On September 1, 2017 (dubbed Force Friday II by Lucasfilm), author Delilah Dawson will debut her Star Wars novel, Phasma. The book is part of the Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi marketing push that will also include the release of toys and other merchandise. Phasma will flesh out the origin story of Gwendoline Christie’s character, delving into how the warrior came to be part of the First Order. Turns out, that shiny and chrome exterior hides a Mad Max-like childhood.
To help fans get hyped for Phasma, Lucasfilm released a sample chapter on its official website. Clocking in at slightly over 1200 words, the chapter introduces the reader to Phasma’s day-to-day life on her home planet of Parnassos. Then, everything changes when a ship crash lands on the border between Phasma’s clan — called the Scyre — the their rivals, the Claw Clan. Known as “falling stars,” ships careening to the ground is a stroke of good fortune for the denizens of Parnassos and Phasma quickly rounds up her warriors to begin a scavenging mission.
From the excerpt:
As the ship’s remains streaked across the sky, Phasma tracked it with her quadnocs, taking careful note of the direction in which it fell. At the very least, ships like this could be pillaged; at most, there was always a hope that they could be salvaged and used to get offplanet. No one alive had seen such ships do anything but fall and crash, but they were evidence of the larger galaxy beyond Parnassos, of a future that had been denied them. It was painful, living on such a treacherous planet with so many reminders of the ease and technology that had once been taken for granted. At the very least, there would be metal, tech, clothes, medicines, food, and possibly working blasters scattered around what was left of the ship. These were the greatest riches in Phasma’s world.
Whatever is going on with Parnassos, the planet has been plunged into a post-apocalyptic society. The Scyre live on a cave-riddled volcanic terrain, their homes connected by rusty ladders, zip lines, and rope bridges on the edge of the sea. Had the ship crashed during high tide, it would’ve been lost to the waves. But why, in a galaxy full of wonders, do the people of Parnassos live such hardscrabble lives? The Phasma excerpt only hints at the cause; some kind of worldwide automated defense system that shoots down anything coming or going. Only this time, the blasters had a First Order ship in their sights, one transporting Brendol Hux, father of Armitage Hux played by Domhnall Gleeson in The Force Awakens. Something like an “impenetrable defense system” isn’t going to keep the rising First Order down.
The excerpt ends with Hux using his matte black protocol droid to speak with the gathered clans of Parnassos and ask for their help getting off-world. In return, the Hux promises to take any person who wishes to leave with him. “ If your people help return us to our ship, I will take whoever wishes to join me back to our fleet. These soldiers will live in glory and wealth, never suffering for want again,” he declares, a seductive promise for anyone much less a people who have never seen proper armor or a working droid before. The snippet ends with Phasma pledging to help Hux.
So there you have it, part of the mysterious origin of Captain Phasma. From her perspective, the First Order is a benevolent entity that picks up the broken and downtrodden and transforms them into warriors living in the lap of luxury. That’s the kind of blind loyalty the First Order needs in order to survive, but it doesn’t make Phasma a bad person. Perhaps Finn will help her see the error of her ways, turning her towards the light? One can only hope.