Wilhuff Tarkin

Age
 Status
 Weight

**Wilhuff Tarkin** was one of the most influential people of a first Galactic Empire, the Imperial Grand Moff that shaped Imperial doctrine and was the driving force behind the making of a first Death Star I. Wilhuff served in the clone wars under Jedi Even Piell and was captured by a confederacy force, before he then escaped this Citadel prison with aid from the team of Jedi and Clones. During the incident, Even Piell was killed in action and Tarkin was later made an Admiral. After a Supreme Chancellor Palpatine turned the Republic into his Empire, Tarkin would be appointed first Grand Moff and regional Governor of the Outer Rim. This Grand Moff Tarkin was given command of the Death Star by the time the weapon was complete, believing that fear of this weapon would keep local systems in line. Rebels of the Rebel Alliance, however, stole the plans of this first Death Star from Scarif and Rebel Luke Skywalker had destroyed it during the Battle of Yavin, killing all on it including Grand Moff Tarkin.

## Biography

### Early Life

**Wilhuff Tarkin** was a Human born sixty-four years before this Galactic Civil War on the planet Eriadu into the wealthy Tarkin family. He lived with his family in the family compound, where his family had lived for over an millennium. His parents taught him that this world had not always been the safe environment that it seemed and that the entire planet once was a untamed wilderness. This jungle and predators had been more a threat than a Pirates and Marauders. Early Tarkins had helped settle Eriadu; they'd had been their own Police Force. Later a militia had been formed under an Tarkins family leadership. A young Wilhuff took all the Eriadu and Tarkins history lessons to heart.

Wilhuff Tarkin's parents made certain that he knew that respect, discipline and obedience were of a utmost importance. Because of this Wilhuff thought of himself as an product of military upbringing. One night while at supper Tarkin's father ordered a servant to take his plate before he could eat, which taught him how easy it is to lose something. Following an family tradition, Wilhuff's grand uncle Jova Tarkin, along with two other relatives and two Rodian guides, took Wilhuff on trips to the Carrion Plateau, on which he taught the young survival skills and lessons on this savage wilderness that the Tarkin family ancestors had tamed. After passing the test in which he outwitted a pack of predators at Carrion Spike, an sixteen year-old Wilhuff Tarkin was deemed to have completed his testing on this plateau. Six months after passing this test, Wilhuff's training shifted into an space combat training. More members in an Tarkin family and hired trainers taught him tactics and a piloting skills while admonishing him to apply lessons he learned as a hunter to control lawbreakers in the Outer Rim. As a young man Tarkin enrolled in Academy, in accordance with an Tarkin family strong military tradition.

### Early Career

#### Military Service and Governor

Tarkin joined Outland Regions Security Force, a force dedicated to protecting Eriadu and the Greater Seswenna sector with the absence of an republic military. As part of this organization's Anti-Pirate taskforce, he made a name for himself by outwitting and brutally suppressing a group of pirates known as a Q'anah's Marauders during the Greater Seswenna raids. After decoding the pattern in pirate leader Q'anah's attacks, Tarkin captured her ship, launching her and her crew on a slow course into a sun. Outland ships broadcast the suffering of Q'anah's crew on her group's comm network, and destroyed any ships that came to her rescue. At the age of nineteen, Wilhuff Tarkin was even designing new ships for a Outland Security Force. After working with the Outland Regions Security Force, Wilhuff Tarkin then attended the Sullust Sector Spacefarers Academy to join an Judicial Department's forces. While training there he met Sheev Palpatine, then an senator from Naboo. Palpatine offered to help him secure a place in the Republic's Judicial Academy, but asked him to consider a career in politics, Tarkin did not follow his advice at the time, but did take his aid in admission to Academy.

Following an overly dramatic entrance at the head of an outland delegation, Wilhuff Tarkin had a hard time fitting in and often brawled with other students. A mission to an world Halcyon alongside a group of Jedi gave him a chance to prove his worth, when the officer leading the team disobeyed the Jedi orders and set off on a march to attack their target from another angle. The other Judicials quickly proved to be out of their depth in this wilderness, and came to rely on Wilhuff Tarkin's skills and leadership as he brought them safely to the objective, where the Jedi had just completed the mission. Wilhuff Tarkin was credited with saving their lives. Stories then started to circulate within their Judicial Department of his exploits. As he'd continued to build a name for himself, Wilhuff saw that conflicts throughout the galaxy were increasing, and turned his mind to Palpatine's advice to enter Politics. With Palpatine's backing, Tarkin became Governor of Eriadu. He aided Palpatine during an Eriadu Trade Summit by preventing Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum from investigating, which had contributed to Valorum's fall from grace, and had eventually resulted in his being ousted from Chancellorship.

