Wilhuff Tarkin | A History Of The Feared Military Officer
Star Wars villains have always been known as some of the most iconic and feared characters in cinema. Among those is a character that at times may get overlooked as one of the most feared villains of all time. While this may be due to the amount of screen time he has among the other villains in this universe, that doesn’t make him any less important or intimidating. This character is none other than “The Moff” himself: Wilhuff Tarkin.
Best known for his military rank of Grand Moff and the only man to put Vader in his place, Wilhuff wasn’t always one of the most feared men in the galaxy. Born on the planet Eriadu, he was a part of a wealthy family that settled on the planet and created their own militia. His parents pushed for respect, discipline, and obedience, and because of these principles, Wilhuff thought himself to be a product of military upbringing.
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At the early age of nineteen, Tarkin joined the Outland Regions Security Force. There he helped protect his home planet by joining the anti-pirate task force, making a name for himself by using his wit to brutally suppress a deadly group of pirates. It was at this time that he to his first step at gaining his reputation as one of the most feared men in the galaxy. To show his hand in retaliation to this pirate group's raids Tarkin captured their leader's ship and launched her and her crew into a sun on a slow course. He then had the Outland ships broadcast their suffering on their group's comm network and destroyed any ships that came to their aid.
After his time with the Outland Security Force, he attended the Sullust Sector Spacefarers Academy to become a part of the Judicial Department. There is where he met the future emperor of the Galactic Empire, Sheev Palpatine, who at this time was a Senator of Naboo. Palpatine saw something in Tarkin so much so that he offered to help the young man secure a place in the Republic’s Judicial Academy. Tarkin’s many skills helped him through many judicial missions helping save the lives of his fellow Judicials. Even going as far as disobeying Jedi orders to ensure their safe return in one instance. Not long after rising through the ranks of the Judicial system and building a name for himself within the Republic, he decided to heed some advice that Palpatine once gave him: consider politics.
With the support of a seemingly new mentor in Palpatine, Tarkin became the Governor of his home planet Eriadu. There he returned the favor by preventing the then Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum from investigating Palpatine which played a major role in Valorum’s fall from grace. It was during this time that he met Orson Callan Krennic for the first time briefly, a meeting that would lock them both on a path towards destiny, which we’ll come back to a little later.
One notable move in his role as Governor was rejecting Count Dooku’s offers of joining the Separatists. Although just a test of loyalty devised by Palpatine himself to see the extent of Tarkin’s loyalty, this move was crucial in not allowing the Separatists to gain an economic foothold against the Republic. At the end of his term and opting out of a reelection Tarkin decided to turn his attention to the changing galactic landscape as the Clone Wars were quickly approaching.
During the Clone Wars era, Wilhuff took on the role of an officer in the newly militarized Republic Navy. He quickly rose through the ranks to Captain where he commanded many notable battles including the Battle of Kamino. During a mission where he served under Jedi Master Even Piell, the flagship he commanded was attacked by the Confederacy. Memorizing only half of the information they obtained from their mission both leaders were captured and repeatedly tortured in an attempt to break them. They were held in the Citadel, a prison built to hold Lost Jedi. So it was only logical to send the wisest and most powerful Jedi to break them out: Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. The mission to save Tarkin and Piell was a success, however, Piell died from an attack from an Anooba during the extraction. This encounter between Anakin and Tarkin was the first but not the last as he respected Anakin’s military sensibilities.
After his imprisonment and subsequent release, Tarkin was moved to the Special Weapons Group that would oversee the creation and construction of a super laser. One that would have the power to destroy entire planets: The Death Star. It was Tarkin who urged the Chancellor to move forward with the project. He also was the one who examined and interviewed Galen Erso, the man responsible for the creation of the Death Star as well as its destruction.
After the Clone Wars had ended Tarkin oversaw many of the major changes that shook the galaxy. He worked side by side with Darth Vader on many missions that would force opposers into submission. They hunted, conquered, and destroyed their way to “peace”. Tarkin even ordered the destruction of the Clone Facilities of Tipoca City which moved the Empire into new territory and led to the inception of the Stormtrooper.
Near the end of the Death Star construction, Tarkin and his now rival Orson Krennic, the project's supervisor, went into a debate on who should get recognition for the project. Krennic had made the project his priority making sure that everything went according to plan, however as soon as the Death Star was complete and operational Tarkin returned to take command of the station undermining Krennic’s work in the process. However before he could get his revenge, Tarkin ordered Krennic to stop a small band of rebels from stealing the plans for the newly built planet destroyer. Krennic failed and died at the hands of Tarkin who used the weapon to destroy the Scarif Base.
After the rebels successfully stole the Death Star plans, Tarkin sent Vader after Princess Leia who obtained the stolen plans. Vader took Leia to Tarkin where we know he destroyed her entire home planet Alderaan in retaliation for her not giving the secret rebel base. Although Leia was rescued, Tarkin being ever so witty made sure to plant a homing beacon on the Millennium Falcon leading him straight to Yavin 4 the location of the secret rebel base. There, a desperate battle to destroy the Rebel Alliance ensued. It was here that Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin’s terrible reign came to a bitter end, with the destruction of “his” crowning achievement: the Death Star.
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