Star Wars fans were sure there was more to the underused Captain Phasma than her swanky chrome armor in The Force Awakens. And while Phasma’s returning for a bigger role in The Last Jedi, we won’t literally be seeing who’s underneath the armor, as it’s been confirmed that she won’t be taking off her mask.
In a Reddit post on Monday, user JediPaxis explained that an artist working on marketing and merchandise for The Last Jedi communicated a directive about creating original images for the film, including the point that Captain Phasma’s face couldn’t be shown.
“…you cannot show Phasma unmasked,” the artist told them. “Captain Phasma’s mask stays on during the film so do not send in artwork of Gwendoline Christie’s face.”
So, even though her boss Kylo Ren ditched his helmet, Phasma’s staying covered up.
Christie, who plays Phasma, was previously seen unmasked as the character in a photoshoot for Vanity Fair. However, at Comic-Con Chile, Lucasfilm Story Group creative executive Pablo Hidalgo clarified that that might not be exactly like she looks like under the helmet. “For those of you wondering, I see this as a behind the scenes photo of Gwendoline Christie and not necessarily what Phasma looks like without her helmet,” Hidalgo said. “But I will say that she is a human female.”
Luckily, Phasma’s mask not coming off isn’t a sign that she’ll have less of a role in the film, at least compared to The Force Awakens. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in July, Christie said that The Last Jedi will explore all of the film’s characters, and that she had a hand in crafting Phasma’s backstory. Her origin was described as “more low-tech than many would assume” by Hidalgo to Vanity Fair, with more details being revealed in the novel Phasma by Delilah Dawson.
As long as Phasma’s character comes through, fans likely won’t mind her helmet being on the entire film, especially if there ends up being a cool pay-off to her actual appearance.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens on December 15.
