Pointy Vee Cast 006 - Why Phasma Wasn't a Wasted Character

Deep dives into television and movies

4 years ago

Episode Notes

Excerpt:There is this popular belief that somehow Captain Phasma was "wasted" as a character in the Last Jedi. The truth is that she was never a unique character to begin with, even in the Force Awakens. In fact, I would further that argument and even go as far as to say that the Last Jedi redeemed her role in the new trilogy. Now before the internet gets their pitchforks and torches ready, hopefully people will hear me out and end up with a greater appreciation for the more human elements that the new trilogy barely managed to portray.

Let's start by observing carefully how Phasma is actually portrayed in the Force Awakens. Phasma first appears in the movie around eight minutes in and her first lines are, "Sir, the villagers." To which Kylo replies, "Kill them all" in a rather dramatic fashion. "On my command. Fire." Phasma replies. This is same introductory scene for the character of Finn (FN2187) as well, where he chooses not to fire upon the civilians.

This is the entirety of Phasma's introduction as a character. All we can glean from what the movie actually shows us is that she has shiny armor, and therefore must be a Storm Trooper of some standing. Movies typically give masked characters of some importance in the script a distinguishing mark so they are easily identifiable, such as the blood on Finn's helmet, or in Phasma's case, an entire suit of shiny armor.

Full Writeup: https://pointyhatcast.com/2020/03/05/captain-phasmas-wasnt-a-wasted-character/