Grand Moff Tarkin

Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, also known as Governor Tarkin, is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, portrayed by Peter Cushing and Wayne Pygram and voiced by Stephen Stanton.

The character has been called "one of the most formidable villains in Star Warshistory".[1]

Contents
[show]

A New Hope[edit]
Introduced as the primary antagonist of the first original film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Grand Moff Tarkin is the Governor of the Imperial Outland Regions and commander of the Death Star.[2] After the Emperor dissolved the Galactic Senate, Tarkin and Darth Vader are charged with pursuing and destroying the Rebel Alliance. He threatens Princess Leia Organa with the destruction of her home planet Alderaan if she does not reveal the location of the Rebel main base of operations. When the Princess names the planetDantooine as the base's location, he destroys Alderaan anyway. In the film'sclimax, Tarkin refuses to believe that the Death Star is in danger from the Rebel starfighter attack. Thereafter, he is killed by Luke Skywalker, who destroys the Death Star with Tarkin still on board.

Revenge of the Sith[edit]
At the end of the last prequel film Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, a younger version of Tarkin makes a cameo appearance overseeing the original Death Star's construction.

The Clone Wars[edit]
In the television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the young version of Tarkin appears in the Republic Navy as a Captain and later an Admiral during the Clone Wars.[3]

In the third season, Captain Tarkin and Jedi Master Even Piell are ambushed and attacked by Count Dooku's Separatistforces. 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 Anakin Skywalker, but their respective opinions of each other improve when each realizes that they are mutual acquaintances of the Supreme Chancellor. During a skirmish, Tarkin fights with Osi Sobeck and attempts to execute him but fails when the Citadel's sadistic caretaker swiftly retaliates and nearly kills Tarkin. However, Tarkin is rescued just in time by Ahsoka Tano.

In the fifth season, Admiral Tarkin appears resembling his original character. After the funeral for the Jedi Temple's bombing victims, Tarkin assumes that Ahsoka Tano is accused perpetrator Letta Turmond's killer and attempts to have the Padawan arrested. After Ahsoka is recaptured and tried before a jury of senators, Tarkin heads the prosecution while Padmé Amidalaheads the defense. Despite Amidala's impressive defense, Tarkin casts doubt by mentioning that Tano had been seen withAsajj Ventress. After Tarkin and Amidala's arguments conclude and the jury reaches a verdict that the Supreme Chancellor is about to read, Anakin Skywalker arrives with the real mastermind of the crimes, Barriss Offee.

Star Wars Rebels[edit]
In the television series Star Wars Rebels, Tarkin, now with the title of Grand Moff, visits the planet Lothal to deal with its growing insurgent activity.[4] He reprimands Minister Maketh Tua, Agent Kallus, and the Inquisitor for their repeated failures to stop the planet's rebel cell. Tarkin has the Inquisitor execute Commandant Aresko and Taskmaster Grint for their inability to deal with the cell's leader, Jedi Kanan Jarrus. 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 rebel's message gets sent out, but Tarkin then orders the tower to be destroyed.

Expanded Universe[edit]
In the Star Wars Expanded Universe, Tarkin appears in Darth Maul: Saboteur, Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, andTarkin, due to be released in November 2014.[5] West End Games' roleplaying material describes the "Tarkin Doctrine", which emphasizes ruling "through the fear of force, rather than force itself". He is also mentioned during the Legacy of the Force novel series as having been present on Zonama Sekot with Anakin Skywalker. Apparently, Tarkin also left a wife and a mistress behind. In the comics series Star Wars: 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.

Production[edit]
Tarkin's character was originally conceived as a holy man from Aquilae.[6]

Peter Cushing found Tarkin's boots, furnished by the wardrobe department, to be very uncomfortable. George Lucasagreed to limit shots where Cushing's feet would be visible, allowing him to wear his own slippers.[7][8][9][10]

Wayne Pygram was hired and was able to achieve the likeness of a young version of Tarkin through the use of prosthetic makeup.[11]

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 to give a level of humanity.