During the time of the New Republic Era, a General by the name of Brendol Hux spearheaded a quest to the obscure planet of Parnassos. His goal was to enlist combatants for the First Order, an organization aiming to revive the ideals of the "Old Empire." Hux's vessel was downed by Parnassos' automatic defense system. The General, along with three stormtroopers, survived the wreck. They then sought assistance from Phasma and her Scyre warriors to return to his crashed ship, hoping to signal the First Order for extraction.
After Keldo, Phasma's brother and the leader of their clan, declined to aid General Hux, Phasma and her most devoted warriors abandoned the Scyre territory to accompany Hux and his stormtroopers. Throughout their expedition, the group faced several threats: poisonous gold beetles, a band of raiders, perilous skinwolves, and sentient Con Star droids. Furthermore, they were briefly detained by forces from Arratu, but they managed to break free after Phasma eliminated the ruling Arratu. Eventually, Phasma and Hux's team arrived at the "dead lands", the site of Hux's ship crash, only to be pursued by Keldo, who now commanded a united force of Scyre and Claw warriors.
Despite suffering significant losses, Phasma, her warriors, and Hux's stormtroopers successfully eliminated the pursuing forces. In the meantime, Hux managed to contact the First Order for a rescue operation. Upon the First Order's arrival, Phasma and the youngest Scyre child, Frey, joined General Hux. However, Phasma prevented Siv from joining them due to her refusal to execute the gladiatorial warrior Wranderous. As they departed Parnassos, General Hux obliterated the Scyre territory and Arratu Station, showcasing the First Order's immense power.
A century prior to the New Republic Era, the planet Parnassos thrived as a mining colony under the control of the Con Star Mining Corporation. Following a catastrophic nuclear event, Con Star deserted the planet and its inhabitants, wiping out nearly all records of its existence. As the planet's environment degraded, the society of Parnassos declined into a state of barbarism and primitivism. The planet was also isolated by a still-operational automated defense system, which destroyed any approaching spacecraft.
In the year 24 ABY, General Brendol Hux of the First Order initiated a campaign to recruit soldiers for the First Order, a group aspiring to restore the legacy of the "Old Empire". Hux, previously a Commandant at the Arkanis Academy, masterminded the First Order's stormtrooper training program. The First Order aimed to overthrow the New Republic, which they considered an illegitimate government formed by the Rebel Alliance.
While en route to the supposedly desolate world of Parnassos, General Hux's vessel was targeted and destroyed by Parnassos' operational automated defense system. Although the crew perished, Hux and his stormtroopers managed to evacuate using two escape pods. Hux, his black metal droid, and three stormtroopers—PT-2445 ("Pete"), LE-2003 ("Elli"), and HF-0518 ("Huff")—landed their escape pod within the Claw territory, the homeland of the Claw clan led by the Dug Balder. Hux lost contact with the second escape pod, which carried four stormtroopers.
Balder captured Hux and his troopers, bringing them back to his people. At the Claw plateau, Hux informed the Claws of his need to return to his ship, promising them a life of luxury in exchange. Phasma, the military commander of the Scyre clan and a rival of Balder, offered her assistance. Balder opposed Phasma's presence, leading Phasma to kill him, which ignited a conflict between the Claws and the Scyre warriors. Phasma persuaded Hux and his men to accompany her and her warriors back to the Scyre stronghold, Nautilus. Hux's droid was destroyed during the clash, but Phasma recovered one of its legs.
Throughout the journey back, Phasma earned Hux's trust. In return, Hux shared details about the First Order and its mission to "restore order" to the galaxy. Phasma attempted to convince her elder brother Keldo, the leader of the Scyre clan, to send warriors to escort Hux and his men back to their ship in exchange for wealth and recognition. However, Keldo, angered by Phasma's violation of their truce with the Claws, refused to authorize the mission.
Consequently, Phasma and her four most loyal warriors—Siv, Torben, Gosta, and Carr—departed that night with Hux and his men. They also carried essential supplies, including the clan's two detraxor units, which could convert diseased bodies into nutritious paste.
