What Is The Tarkin Doctrine?
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For nearly thirty years, the Galactic Empire was the most powerful faction in the known galaxy, with billions of forces under its command. However, one cannot simply rule a galaxy by occupying every single planet; even if one had the means, there needed to be other ways of control. Thus the Empire used the straightforward tactic of fear. Such a tactic was developed by the most influential man in the Galactic Empire, Governor Wilhuff Tarkin. Tarkin was one of Palpatine’s closest advisors and the man who developed what would be called the Tarkin Doctrine.
The Man Behind The Doctrine
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Grand Moff Tarkin was born into the ruling Tarkin family from the planet Eriadu. He was taught many lessons of self-reliance at a young age, learning to survive on his own and take what he could get. Because of that rough upbringing, he made a career in the nascent Republic military, mainly fighting against local piracy and attacking commerce. However, he would catch the eye of one Senator, Sheev Palpatine, and through his close connections to the future Chancellor, rise through the ranks of the republic military to becoming an Admiral during the Clone Wars.
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When the Galactic Empire was established, Tarkin became one of Palpatine’s top advisors and higher-ranking members of the Emperor’s inner circle by becoming the first Grand Moff of the Galactic Empire. Because of this rank and having the Emperor’s ear, he was one of the key architects of many of Palpatine’s policies regarding ruling the galaxy. Thus the Tarkin Doctrine was formed.
A Doctrine Of Fear
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With the vast galaxy, it’s hard for Imperial forces to occupy every planet, which would mean spreading necessary resources out to widespread where they would become thin. So to supplement numbers, Tarkin devised a more psychological approach. Thus everything in the Empire was designed to give an element of fear to the average person. So why would someone rebel against the Empire after seeing a massive Star Destroyer looming over them, knowing the pain and devastation it could cause? Simple, the answer is no one would; they would instead submit than be killed.
Fear was a vital tool of the Empire and allowed Palpatine to rule most of the galaxy without wasting a single stormtrooper. Just the idea of being invaded was enough to stop a planet from thinking about rising up against the Empire, lest they endure its wrath, which would mean hundreds if not thousands of casualties from the civilian side of things. This system of fear would ultimately lead toward the Emperor’s ultimate weapon, the battle station known as the Death Star. With this station, Palpatine and Tarkin would have the threat of destroying an entire planet should a world dare rebel.
Fear And Backlash
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The Empire practiced this method of fear for its entire time in power to protect what is still a brittle regime at the end of the day. With the Rebel Alliance’s destruction of the Death Star, the fear that the Empire managed to impose on the galaxy was shattered as more and more people began to realize that they could fight back. Palpatine’s psychological hold over his subjects began to break as people stood up. Then once the Emperor himself was killed, the true terror he once held over the galaxy finally diminished, and thus the Empire’s chokehold on the universe was truly broken.
It is a lesson that fear alone cannot help one rule the galaxy; it requires much more than that. Had the Empire had a loyal base of support, those who were loyal to it to the bitter end, and that was the majority of the population, then perhaps it could have lasted the death of its Emperor and Death Star, but by ruling through coercion and fear, the Empire set the seeds of its own destruction long before Luke Skywalker ever emerged on the scene.
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Source(s): Wookieepedia
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