Despite ultimately being underutilized in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Captain Phasma is still one of the most visually striking characters from the return of the saga films. From the first look at the character, a tall and imposing figure decked out in shiny chrome storm trooper armor and a cape, fans knew that this person meant business and they wanted to see more of her. For the actress behind the helmet, Gwendoline Christie, seeing her costume was the culmination of a childhood dream and the physical manifestation of powerful women. Here's what she had to say about seeing her costume for the first time:
When I was taken to the top-secret wardrobe department to see my Captain Phasma costume -- a shiny, full-body suit of armour -- I was truly electrified. Kathleen Kennedy, president of LucasFilm, had asked me if I'd ever Googled 'female superheroes' and proceeded to show me the results; a plethora of scantily clad, cartoon-like women and not a whole lot else.
Captain Phasma's armor was arguably the most badass in the film, regardless of gender, and had fans believing that this character would take up the mantle of Boba Fett for this new trilogy, a cutthroat villain whose face you never see. As Kathleen Kennedy pointed out to Gwendoline Christie, this is a far cry from the tight-fitting and skin-baring female superheroes that have graced comic book pages for decades. The Captain Phasma costume was originally designed for Kylo Ren before it became the menacing armor of the First Order captain. Fortunately, under Kathleen Kennedy's regime they didn't feel the need to sexualize the Phasma armor just because a woman would now be wearing it. Indeed this new trilogy is making up for the dude fest that the original films were by creating a bunch of fierce female characters to root for and against.
Gwendoline Christie also told The Indian Express that being in Star Wars was a lifelong dream she campaigned for due to her love of Princess Leia as a child. The no-nonsense, intelligent and capable Princess has seemingly become the template for female Star Wars characters in this new age. Though she received the old trash compactor treatment at the end of The Force Awakens, Captain Phasma managed to survive and will be returning in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and hopefully, she will be getting a meatier role this time around. She may even be ditching the blaster and wielding a weapon more suited to Brienne of Tarth as she continues to hunt Finn and the Resistance.
We don't know if Gwendoline Christie will get to show her face in Rian Johnson's film or whether she will be an always-masked enigmatic figure a la Judge Dredd or Boba Fett. Either way, Captain Phasma returns for revenge when Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits theaters on December 15. Pre-order your tickets for opening weekend now.
