I love Phanan. I admit it freely. But I didn't always.

When I first read "Wraith Squadron," Phanan didn't make much of an impression on me. He was the comic relief, the guy
 with the smartass remarks. He was part mechanical, which was kind of cool. And he was friends with Face, who I loved from the start. But there were other people to think about, so Phanan was just kind of there.

He was different in "Iron Fist." You could see the pain he'd suffered. He became more. . . human, for lack of a better word. He ceased to be just kind of there, and became a compelling character.

It's easy to picture young Dr. Phanan on a ship at Endor, trying to help a pilot. It's easy to see his optimism, his youthful
  idealism ("Could she really be using those words about Phanan??"). And it's all too easy to see the shot that destroyed him.

No, he doesn't get killed at Endor. But he lost part of himself, and not just physically. When Phanan became partly
 mechanical, he let past of himself go with the flesh that the medics couldn't save. Part of the reason he was always ready with
  a sarcastic comment was because he was too scared to show his real emotions. He had no fear of violence, of war, of death, but he was afraid to let himself feel.

The Wraiths, especially Face, helped him with this. At one point or another, they'd all felt that same fear. Phanan flirted outrageously with all females and insulted all males because he didn't want to get close to any of them. The Wraiths got beyond that. Phanan began to truly care for them.

 But he had long decided that his life was going nowhere. He had decided that he was no longer whole, that there was no point. He wasn't quite suicidal, but he didn't really care whether he lived or died.

 Phanan's not a typical hero. He's not a knight in shining armour. His armour is tarnished, rusted through in some places. He's
  been in a few too many fights, and he hasn't won enough to justify them. He ain't by any means perfect, but that just makes him all the more loveable. He's a sarcastic sidekick with a tragic past. And I love him for it.

Why I Love Face: Kat's Other Soliloquy

Face as a character is easy to love. He's humourous, he's good-looking, and he gets a book devoted to him. What more do you need?

A character trait of his, evident in "Wraith Squadron," but less evident in the other books, is his habit of recounting stories about himself. This could be construed as a demonstration of arrogance, but I don't think Face is self-centered. Yes, he does have an ego. He's an actor, after all (My sister acts and I'm a techie, I know actors' egos all too well). Face does like to be in the spotlight, but there are other reasons why he talks about himself a lot. As a famous actor, Face is used to people being somewhat in awe of him. He tells stories so that people will feel they know him and be at ease with him; so that they will see he's just a regular guy and feel comfortable around him.

A big part of Face is his scar. He can't forget that he helped the Empire quite a bit through his acting (Imperial recruitment went up 5% after Win or Die was released), and the scar is a constant reminder of that. His friend Phanan saw how that ate at him, and forced him to get rid of it. This let Face stop beating himself up for helping the Empire unwittingly.

One of Face's predominant traits is his desire - maybe even need - to help his friends when they have problems. At one point or another, he helps nearly every member of his squadron. This makes him a natural leader and Wedge's choice of successor for the command of the Wraiths.

Face is one of a rare breed: a genuinely nice guy. He's also funny, smart, famous and has a good job. Add to that the fact that he's a babe. Like I said before, what more do you need?