Wilhuff Tarkin

In 64 BBY, Wilhuff Tarkin's birth occurred on the planet of Eriadu, where he was born into the affluent yet disciplined Tarkin family. He resided with his family on their family compound, which had been the Tarkin family home for over a millennium. Wilhuff learned from his father and mother that Eriadu had not always been the secure environment that it seemed, and that the entire planet had once been an untamed wilderness. The jungle and its predators had been a greater threat than pirates and marauders. The earliest Tarkins had been instrumental in settling Eriadu, acting as their own police force. Later, a militia formed under Tarkin leadership. Wilhuff internalized these historical lessons. His parents instilled in him the importance of respect, discipline, and obedience, leading him to view himself as a product of a military upbringing. One evening, during supper, Tarkin's father instructed a servant to remove Wilhuff's plate before he could eat, teaching him a lesson about the ease of loss.

According to a story from the Espirion named Saan, Tarkin had a brother named Gideon, who called Wilhuff "Wil," while Wilhuff called his brother "Gid." The story continued that Tarkin, along with his brother and father, embarked on a survey expedition to the planet Eadu in search of lommite. During a storm, Gideon and Wilhuff became separated, with Gideon injuring his ankle in a fall and calling out to his brother for assistance. However, Wilhuff abandoned his brother to the dangers of Eadu. Upon reuniting with their father back at their starship, who revealed the survey had found no lommite, a smiling Wilhuff was asked about his brother's whereabouts.

In 48 BBY, following family tradition, Wilhuff's grand-uncle Jova Tarkin, accompanied by two other relatives and two Rodian guides, took him on expeditions to the Carrion Plateau. There, he imparted survival skills and lessons about the untamed wilderness that his ancestors had subdued. After passing a test in which he outsmarted a pack of predators at the Carrion Spike, sixteen-year-old Tarkin was deemed to have completed his training on the plateau. Six months after this test, Wilhuff's training shifted to space combat. Family members and hired trainers taught him tactics and piloting skills, while urging him to apply his hunting lessons to controlling the pirates and lawbreakers of the Outer Rim.

Tarkin became a member of the Outland Regions Security Force, an organization dedicated to protecting Eriadu and the Greater Seswenna sector in the absence of a Republic Military. As part of the organization's anti-pirate taskforce, he gained recognition for outmaneuvering and brutally suppressing a pirate group known as Q'anah's Marauders during the Greater Seswenna raids. In 46 BBY, after deciphering the pattern in the attacks of the pirate leader Q'anah, Tarkin captured her ship, launching her and her crew on a slow trajectory into a sun. The Outland ships broadcast the suffering of Q'anah's crew on her group's comm network and destroyed any ships that attempted to rescue them. By the age of 19, Tarkin was even designing new ships for the Outland Security Force.

After his work with the Outland Regions Security Force, Tarkin attended the Sullust Sector Spacefarers Academy to join the Judicial Department's forces. During his training, he encountered Sheev Palpatine, then a Senator from Naboo. Palpatine offered assistance in securing a position in the Republic's Judicial Academy but suggested he consider a career in politics. Tarkin did not immediately follow the Senator's advice but accepted his help in gaining admission to the Academy. Following a dramatic entrance at the head of an Outland delegation, Tarkin struggled to fit in, often engaging in brawls with other students. At some point, Tarkin attended the Prefsbelt Fleet Camp.

A mission to the world of Halcyon alongside a group of Jedi provided him with an opportunity to prove his worth. The officer leading his team disobeyed Jedi orders and initiated a march to attack their target from a different angle. The other Judicials quickly proved to be out of their depth in the wilderness and relied on Tarkin's skills and leadership to safely reach the objective, where the Jedi had just completed the mission. Tarkin was credited with saving their lives, and stories of his exploits began to circulate within the Judicial Department. As he continued to build his reputation, Tarkin observed increasing conflicts throughout the galaxy. In 36 BBY, he resigned from his rank and position in the Judicial Forces to pursue a career in politics, recalling Palpatine's advice to enter politics.

With Palpatine's support, Tarkin became the Governor of Eriadu. He assisted Palpatine during the Eriadu Conference by preventing Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum from conducting an investigation, which contributed to Valorum's downfall. During this period, he briefly met with Orson Callan Krennic. During the Separatist Crisis, Count Dooku attempted to persuade Tarkin to pledge Eriadu to the Separatist cause. However, Tarkin remained loyal to Palpatine and ensured his homeworld remained part of the Republic. In reality, Palpatine, as his alter ego Darth Sidious, had dispatched Dooku to sway him as a test of his loyalty.

By rejecting Dooku's offers, Tarkin became one of the few officials who, by remaining steadfast, prevented the count from gaining the economic foothold necessary to cripple the Republic. During their final dinner before the war, Dooku again urged Tarkin to join the Separatists, arguing it would benefit his world. Dooku also hinted at the impending war, suggesting that the Republic would find a way to raise an army in time and that he was working towards a united galaxy. When Tarkin inquired about who would lead such a regime, Dooku remained silent.

