Far better than what was left in the film.
In The Force Awakens, J.J. Abrams established the new Star Wars universe and characters. While Episode VII ticked a lot of boxes, Rian Johnson had the task of developing the story of the Resistance vs The First Order in The Last Jedi.
Granted, Episode VIII got a lot of things right - Mark Hamill's performance was excellent and *that* scene where Laura Dern goes full kamikaze through the Dreadnought was epic - but it's hard to shake the belief that certain characters and backstories felt underdeveloped.
Andy Serkis has already explained why his character, Supreme Leader Snoke, wasn't given an awful lot of screentime and Mark Hamill has been fairly vocal about Luke's character arc. This being said, there was a Starkiller Base-sized hole regarding another character, Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie).
As you may remember, the owner of the shiniest helmet in The First Order met a fiery end after Finn (John Boyega) laid the smackdown on his mortal enemy.
Well, Captain Phasma might have had a very different end if Rian Johnson decided to use this deleted scene in the theatrical cut.
This new scene picks up right after Finn bashes Phasma in the face with his riot control baton, shattering her helmet. In this deleted scene, Phasma immediately confronts Finn after being attacked while facing an incredibly hard truth about the destruction of Starkiller Base.
Rather than admit her guilt, Phasma lashes out in a display of violence that would impress Kylo Ren. This ending at the 1:35 mark is far more badass.
Damn Rebel scum!
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is set to be released March 27 on Blu-ray.
https://youtu.be/HjoJqZDjxgI
Clip via - Star Wars
