Captain Phasma is one of the more frustrating characters in the new Star Wars trilogy. In The Force Awakens, Phasma was set up to be the sadistic she-wolf of the First Order and the main antagonist for Finn. But by the film’s third act, she’d been easily dispatched, imprisoned, and dumped in a trash compactor. Phasma popped up again in The Last Jedi only to be quickly defeated by Finn again, leaving fans wondering why this franchise is wasting such a potentially badass character and why Gwendoline Christie was forced to do so much publicity for a movie she’s barely in.
But now, thanks to a deleted scene from the Last Jedi Blu-Ray (coming out this month), we get a look at what Captain Phasma’s story arc could have been in a longer confrontation with her former subordinate. The clip comes to us from The Star Wars Show and starts at the 1:35 mark.
The scene takes place in the hanger of Snoke’s ship, right after Holdo’s suicide run nearly destroys it. Our chrome-†suited villain and her troops surround the desperate-eyed Finn (John Boyega) who Phasma then rebukes for being a traitor to the First Order. “You call for order, you beat us down, but when your shiny neck was threatened you squealed like a whoop hog,” Finn replies in defiance. “When I put a gun to your head, you shut down Star Killer’s shields!”
Whoop hogs aside, this is a pretty cool moment. Finn’s words remind the audience of Phasma’s actions in the previous film and reveal the character for what she really is: A hypocrite. Phasma talks a big game when it comes to order and loyalty, but she gets pretty traitorous once her back is against the wall. This is only confirmed by the fact that she shoots her own troops rather than risk them repeating Finn’s accusations. Then, as in the original cut of the film, she gets blasted down a big hole.
In terms of screen time, this deleted scene doesn’t add much. But it’s nice to see Captain Phasma get a bit more depth beyond “tall, helmeted person who gets their ass kicked,” even if it only appears in the special features.
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