Tan Tan was a title - rank that was bestowed to exceptionally skilled pilots under the rule of Palpatine , Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic . It remained in use even after Palpatine appointed himself Galactic Emperor of the New Order . Two well - known recipients of the special award were Force - sensitive Humans . One was Anakin Skywalker , a Jedi Knight who gained fame during the Clone Wars . The other was Maarek Stele , who distinguished himself in the Imperial Navy during the later Galactic Civil War . Description . Tan was both a military rank and a honorary title awarded to Starfighter Corps officers who had done their Head of State a special service , in recognition of their exceptional piloting skills . It was used as a honorific prefix to its bearer ' s surname , sometimes in combination with the masculine form of address " Master . " Additionally , the wife of a male recipient could also be referred to as " Mistress Tan " followed by her married name . History . The name and concept of Tan was created by Palpatine , Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic , during the Clone Wars , a pan - galactic conflict that started in 22 BBY . Following the end of the war in 19 BBY , Palpatine transformed the Republic into a New Order and appointed himself Galactic Emperor . However , the title - rank Tan saw continued use under the new regime . Among the individuals who earned the title , at least two were Force - sensitive Human males . The first was Anakin Skywalker , a Jedi Knight from Tatooine who fought in the Clone Wars and was granted the title while flying a customized Eta - 2 " Actis - class " interceptor by 20 BBY . The second one was Maarek Stele , a Kuan - born ace pilot who made a brilliant career in Palpatine ' s Imperial Navy during the Galactic Civil War , after he helped thwart an attempted coup in 3 . 5 ABY . The fact that Skywalker had once held the title - rank appeared in the database of Mistress Mnemos , a BRT supercomputer that served in a library branch of the Obroa - skai Celebratus Archive located on the planet Fusai . Memnos once referred to him and his wife Padmé Amidala as " Master and Mistress Tan Skywalker " in a file pertaining to their son , Luke Skywalker . Behind the scenes . The name of Tan originated with Russ Manning , a " Star Wars " writer and illustrator who published numerous black - and - white newspaper comic strips in the late 1970s and early 1980s . In one 1978 series of strips that was later titled " The Constancia Affair " , Luke Skywalker ' s parents were called " Master and Mistress Tan Skywalker . " At the time , the Expanded Universe was in its early stages , and nobody knew what the name of Luke ' s father was going to be , save that the two probably shared the surname Skywalker . The given name " Anakin " was only revealed in the 1983 movie , five years after the release of " The Constantia Affair " . In view of that new element , the dialogue mentioning Tan Skywalker became a continuity problem . Another unexplained occurrence of the name appeared in " " , the Prima Games companion to the 1994 PC game . The publisher ' s summary on the guide ' s back flap stated that it " [ continued ] the story of Tan Stele ' s adventures . " However , the hero of " Star Wars : TIE Fighter " was in fact named Maarek Stele , and was referred as such everywhere else in the strategy guide itself . " Star Wars " author Abel G . Peña , who had pointed out those two anomalies , discussed the matter with his colleague Pablo Hidalgo , who suggested that Tan was " some kind of title given to exceptional starfighter aces . " Peña liked the idea and decided to endorse it . When he wrote his 2001 article " The Emperor ' s Pawns " , he tied the two occurrences together , introducing a retcon that established Tan as a title for exceptional pilots such as Maarek Stele . He also took the opportunity to apply the title to Anakin Skywalker in " Vader Tech " , an article written for " " , hence explaining Mistress Mnemos ' line in the 1978 comic strip . In 2006 , Peña explained the history behind the retcon on his VIP , in a post titled " The Anatomy of a Ret - Con 3 : or , " That Name No Longer Has Any Meaning For Me . "