Hmmm, I surprised people are going to Thrawn for inspiration when it comes to First Order characters. Sure, there's some interesting stuff in there about how different Thrawn is towards the various personnel under his command than Vader, but I don't know how useful that would be in TFA context. Maybe people could try and use it to create a contrast between how Phasma and/or Hux treats their troops compared to Kylo, but it would still be taking Zahn's ideas and trying to rework his words into something else that doesn't necessarily fit that well. Do you have any insight into what aspects of the Thrawn trilogy people are using specifically for their First Order characterisation? I'm genuinely curious - it's been so long since I read those books that now I'm second-guessing what I remember.
If the OP is looking for EU stuff to help them get Phasma's voice, I'd suggest the Finn story from Before The Awakening by Greg Rucka. It's still very little to work with, in terms of Phasma, but it's more than just the film alone. The book shows that she's impressed with Finn, and that she's watching him closely after he insists on helping another trooper during a training exercise. Personally, it gave me a sense that Phasma sees a lot and is very sharp and attentive, but also quiet and says a lot more with her presence than her words. If you combine Before The Awakening with TFA, the fact that she noticed Finn helping others but seemingly doesn't offer this information to Hux after Finn defects is very interesting.
Re: finding character voice
Hmmm, I surprised people are going to Thrawn for inspiration when it comes to First Order characters. Sure, there's some interesting stuff in there about how different Thrawn is towards the various personnel under his command than Vader, but I don't know how useful that would be in TFA context. Maybe people could try and use it to create a contrast between how Phasma and/or Hux treats their troops compared to Kylo, but it would still be taking Zahn's ideas and trying to rework his words into something else that doesn't necessarily fit that well. Do you have any insight into what aspects of the Thrawn trilogy people are using specifically for their First Order characterisation? I'm genuinely curious - it's been so long since I read those books that now I'm second-guessing what I remember.
If the OP is looking for EU stuff to help them get Phasma's voice, I'd suggest the Finn story from Before The Awakening by Greg Rucka. It's still very little to work with, in terms of Phasma, but it's more than just the film alone. The book shows that she's impressed with Finn, and that she's watching him closely after he insists on helping another trooper during a training exercise. Personally, it gave me a sense that Phasma sees a lot and is very sharp and attentive, but also quiet and says a lot more with her presence than her words. If you combine Before The Awakening with TFA, the fact that she noticed Finn helping others but seemingly doesn't offer this information to Hux after Finn defects is very interesting.