The above video was created by Star Wars Explained.
With the next Star Wars film opening this December, fans are learning more about the one of the most enigmatic characters: Captain Phasma.
First seen in The Force Awakens, Phasma is a brooding military enforcer of the First Order. She is played by Game of Thrones actress Gwendoline Christie. Whether brandishing the Valryian sword Oathkeeper as Brienne of Tarth or her metal spear as Captain Phasma, Christie is a formidable presence in both franchises.
With Phasma returning for the upcoming Star Wars film, let’s dive into a little more about who she is and how she became a member of the First Order.
Phasma Returns
In this official image from Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Captain Phasma stands fully armed and armored on the deck of what looks to be an Imperial/First Order ship. She is wearing her signature silver armor, the cloak from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and brandishing her classic blaster rifle.
While on Starkiller Base, we know that Phasma lowered the shield for Finn and Han Solo. She did this strictly for self-preservation. Eventually, she was able to escape the base before its destruction, along with many other First Order officers, including Kylo Ren and General Armitage Hux.
So how did Phasma join the First Order originally?
Joining the Order
According to the novel Phasma, she was recruited into the First Order by General Hux’s father, Brendol Hux. Brendol Hux crashed on her planet Parnassos 10 years before the events of The Force Awakens. Fun fact: Phasma picked up her “British” accent from him!
Her relationship with Brendol Hux soured, however, and she conspired with his son Armitage, AKA General Hux, to have him murdered. As of the events of The Force Awakens, it seems her and General Hux’s bond is still strong. But as she’s demonstrated before, she is loyal to no one.
Interesting fact here: have you ever wondered why Phasma is wearing silver armor instead of white? According to the book, she forged her silver armor from the wreckage of Brendol’s ship. Apparently the Emperor himself owned the ship previously, when he was a senator from Naboo. It would seem that, if Kylo Ren is a Darth Vader fanboy, Phasma is an Emperor fangirl.
Traitor
So what has Phasma been doing since The Force Awakens? Killing traitors, apparently. In the Marvel comic Captain Phasma. Phasma deleted any records of her lowering the base shields. She then created a new record which blamed fellow officer Sol Rivas. Phasma then tracked Sol Rivas down and killed him as a traitor. Her distaste for traitors (even though she is one) will likely be a main storyline in The Last Jedi, since Finn — or FN-2187 as Phasma calls him — did betray the First Order to join the resistance. Their clash in the image above is one of the most anticipated fights of the new film.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens in the UK on December 14 and in the US on December 15, 2018.
