Star Wars: Gwendoline Christie Fears Phasma Won’t Return for ‘Episode IX’

With production set to begin on Star Wars: Episode IX later this year, some of the actors in the franchise are beginning to wonder if they’ll reprise their roles in the saga.

Lupita Nyong’o said she wasn’t sure she’ll play Maz Kanata again, and now we know one of her fellow cast members is unsure if she’ll return.

Gwendoline Christie recently said to Celebretainment that she’s afraid Captain Phasma won’t show up again following the character’s murky status at the end of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

“In truth I don’t know. And that scares and upsets me because I really want to see this character explored. I’m actually very invested in the character now,” said Christie. “And that’s genuine. That’s not just chat. It has opened up a chain of stories and events in my mind about who Phasma is.”

Christie’s character was underutilized in her debut as part of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and that movie ended with Phasma’s fate left uncertain. And though it seems falling into a pit of flames on an exploding Star Destroyer would be more final, many characters in the Star Wars saga have suffered worse and reappeared in later stories.

Despite being bested by Finn, Christie said she’s a huge fan of the new movie.

“I loved The Force Awakens. And I really love The Last Jedi,” Christie said. “It feels like a progressive step forward. It’s the idea of rigidity in one’s thinking or never being able to see the other side. This lack of empathy. It’s a choice.”

Though Phasma takes more action in the new Star Wars movie, some fans were upset with how little the character was utilized in The Last Jedi. After being the subject of her own comic book and novel in the Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi promotion, some assumed Christie’s character would have a more prominent role.

Perhaps we’ll hear more news about Phasma in Episode IX in the future, cementing her status as the Stormtrooper who refuses to die.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is now playing in theaters.