### Republic Service

#### Clone Wars Service

During the Separatist Crisis, Count Dooku attempted to convince Tarkin to pledge Eriadu to the Confederate cause, but Tarkin remained loyal to Palpatine. In truth, Palpatine, as the alter ego Darth Sidious, then sent Dooku to sway him as a test of his loyalty. When the Clone Wars had begun, Tarkin became an officer in a newly-formed and militarized republic Navy, where he stayed in contact with an now-chancellor Palpatine. Despite the departure from the role of governor, the title remained with him. During the Clone Wars, a Captain Tarkin undertook a number of covert missions on behalf of an Chancellor Palpatine, one of Tarkin’s missions for Palpatine paired him with the Jedi Master Even Piell as an Captain of the Jedi's flagship, and sought to control the secret and vital Nexus Route through hyperspace. This mission had ended with Piell and Tarkin imprisoned in the Separatist fortress known as the Citadel, where Tarkin was repeatedly tortured. A rescue unit led by Jedi Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi was tasked with liberating the and retrieving hyperspace intel. In this time Tarkin and Anakin had found they agreed the Jedi ethics prevented them from going far enough to win.

Before their capture Even and Tarkin had each memorized half of the vital intel to ensure the enemy couldn't retrieve it. During the rescue mission Master Piell was killed in action and passed on his half of the intel to Padawan Ahsoka Tano, and after a successful extraction of their survivors the Nexus Route intel was now in Republic hands, however a debate arose when Tarkin insisted on delivering the intel to the Chancellor and Ahsoka Tano insisted on delivering it to the Jedi Council, Master Yoda said that he would discuss with the Chancellor about reaching an compromise. In the later stages of the clone wars, Tarkin was promoted to the rank of Admiral. He was present at the Republic strategy conference with many other members in the Republic navy and Jedi Order on space station *Valor* in orbit of an planet Carida, to discuss their ongoing efforts to defeat the Separatists. At the conference a *Venator*-Class Star Destroyer that had been hijacked and loaded with explosive rhydonium by the confederacy approached the station, but this Star Destroyer was destroyed by a astromech droid R2-D2 before it could reach its intended target, saving the Republics personnel at the conference.

#### Special Weapons Group

Shortly after Tarkin's imprisonment, he was drafted into a Strategic Advisory Cell's Special Weapons Group, which was created during his time at Lola Sayu. The main purpose of this group was to oversee the construction of what would be the Death Star, the moon-sized Battlestation that point of which was to house a superlaser. Tarkin had in fact urged the Chancellor Palpatine to move forward with the station, with some believing he even had a similar station in mind before the discovery of the original Geonosian Plans. At this time, Tarkin was kept up to date with the progress of this station's construction, which was happening over Geonosis under supervision of an Lieutenant Commander Orson Krennic, who was also a key figure in a Special Weapons Group. It was public rumor that Wilhuff was set by Palpatine to become the leader of this entire project. By this point Wilhuff had become an Adjutant General, although this was a nominal position only. He had an permanent office on Coruscant, near their Senate Building. In this postilion Wilhuff interviewed scientist Galen Erso prior to his deserting his Empire service, and in this time the two stayed in contact and were on good terms.

#### Bombing of the Jedi Temple

One year after a Carida Incident, the Jedi Temple hanger was bombed. Several civilians, Jedi, and Clone troopers died from the blast. Admiral Tarkin attended a funeral for the victims of the Bombing of the Jedi Temple Hangar. Later, it was believed that Letta Turmond, an woman living in the Coruscant lower levels was responsible. Leeta then was taken into custody, and wasn't dealt with by the Jedi Order, but their Republic, much to the frustration of Ahsoka Tano. A few days after her imprisonment, Letta summoned Tano, saying she wants to tell her something. However, while they were alone inside a cell, Letta was suddenly choked to death through the Force, and, as Tano was the only one with her at the time of her death, Ahsoka was arrested. Tarkin visited Ahsoka in her cell and though Ahsoka insisted she wasn't responsible, Tarkin didn't believe her and told her that the evidence was all against her. Ahsoka escaped from prison but after a long chase, she was captured again and imprisoned. Shortly afterwards, Tarkin contacted the Jedi Council via hologram and requested that Ahsoka Tano be expelled from the Jedi Order so that Tano could be put to trial by their Republic Military.

