Staying at hotels, B&Bs, and even Airbnb’s there are often concierge services available about what to see and do in the area you’re visiting, so we’ve opened the concierge desk at the Manor to offer suggestions on what to read, watch, and enjoy when wanting to find out more about your favorite Star Wars characters now that you have the free time to do so! Every once in a while, a character appears in a Star Wars film, full of intrigue and promise of future stories, deep lore, and expansive adventures. One such character was Captain Phasma, first introduced in the teaser trailer for The Force Awakens. With chrome armor and a long cape, Phasma gained the attention and excitement of fans across the galaxy. Unfortunately, she had only a scant few minutes of screen time in both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi before being bested by Finn. Eager to learn more about the “Chrome Dome”? Read on!
Disclaimer: Since most people have likely already seen the Star Wars films, the Manor Suggests series will focus on the various publishing aspects of the GFFA. We also highly suggest, if a local comic shop or book store is still open/offering curbside service or other social-distancing options, please consider picking up many of the suggested titles below from them!
Phasma (Novel; Written by Delilah S. Dawson; Del Rey 2017)
Whenever you meet someone new, you might have the same question: where do you come from? As time goes on, you want to learn: what drives you? what gets you out of bed each morning? Resistance spy Vi Moradi had the same questions about Captain Phasma, as General Leia sent her on a mission to find out anything she could about the stormtrooper commander. As Vi is captured by the First Order, she explains Captain Phasma’s backstory to Phasma’s rival in the First Order, Archex, known as Captain Cardinal. As Vi’s story progresses, she lays out what she has heard about the history of Phasma, from her time as a child living in a Mad Max: Fury Road styled tribe, complete with gratuitous violence and torn garbs, to her joining with the First Order. The point of the story? In a meta narrative sense, to help us, the readers, gain more insight into Captain Phasma, as the book was part of the lead-up to The Last Jedi. In universe? For Cardinal, so he could learn what makes Phasma go, and how he can take her down. The book jumps between the present time and the past, weaving two narratives together, leading up to a climactic battle in the end, setting up the future of the character. As a whole, the novel also explains a bit of the origin of the First Order, and some of the power dynamics that make the Order function – or not – and Phasma’s role in them.
Poe Dameron “The Gathering Storm” arc; (Comic On-going; Written by Charles Soule; Art by Phil Noto; Lettering by Joe Caramagna; Marvel 2016-2017)
Sometimes, being a supervisor isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. If you are the leader of the stormtrooper command in the First Order, you might imagine that you would be sent on mission after mission, wiping out spies and traitors. Not so for Captain Phasma. Really, you can’t learn much about Phasma on her own without seeing her as she interacts with people around her. In the last section, we learned about her through someone else’s POV. In the next few stories, we learn more about her in relation to the people that she led. Instead, for a time, she oversaw the First Order’s efforts to curtail the rise of Resistance bases and take down spies sent over the galaxy to find information on the First Order. One of the main people she was in contact with was Agent Terrex, a rogue agent within the First Order who did not seem to have the same goals as the Order did. In this arc, Poe Dameron is sent with C-3PO to start to organize the Resistance’s secret cadre of droid spies, and Phasma is working overtime, through her middle men, to capture Poe Dameron. Sure, this arc doesn’t feature her in extreme detail, but if you want to get to know a character and see how she functions, you need to see all parts of her job, not just the glamorous stuff.
Star Wars Adventures #3 {Vol. 1} (Comic On-going; Written by Landry Q. Walker; Art by Eric Jones; Lettering by Tom B. Long; IDW 2017)
Even the most serious and intimidating characters can be good subjects for the silliest and most fun kid’s comics, don’t you think? Phasma was a big part in the introduction to IDW’s fun Star Wars Adventures comics in a story featuring Finn, the rogue stormtrooper. A creature is set loose on the Star Destroyer Finalizer and it is wreaking havoc on the internal systems of the First Order! It’s up to Captain Phasma and her stormtroopers to come together to defeat the animal. That’s right: Captain Phasma wants her elite group of stormtroopers to destroy the creature rather than capture it and free it somewhere later. Now, why would you want to read a short story like this? Two reasons: one, it shows how weak Phasma’s leadership really was, at the most fundamental level. She would accept no failures or disruptions to her work, and any sort of disruption (even by a small creature like the one loose on the ship) would be such a catastrophic break in her plans that she would find herself spiraling to control the problem. Unbeknownst to her, some of her stormtroopers are starting to question her orders and the severity of her commands for them. FN-2187, a stormtrooper who will soon become a huge thorn in the side of the First Order, would slyly break her rules, while obeying them…sort of. But secondly, this story reminds us just how brutal Phasma is and what type of woman she can be.
Age of Resistance: Captain Phasma (Issue in Age of Resistance miniseries comic; Written by Tom Taylor; Pencils by Leonard Kirk; Inks by Cory Hamscher; Colors by Guru-eFX; Lettering by Travis Lanham; Marvel 2019)
Before the Awakening (Middle Grade Book; Written by Greg Rucka; Disney-Lucasfilm Press 2015)
Ca
ptain Phasma (Comic Miniseries; Written by Kelly Thompson; Art by Marco Checchetto; Colors by Andres Mossa; Letters by Clayton Cowles; Marvel 2017)
During the Battle of Starkiller Base, Captain Phasma, at the prompting of Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Finn, let down the shields that protected Starkiller Base, the planet formerly known as Ilum. In the following battle, the base was destroyed, leveling First Order material, troops, ships, and more. The failure of the First Order at Starkiller Base was catastrophic, leading the higher echelon of First Order leadership to assign blame for the destruction. You might remember that Captain Phasma is a selfish woman, who looks out only for number one: herself. What happens when the First Order suffers this defeat and there is one very obvious person to blame? And, even worse, someone has proof of that person’s failure? Well, it sends Phasma on a mission to murder. Yep, when Phasma learns of the First Order officer who might be able to explicitly point a finger at her for her role in the destruction of Starkiller Base, Phasma and a TIE pilot track the fugitive down. Along the way, of course, they encounter wild monsters, people in need of saving, and the depths of Phasma’s evil. This four issue mini-series was a lead-up to The Last Jedi as well, and ties well with the Phasma novel that kicked off this article. Also, the art in this book is incredible, as Checchetto always knows how to knock the visuals out of the park.
We’re not used to seeing stormtroopers take on a life of their own, but the Sequel Trilogy really pushed the boundary of what we can expect from certain characters. In the Original Trilogy, some stormtroopers were only good for delivering one or two lines that would become a joke – that, or they would become some nasty cannon fodder, disposed with no second thought. In the Sequel Trilogy, two stormtroopers take center stage as we see one defect and one who will do whatever she can to stop him and elevate herself. A brutal leader, self-centered to the core, and a dangerous weapon, Phasma’s backstory shows the wide range of First Order leadership – and how, for some, even a lot of power isn’t enough.
You can follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisWerms, and of course, you can follow the Manor on Twitter @MynockManor!
OTHER MYNOCK MANOR SUGGESTS
Count Dooku
Rose Tico
Lando Calrissian