Wilhuff Tarkin

Wilhuff Tarkin was a human male politician and military officer whose career spanned the rise of the Galactic Empire. Born on the Outer Rim planet of Eriadu in 64 BBY, he was a member of the Tarkin family and the great-nephew of Jova Tarkin. During the Republic Era, Tarkin served in the Galactic Republic's Judicial Department for a time before returning to his homeworld as the Governor of Eriadu. When the Clone Wars began, he renewed his military service, becoming a commissioned officer in the Republic Navy.
As a captain, Tarkin served under Jedi General Even Piell until the latter's death on Lola Sayu, where the two were held as prisoners in the Citadel by the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Saved by a Jedi-led rescue team, Tarkin grew to respect Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, who agreed with the captain that the Jedi Code compromised their wartime duties. He staunchly opposed the Jedi Order's role as leaders in the Grand Army of the Republic, believing the peacekeepers should not direct the Republic war effort. A favorite of Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, Tarkin served on the Strategic Advisory Cell and was promoted to the military rank of Admiral. When Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano was framed for the bombing of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, it was Tarkin who acted as the prosecutor in her trial. He grew to dislike both Tano and her partner Jarik Shan, a disdain of which was mutually shared by the two Jedi Padawans.
Tarkin's fortunes continued to rise following the formation of the Galactic Empire, ruled by the self-appointed Emperor Palpatine. Joining the ranks of the New Order's regional governors, Grand Moff Tarkin administrated the Outer Rim Territories and was involved in the secret construction of the DS-1 Orbital Battle Station. Governing the regions of space along the galactic frontier, he sought to enforce Imperial rule on restive worlds such as Lothal, where rebel cells grew increasingly bold in their opposition to the Empire. Having retained Palpatine's favor in the New Order, Tarkin often worked alongside the Emperor's chief enforcer, the Sith Lord Darth Vader, whom he once knew as Skywalker. As the increasing threat posed by Shan became more apparent, so to did Tarkin's disdain of him; recognizing that Shan inspired rebellion across the galaxy, Tarkin took all matters regarding him with absolute significance and sought every opportunity to have him eliminated.
A proponent of the doctrine of fear, he believed that the Death Star would terrify the galaxy into total submission. At Tarkin's command, the Core World of Alderaan was destroyed, instantly killing billions of Alderaanians. Tarkin ultimately perished, however, when the Alliance to Restore the Republic succeeded in destroying the station at the Battle of Yavin in 0 BBY. As a result, his memory was tarnished in the views of some Imperial officers, such as Grand General Cassio Tagge, who referred to the Death Star as "Tarkin's folly." Princess Leia Organa remembered Tarkin as the man who destroyed her adoptive homeworld and family long after his death. The First Order, having risen to power as the Empire's successor opposing the New Republic, commemorated Tarkin's memory in an effort to portray Imperial leaders in a heroic light.
==Personality and traits==
Wilhuff Tarkin was a human male who stood 1.85 meters tall and had blue eyes. During the Clone Wars, he had auburn hair which later turned gray by the time of the Galactic Civil War.
As a child, his parents instilled a sense of ruthlessness in their son by sending him into the untamed Carrion Plateau at the age of eleven. Through this experience, Tarkin came to believe that the strong and intelligent remained in power by maintaining control over those beneath them — that life was a constant struggle for survival. The lessons of Tarkin's childhood continued to influence him throughout his adolescent years, particularly in space combat where he killed a band of pirates while serving with the Outland Regions Security Force. Tarkin's body was also covered in scarred wounds from blasterfire, claws of predators, and falls, collected throughout his life. The ambitious Senator Sheev Palpatine of Naboo had a strong influence on Tarkin as well. Through Palpatine's influence, Tarkin pursued career paths in both law enforcement and government, serving first with the Judicial Department. During this time, it became known that he flew boldly into adversity. Tarkin would go onto gain the governorship of his homeworld on the advice of his mentor.
With the outbreak of the Clone Wars, Tarkin opted for renewed military service following his tenure as Governor of Eriadu. As a captain in the Republic Navy, he served under the command of Jedi Generals, though he resented the Jedi Order for its independence from the bureaucracy and military hierarchy, and how their Code restrained them from assisting the Republic with the full extent of their power. Furthermore, he believed the Jedi ill-suited to lead the Republic's war effort due to their traditional role as peacekeepers, although this view did not apply to all members of the Order, having developed a grudging respect for his commanding officer, Jedi General Even Piell, and admiration for Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. As an admiral, Tarkin remained resentful of the Jedi's independence, and used the deaths of clone troopers in the bombing of the Jedi Temple to claim the incident as a Republic military matter rather than an internal affair of the Order. Having appealed his case to the Jedi High Council, Tarkin sought to prosecute the defendant Ahsoka Tano to the full extent of Republic law, which included the penalty of death. While Tarkin ultimately failed to achieve his goal due to the confession of Barriss Offee, he listened with great interest as the fallen Jedi publicly denounced the Jedi Order and the Republic for their role in the Clone Wars.
As a protégé of Palpatine, Tarkin became one of the strongest supporters of the Republic's reorganization as the Galactic Empire. His tireless efforts to root out resistance to the Emperor's rule was rewarded with his promotion to Grand Moff of the Outer Rim Territories. Over the course of his career under the Empire, Tarkin helped to consolidate the Empire's control of the galaxy through the use of ruthless tactics, overseeing mass arrests and executions of both Separatist and Republic loyalists on Antar 4. As Grand Moff, he did not tolerate failure and was keen on making examples of ineffectual officers by having them summarily executed. When the Imperial Center became the subject of a direct attack led by Jarik Shan, Tarkin lobbied for every naval officer charged with Coruscant's orbital defense — including Vice Admiral Rae Sloane — to be executed for their failure to prevent it, though he begrudgingly accepted Grand Admiral Thrawn's reasoning in their defense, thus sparing the lives of the officers. During the Battle of Atollon, Tarkin's desire to have the rebel leaders captured instead of killed drew the ire of Darth Vader, who subsequently held him responsible for their escape afterwards.
With the completion of the Death Star, Tarkin developed a simple and brutal philosophy—fear of the battle station's planet-killing superweapon would henceforth suppress all resistance to Imperial power. Vader confided his concerns about Tarkin's subsequent arrogance with the Emperor, who agreed that the Grand Moff's pride would eventually feed a belief that he deserved to rule as Emperor instead of Palpatine, thus sanctioning his elimination following the Rebellion's destruction.
In addition to his reputation as an ambitious and ruthless proponent of military power, Tarkin was known for his sharp memory. He never forgot a favor or a slight and was capable of recalling people from meetings that took place over a decade before, even if he had only met them once. For example, when Ciena Ree greeted him via hologram, he recognized her from their encounter that took place when she was a child. Although at times ruthless, Tarkin wasn't always uncaring. Upon learning that the citizens of Salient II had burnt their houses and fled the system, he told his adjutant he hoped they had taken their pets with them. Although he was kind to both Ciena Ree and Thane Kyrell on Jelucan, this was a deception to prove a point to Firmus Piett. Additionally, he had an almost spiritual attachment to the wilderness of his homeworld, and felt a deep appreciation to the land for having provided him with so many critical life lessons. He also held his uncle Jova in high esteem for similar reasons.
==Appearances==
Category:Characters
Category:Star Wars Characters
Category:Galactic Empire
Category:Galactic Republic
Category:Humans
Category:Antagonists