Shortly after his final meeting with the Count, Tarkin publicly announced his decision not to seek reelection. Concerned about his son's choice, Tarkin's father, who was then old and in failing health, summoned Wilhuff home to the family compound to discuss the issue. During their candid conversation, Wilhuff explained his reasons, views, and ambitions, both personal and concerning his homeworld. With Eriadu's immigration and economic issues resolved, Tarkin felt he had done all he could for his homeworld as Governor and had more than repaid those who had helped him into office. Consequently, Wilhuff's concerns and ambitions shifted to the evolving galactic landscape.

While the elder Tarkin disagreed, he understood and respected his son's views and choices despite his own reservations. His final remark was about how the coming war would tear the galaxy apart and how grateful he was that he would not live to see it. Indeed, Wilhuff's father passed away shortly before the Clone Wars.

When the Clone Wars began in 22 BBY, Tarkin enlisted in the Republic Military and was commissioned as a captain in the Republic Navy. He maintained contact with Chancellor Palpatine, conducting covert missions for him. Despite leaving his role as governor, he retained the title. In 21 BBY, nine months after the First Battle of Geonosis, Captain Tarkin commanded the battle of Murkhana, an assault on Separatist Shadowfeeds. The battle of Murkhana initiated a year of success, including the Battle of Kamino in 21 BBY, where Tarkin received commendations.

Tarkin served alongside the Republic's new army of clone troopers but grew to disdain them. He was particularly concerned about the level of individuality they adopted under the Jedi's guidance. He also disliked the Jedi Order's role in leading the military because their code prevented them from taking actions as drastic as he would.

In 20 BBY, a year following the Battle of Murkhana, Tarkin served under Jedi Master Even Piell as the captain of his flagship. Tarkin and Piell embarked on a mission to secure the Nexus Route, a strategically significant hyperspace route that led into both the heart of the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Before Tarkin and Piell could return to Republic space and secure the information, they were attacked by the Confederacy navy. Before being boarded, Piell and Tarkin memorized half of the Nexus Route information, then erased it from the ship's computer. Shortly afterward, they and several clone troopers were captured and taken to Lola Sayu, a volcanic world controlled by the Separatists. Lola Sayu was home to the Citadel, a prison built centuries earlier to hold renegade Jedi. Tarkin was repeatedly tortured during his several-week stay at the Citadel.

Later, Piell was rescued by Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, Skywalker's Padawan Ahsoka Tano, and several clone troopers that made up the rest of the rescue team. Piell informed Skywalker that Tarkin possessed the other half of the Nexus Route and was being held with several clone troopers in a separate cell. Skywalker and his team proceeded to Tarkin's cell, destroying several battle droids along the way. They freed the Republic officers and began their escape from the Citadel.

Tarkin was initially surprised to see Piell again and elated to be freed. However, he expressed despair about their situation, noting they were still deep within enemy territory. When General Kenobi devised a plan to split up so the information would be divided, Tarkin disagreed, arguing it would be better to stay together to provide strength in numbers and better protect the Nexus Route information and escape the Citadel. Piell and the others rejected Captain Tarkin's plan. They split into two groups, with Tarkin continuing to argue that greater strength lay in greater numbers. Piell agreed with Kenobi and ordered Tarkin to accompany Skywalker's group. Annoyed that his plan was rejected, Tarkin followed Skywalker into the old tunnels beneath the Citadel.

As they moved through the tunnels, Skywalker noted that everything was proceeding according to Kenobi's plan. Tarkin questioned what would happen if Kenobi's plan failed. In response, Skywalker asked Tarkin to trust them, stating that Jedi worked best when improvising. Tarkin told the Jedi that he only trusted those who took action and was concerned about what would happen when things deviated from their plan. Skywalker retorted that he only trusted those who understood gratitude, reminding Tarkin that he would still be a prisoner if not for the Jedi's efforts. As they continued, Tarkin expressed admiration for the Citadel's structure, which disgusted Tano, who questioned how he could admire such a horrible place. Tarkin smugly noted that Tano had revealed her shortsightedness regarding their ordeal.

After Tano took the lead, Tarkin expressed his lack of faith in her, despite Clone Captain "Rex" attempting to persuade him otherwise by stating that he had served under her many times and she had never failed him. Tarkin remained unconvinced and dismissed the clone's thoughts with silence. As the group made their way through the old tunnel system toward the rendezvous point, Tarkin became increasingly impressed with the Citadel's layout and structure. Tano grew frustrated, asking Tarkin how he could admire such a monstrosity. Tarkin claimed that their entire ordeal only proved his point and that he wished the Republic had claimed the Citadel instead of the Separatists. Although Tano still disagreed, her master agreed with Tarkin's philosophy.

