Grand Moff Tarkin

Grand Moff Tarkin, also known as Governor Tarkin, is a Star Wars Minifigure. He was first released in 2005 and has been released in three sets and three video games to date. He is a Grand Moff of the Galactic Empire, one of the regional governors through which the Emperor holds sway over Imperial territories, as well as the commander of the Death Star. 
== Description ==
Tarkin's hair piece is one of the most common male minifigure hairpieces but in grey. His head is Light Nougat and has a serious expression. Just like all of the other minifigures in 2005, his eyes don't have pupils. His torso features the standard grey Imperial Officer uniform with his Grand Moff insignia in the upper left-hand corner, and one silver code cylinder below each shoulder. His hands are light nougat and his legs are grey.
Later in 2016, two new variations of Tarkin were released. First, a variant of Tarkin during the events of Star Wars: Rebels, with a redesigned appearance in dark tan, a new hairpiece, and new printing. In the mainstream Star Wars sets, Tarkin was also featured in the redesigned Death Star. This version retained the new hairpiece in a lighter grey and also returned to the typical grey officer uniform, with updated printing.
===In the Video Games===
In LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy, a player can buy Grand Moff Tarkin after completing scene 4 of Episode 4: Rescue the Princess. He can be bought for 38000 studs, and has the ability to jump, shoot by using a pistol, and can unlock doorways locked by Imperial access panels. In the Nintendo 3DS version of LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars, the player can unlock Grand Moff Tarkin for 4 Play Coins after beating every mission in the game.
== Background ==
Before the "Dark Times", Wilhuff Tarkin was a Human male of the Tarkin family of Eriadu who served as a distinguished officer in the Outland Forces of the Seswenna Sector, before enlisting in the Galactic Republic's forces, becoming a Captain under Jedi Master Even Piell during the Clone Wars. Throughout the conflict, Tarkin was a fervent supporter of Chancellor Palpatine and his policies, which facilitated his reaching of the rank of Admiral and his future career.
When the Galactic Republic morphed into the Galactic Empire, he was brought to the fore by the Emperor as one of the twenty regional governors that acted as local administrators of the territories within Imperial Space. The Seswenna Sector's Moff Tarkin often worked in tandem with the Imperial Military's Commander-in-Chief, Darth Vader, to quell and crack down insurgency, and developed a good professional relationship and mutual appreciation for their respective methods. 
From an installation known as Sentinel Base, Governor Tarkin also supervised and assisted in the ongoing construction of the Death Star, which was managed by Director Orson Krennic. Around thishis time, the disgruntled ex-intelligence officer Berch Teller's group of rebels launched a series of attacks on the Empire and hacked into the HoloNet. Together, Governor Tarkin and Lord Vader were assigned to hunt down Captain Teller's party, putting a stop to their campaign and uncovering the treachery of Vice-Admiral Dodd Rancit, who had been feeding the dissidents information and supplied them targets to lower the Moff and Commander-in-Chief in the Emperor's esteem based on inefficiency.
Elevated to Grand Moff of the Outer Rim by the Emperor, he was charged with dealing with the growing threat of Rebel cells in that region, such as the Lothal Spectres led by Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus and Captain Hera Syndulla. To this end, Governor Tarkin collaborated with Lord Vader and employed the likes of the Grand Inquisitor and Grand Admiral Thrawn among others to hunt them down. After replacing Director Krennic at the helm, the Grand Moff assumed effective command of Death Star and prepared to have the galaxy witness its power and so remove any opposition to the Emperor's rule through terror. When Princess Leia, a member of the Rebel Alliance, was captured by Lord Vader and brought on board but was unwilling to reveal the location of the Rebel Base, Governor Tarkin used the battle station's firepower to obliterate her home planet of Alderaan. When the Rebels' base was revealed at last to be on Yavin 4, the Grand Moff sent the Death Star to Yavin's coordinates and prepared to destroy it despite being warned by his underlings of a flaw in the Death Star. When it was in range, Governor Tarkin gave the order to fire. But just before the fatal trigger was pulled, two proton torpedos, fired into the Death Star's core by Luke Skywalker, detonated. The Grand Moff and every Imperial on the Death Star were killed as the massive battle station exploded.
== Lego.com Description ==
==Notes==
* The rank insignia on the original Grand Moff Tarkin minifigure is incorrectly depicted - in the Star Wars universe, Governor Tarkin has two code cylinders on each side of his uniform as opposed to one.
== Appearances ==
* 6211 Imperial Star Destroyer (Original Variation)
* 10188 Death Star (Original Variation)
* 75150 Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced and A-wing Fighter (Rebels)
* 75159 The Death Star (2016 Redesign)
===Video Game Appearances===
* LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
* LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
* LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
* LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
== Gallery of Variations ==
==Gallery==
Grand Moff Tarkin.png|Grand Moff Tarkin in LEGO Star Wars
TSS Tarkin.png|In LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
== External links ==
Category:Star Wars minifigures
Category:Minifigures introduced in 2006
Category:Star Wars Rebels minifigures
Category:Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope