We finally know the real identity of The Force Awakens’ TR-8R

With Star Wars: The Force Awakens, director J.J. Abrams aimed to tell a story that was just as much about the villain as it was about the hero. But I think he was referring to Kylo Ren, not some random baton-wielding First Order stormtrooper with five minutes of screen time (although it's an awesome five minutes).

That's just how the internet works, though. They find something awesome and run with it. And this stormtrooper, cleverly named by fans as "TR-8R," is now more popular online than the lame Captain Phasma. Well, turns out, there's more to this stormtrooper's story than what was briefly shown on screen.

As explained by Lucasfilm, in response to the growing popularity of the character, his true name is FN-2199. His friends call him "Nines," although I doubt that'll stop the online crowd from referring to him as TR-8R, an appropriate moniker given his only line and breakout moment is when he angrily calls Finn a "traitor" to get his attention.

Apparently, FN-2199 was detailed in greater length in Greg Rucka's book "Before the Awakening." He trained and served on a squad with Finn (then FN-2187) in The First Order. An illustration by Phil Noto from Before the Awakening shows FN-2199 without his helmet on seated in the background. He's the one with the red hair.

FN-2199 is riot control, which means he's part of an elite squad "that enforces order or squashes uprisings." That awesome weapon he uses in the film is called a Z6 baton and though it's non-lethal "in theory," it can definitely cause harm or kill someone when intended. As Lucasfilm states, "If a lightsaber can't cut it, you know it ain't good news."

As for the actors behind FN-2199, his voice was provided by David Acord. He's a Skywalker Sound sound editor, whose production credits include Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Veteran stunt performer Liang Yang was actually the one inside of the armor; he performed all the fancy baton spinning.

Unfortunately, knowing FN-2199's fate, I don't think we'll see him in future Star Wars installments. Maybe Captain Phasma will finally step up and do something useful.