Tarkin admitted to Skywalker that he had earned his trust, but not that of the rest of the Jedi Order, because, in Tarkin's experience, the Jedi's tactics had proven ineffective. The Jedi Code prevented them from going far enough to defeat the Confederacy and end the Clone War. Rather than being offended, Skywalker agreed, stating that their tactics sometimes kept them from achieving victory. Tarkin and Skywalker developed mutual respect.

They soon reached the shuttle's location, but before they could board, they were attacked by a Separatist droid garrison and several laser cannons. Tarkin concluded that they would have to attack in a full forward assault to take the shuttle and escape. However, before a decision could be made, the droids destroyed the shuttle, forcing the group to retreat from the superior enemy forces.

They soon received a set of coordinates for a Jedi-led rescue team to pick them up. Tarkin questioned what would happen if the Jedi failed to rescue them, much to Piell's annoyance. Skywalker warned Tarkin that arguing with Piell was a bad idea, although Tarkin stated he stood by his principles without compromise, as his career was secure due to his relationship with Chancellor Sheev Palpatine. Skywalker retorted that he had also gained favor with the Chancellor, causing the pair to develop further respect for each other.

The group was soon set upon by a larger number of droids, along with several anoobas. Reaching a cliff, and finding themselves unable to descend, they deployed their ascension gun cables. Subsequently, Tarkin mounted Skywalker's back and they rappelled down the cliff face. Following this, Tarkin engaged the attacking droids, successfully destroying at least one STAP and multiple commando droids with his blaster. A clone navy trooper then intervened, saving Tarkin's life by intercepting a blaster shot meant for him, sacrificing his own life in the process. After the skirmish, Tarkin informed everyone that additional squads were en route. General Piell was fatally wounded by an anooba during the battle; however, before his death, he managed to transfer his portion of the vital information to Ahsoka Tano, which displeased Tarkin considerably. The Jedi then conducted a brief funeral service for Master Piell before continuing their journey.

Not long after, upon reaching the designated coordinates, the group faced another assault, this time by more battle droids and the cruel warden of the Citadel, Osi Sobeck. After a short engagement with his droid forces, Sobeck remained as the sole combatant. Tarkin cornered him and fired his blaster rifle, wounding Sobeck. Despite being injured, the Phindian retaliated by charging at Tarkin, lifting him above his head. As Sobeck prepared to throw Tarkin into a lava river, Ahsoka Tano intervened, impaling Sobeck from behind with her lightsaber. Once Tarkin had recovered, he offered a brief thanks to Tano before complimenting Skywalker on his Padawan's training. The group was then extracted by a rescue team and transported to the safety of Coruscant. When Master Yoda suggested a debriefing for both Tarkin and Tano regarding the information they held, Tarkin insisted that his intelligence be delivered directly to the Supreme Chancellor, a position that contrasted with Tano's desire to share the information exclusively with the Jedi High Council. Following this disagreement, Tarkin praised Skywalker's performance while subtly criticizing Kenobi by expressing his preference for Jedi with Skywalker's military mindset.

In the aftermath of the Citadel incident, Tarkin advocated for a gradual reduction of Jedi involvement in military command, expressing concern that their code might lead to the Republic's defeat in the war. While striving to attain the rank of admiral, Tarkin piloted an Alpha-3 Nimbus-class V-wing starfighter above a cloudy celestial body, accompanied by two other V-wings on his flight.

By 20 BBY, Tarkin had risen to the rank of admiral. He attended the Republic strategy conference, held on the space station Valor in orbit around the planet Carida, along with numerous other members of the Republic Navy and the Jedi Order, to strategize on defeating the Separatists. Shortly before the conference was scheduled to commence, a Venator-class Star Destroyer, named the Renown, which had been commandeered and loaded with highly volatile rhydonium by the Separatists, emerged from hyperspace close to the station. Tarkin's astromech droid, Z9, alerted him to the inability to establish communication with anyone aboard the vessel. Just as they realized the ship was, in reality, a bomb, the rhydonium detonated, causing significant damage to the ship. The resulting shockwave rocked Valor, and debris impacted the hull. Fortunately, D-Squad, a team of droids led by Colonel Meebur Gascon, who were on a secret mission to acquire a Separatist encryption module, managed to intercept the Venator and trigger the explosion before it reached the station, thereby saving Tarkin and all others aboard.

Despite the averted disaster, Tarkin remained critical of the situation and composed a highly critical report detailing numerous errors on the part of the Jedi Order, including D-Squad's mission, Colonel Gascon's lack of experience, and the loss of the Star Destroyer Renown. This report, along with a carefully selected list of alternatives to Jedi command, was submitted to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Unbeknownst to Tarkin, the repeated failures of the Jedi were precisely what Chancellor Palpatine, secretly a Sith Lord, desired in order to maintain the Jedi Order's position in command.

