Have you ever heard of “Boba Fett Syndrome”? It’s a character story of sorts where a cool-looking character is introduced, and you wonder about the character, where they came from, what they’re all about, etc. But then, shortly after, they’re killed off in an uninspiring way, leaving you wonder what the heck you just saw. This happened to Boba Fett, who made a powerful entrance in The Empire Strikes Back, but then fell to ruin in Return of the Jedi. And in the new Star Wars trilogy, it happened to Captain Phasma, played by Gwendoline Christie.
Captain Phasma was one of the most hyped parts of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but she basically did nothing. Then, it was revealed she was to return in The Last Jedi, and was on screen for all of five minutes, and “died” quickly after. In an interview, Gwendoline Christie noted that she honestly doesn’t know if she’ll be in Episode IX.
“In truth I don’t know. And that scares and upsets me because I really want to see this character explored. I’m actually very invested in the character now,” said Christie. “And that’s genuine. That’s not just chat. It has opened up a chain of stories and events in my mind about who Phasma is.”
Speaking as a fan, I’d love to see Captain Phasma get her due. But will she? It honestly doesn’t look like it.
