Tarkin was an Aquilaean religious leader and a member of the Aquilaean Council under the reign of King Kayos. He notably attended a Council meeting pertaining to the risks of war between his homeworld of Aquilae and the Emperor Cos Dashit. Tarkin and his colleagues believed that open conflict very unlikely. He thought that General Luke Skywalker's idea of building a resistance army to attack the Emperor was a bit too extreme.
Tarkin first appeared in the 1974 rough draft of Star Wars, as the name given to the "Grande Mouff" of the Aquilean religion.In this 132-page early story treatment, he had a single line, and was descirbed as wearing a long black robe and speaking with a high, cracking voice. In the final version of the first Star Wars movie, Tarkin became the Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, an Imperial human governor.
However, in 2013, a comic book adaptation of George Lucas' rough draft by Dark Horse Comics, titled The Star Wars, was announced. As seen in the official May the 4th digital preview, Tarkin and his single line will be present in the first issue of the series.
- The Star Wars: Rough Draft