Between 20 BBY and 19 BBY, Tarkin was recruited into the Strategic Advisory Cell's Special Weapons Group. The group's primary objective was to oversee the construction of what would eventually become the Death Star, a moon-sized battle station designed to house a superlaser. Tarkin had actively encouraged Chancellor Palpatine to proceed with the station, and some believed he had envisioned a similar station even before the discovery of the original Geonosian plans. During this time, he received regular updates on the station's construction, which was taking place over Geonosis under the supervision of Lieutenant Commander Orson Callan Krennic, another key figure in the Special Weapons Group. Rumors circulated that Palpatine intended for Tarkin to lead the entire project, a prospect that Krennic found threatening.

By this point, Tarkin had been appointed an Adjutant General, although this was largely a ceremonial title. He maintained a permanent office on Coruscant, near the Senate Building. During this period, he knew the lawyer Arsha Lome, and they once visited The Cupola together. In his new role, Tarkin conducted a formal interview with Galen Walton Erso, despite Krennic's attempts to dissuade him. Erso had been rescued from Vallt, a Separatist-controlled planet, a year prior. Erso had originally been on the planet to experiment on kyber crystals for Zerpen Industries, but the planet's allegiance shifted while he was there, resulting in his imprisonment. However, due to the nature of his research, Orson Krennic rescued him, believing that Erso and his research could contribute to the Death Star project.

Erso, however, was unwilling to knowingly assist in the construction of a weapon of mass destruction, so Krennic planned to manipulate Erso over time. During his meeting with Tarkin, Erso inquired as to why he was unable to leave Coruscant, to which Tarkin responded that his loyalty to the Republic was under suspicion. He then questioned Erso's reasons for wanting no involvement with the Republic. Erso stated that he was a pacifist and would only work for the Republic in a non-military capacity, such as the energy enrichment he had been conducting for Zerpen. Tarkin later revealed his suspicion that Erso might be a CIS spy, deliberately placed on Coruscant to steal military secrets. However, due to Erso's relationship with Orson Krennic, Tarkin advised his superiors to close the case, which they subsequently did. Before Erso departed, Tarkin inquired whether Krennic had offered him any position within the Republic, to which the scientist truthfully replied in the negative. Following their meeting, the two maintained contact and remained on amicable terms.

On Geonosis, Krennic learned of the meeting between Erso and Tarkin. This concerned Krennic, as he was pleased that the espionage charges had been dropped but wary of Tarkin's involvement with Erso, whom he had never trusted since their meeting when Tarkin was governor of Eriadu. Krennic knew that the only way to maintain control of the construction project was to secure Erso's allegiance and, by extension, his skills. Krennic suggested that Erso take a position at Helical HyperCom on Lokori, a decision that Tarkin supported. However, Krennic's motivation was to make Erso more bored than he was on Coruscant, thereby making him more inclined to support the Republic.

In 19 BBY, the Jedi Temple hangar was targeted in a bombing. The explosion resulted in the deaths of numerous civilians, Jedi, and clone troopers. Tarkin was summoned back to Coruscant following the bombing and argued that the deaths of clone troopers made the incident a military matter, warranting an investigation by the Republic Military. Despite this, the Jedi Order recalled Jedi General Anakin Skywalker and Jedi Commander Ahsoka Tano from Cato Neimoidia to investigate the incident. Their investigation led to the capture of Letta Turmond, and Admiral Tarkin arranged for her transfer to a military prison.

Tarkin then attended a funeral for the bombing victims. Afterwards he informed Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano and Barriss Offee that the accused perpetrator of the bombing, Letta Turmond, had been transferred from the Jedi Temple to Republic custody. Tano was dismayed by this and insisted it was a Jedi matter, not the Republic military's business. Tarkin firmly explained to her that since clones were killed and and that the culprit was not a Jedi, the Republic Military had jurisdiction. Skywalker scolded Tano for becoming angry. After Tano left Skywalker admitted to Tarkin that in many ways Tano was still very young.

Later, Admiral Tarkin contacted Tano and informed her Letta Turmond wished to speak with her. Tano met with Turmond in her prison cell where she was suddenly choked to death by ways of the Force. It was assumed that since Tano was a Jedi and she was alone with Turmond when she was killed, that Tano was the killer. As a result, Tano was arrested by Clone Commander CC-1010 and placed in a cell. The security footage confirmed to Tarkin that Tano was the murder suspect, and perhaps the actual mastermind of the Jedi Temple bombing. Tarkin later visited Tano in her cell and showed her a holorecording of the incident, although the sound was missing from the recording, which made it seem as though Tano was telekinetically strangling Turmond. Tarkin continued to imprison Tano in the Republic Center for Military Operations, a facility he now commanded, and ordered that no one be allowed to visit Tano, which angered her Jedi Master, Anakin Skywalker. Tarkin was convinced that not all members of the conspiracy were captured, a belief that was confirmed to him when Tano soon escaped from the installation after succumbing to a ploy to free her.

