Fara Phoenix

Fara Phoenix
Character Background
Homeworld(s):	Papetoon Corneria
Family Member(s):	Mr. Phoenix

Fara Phoenix is a character from the 1992 Star Fox comics, created by Benimaru Itoh, featured in Nintendo Power. In the comic, Fara was Fox McCloud's love interest and the chief test pilot for the Cornerian Army. She also bears a resemblance to Fox's mother, Vixy Reinard.

Biography

The daughter of a rich spaceship magnate, Fara has been flying since she was a kit. For that reason, she was assigned as a chief test pilot for the new Arwing space-fighters. While on a trip from Papetoon to Corneria, her transport was boarded by Andross's Imperial Lizards in an attempt to abduct her. Fortunately, Fox McCloud and his anti-Andross revolutionaries had stowed away onboard - having been summoned by General Pepper, they were also trying to reach Corneria. Fox and his team managed to save Fara unharmed after a firefight. To thank them, Mr. Phoenix offered them anything they wanted, and Fox opted for first-class tickets for the remainder of the journey.

She first flew with Star Fox in a black Arwing over occupied Corneria. After bantering with Fox McCloud, she effectively dared him to chase her into Imperial airspace to test their combat skills. Fox accepted. During the ensuing battle with Andross' forces, Fara's Arwing was shot and heavily damaged by an ion missile from the Attack Carrier, and began to fall. Ejecting and waiting to be recovered was not an option, as Andross' soldiers were everywhere on the ground, and Fara would make an excellent hostage. In a risky maneuver, Fara ejected from the fighter and was collected in midair by Fox, who finished the Carrier with a Nova Bomb, saving her life for the second time. Due to the loss of her fighter she was unable to assist Star Fox with defeating the rest of Andross forces, which left her feeling upset and useless. She stayed with General Pepper on Corneria, watching Star Fox's progress.

After most of Andross' forces had been wiped out of the Lylat system, Fox and his wingmen were heading back to Corneria when Fara witnessed a telekinetic message from Venom: a highly vexed Andross threatening Pepper with retribution for the damage Star Fox had done to his forces. Though it came all the way from Venom, the telekinetic projection was so powerful that it actually shattered the windows of Corneria's military base. Shortly afterward, it was decided that Andross's telekinetic amplifier was too powerful for any attack on Venom to succeed. Unshaken, Fox McCloud made a spur-of-the-moment plan to fly through the Black Hole to reach Venom's back door. Due to the extreme danger of navigating the Black Hole, no one supported the plan, causing Fox to throw a tantrum and attempt the plan alone. While Fara watched, Fox was quickly detained and thrown into solitary confinement.

Fox's outburst prompted Fara to ask the Star Fox members why Fox was so insistent on foolishly attacking Andross. General Pepper explained that Fox's father had been both Corneria's finest pilot and Fox's idol... before he was killed in one of Andross's military experiments. Andross was exiled, but he later returned with a massive military that scared Corneria's leaders. As Andross' power grew, Fox protested, so the terrified leaders of Corneria labelled him as a "dangerous radical" and forced him to flee to Papetoon.

Later, Fara overheard Falco talking with Slippy about how to modify the Arwing's G-diffusers to withstand more gravity, so they could safely go through the black hole. Slippy mentioned that it was possible, as long as the best pilot in the system was flying the ship. Hearing this conversation, Fara's opinion shifted and she began to support Fox's idea. After rescuing Fox from his cell, they waited until Slippy finished modifying the Arwings, then she and Fox took two of them and flew off towards the Black Hole. She followed Fox out of it (who was following an apparition of his father), and engaged Venom's forces in a space battle, where the last of Andross' military was defeated.

After the defeat of Andross, Fox and Fara spent time together on Corneria. Eventually she got a new Arwing fighter (with new hyper boosters) and joined the team to investigate a disturbance in Sector Y. On the way, they stopped on Titania and while Slippy Toad was performing a systems check on Fara's Arwing, he was assaulted and both he and Arwing were abducted. Fara and the rest of Star Fox (Fara using Slippy's Arwing) chased the abductor to Sector Y, and then to Fortuna where the team battled the Monarch Dodora, which was being controlled by Andross. Andross was killed in the ensuing battle.

After Andross' second defeat, Fara joined Star Fox on their return to Papetoon, where she was introduced to the old hideout they had used when they still were guerilla fighters. There, Fox offered her a dress that had belonged to his late mother, which accentuated her resemblance to her. When Andross' clones invaded Papetoon, the sight of Fara made one of the clones to think she was Vixy and ordered the attack to stop and started apologizing for her previous death via car bomb, which Andross had planted in an earlier attempt on Fox Senior's life. This caused a debate between the two clones, as the other clone did not remember - and thus did not share the same feelings for - Vixy, leaving ample time for Fox to enter and destroy the core base.

Characteristics

Fara held at gunpoint.

Like the rest of Star Fox, she is a remarkable pilot, demonstrating her prowess in battles on Fortuna and in Sector Y. Much like Fox, Fara is very emotional and can be quite impetuous. On her first combat flight she was clearly a daredevil pilot, however, after losing her Arwing and very nearly her life due to her recklessness on that first sortie, she seems to have mellowed significantly in regards to her flying. She is also somewhat empathetic, consistently showing concern for other people's safety in distressing situations. When under any kind of emotional stress, Fara generally becomes reserved, and remains clear and succinct even in the face of impending death. She very obviously has a close bond with Fox, especially towards the latter chapters of the comic.

Notes

• Fara Phoenix predates Krystal as Fox's love interest.

Sprite image of Fara from the 1994 tech demo of Star Fox 2.

• Fara Phoenix appears in one of the four known prototypes of Star Fox 2 game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, but--along with "Saru"--was removed from the final game.
• Since she is the Arwing's chief test pilot, it can be presumed that Fara's father is closely associated with Space Dynamics, and possibly even its president, predating Yaru de Pon.
• The backstory of Fay seems to be directly modeled on Fara's backstory, as both of them are from an aristocratic family, and relinquished high society to take up arms to defend their home planet.

Names in Other Languages

Language	Name
Japanese	(ファラ・フェニックス Fara Fenikkusu)

Leader(s)
Member(s)
Allies
Others	Free-As-A-Bird • Marcus • Slippy's son • Peppy's granddaughter • Fara Phoenix
	Armoured Arwing • Light Arwing
Other Vehicles	• Roadmaster