As they embarked on their journey, Phasma guided the group away from the coastal area towards a tall mountain. After a long, challenging climb, the group finally reached the surface of their landmass, which was a vast, sandy desert. A venomous gold beetle bit Carr on the hand. His condition worsened over the following days, causing him to swell up before disintegrating, leaving behind water, blood, bones, and viscera. Parnassos beetles then devoured his remains.
While traversing the desert, the group was ambushed by marauders riding sleds pulled by large lizards. The Scyre and Hux's stormtroopers successfully defeated and killed the attackers. Phasma's warriors used their detraxors to extract nutrients from the fallen bodies. Later, the group was attacked by a pack of skinwolves. Brendol sustained an arm injury and fell ill. While camping that night, the group encountered a Con Star protocol droid named TB-3.
Assuming the travelers were Con Star employees, TB-3 led the group to Terpsichore Station, Con Star's former primary mining facility on Parnassos. TB-3 arranged for the feverish Brendol to receive treatment in the Station's advanced medbay. Unable to afford Brendol's medical bills due to a lack of credits, Phasma and the others reluctantly agreed to work as indentured miners at the Terpsichore Station mines for sixty days.
At Phasma's urging, the group attempted to disable their mining supervisor, D473, but they were subdued by sleeping gas. Upon awakening, Phasma and the other prisoners accepted TB-3's orders to work in the mines. Phasma also befriended the stormtroopers, and they agreed to obey the droids until Brendol recovered and devised an escape plan. As Brendol recuperated, Phasma briefed him on their situation. Brendol proposed a plan to disable the control room to deactivate the station's 47 droids.
After two work shifts, Phasma's warriors and Hux's stormtroopers infiltrated the control room and disabled the droids. Brendol attributed the droids' behavior to a lack of maintenance for at least 186 years. The group then scavenged Terpsichore Station for supplies before departing in a Ground assault vehicle and three speeder bikes. Lacking a clear sense of direction, Phasma convinced the group to head towards a distant settlement.
As they approached the settlement, Phasma and her companions noticed a towering structure. This settlement was Arratu Station, a former Con Star fabrication plant. As they drew closer, they found their path blocked by a ditch filled with pikes. One of the stormtroopers, Elli, crashed her bike into the ditch and suffered a broken neck. Soon, the group was ambushed and captured by armed warriors in ground assault vehicles who identified themselves as the "Arratu."
Phasma and the others were taken to Arratu Station, which had evolved into a city where a wealthy elite ruled over the starving masses. The group was thrown into a prison with starving inmates. There, they encountered an elderly man named Vrod, who held the title of guardian. He informed the group that the city's ruler, the Arratu, organized gladiatorial fights using the prisoners to entertain the starving populace. Unable to treat Elli, Hux decided to abandon her, allowing Phasma to wear her stormtrooper armor.
The next day, Phasma and Torben were forced to fight a prisoner named Wranderous for the amusement of the crowd and the Arratu. After that fight, Phasma and her companions had to battle a pack of skinwolves but managed to kill them. Their exploits impressed the Arratu, who provided them with better accommodations and food.
On the second day, Phasma, Torben, and Siv fought Wranderous again. Working together, they managed to fatally wound him. However, Siv disobeyed Phasma's order to kill the enemy warrior. Using Torben as a springboard, Phasma jumped into the Arratu's box and killed the ruler and four of his bodyguards. Phasma's actions were met with cheers from the crowd but created a leadership vacuum.
The guardian Vrod pleaded with Phasma to take over leadership of Arratu, but Phasma and Hux declined. After killing Vrod, the group fought their way out of Arratu and escaped into the desert on three ground assault vehicles.
Following their escape, Hux and Phasma's group rested for the night. In the morning, Brendol reprimanded Phasma for their poor decision to travel towards Arratu. Recognizing Phasma's potential as a leader and trainer, Hux advised her to obey her superior's orders. Phasma agreed, viewing Hux as her ticket off-world.
Continuing their journey, the group encountered a Gand named Churkk, who was entirely covered in gold beetles. Churkk warned the travelers against crossing the fence into the "dead lands," which were contaminated with radioactive waste. Shortly after, a vengeful Keldo arrived with the combined forces of the Scyre and Claw clans.