Shortly after Tano's escape, Tarkin came before the Jedi Council via hologram, flanked by two clone troopers. He relayed the accusations against Tano, concluding that she had used a Jedi mind trick to convince the clones to release her and had proceeded to kill them during her escape. Although Master Plo Koon, a long-time friend and mentor of Tano's, refused to believe that the young Togruta would commit such deeds, Tarkin coldly dismissed his and the Council's beliefs as "irrelevant", and swiftly ended the transmission.

After leading the Republic Military's investigation into the bombing, Admiral Tarkin was promoted to Adjutant General of the Grand Army of the Republic and the Republic Navy. The promotion allowed Tarkin to serve as the lead prosecutor in the trial of Ahsoka Tano after she was recaptured. Secretly, Tarkin's promotion also served to keep him safe in Coruscant during the final months of the war. Tarkin came before the Jedi Council via hologram on behalf of the Galactic Senate to request that Tano be expelled from the Jedi Order so that she could be tried by a Republic Military tribunal. The Galactic Senate and Tarkin feared that if Tano were tried solely by the Jedi the verdict would seem biased, as Tano was a Jedi. The Council reluctantly conceded and Tano was expelled from the Jedi Order despite protests from Skywalker. While Skywalker investigated further to exonerate his former Padawan, Senator of the Naboo delegation Padmé Amidala headed Tano's defense. The trial soon began before a military tribunal with a panel of Republic Senators serving as the jury and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine as the judge, while members of the Jedi Order observed.

Convinced of Tano's guilt, at the trial, Tarkin stated he would prove Tano guilty of the Jedi Temple bombing and the murder of her cohorts, and requested the death penalty be used when Tano was found guilty. Senator Amidala argued that if Tano were truly guilty she would not have made the evidence against herself so obvious, particularly when Turmond was killed right before giving up vital information. Tarkin doubted this claim and mentioned that Tano had been seen collaborating with the known Separatist terrorist Asajj Ventress after she had escaped Republic custody. Eventually, the arguments were concluded and the jury reached a verdict. But before Chancellor Palpatine could read the verdict aloud to the courtroom, Skywalker and several Jedi Temple Guards arrived with Jedi Padawan Barriss Offee. Offee confessed to the bombing and the murder of Letta Turmond, continuing with a speech that protested against what the Jedi Order became during the Clone Wars. Tarkin was not surprised that the responsible individual for the killings was a Jedi, which only served to reinforce his already negative opinion on the Jedi Order. Yet he did seem surprised to be proven wrong about Ahsoka after all, though didn't admit it. All charges against Ahsoka Tano were dropped, but she refused to rejoin the Jedi due to her distrust of the Order.

In the same year as Tano's departure from the Jedi, Count Dooku was killed by Anakin Skywalker. This set in motion a series of events that most of the galaxy was made to believe was an attempt by the Jedi Order to seize control of the Republic. In the chaos, the Jedi were defeated and the Galactic Empire was proclaimed, designed to bring order to the galaxy. 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 Wilhuff Tarkin, it served as an opportunity to gain greater power, and as such was supportive of the transition without second thought. Although his rank of admiral remained with the Imperial Navy, Tarkin was formally made the Moff of the Greater Seswenna sector by Emperor Palpatine during the early days of the Empire, with a place on the Imperial High Command. As such, Tarkin was given the corvette Carrion Spike, named after the place of his childhood trial, use of an Imperial-class Star Destroyer, and ownership of the Imperial I-class Star Destroyers Executrix and Sovereign.

The Death Star project was moved from the now superseded Special Weapons Group to the Imperial Military Department of Advanced Weapons Research, which was a sub-agency of Imperial Intelligence, with the secrecy role of the organization belonging to the Imperial Security Bureau. At some point, Tarkin founded the Tarkin Initiative, a secret think tank within Advanced Weapons Research, that would also be heavily involved in the creation of the battle station.

A few days after the Declaration of the New Order, Tarkin journeyed to the Emperor's office on Coruscant, where he reported on the progress of the construction of the Death Star to the Emperor and Grand Vizier Mas Amedda. He reported that it would either meet or surpass expectations. Amedda then asked of the superlaser, to which Tarkin began to state that early tests were successful. However, he was interrupted by the arrival of a heavily injured Darth Vader, who blasted two of the guards into the office window, knocking them unconscious. Tarkin, having never seen Vader before, expressed concern for the Emperor's safety, but the Emperor replied that he was safe and dismissed both Tarkin and Amedda.

Some time later, after an assassination attempt on him, Vader sought to teach members of the Imperial Officer Corps of his power. He assembled a list of officers with access codes to Imperial systems at Level 1A1 and above, which included Tarkin himself. Although the Emperor himself approved of Vader's plan, he specifically requested Tarkin be spared, as he was required. Vader then went on to execute five randomly chosen officers at a Coruscant auditorium, demonstrating to the rest of the gathered forces his strength. As time went by, Tarkin would work with Vader on several successful missions.

