Warning: spoilers ahead for Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #5!
Anyone who’s even remotely familiar with the Star Wars franchise knows about the Skywalker Family, whose lives and journeys serve as the focal point for the primary series of 9 films that has now been dubbed “The Skywalker Saga.” However, many fans might not know about a similarly powerful family.
The Tagge Family are a highly influential family within the Empire during the timeline of the original trilogy of films, and – in the latest issue of Star Wars: Doctor Aphra – more details about the prominent family have been teased for the future, promising that fans will soon learn much more about them, as they’ll be setting their sights on Aphra herself.
In recent issues of Doctor Aphra, Aphra and her new crew have been in search of the Lost Rings of Vaale, ancient artifacts from the days of the High Republic that may grant anyone who wears them both great power. While they did find one of the rings in the lost city of Vaale, it was quickly stolen by the agents of Ronen Tagge, a spoiled yet powerful art collector with a penchant for destroying the rarest, most valuable pieces he acquires, finding pleasure in being the last one to touch them. Hoping to regain the rings, Aphra and her crew travels to Ronen’s residence on Canto Bight, even letting themselves be captured in order to get close to him.
Now, in Doctor Aphra #5 from writer Alyssa Wong with art by Marika Cresta, it’s revealed that Ronen has always had the second ring in his possession, as it’s long served as a family heirloom, signifying the power of the Tagges for generations. The most famous and recognizable of all the known Tagges was Cassio Tagge, who served as the Empire’s Supreme Commander under Darth Vader after the destruction of the first Death Star (before dying by Vader’s hand for his failures in the role). Another known Tagge is Domina, Ronen’s aunt. Thanks to Domina, Ronen has always gotten everything he’s ever wanted no matter how costly. Now that Ronen has both rings, he wants to destroy them, finding the act of burning not only a symbol of his family’s legacy but also one of the rarest artifacts in the whole galaxy much too tempting to pass up. However, Aphra plays upon Ronen’s insecurities about his family in order to create a means to escape.
Aphra convinces Ronen not to destroy the rings, selling him on the idea that the myths about them are true, and that their promises of eternal life, incredible fortune, and limitless power would help him become more distinguished among his incredibly successful and impressive family members. In reality, Aphra’s words are meant to goad Ronen into setting off a trap she set. While Ronen is caught in the resulting explosion, Aphra and her crew get the opportunity to escape with whatever artifacts they can grab on their way out. Ronen survives the explosion, though he’s not in good shape. At the issue’s end, Aunt Domina has already learned about her nephew’s predicament from her ship harbored in Tagge-controlled space, demanding that her servants bring her all the information they have on Aphra.
Aphra definitely seems to have pushed her luck too far with this latest getaway plan, as she seems to have created some pretty serious enemies in the Tagges. Domina looks to be out for blood, seeking vengeance for what has happened to her beloved nephew. As Doctor Aphra continues, Aphra will have to be on her guard as she traverses the Star Wars galaxy, as the Tagges’ resources and influence look to be quite considerable. While Doctor Aphra doesn’t seem all that concerned by the Tagge Family at the moment, that will most likely change in the coming issues.
