Star Wars: Compare and contrast: Phasma vs. Fett

Most of us first saw Boba Fett, as we’ve been reminded in the recent holiday season, in the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special.  The animated version of the character with his tuning-fork rifle riding a pink dinosaur ensures that animated segment will be the only piece of the special that anyone wants to really remember.

The character does have one appearance BEFORE that however; in the San Anselmo Country Fair parade, north of San Francisco in 1978. Home to Lucasfilm at the time, various costumed characters appeared in the parade, including the world debut of everyone’s favorite Bounty Hunter. Add to that the mail-away action figure promotion, and just KNOWING Fett would be in Star Wars II is a solid foundation to a legend.

When the much anticipated full trailer for Episode VII debuted, there appeared a character we first called “the Chrometrooper” striding through a battlefield.

Wait- this is a named character? Wait, SHE is a named character? Wait, she’s Brienne of Tarth?

The first female villain in a Star Wars film, the original design caught director J.J. Abrams’ eye apparently reminding him of the deadly sphere from the film Phantasm. With anticipation growing and the publicity apparatus from Disney moving at full speed, we were treated to Gwendoline Christie’s delightful promotional appearances on talk shows and various interviews. Her enthusiasm for the character was contagious, and made sure many of us were fired up to find out just who this Captain Phasma really was.

Advantage: Tie; though that parade appearance started Fett out in mystery, this one is evened out by Gwendoline Christie doing acapella performances of Led Zepplin and the Imperial March.