Tarkin was present on a Venator-class Star Destroyer with the Emperor and his new apprentice Darth Vader, who was, unbeknownst to most, Anakin Skywalker. Together on the bridge, they arrived over Geonosis to view the Death Star, which now had its focusing dish installed, despite Krennic facing several setbacks with the working Geonosians. However, with the Clone Wars now over, Krennic found a new opportunity to lure the pacifist Erso to the Death Star project. He was inducted into Project Celestial Power, where he was promised he was experimenting on kyber crystals only to utilize them as an energy supply. However, Galen's research was actually being sent to other locations to be weaponized for the Death Star's superlaser, which was to be powered by kybers.

After the Empire's formation, Tarkin was dispatched to Kamino to evaluate the worth of the clones, in regards to whether or not they would be an asset to the Empire. Though Tarkin himself viewed the clones unfavorably, he noticed the efficiency of Clone Force 99 during an impromptu fight in their cafeteria. Tarkin proceeded to request the clones to the training facility, wishing to have a closer look at their effectiveness in combat. After the squad completed the first simulation with ease, Tarkin instructed Lama Su to utilize live rounds in a second simulation, despite Su's protests. After Clone Force 99 completed the second simulation as well, Tarkin was impressed by their skills. However, he also found concern in the squad's disregard for authority, and made a note of Crosshair's report that stated Hunter had failed to execute Order 66.

Confronting the squad in their barracks, Tarkin, wishing to test Clone Force 99's loyalty, gave them the mission of quelling a group of insurgents on Onderon. Unbeknownst to the squad of clones, Tarkin was sending them to eliminate a group of refugees led by Saw Gerrera, including the elderly and children, while simultaneously spying on them through the use of probe droids. Upon their refusal to eliminate the refugees and the elimination of the probe droid, Tarkin had the squad of clones arrested upon their return to Kamino, as well as ordered the removal of all of their belongings from their barracks and into the hangar. Taking note of Crosshair's continued loyalty to the Empire, he had him removed from the group, ordering that his inhibitor chip be amplified to ensure full loyalty to the Empire. Tarkin then ordered that Crosshair be deployed against his former teammates, who were attempting to escape alongside a female clone, Omega. However, before Tarkin could exact punishment on Clone Force 99, the squad escaped Kamino.

With the beginning of Project War-Mantle, the Imperial initiative to replace clones with birth-born recruits, Tarkin decided to put Crosshair in charge of an Elite Squad of non-clone soldiers to test their capabilities by fulfilling the mission Clone Force 99 had previously failed at. Tarkin confided in Vice admiral Edmon Rampart his belief that clone troopers were obsolete and cost prohibitive, though he also believed that, for the time being, the Empire still needed clones as soldiers.

Eventually, the Kaminoan cloning services entirely fell out of favor with the Galactic Empire with the continuation of Project War-Mantle. Stormtrooper TK-7193 was eventually assigned as a personal guard to Tarkin. As the operation to withdraw Imperial assets from Kamino drew to a close, Vice Admiral Rampart contacted Governor Tarkin via hologram. Rampart assured him that all necessary assets were soundly under the Empire's grasp, including Chief Medical Scientist Nala Se, whom the Governor was inquiring about. Satisfied, Tarkin ordered the Vice Admiral to open fire on Tipoca City and all other Kaminoan facilities—thereby removing any threat the Kaminoans could pose to the Empire and placing their cloning technology under Imperial control alone—once he saw fit before ending the hologram transmission.

After Rampart's Venator-class Star Destroyers moved into position, their turbolaser fire tore through Tipoca City, causing it to sink into the Kaminoan sea as Imperial forces targeted the other facilities. The Empire covered up its attack by claiming a great storm had wiped out the Kaminoan cities. Rampart reported to Tarkin that Clone Force 99, who were present on Kamino at the time, had perished in the bombardment, but the Vice Admiral was later proven incorrect when Clone Captain Wilco encountered the group some months later during an incident on Serenno. In order to conceal his failure from Tarkin, Rampart traveled to Serenno and attempted to persuade Wilco to submit a new report. When Wilco refused to falsify a report, Rampart murdered him and resolved to submit a report of the incident void of any mention of the renegade squad.

In the year 18 BBY, the Emperor himself commanded Tarkin to undertake a mission to Mon Cala, intending to make an example of the planet to demonstrate the consequences of defiance. Arriving aboard the Sovereign, Tarkin addressed his crew on the bridge, outlining the impending operation. He remarked that despite the navigational challenges posed by the sea-world's oceans, its reefs and islands housed several substantial cities, which could serve as ideal staging points for an invading force. Tarkin inquired of Major Rantu regarding the readiness of his teams, to which Rantu confirmed that simulations were already underway. Subsequently, he requested Commander Jordo to elaborate on potential non-military disruptive strategies, such as the use of propaganda. Commander Jordo indicated that his teams had already developed preliminary artwork and holos, seeking Tarkin's approval, though the governor placed confidence in Jordo's expertise.

