Episode 130 - Doctor Aphra with Cherish Chen!

·1 hr 20 min·5 clips

Writer Cherish Chen reveals exclusive details about the mysterious eel people she created for her Dr. Aphra comic series.

The episode begins with hosts welcoming Cherish Chen, a writer-producer known for work on 'My Dead Friend Zoe' and the Rocket Jump Film School. The conversation starts with a lighthearted 'hyperspace hot takes' quiz about Star Wars preferences. Chen then recounts her entry into comic writing, starting with a creator-owned project and leading to co-writing 'Radiant Black'. She describes the serendipitous timing of losing a book deal and immediately receiving an offer from Marvel to write Dr. Aphra. Chen details the development process, including initial pitches for a 10-issue adventure arc that was condensed into a 5-issue team-up series featuring Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. She explains the collaborative meetings with the Lucasfilm Story Group and Marvel editors. A significant portion discusses her character choices, particularly making Aphra more morally upstanding in the post-Return of the Jedi timeline and balancing her comedic chaos with internal trauma. Chen delves into creating new elements like the eel people (Sargassians), Aphra's half-sister Dellon, and the planet Tyson Isle. She compares the artistic styles of Gabriel Guzman and Kieran McKeown across the issues. The conversation explores Aphra's potential for live-action, with Chen favoring an original series. The episode concludes with Chen promoting her upcoming produced film, 'Nailhouse'.

As heard by us

Cherish Chen makes Doctor Aphra's comic history feel like a natural path toward a live-action future.

Doctor Aphra gets a lively, comics-minded spotlight as writer-producer Cherish Chen uses Chaos Agent to open up a broader conversation about the character's shifting identity and unusually devoted fan response.

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Why you'd press play

Press play for Doctor Aphra's comic spark, fan devotion, and live-action potential in one lively cantina conversation.

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