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So here’s the other half of the Phasma novel’s story, and it raises a couple of questions for us about The Last Jedi.
The framing of the backstory reveals for Phasma’s history and induction into the First Order involve:
**A Resistance spy named Vi Moradi, who was tasked by none other than General Leia Organa to find out as much about Phasma as possible, and
**A First Order Captain named Cardinal, who was an orphan wretch on Jakku before Brendol Hux took him away with the rest of a bunch of wild children as they escaped into the Unknown Regions after the Battle of Jakku
Leia sends Vi to check out some (unrevealed to us) coordinates, and finds a whole bunch of First Order folks there. She’s captured, and hidden away by Cardinal, where he tortures her for information about Phasma.
See, Cardinal used to train ALL the new First Order troops, and used to be the apple of Brendol Hux’s eye – possibly even more than Brendol’s own son, Armitage.
Well, after Phasma came on board, Brendol wasn’t all about Cardinal anymore. And they split Cardinal’s duties, so now Cardinal only trains the young kids, and then they’re turned over to Phasma when they’re older. Cardinal doesn’t like this arrangement one bit. So he’s looking for dirt on Phasma – especially as it might relate to the mysterious death of Brendol Hux. He wants to get rid of her, but it may not be as easy as he thought.
Ultimately, Cardinal and Phasma get into a good old-fashioned throwdown, which Phasma wins handily. However, Vi is able to rescue Cardinal before he dies. And we’re led to believe that Vi will get him to medical help in time, while going back to Phasma’s home planet of Parnassos to rescue one of the very few remaining people to know anything about Phasma’s history.
So, he’s the question, then: What, out of all of this, will appear in The Last Jedi?
Parnassos, Phasma’s home planet?
Vi Moradi, Resistance spy?
Cardinal, disillusioned former First Order captain?
Siv and Torbi, the last remaining survivors from Phasma’s old clan, the Scyre?
I wanted to consider the idea that Cardinal becomes DJ in The Last Jedi, but I think Cardinal is too tightly wound for that…