When Colonel Bergon questioned why the Sovereign didn't simply initiate an orbital bombardment of the planet, Tarkin clarified that the Empire's objective extended beyond mere destruction, aiming instead for control of its assets. Mon Cala held significance for the Empire due to its inhabitants, advanced technology, and developed civilization. However, a technician soon informed Tarkin that the Zeta-class shuttle Infernum had just emerged from hyperspace. Initially perplexed, as no additional forces were anticipated, Tarkin recognized the shuttle's designation and realized it belonged to the Inquisitorius, under the leadership of Darth Vader. Following the shuttle's landing, Ambassador Telvar's transport was destroyed. With the cause uncertain—whether attack, sabotage, or malfunction—Tarkin instructed Major Rantu to prepare for troop deployment, and directed Jordo and Bergon to ready their respective phases of the operation.

As Vader and Major Rantu launched an assault on Dac City, King Lee-Char of Mon Cala contacted Tarkin, expressing his outrage at the sudden invasion of his world. Lee-Char demanded that Tarkin cease his attack, but Tarkin rebuffed his order, reminding him that an Imperial envoy had been assassinated while under Mon Calamari protection. Tarkin stipulated that Lee-Char must surrender before any negotiations could commence. Seeking counsel, Lee-Char turned to his secret advisor, the Jedi Padawan Ferren Barr, who employed a mind trick to compel him to take drastic action. Consequently, Lee-Char orchestrated a school of large fish-like creatures to generate a massive wave, intended to sweep the Imperial ground forces from Mon Cala's surface.

Witnessing the unexpected assault from the Sovereign, Bergon expressed astonishment that Lee-Char had sacrificed Mon Cala's surface settlements. Tarkin informed her and Jordo that the Mon Calamari had suffered minimal damage, as their true civilization lay underwater, vastly more extensive than the surface settlements. He stated that the attack had barely affected Mon Cala and, given that Major Rantu was in Dac City when the wave struck, Tarkin presumed him lost in the disaster. Therefore, Tarkin instructed Bergon that she would lead the next wave of assault. Bergon concurred, stating her intention to utilize aerial landing platforms for her attack, thereby avoiding a similar fate to the previous ground forces. Tarkin then questioned Jordo about his failure to anticipate Lee-Char's attack, holding him responsible for the planet. Jordo admitted he had no explanation but vowed to intensify his efforts and redeem himself. Tarkin inquired of his officers about any communication from Vader, but was informed that Vader remained unresponsive.

Bergon deployed her forces onto Mon Cala, directing them from her sky-base. Tarkin soon requested a status update, to which she reported ongoing progress. She acknowledged Gial Ackbar's efforts in her hemisphere and Raddus's actions in consolidating reefships in the southern polar regions. Tarkin cautioned her that, despite Raddus's apparent defensive posture, he invariably harbored an offensive strategy. One of Bergon's officers then alerted her to an approaching threat, and Ackbar soon appeared, leading a swarm of aquatic vehicles. They passed beneath Bergon's sky-base and launched a barrage of missiles at it. The sky base exploded, instantly killing Bergon. Upon receiving a report of the Attack on Bergon's sky-base, Tarkin expressed his displeasure with Jordo for again failing to foresee such an attack. Jordo attempted to excuse his failure, but Tarkin instead ordered him to don stormtrooper armor and deploy to Mon Cala's surface. Tarkin's lieutenant asked if they should retaliate to the recent attack. However, Tarkin stated that he was inclined towards escalation.

One of Tarkin's lieutenants soon informed him that they were winning every engagement on Mon Cala at the present time. Tarkin acknowledged his point, but then stated that there were too many engagements. He explained that the Mon Calamari and Quarren warriors were using two primary tactics: They were either holing up in settlements and taking the fight to the corridors, which were unfamiliar to their attackers; or they were scattering into distant empty oceans where the Imperial forces would have to split up to get them all, requiring constant supply. Tarkin then pointed out Raddus, who had thought of a more creative strategy. Tarkin told the Lieutenant of how Raddus had connected the shields of many merchant vessels from the Mon Cala Mercantile Fleet, making a large shield bubble that could repel any attack. Tarkin thought it it was a brilliant strategy and told the Lieutenant that Raddus had built himself a fortress.

As the conflict dragged on, Tarkin contacted Vader, who had pursued Ferren Barr to Bel City. He requested Vader to leave his Inquisitors and the Purge troopers to take on the Jedi and instead capture Lee-Char. Vader told Tarkin that he was not a subject to his authority, but Tarkin stated that it was only a request and that the Emperor wanted a swift victory on Mon Cala. He said to Vader that it would end the war quickly and he asked him if he could do this for him, promising that he would owe Vader a debt in the foreseeable future. Vader complied and left his forces to hunt Barr themselves.

