Warning: The following contains spoilers for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" has been out for almost a week now, which means all the serious fans have already seen it. Wasn't it pretty awesome?
While J.J. Abrams certainly offered a measure of redemption to the series following the disastrous prequels, "The Force Awakens" wasn't without its flaws. For one, audiences didn't really get a whole lot of character development or background, especially for Gwendoline Christie's Captain Phasma.
Christie, most known for her badass role as Brienne of Tarth on "Game of Thrones," was expected to become this trilogy's version of Boba Fett as Captain Phasma, the chrome Stormtrooper. Although Boba Fett didn't say much in the originals, he made his presence known through his capture of Han Solo and his mysterious ways. Phasma, on the other hand, doesn't do much of anything in this movie. In fact, she gets captured herself (rookie mistake).
However, Christie reassured disappointed fans that her character will see more action in Rian Johnson's "Star Wars Episode VIII." She was backed up by Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy who told the LA Times:
"She's an important character, a baddie in the best sense of the word."
When we first meet Phasma she is the Captain of a squadron of First Order stormtroopers. She is the one overseeing the massacre on Jakku and who notices Finn's empathy, prompting her to order Finn to turn in his blaster and report to her later. Obviously, Finn doesn't do that as he is busts Poe Dameron out of custody and the two hightail it off that Star Destroyer. Phasma later reappears as a captive of our heroes who force her to lower Starkiller Base's shields. All in all, not a very impressive debut. Boba Fett would not be proud.
But at least she has the opportunity to make her mark in the sequel. Johnson's "Star Wars: Episode VIII" is scheduled for May 26, 2017.
