begin to question the route being taken by the driver, leading one to demand a change in direction. However, before the driver can comply, Krrsantan and Tubleek Ruz, who are bounty hunters, launch an assault. The driver then reveals herself as Doctor Chelli Aphra, the rogue archaeologist, who orchestrated the ambush to seize the transport's cargo. Ruz then betrays Aphra, threatening to claim the bounty placed on her head and mocking her for her trust. Aphra reveals that she never trusted Ruz, and the assassin Just Lucky shoots the bounty hunter dead with a sniper rifle. An All Terrain Armored Transport then approaches, compelling Aphra, Krrsantan, and Lucky to make a hasty escape aboard Aphra's starship, known as the Ark Angel III, leaving behind the majority of the stolen goods.

At the establishment of the Shadow University, Aphra delivers a fork-nosed ice worm fossil, which she had discovered on the Hoth transport. She receives payment from Sava Estat for this find. As Aphra, Krrsantan, and Lucky are celebrating their financial gain, they are approached by Detta Yao, a student at the Shadow University. Yao states that she was inspired by a guest lecture that Aphra gave several years ago, and wishes to hire Aphra to find the Rings of Vaale, a lost artifact that Yao wants to write her thesis on. Yao explains that the Rings, which the university does not believe are real, supposedly granted eternal life and boundless fortune when worn together, but were also cursed. Both Aphra and Lucky are intrigued by the artifact, and the archaeologist agrees to help Yao find the Rings in exchange for money, and accepts the deal.

Yao explains that only one academic wrote about the Rings of Vaale: Doctor Eustacia Okka, former professor at the Shadow University. Aphra is discouraged, having previously been classmates with Okka, though they had since fallen out. Nevertheless, Aphra heads to find Okka on Kolkur, where the former professor is studying a set of ancient ruins with her droid, TA-418. Okka is similarly displeased to see Aphra, and refuses to help anyone finds the Rings of Vaale, having been asked numerous times by Ronen Tagge, scion of the powerful Tagge family. At that moment, a number of mercenaries working for Tagge enter the ruins, intending to force Okka into cooperating. Aphra initiates a firefight with the mercenaries, and Okka activates the large droid guardians of the ruins, causing them to attack the mercenaries. With the mercenaries distracted, Aphra, her associates, and Okka escape to the Ark Angel III, where Okka is convinced to help the crew find the Rings in return for receiving credit for the find. Explaining the history of the Rings, Okka identifies their location as Dianth in the Malitoris system, which had supposedly become corrupted by the artifact's curse. Aphra expresses doubt about the truth of the curse and its effects, but sets a course for Dianth.

Within his private penthouse located in Canto Bight, Ronen Tagge has two artists engage in a debate regarding the superiority of their respective creations. Aware of Tagge's reputation for acquiring rare artifacts only to destroy them, the artists try to convince Tagge to favor the other's artwork. Before Tagge can make a decision, his mercenaries return from Kolkur, informing him that Okka escaped with Doctor Aphra. Tagge, angered by the news, decides to destroy both artwork as the artists watch in despair. Tagge orders his forces to disperse his fleet and find Okka, wishing to personally settle a debt with Aphra.

The initial solicitation for Doctor Aphra 1 targeted an April 2020 launch, but its release was subsequently postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• (No UPC) ; May 4 , 2020; Marvel Comics ; Digital edition [1]
• UPC 759606097241; May 27 , 2020; Marvel Comics; First printing [1] 00111; Cover A; Valentina Remenar 00121; Cover B; Ashley Witter 00131; Cover C; Valentina Remenar 00141; Cover D; Chris Sprouse, Karl Story & Neeraj Menon 00151; Cover E; Valentina Remenar