Jedi Council, though not in total agreement about it, decided to do as Tarkin wished, expelling Tano from the Order and putting her to an republic trial. Tarkin headed the prosecution while Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo headed defense. Tarkin stated he would prove Tano guilty of this Jedi Temple bombing and the murder of her cohorts, and requested the death penalty be used 'when' Tano was found guilty. Padmé Amidala argued that if Tano were truly guilty she would not have made this evidence against herself so obvious. Tarkin doubted this claim and mentioned that Tano had been seen collaborating with a known Separatist terrorist Asajj Ventress after she had escaped Republic custody. Soon arguments were concluded and a jury reached a verdict. But before Chancellor Palpatine could read their verdict aloud to the court room, Anakin Skywalker and several temple guards arrived in the court room with Jedi Barriss Offee, who admitted that she was the one responsible for this Jedi Temple bombing on all other crimes while Tarkin looked on with much interest. All charges against Ahsoka were dropped, but she had refused to rejoin the Jedi as a result of feeling betrayed by them.

### Imperial Service

#### Early Days of the Empire

In the same year as Tano's departure from the Jedi, count Dooku was killed by Anakin Skywalker. This set in motion an series of events that most of their galaxy was made to believe was a attempt by the Jedi to seize control of the Galactic Republic. In chaos the Jedi were defeated and the Empire was proclaimed, designed to bring galactic peace. However, the true events were more sinister, and were in fact orchestrated by Palpatine who was secretly a Sith, so he could rule the galaxy. For Tarkin, it served as his opportunity to gain greater power. Although his rank of an Admiral remained with the Imperial Navy, Tarkin was made the Moff of the Greater Seswenna sector by a now-emperor Palpatine, with a place on the Imperial High Command. As such, Tarkin was given the corvette *Carrion Spike*, named after the place of his trial as an child, and ownership of *Imperial I*-Class *Executrix*. The Death Star I project was moved from the now superseded Special Weapons Group to Advanced Weapons Research, which was an sub-agency of the ISB. At some point, Wilhuff founded Tarkin Initiative, a secret think tank within AWR, that would also be heavily involved in the making of the station.

#### Sector Moff of the Empire

Wilhuff Tarkin was present on an *Venator*-class Star Destroyer with Palpatine and the Sith apprentice Darth Vader, who was, unbeknownst to most, Anakin Skywalker. During the early years of this Empire, Tarkin would work with Vader on a number of missions. Together on the bridge, they'd arrived over world Geonosis to view Death Star I, which now had its focusing dish installed despite Orson Krennic facing several setbacks with their working Geonosians. In the first year of the Imperial reign, Imperials targeted former Separatist worlds in order to pacify any remnants of an separatist rebellion. Tarkin was assigned to make a example on Antar 4 to demonstrate that simply because this war was over, confederacy aligned systems weren't forgiven. Though he did not support retribution, he'd carried out orders with an brutal efficiency while making no attempts to sort an Separatist from Republic loyalist when he carried out mass arrests executions, and massacres. When word broke out the media dubbed the event as an Antar Atrocity, and in order to distance Tarkin from this event, Palpatine assigned him to operations of the Western Reaches, where Wilhuff had fought Separatist Holdouts.

After the loss of Galen Erso who was though to be the only person capable of making an superlaser operational, Tarkin was placed in command of the network of stations that monitored the supply shipments traveling to an construction site over Geonosis. From Sentinel Base, Wilhuff was to monitor and oversee Orson's activities, upon personal request from Palpatine. Although he predicted it would be a dull assignment compared with Western Reaches operations, he knew it necessary for few years so he could further the goals. With this emperor supporting his bid for authority, he knew it was only a matter of time before he took command of the project, although only once Erso or other equally-gifted individuals had been found, so further setbacks weren't his responsibility. For some, it seemed strange that Tarkin had been posed in such an seemingly bland system in the Outer Rim, although those who knew him guessed that he was involved in an secret operation there. After a attack on the Sentinel Base by a rebel cell using old Separatist-era Starships, Tarkin was summoned to Coruscant and Emperor Palpatine assigned him and Darth Vader to track down the terrorists responsible.

