In a world where passionate fandom and pop culture saturation are at an all time high, the internet is rife with outrageous fan theories. Though occasionally farfetched, these theories can contribute some of the most fun parts to being a fan. From Rey’s much debated family tree to whether The Last Jedi is singular or plural–alas, Rian Johnson confirmed it’s singular at Star Wars Celebration earlier this year (RIAN, WHYYYY?)–we as fans are always asking the important questions about the things that we love.
Cue a new pressing question, perhaps the most pressing one for this particular fan: Could Captain Phasma, the iconic silver-suited leader of the First Order Stormtroopers, actually be Cindel Towani from George Lucas’ long forgotten TV movie Ewoks: The Battle for Endor?
For those of you who don’t regularly revisit George Lucas’ forays into direct-to-TV movies, Cindel is the young star of both Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure and Ewoks: The Battle For Endor. In the original Ewoks spinoff, she’s part of a larger ensemble. But in the far superior sequel, she’s the unquestionable heroine. A tiny child with a radical sense of style and an Ewok best bud, she sasses witches, fights scary monsters, and at one point gets picked up by a giant stop motion pterodactyl! Basically she’s a super badass little girl who helps the Ewoks save their beloved forest moon.
Yas, it may sound out of left field to connect the two characters. but what do we really know about Phasma? The Force Awakens didn’t show us much. All we know is that she’s a veteran of the First Order and entrusted with the training of General Hux’s orphan Stormtrooper army. We can all agree that Star Wars loves a family story and a legacy character, so it’s very likely that our first female Stormtrooper will be someone that we’ve seen before. So why not the very same blonde, bequiffed, headband-wearing heroine from these direct-to-TV gems?
When we last saw Cindel, she was flying off into space with Noa, an old man who’d crashed on Endor years before and was stranded until Cindel and Wicket discovered him living in an old tree. After defeating their evil foes, the humans left Wicket behind and flew off into the galactic sunset, never to be seen again. We know that The Force Awakens is set around 30 years after the end of Return of the Jedi, which means that Cindel would be in her late 40s, a completely reasonable age estimate for the yet unmasked Captain Phasma. After all, how likely is it that a mid level scout in his 60s like Noa could protect a young child for long in the face of the Empire?
When the Empire fell and the clone project was dismantled, we know that the First Order began training children as their new soldiers. Maybe Cindel was their prototype? Could the reason that Phasma is in charge of the new First Order Troopers be because she was the first one of them all?
What do you think? Could Phasma really be Wicket’s old best friend, bitter and brainwashed by the First Order? Or have I just been drinking too much blue milk? Let us know in the comments!
Images: Lucasfilm