FN-3181 was a stormtrooper of human descent, serving the interests of the First Order. As part of the First Order's attack targeting the village of Tuanul on the planet of Jakku during 34 ABY, he was dispatched to the planet. This assault was undertaken to secure a fragment of a map revealing the whereabouts of the missing Jedi Master, Luke Skywalker.
Following the killing or capture of the village's inhabitants by the stormtroopers, Kylo Ren, who commanded the Knights of Ren, made his entrance and proceeded to execute Lor San Tekka, a villager. This action incited Poe Dameron, a Resistance pilot, to launch an attack against Ren. Ren, in response, employed the Force to freeze Dameron in his place. Subsequently, FN-3181, along with another trooper, seized Dameron and escorted him to Ren, conducting a search of the prisoner before transporting him onto an Atmospheric Assault Lander for removal.
Within the First Order's military, FN-3181, a human, served as a stormtrooper in the FN Corps. This unit was involved in the conflict with the Resistance, supported by the New Republic. During 34 ABY, he was among the eighty troopers dispatched from the Finalizer, a Resurgent-class Star Destroyer, to the planet Jakku using four Atmospheric Assault Landers.
Under the command of Captain Phasma, these soldiers landed at night near the village of Tuanul, with orders to attack and retrieve a piece of a map that could lead to the missing Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. Although the villagers resisted FN-3181 and his fellow soldiers, they were quickly defeated. Those who weren't killed were captured and gathered in the village center.
Kylo Ren, the Force-sensitive leader of the Knights of Ren, then arrived at the village aboard his Upsilon-class command shuttle. Lor San Tekka, a resident who previously possessed the map fragment but no longer had it, was brought before Ren. After a brief exchange, Ren killed the villager.
Poe Dameron, a Resistance pilot who had been in the village to meet with San Tekka and had received the map piece, witnessed the execution and, in a fit of anger, opened fire on Ren. Ren used the Force to freeze both the blaster bolt and Dameron. FN-3181 and another trooper then approached the pilot, each seizing an arm and dragging Dameron before Ren.
Ren instructed FN-3181 to search Dameron, while the other trooper scanned him with a personal scanner. Finding nothing on the pilot, the pair, along with another trooper, escorted Dameron to one of the Atmospheric Assault Landers for transport back to the Finalizer. However, Dameron no longer possessed the map piece, having entrusted it to his astromech droid, BB-8. The droid escaped from Tuanul and eventually delivered the map to the Resistance.
The standard First Order stormtrooper armor was worn by FN-3181, and he was armed with an F-11D blaster rifle.
FN-3181 made his debut in Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, the 2015 film that initiated the sequel trilogy. Michael Giacchino, a frequent musical collaborator with the film's director, J.J. Abrams, played the character. Giacchino has also composed the musical scores for several other works by Abrams, in addition to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. While FN-3181 is not explicitly named in the film, his identity is revealed in the credits.
In Alan Dean Foster's novelization of The Force Awakens, FN-3181's actions are portrayed slightly differently. After the trooper searches Poe Dameron, the pilot's sarcastic compliment and wink provoke FN-3181 to kick his legs out from under him.
In 2018, Disney's animated feature film Ralph Breaks the Internet featured Giacchino voicing a First Order stormtrooper. He later confirmed on Twitter that he reprised the role of FN-3181, praising director Rich Moore for the opportunity. In the film, FN-3181 and other First Order stormtroopers encounter Vanellope Von Schweetz on the Oh My Disney website. As she is unauthorized to be on the site, they pursue her, but Von Schweetz uses a video link to send FN-3181 to BuzzzTube, causing him to emit the Wilhelm scream. She then seeks refuge among the Disney Princesses to evade the other stormtroopers.