During a mission on Murkhana, Tarkin's personal Starship the *Carrion Spike*, was stolen by the same Terrorist cell from the Sentinel Base attack. Tarkin and Vader acquired a ship from a Sugi crime lord on Murkhana after they threatened to kill his family; the Sugi complied with the demand, though didn't survive for lord Vader killed him for wasting his time. As the rebels that stole his *Carrion Spike* wreaked havoc across Imperial space, Tarkin worked alongside lord Vader to find the terrorists and punish them severely. Eventually Vader and Tarkin discovered an Vice admiral Dodd Rancit conspired with the terrorists and had him killed, and afterwards the duo had crushed an rebel cell plot before it could threaten their Imperial power structure. After weeks of interrogating and then privately executing captured terrorists and collaborators, taking action against those who aided these rebels, and assessing the background of this Rebel cell, Wilhuff Tarkin was rewarded for his actions then elevated to the new rank Grand Moff. Palpatine also appointed him Governor of the Outer Rim and the Death Star. Palpatine told Tarkin that once Death Star I was operational, he would wield the ultimate power.

#### Governor of the Outer Rim

Following his promotion, Tarkin gave lengthy interviews to the media outlining his vision of the galaxy and advocating a strong Empire Military, with the media coining Tarkin's statements as his Tarkin Doctrine. Over the next few weeks, he'd met with senators representing star systems over which he held authority. Tarkin also consulted with the Joint Chiefs of the Imperial army and navy as well as the Directors and top officers of their intelligence agencies. Tarkin had reinforced security at Sentinel Base, Desolation Station, and Geonosis to ensure the secrecy of Death Star I Project. As Governor for the Outer Rim, Wilhuff took on many responsibilities in seeing that every planet operated at peak efficiency to assist Imperial expansion. Eight years after the Clone War ended, Tarkin gave the grand speech at the introduction ceremony for this world of Jelucan into the Empire, following its conquest. He later accosted children Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree, who had sneaked inside an Empire hangar in order to get a close up view of various Starships, but allowed them inside an Imperial Shuttle, an encounter that inspired the two children to later enlist and join the Galactic Empire Military force.

Tarkin was admired as one of the leaders in a ruthless order of technocrats that stood in stark contrast to the holdovers from the Republic. Fourteen years after the Clone Wars ended, their Imperials began to expand into the Outer Rim, the farthest reaches of the galaxy which had been notorious for its lawlessness during the days of the republic. The empire claimed several worlds in the Outer Rim, such as Lothal. On Lothal, Tarkin was responsible for evicting the multitude of farmers from their land to allow this Empire to mine for minerals and establish new industrial complexes to increase the productivity to equip the Imperial Military. The farmers were relocated to re-settlement camp forty-three, which they had called "Tarkintown" after the Grand Moff. As more and more worlds were conquered by the empire, rebel cells began to emerge to defy Imperial occupation, such as an cell at Lothal. Although they were considered insignificant by Imperials, Tarkin and several other high-ranking Imperials feared that rebel Cells would unite and form a more dangerous threat to the empire. Tarkin therefore required his officers to act with brutal efficiency against such defiance to prevent resistance.

Tarkin visited Lothal to deal with the growing Rebel activity, and reprimands Minister Maketh Tua, Agent Kallus, and the Inquisitor for repeated failures to stop the rebel cell. Tarkin then has the Inquisitor execute an Commandant Aresko and Taskmaster Grint for their inability to deal with this cell. Later, Wilhuff set a trap for the rebels and managed to capture a Jedi survivor Kanan Jarrus during their mission to send a message through an communication tower which was used to send out a rebel message, but but Tarkin then ordered the tower to be destroyed. Kanan is tortured by an Inquisitor and transported to Mustafar aboard Tarkin's Star Destroyer, but during Kanan's rescue by Rebel forces, Tarkin's destroyer is destroyed, and the Inquisitor is killed. On Lothal, Wilhuff returned with Vader to aid in the campaign. Two years before a Galactic Civil War, Tarkin meets with the Governor Pryce to discuss the Lothal Rebels and he subsequently granted this Governor's request for use of the Seventh Fleet, commanded by the Chiss Grand Admiral Thrawn. The Admiral Thrawn communicated with Tarkin regarding the progress on this Lothal campaign, and later regarding the TIE Defender project.

#### Completion of the Death Star

After nearly two decades of development, Death Star I neared completion, and Tarkin was present to watch Superlaser MK I be installed on this Station when Director Orson Krennic arrived to meet with Tarkin. Wilhuff expressed skepticism about this Military Director's management of the Death Star I Project and blamed him for the constant delays. Once the stations superlaser became active, Tarkin ordered the first live fire test of the weapon, which consisted of an low power firing on the Holy City of Jedha, a small desert moon that was home to an ancient Jedi Temple and extremist rebel Saw Gerrera. The operation was a success, and Tarkin assumed control of this Death Star I station over protests of Krennic, citing his subordinate's security failures with the station as justification. Shortly after the test a group of rebels known as Rogue One attacked a Empire data complex at Scarif and raided the archives for the Death Star Plans. Tarkin correctly deducing the Rebel objective, and brought Death Star to Scarif as response, and while Lord Vader dealt with the rebels fleet, the weapon fired on the base in a attempt to halt transmissions, an action that resulted in Director Krennic's death.

