Thalassa Tarkin The wife of Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin , Lady Thalassa Tarkin was a Human female of the influential Motti family of Phelarion . Wilhuff Tarkin married Thalassa for power , not for love — he had an affair with Natasi Daala while he was still married . Thalassa Tarkin , however , remained supportive of her husband and the Empire , even after his death aboard the Death Star . She then headed a megonite moss operation on Phelarion , hoping to sell the megonite as ammunition for the Empire so that they might further work to crush the Rebellion . Just prior to the Thirteenth Imperial Diplomatic Conclave , for which Lady Tarkin was the host , Princess Leia Organa infiltrated Tarkin ' s slave operation and derailed the transaction of the megonite going to the Empire . Darth Vader , who was on Phelarion for the conclave , held Lady Tarkin personally responsible for the mishap . Biography . Marriage and family . A member of the Motti family on Phelarion , the wealthy Lady Thalassa Tarkin was married to Imperial Governor Wilhuff Tarkin . Wilhuff Tarkin married her due to her powerful family connections , such as her cousin , Commander Conan Motti . In actuality , Wilhuff Tarkin did not love her ; soon after their marriage , he instead began an affair with a young cadet on Carida , Natasi Daala . Despite the Governor ' s misgivings for his wife , the couple had one son named Garoche , who served as an admiral in the Imperial Navy . In 19 BBY , Garoche secretly defected to the Atoan system and aided in its insurgency against the Galactic Empire . The official reports read that he had gone missing and was later killed by Atoan natives . However , the real murderer was secretly Emperor Palpatine ' s right hand man , Darth Vader , who along with his master believed that Garoche ' s death would turn Governor Tarkin into a powerful , hate - driven ally that would show the Empire ' s enemies no mercy . Their plan succeeded . On Governor Tarkin ' s homeworld of Eriadu in the post - Clone Wars era , the Tarkin family had earned a reputation as a force to be reckoned with . When members of the Nebula Front kidnapped Lady Tarkin ' s niece Shella Motti , the Tarkins hired agents to find the missing girl ; Motti , however , hired their own agents to prevent her from having to go home to her family . In 5 BBY , when Lady Tarkin ' s brother - in - law Gideon Tarkin was killed during the Erhynradd Mutiny , his daughter Rivoche was invited to come live at the Tarkin estate ; however , the teenage Rivoche frequently acted out in resentment , so Governor Tarkin had her sent to an exclusive preparatory academy on Clær . Around 1 BBY , Thalassa Tarkin and her spouse lived in an apartment on Coruscant . In that appartment , Thalassa learned of the existence of the Death Star , a moon - sized battlestation built by the Empire . Her husband explained to her that he had been given an new permanent assignment on the Death Star and showed her a hologram of that superweapon . Widow . While Grand Moff Tarkin was killed aboard the Death Star when it was destroyed by the Rebel Alliance , Imperial news agencies reported that he had died in a shuttle accident at the Tallaan shipyards . Lady Tarkin , however , knew the truth ; she became obsessed with avenging his death by crushing the Rebellion . At Port Tarkin on Phelarion , she had a solid black monument constructed in his honor . The plaque on it read : IN MEMORY OF MY HUSBAND , WE SERVE THE EMPIRE FAITHFULLY ! Megonite mogul . Lady Tarkin was the heiress of a mining industry for megonite moss on Phelarion , started by Lithio Motti centuries prior . Tarkin ran the business as an Imperial labor colony and used slaves to mine the explosive , heat - sensitive moss to develop ammunition for the Empire , to which she remained fanatically devoted , particularly for their dedication to destroying the Rebellion . Just prior to the Thirteenth Imperial Diplomatic Conclave , which Lady Tarkin was hosting , Princess Leia Organa became stranded on Phelarion . Mistaking her for a slave girl , Tarkin chose Organa , whom she called " Lerna , " as a servant to work at the conclave . After notifying an Imperial freighter to postpone its megonite pickup due to an explosion at the mine , Tarkin discovered that a large amount of megonite was not being accounted for and began to suspect thievery . Tarkin was then contacted by Darth Vader about the delay in landing , and he accused her of selling the megonite to the Rebel Alliance . Incensed , Tarkin set out to find whomever was stealing her megonite . Tarkin returned to her private chambers after hearing a loud noise ; there she found her servant Nardo dead from an explosion in her megonite display case . She nevertheless proceeded to her banquet hall to host the Imperial Diplomatic Conclave , for guests such as Shea Hublin , Chancellor Qua of the Zenox Star Cluster , the Most High Proctor of Thebeon 8 , and Darth Vader himself . Tarkin had an embarrassing moment when she offered a drink to Vader , who reminded her that he neither ate nor drank . Vader grew impatient with Tarkin and again accused her of selling to the Rebels . His stormtroopers then discovered the crashed Rebel glider Organa had used for landing . When Tarkin spotted her servant girl Lerna and two other slaves fleeing the scene , Vader recognized the girl as Princess Leia Organa . While Tarkin doubted the Rebels ' chances of escaping the planet , Vader vowed to hold Tarkin personally responsible if Organa escaped . Ultimately , the Princess was able to make it offworld . Personality and traits . Thalassa Tarkin was a severe and stately woman who idolized her husband . Even though Wilhuff Tarkin ' s heart belonged to another woman , Lady Tarkin considered the man to be a martyr and a hero , and remained faithful to his cause . She took pride in her devotion to the Empire , and was highly offended when Darth Vader accused her of selling war matériel to the Rebellion . Tarkin was also paranoid , fearing that Rebels were everywhere , trying to kill her . Despite her paranoid nature , she never once suspected that her handmaiden Lehra was not only a Rebel agent , but in fact Princess Leia . Behind the scenes . Lady Tarkin first appeared in Russ Manning ' s 1979 newspaper strip " Princess Leia , Imperial Servant " . Thirty years after her debut , she was given the first name of " Thalassa " by Nathan O ' Keefe in his 2009 short story " Tinker , Tailor , Soldier , Praji . " Thalassa means " Sea " in Greek and was the name of a primordial sea goddess in Greek myth , as well as a moon of Neptune . O ' Keefe chose the name due to it sounding " cool and Star - Warsy , " rather than for any thematic significance of its existing meanings . Despite being the wife of a prominent " Star Wars " character , Lady Tarkin has only been mentioned in a few sources since her first appearance . Also , no source has indicated whether or not she was aware of her husband ' s affair with Natasi Daala .