Abandoning their vehicles, the travelers fled through a hole in the fence. Under Brendol's orders, the stormtroopers Pete and Huff destroyed the vehicles with their blasters to prevent the enemy from using them. The wounded Gosta became trapped in the fence, forcing Phasma and the others to leave her behind. The stormtroopers then opened fire on the advancing Scyre and Claw forces. Gosta and Churkk were killed in the crossfire, along with numerous Scyre and Claw warriors. Beetles then feasted on the bodies of the dead and wounded.
Venturing into the "dead lands," Brendol and Phasma's party sought refuge in an abandoned amusement park. After a long journey, the group reached the wreckage of Brendol's ship. They also discovered an abandoned Con Star power plant, which had been destroyed during a nuclear accident that led to the devastation of Parnassos.
While Brendol entered the wrecked ship to contact the First Order for assistance, Phasma's remaining warriors and the stormtroopers established a defensive perimeter. Keldo and his forces soon arrived, and a skirmish ensued. During the battle, Siv killed Ylva, the mother of Frey, the only child in the Scyre clan. Torben was also killed by his own brother, who was then killed by Siv. Pete and Huff also perished in combat.
Ultimately, Phasma faced her estranged brother Keldo. Keldo blamed Phasma for destroying their peace, but Phasma criticized him for squandering his chance to save their people. Realizing Phasma was right, Keldo begged her to call on the First Order for help as he succumbed to radiation poisoning. Ignoring his pleas, Phasma shot him dead.
However, Phasma spared Frey, believing that the six-year-old girl would make a valuable warrior for the First Order. Several hours later, a First Order Resurgent Star Destroyer arrived with an Atmospheric Assault Lander. Phasma, Brendol, Siv, and Frey were greeted by Brendol's son Armitage Hux and a contingent of stormtroopers.
Brendol allowed Phasma and Frey to join them but excluded Siv, considering her too weak and sentimental. Siv appealed to Phasma, but Phasma rejected her for disobeying her order to kill Wranderous. Before leaving, Phasma informed Siv of another station nearby stocked with medical supplies. Phasma then departed with Brendol and Frey aboard the troop transport.
As they ascended into space, Phasma and Frey witnessed their homeworld of Parnassos from orbit for the first time. As a demonstration of the First Order's power, Brendol used the shuttle's laser cannons to bombard Arratu Station and the Scyre territory from orbit, destroying these locations and killing countless people. Phasma was grief-stricken and horrified but maintained her composure.
Despite the heavy losses incurred during the mission to Parnassos, General Hux successfully recruited Phasma and Frey into the First Order. Phasma eventually rose to the rank of Captain and was placed in charge of half of the First Order's stormtrooper training program, focusing on older teenagers and adults. Frey became a stormtrooper cadet with the designation UV-885.
As Phasma climbed the ranks of the First Order, she conspired with Brendol's son Armitage to assassinate his own father and her benefactor. She poisoned him with a Parnassos beetle, leading to his death. Phasma also killed her kinswoman Frey during a suspicious training accident to eliminate anyone who knew her past or who could recognize the symptoms of a Parnassos beetle bite. Phasma successfully concealed her actions and became a celebrated figure in the First Order's propaganda.
Unbeknownst to Phasma, Siv reached Calliope Station and survived. She later gave birth to a child named Torbi. Ten years after the events of the Parnassos mission, Siv encountered the Resistance spy Vi Moradi and revealed the story of Phasma's origins. Vi was subsequently captured by the stormtrooper Captain Cardinal, a rival of Phasma. Seeking to eliminate Phasma, Cardinal pressed Vi for incriminating information about her.
Vi disclosed Phasma's origins and her role in the destruction of her own clan and Brendol's assassination. After learning that Armitage was involved in Brendol's murder, Cardinal sought revenge against Phasma. However, Phasma defeated him in combat, stabbing him with a poisoned blade. Cardinal was rescued by Vi, who helped him escape the Resurgent Star Destroyer Absolution.