Grand Moff Tarkin

Governor Wilhuff Tarkin is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise, debuting as the main antagonist of the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, alongside Sith Lord Darth Vader. He is commander of the Death Star, the Galactic Empire's dwarf planet-sized battle station. Tarkin advocated for the Tarkin Doctrine, an entirely fear-based military system in which intimidating capital ships and vast numbers of strike fighters are used in huge numbers to make the Galactic Empire seem so impossible to defeat that nobody would ever dare try and rise up against it. His philosophy of "ruling through fear of force" became central to Imperial policy and promoted him to become the first Grand Moff in the Galactic Empire. While he is first introduced as a superior officer of Darth Vader, the series also portrays his life prior to the first film, including having known Vader’s former Jedi self, Anakin Skywalker, and having been instrumental in the rise of the Empire. Tarkin has been called "one of the most formidable villains in Star Wars history."[2]

Grand Moff Tarkin
Star Wars character
Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977).
First appearanceStar Wars (1977)
Created byGeorge Lucas
Portrayed by
Voiced by
Other:
In-universe information
GenderMale
Occupation
  • Captain
  • Admiral
  • Governor of Eriadu
  • Moff
  • Grand Moff
  • Station Commander
Affiliation
Family
  • Jova Tarkin (great-uncle)
  • Unnamed parents
ChildrenEllian Zahra (surrogate daughter)
HomeworldEriadu

Concept and creation

Grand Moff Tarkin's character was originally conceived as a holy man from the planet Aquila, but was changed later in the creative process into an antagonist.[3] As the Emperor would not appear until later in the original trilogy, Lucas used Tarkin's final version as the "main villain" of the first film, a personification of the Empire.[4] According to a book created to help promote the original film to prospective theaters, he aspires to become the Emperor.[5]

Portrayals

During the production of Star Wars, Peter Cushing found Tarkin's boots, furnished by the wardrobe department, to be very uncomfortable. Director George Lucas agreed to limit shots where Cushing's feet would be visible, allowing him to wear slippers.[6][7][8][9] Cushing admitted many years later to not knowing what a "Grand Moff" actually was, joking that it sounded like "something which infests a clothes closet" and decided to play him as a "deeply cross and unpleasant gentleman".[10]

In the 2005 prequel film Revenge of the Sith, Wayne Pygram was able to achieve the likeness of a young version of Tarkin through the use of prosthetic makeup.[11] For his performance as Tarkin in the animated series The Clone Wars, voice actor Stephen Stanton researched Cushing's performances and then tried to imitate what Cushing might have sounded like in his mid-thirties and soften his voice to portray a level of humanity.[12]

In the 2016 anthology film Rogue One, archive footage[13] and a digital scan of Peter Cushing's life mask made for the 1984 film Top Secret![14] were used to create a 3D CGI mask which was augmented and mapped to actor Guy Henry's face.[14][15] Henry had studied Cushing's mannerisms many years previously for the lead role in British TV show Young Sherlock,[16] but insisted on a screen test as he was not comfortable that his vocal imitation was accurate, stating he sounded more "Peter O'Toole than Peter Cushing".[17] The ILM team searched through hours of footage to find suitable material of Cushing to build from, footage from A New Hope was lit very differently to the lighting used in Rogue One and had to be digitally changed. The more they manipulated the lighting to match the other actors in the scenes the less like Cushing the character model looked, which meant creating a balancing act between "a digital figure" and "one who looked precisely like Cushing".[18] The owners of Cushing's estate were heavily involved with the creation and had input right down to "small, subtle adjustments".[19] The result, which has been called "one of the most complex and costly CGI re-creations ever", received a mixed response, with questions being raised about the morality of using a dead actor's likeness.[20][21]

Appearances

Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)

Introduced in the first film in the original Star Wars trilogy, Grand Moff Tarkin is the Governor of the Imperial Outland Regions, and commander of the Death Star.[22] After Emperor Palpatine dissolves the Galactic Senate, Tarkin and Darth Vader (portrayed by David Prowse, voiced by James Earl Jones) are charged with pursuing and destroying the Rebel Alliance. He threatens Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) with the destruction of her home planet, Alderaan, if Leia does not reveal the location of the Rebel main base of operations. When Leia names the planet Dantooine as the base's location, he destroys Alderaan regardless, hoping to make an example out of the planet's support of the Rebellion. Upon learning that Leia's coerced information was false, Tarkin orders Leia's execution.

He allows the Rebels to escape the Death Star with Leia after placing a tracking beacon on the Millennium Falcon in order to find the Rebel base. He orders the Death Star to destroy the Rebel base on Yavin 4. In the film's climax, Tarkin refuses to believe that the Death Star is in danger from the Rebel starfighter attack; as a result, he refuses to evacuate due to his arrogance. He is subsequently killed by Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), who succeeds in destroying the Death Star by firing torpedoes into the exhaust port.

Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)

At the end of Revenge of the Sith, the final film in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, a younger version of Moff Tarkin, played by Wayne Pygram, makes a cameo appearance overseeing the original Death Star's construction, standing beside Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen) and Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid)[23][24]

Rogue One (2016)

In the film Rogue One (which takes place just before the events in A New Hope) Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn), Director of Advanced Weapons Research for the Imperial Military, meets with Tarkin, who expresses his skepticism about Krennic's management of the Death Star project.

Tarkin oversees the Death Star's first attack on the Rebellion when it is used to destroy a holy city on the planet Jedha. Impressed, he congratulates Krennic before announcing that he is going to take command of the Death Star from that point on, pointing out security breaches that had occurred under Krennic's command (much to Krennic's chagrin).

Later in the film, Tarkin is informed of a Rebel attack on Scarif, the planet where the plans to the Death Star are kept. He orders the jump to hyperspace to the planet, where an ongoing battle between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance rages. Tarkin has the Death Star target and destroy the Scarif base, killing Krennic, Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), and any other survivors of the ground battle, while Vader handles the Rebel fleet.

The Clone Wars (2010–2013)

In the television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the young version of Tarkin, voiced by Stephen Stanton, appears in the Republic Navy as a Captain and later an Admiral during the Clone Wars.[25]

In the third season, Captain Tarkin and Jedi Master Even Piell (voiced by Blair Bess) are ambushed and attacked by Separatist forces. Prisoners to the Citadel, Tarkin and Piell are freed from captivity by a rescue team. Initially pessimistic about being in enemy territory, Tarkin puts himself at odds with Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker (voiced by Matt Lanter), but their respective opinions of each other improve when each realizes that both know Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (voiced by Ian Abercrombie). During a skirmish, Tarkin fights and attempts to execute Citadel Warden Osi Sobeck (voiced by James Arnold Taylor), but fails when Sobeck swiftly retaliates and nearly kills him. However, Tarkin is rescued just in time by Anakin’s Padawan Ahsoka Tano (voiced by Ashley Eckstein).

In the fifth season, Tarkin, now an admiral, suspects Ahsoka of masterminding a terrorist attack on the Jedi Temple, and attempts to have the Padawan arrested. After Ahsoka is recaptured, Tarkin requests that the Jedi Order expel her and turn her over to the Republic so she can receive more "impartial" judgement. The Jedi concede and Ahsoka is tried before a jury of senators, with Tarkin heading the prosecution while Padmé Amidala (voiced by Catherine Taber) heads the defense. Despite Padmé's impressive defense, Tarkin casts doubt by mentioning that Ahsoka had been seen with Dark Jedi Asajj Ventress (voiced by Nika Futterman). After Tarkin and Padmé's arguments conclude and the jury reaches a verdict that Palpatine is about to read, Anakin arrives with Barriss Offee (voiced by Olivia d'Abo), the real mastermind of the attack.

Star Wars Rebels (2014–2018)

In the television series Star Wars Rebels, Tarkin (voiced once again by Stanton) starts off as Governor of the Outer Rim territories, including Lothal, but later in the series has the Grand Moff title.[26] He visits the planet Lothal to deal with its growing Rebel activity, and reprimands Minister Maketh Tua (voiced by Kath Soucie), Agent Kallus (voiced by David Oyelowo), and the Inquisitor for their repeated failures to stop the planet's Rebel cell. Tarkin has the Inquisitor execute Commandant Aresko and Taskmaster Grint (both voiced by David Shaughnessy) for their inability to deal with the cell's leader, Jedi Master Kanan Jarrus (voiced by Freddie Prinze Jr.). Later, Tarkin sets a trap for the Rebels and manages to capture Kanan during their mission to send a message through one of the planet's communication towers. The Rebels' message gets sent out, but Tarkin then orders the tower to be destroyed. Kanan is tortured by the Inquisitor and transported to the Mustafar system aboard Tarkin's Star Destroyer. During Kanan's rescue by Rebel forces, Tarkin's Star Destroyer is destroyed, and the Inquisitor is killed. On Lothal, Tarkin introduces Agent Kallus to Darth Vader (voiced by James Earl Jones).

Taking the loss of his Star Destroyer personally, Tarkin orders that Maketh Tua be brought before him for her failure to find the Lothal rebels. Knowing the true meaning behind the summoning after the deaths of Aresko and Grint, Tua attempts to defect, but she is killed before she can leave Lothal. Tarkin later appears in the season three premiere where he meets with Governor Pryce (voiced by Mary Elizabeth Glynn) regarding the Lothal Rebels. He subsequently grants her request for use of the Seventh Fleet, commanded by Grand Admiral Thrawn (voiced by Lars Mikkelsen). Tarkin appears via hologram in the season three finale, being briefed on Thrawn's imminent attack on Atollon to stymie a coordinated Rebel attack on Lothal. Towards the end of season four, he warns Thrawn that he must prove the worth of his TIE Defender programme, Thrawn's prototype design of a new Imperial Star Fighter, or it will be shut down in favor of diverting resources to Krennic's “Stardust project” - later known as the Death Star.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch (2020–)

Tarkin appears in The Bad Batch trailer released in December of 2020.

Novels

Tarkin appears in Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel, the prequel novel to Rogue One, where Tarkin forms a rivalry with Advanced Weapons Director Orson Krennic.