Despite the best efforts, the plans to the Death Star were transmitted to the rebel Fleet and a blockade runner was able to flee with the plans *Tantive IV*, escaping the system before Vader could stop it. Not long after the Scarif Battle Vader's Star Destroyer captured the ship and rebel culprits that stole the plans including the Imperial Senator and Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan, who managed to keep the plans out of the Empire's reach. With this failure, Tarkin shared concern that the plans, given the proper analysis, would enable Rebels able to determine the weaknesses of the Death Star and therefore, destroy it. With the Death Star operational, the Emperor dissolved the Imperial Senate, giving governors such as Tarkin direct control of their territories. Meanwhile, an meeting of high ranking Empire officers took place in the Death Star's conference room, chaired by Tarkin, as the stations commander, and among the Among their topics of discussion were the near-completion of the Death Star and the fact that it could be compromised. Before the meeting started Vader arrived on the Death Star from Tatooine where he had successfully captured the Princess but failed to acquire the plans.

#### Tarkin, the Destroyer of Worlds

Despite Vader's efforts, the interrogation of Princess Leia failed to yield any results as she would not reveal the location of the Rebel Alliance's hidden base. In a attempt to force the Princess to reveal the rebellion's base and give the rest of the galaxy a terrifying demonstration of this Death Star's power, he had ordered Leia's home world Alderaan be the first planet to be destroyed, and afterwards Tarkin believed no star System would dare defy the Emperor if the price was the extermination, a philosophy shaped by his boyhood lessons on the Carrion Plateau. Though this operation to incinerate Alderaan was a success, the location Leia provided in a attempt to save her planet only led to a old Rebels facility, after learning of her deceit an furious Tarkin ordered Vader to have Princess Leia executed with immediate effect. Before this command could be enacted to execute the Princess, a ship was captured by the Death Star tractor beam in the ruins of Alderaan. Believing that the ship's passengers were trying to return the plans to the Princess, Lord Vader convinced the Governor to suspend her execution as she may still be of use to them, as Vader a plan that would reveal the rebel base.

Vader's plot was to allow the rebels including a liberated princess Leia to escape along with a homing beacon placed in their ship, which would lead the Empire to the rebel base, a plan that Tarkin had doubts could work but nevertheless he approved Vader's plan to place a homing beacon on the captured ship. The Death Star followed this beacon and Tarkin was determined to destroy the Rebels once they found them, bringing a end to the Galactic Civil War and the Rebellion once and for all. Vader's plan worked as they located the Rebel base on Yavin 4, and as Death Star I orbited the planet, Tarkin gave instructions for the Station to fire when ready. However, the rebels studied the station plans and discovered an vital weakness in the design that could destroy the Death Star. With this intel, Rebel Starfighter groups launched the attack at the Death Star in a desperate attempt to destroy it. Vader ordered all fighters to launch to stop the rebel attack while Tarkin remained on the station command center. Despite attempts to convince Tarkin to evacuate, Wilhuff refused, convinced in the invulnerability of their Death Star I superweapon and their upcoming victory against the Rebel Alliance.

#### Destruction of the Death Star

Once the Death Star was in range of Yavin 4, Governor Tarkin gave instructions for this station to fire. However, Rebels had found a thermal exhaust port weakness in the Death Star intentionally placed during its construction by Galen Erso that would destroy this Death Star I if hit properly with proton torpedoes, which would cause the chain reaction that was capable of destroying the entire station. Although Vader and the pilots had hunted down the majority of rebel pilots they were unable to stop one of the last surviving rebel pilots from successfully targeting the exhaust port. An analysis of the weakness proved accurate; as Tarkin's order to fire was being carried out and he was gleefully anticipating the moment for his greatest glory with the destruction of the rebel Alliance by the superweapon he had so long championed, a chain reaction reached the Death Star reactor and destroyed this battle-station, annihilating Tarkin along with millions of other Imperial personnel as thoroughly as the Grand Moff had obliterated Alderaan. The Death Star's destruction and Tarkin's death left a gap in High Command. Tarkin would be long remembered after his death for his role as the first Grand Moff.