Back in the run-up to The Force Awakens, fans were all hyped up about Gwendoline Christie’s Captain Phasma. Who was this cool chrome Stormtrooper commando? What had she done to earn such respect in the ranks? What important part was she going to play in the upcoming films? And could she be this trilogy’s Boba Fett?
Well, after many toys were sold and much speculating had been done, she ended up shoved into a garbage tube in her debut outing and then Finn knocked her into an explosion in The Last Jedi. The only other time she’s done anything of note is in spinoff novels and comics. But could she be back for one last bite of the cherry in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker?
Given that she’s been chumped twice in the previous films, some Phasma fans were hoping that the trilogy-closer would be her moment to reflectively shine. Sadly not, though. John Boyega was asked at the Star Wars Celebration whether we’d get any closure on her story and replied as follows:
“Old news, she’s gone, got rid of her… Phasma, she dead.”
So, that’s that for Phasma I guess. It’s a shame, really, as the franchise lacks any strong female antagonists and her armor design was pretty eye-catching. Still, a villain has to have an air of menace to them, and her being unceremoniously dispatched in the previous two movies kind of punctures that. After all, it’s difficult to be too scary after you’ve been shoved into a trash pipe.
But while Phasma isn’t going to be back in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, one apparently dead villain most certainly is. I’m talking of course about the shock return of Ian McDiarmid’s Emperor Palpatine. With him chewing up the scenery and tossing lightning about, who needs a slightly spiffy stormtrooper, right?