Tarkin (2014)

Star Wars: Tarkin explores the title character's origins, and chronicles how he meets and aligns himself with Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader prior to the events of A New Hope.[27] The novel was one of the first four canon novels to be released in 2014 and 2015.[28] Tarkin's Star Destroyer, the Executrix, is introduced; it later appears in Rogue One.[29]

Legends

With the 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney Company, most of the licensed Star Wars novels and comics produced since the originating 1977 film Star Wars were rebranded as Star Wars Legends and declared non-canon to the franchise in April 2014.[28][30][31]

In the Star Wars Expanded Universe, Tarkin appears in Death Star, Cloak of Deception, Rogue Planet and Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader. The original Marvel Star Wars comic series features a powerful superweapon called "The Tarkin" after the late Grand Moff.

West End Games' roleplaying material describes the "Tarkin Doctrine", which emphasizes ruling "through the fear of force, rather than force itself", and has been mentioned various other times in the Star Wars canon. He is also mentioned during the Legacy of the Force novel series as having been present on Zonama Sekot with Anakin Skywalker. In the comics series Darth Vader and the Lost Command, Tarkin is seen telling Vader of a missing convoy of Imperial craft and adds that his own son was in command of the convoy and is also missing.

References
  1. Cushing is also given a special credit acknowledgement for this movie, as Peter Cushing OBE, for the use of his character likeness.
  2. Gilchrist, Todd (August 8, 2006). "Star Wars Speeches: Grand Moff Tarkin". IGN.
  3. "Tarkin, Grand Moff". Databank. Lucasfilm. Archived from the original on August 3, 2008. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
  4. Lucas, George (2011). Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Blu-ray). Audio commentary for Episode IV – A New Hope.
  5. Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy (DVD). Star Wars Trilogy Box Set DVD documentary. 2004. 74:30 minutes in. His insatiable political ambitions to become Emperor have driven him to use ruthless means to quell the rapidly growing rebellion.
  6. Farrell, Joseph (2003). The Giza Death Star Deployed. Kempton, Illinois: Adventures Unlimited Press. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-931882-19-4.
  7. Clark, Mark (2004). "Peter Cushing". Smirk, Sneer and Scream. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 119. ISBN 978-0-7864-1932-6.
  8. Roberts, Adam Charles (2000). "The History of Science Fiction". Science Fiction. Abingdon, England: Routledge. pp. 88. ISBN 978-0-415-19205-7.
  9. Duke, Brad (2005). Harrison Ford: The Films. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-7864-2016-2.
  10. Saavedra, John (February 26, 2018). "Star Wars: That Time Grand Moff Tarkin Blew Up Alderaan While Wearing Slippers". Den of Geek. London, England: Dennis Publishing.
  11. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith commentary track
  12. Vilmur, Pete (March 3, 2011). "Look Who's Tarkin: Stephen Stanton". StarWars.com. Archived from the original on September 13, 2011. Retrieved March 4, 2011.
  13. Lincoln, Kevin (December 24, 2016). "How Did Rogue One Legally Re-create the Late Peter Cushing?". Vulture. New York City: New York Media. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  14. Anderton, Ethan (January 6, 2017). "See How 'Rogue One' Brought Peter Cushing Back As Grand Moff Tarkin". /Film. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Valnet, Inc. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  15. Hooton, Christopher (December 24, 2016). "Rogue One: Peter Cushing resurrected as Grand Moff Tarkin via CGI was impressive, but was it ethical?". The Independent. London, England: Independent Print Ltd. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  16. "Perfect Actor to Bring Tarkin to Life". Comicbook.com. January 13, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  17. Guerrasio, Jason (January 11, 2017). "The actor behind the CGI Tarkin in 'Rogue One' tells us how he created the character". Business Insider. New York City: Axel Springer SE. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
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  19. "'Morbid and off-putting' or 'convincing'? Rogue One's CGI Peter Cushing gets a mixed response from Star Wars fans". The Telegraph. London, England: Telegraph Media Group. December 16, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  20. Walsh, Joseph (December 16, 2016). "CGI resurrection of Peter Cushing is thrilling – but is it right?". The Guardian. London, England: Guardian Media Group. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  21. Fullerton, Huw (December 22, 2016). "How a Holby City actor brought one of Star Wars' most iconic characters back to life". Radio Times. London, England: Immediate Media Company. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
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  24. Child, Ben (August 24, 2015). "Star Wars: Rogue One 'to resurrect Peter Cushing via CGI', despite slipper issues". The Guardian. London. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  25. Blauvelt, Christian (February 17, 2011). "Star Wars - The Clone Wars: Grand Moff Tarkin makes his debut!". Entertainment Weekly.
  26. "Get your exclusive first look at Grand Moff Tarkin on 'Star Wars Rebels'". Entertainment Weekly. February 3, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  27. Keane, Sean (November 3, 2014). "REVIEW: Star Wars: Tarkin brings us into the Empire's dark heart". New York Daily News. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  28. "Disney and Random House announce relaunch of Star Wars Adult Fiction line". StarWars.com. April 25, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
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