Vader reached the Royal Command Bunker, where he killed Lee-Char's guards before disarming and capturing him. Vader contacted Tarkin, telling him of his success. Tarkin congratulated Vader and told him to transmit his precise location. Vader asked Tarkin if he was sending a shuttle but Tarkin said not yet and had Vader take Lee-Char to a window. Tarkin then ordered the Sovereign and two other Star Destroyers, that had joined his flagship shortly before, to bombard Mon Cala. The Star Destroyers wrecked havoc on the first city, destroying it soon enough. Lee-Char still refused to surrender despite this and he and Vader were soon interrupted by Barr, who had managed to evade being killed by the Inquisitors and their Purge troopers in Bel City.

Vader and Barr fought each other and Barr revealed that he had assassinated Ambassador Telvar all along. As Barr explained why, Lee-Char realized that it was Barr who had caused the war on Mon Cala and not the Empire. Without hesitation he ran to the console and sent out a message, ordering his forces on Mon Cala to ceasefire. Lee-Char then contacted Tarkin, telling him he surrendered and was ready to talk terms with him. Tarkin had a shuttle head down to pick up Lee-Char, but in the meantime he continued the bombardment. As the Star Destroyers began targeting closer to Raddus's ships, the Mon Calamari ordered his small fleet to de-link their shield and run the blockade.

The five cruisers and their support ships flew past Tarkin's Star Destroyers, losing two cruisers along the way which kept the Star Destroyers from targeting Mon Cala. Tarkin stopped targeting the last three when it became inevitable that they would escape. Vader then slew Barr and Lee-Char was arrested and taken away, ending the war on Mon Cala. Tarkin's role in putting down the uprising on Mon Cala helped establish his merciless reputation.

The revelation of the truth behind Kamino's downfall led Palpatine to shift the blame entirely onto Rampart and his clone crew, leaving the Vice Admiral to unsuccessfully argue to the Imperial Senate that he had been acting under orders. Following the enactment of the Imperial Defense Recruitment Bill and the Empire's subsequent betrayal of Rampart, Tarkin reached out to Chief Scientist Royce Hemlock to discuss the Clone Underground raid on one of their transport vessels over Balmorra. While Hemlock dismissed the attack as insignificant, Tarkin emphasized the potential risk of data theft from the transport, which could compromise the location of Tantiss Base. Hemlock countered by reminding him of the stringent protocols in place to prevent such an occurrence. As Hemlock redirected the conversation to the targeting of the transport, Tarkin voiced his suspicion of a rogue element of clones within the Imperial ranks, who had begun to question their orders, requiring their elimination. Hemlock cautioned that simply removing problematic clones would not address the underlying threat and proposed that, if sent to him, he would handle them through alternative means. Tarkin indicated that he expected a comprehensive briefing on these plans at the upcoming summit.

Tarkin convened a gathering of fellow Imperial officers at his personal compound on Eriadu for a major summit. Among those present were Admiral Barton Coburn, General Hurst Romodi, Chief Scientist Royce Hemlock of the Advanced Science Division, and Krennic, who arrived to provide an update on the status of the Death Star. Hemlock, in turn, reported on the Imperial cloning program he had assumed control of at Mount Tantiss, utilizing captured Kaminoan equipment. Romodi, meanwhile, developed a close working relationship with Tarkin, collaborating extensively on efforts to suppress local uprisings.

Concurrently, the summit was infiltrated by Clone Force 99 and the Partisans. The two groups clashed due to their conflicting objectives: the clones sought to track Hemlock back to Tantiss to rescue clone prisoners, while Saw Gerrera aimed to eliminate the Imperial leadership. Both insurgent groups were soon discovered by Imperial forces. Upon being informed of this threat, Tarkin ordered Raven's Peak into lockdown. Ultimately, his forces were unable to prevent Clone Force 99 and the Partisans from escaping, though Tech was killed. Hemlock later tracked Clone Force 99 to Ord Mantell after they were betrayed by Ciddarin Scaleback. While Hemlock successfully captured the female clone Omega and ordered for Hunter and Wrecker to be sent back to Eriadu to be interrogated by Tarkin, but they were soon freed by Echo before this could happen.

Approximately six months later, Tarkin contacted Hemlock to inform him that his operation's financial impact on Imperial resources had raised concerns, and that he was requesting additional funding. Hemlock asserted that it was a personal, yet classified, project for the Emperor. When Tarkin offered to assist him personally, Hemlock reiterated his need for more funding and insisted it was worth the cost. Before ending the holocall, Tarkin cautioned that if his project failed to yield the desired results, it would reflect poorly on both the Imperial cloning program and the doctor himself.

Tarkin later contacted Hemlock upon learning that the captive Zillo Beast had escaped and that Tantiss Base had been compromised. He added that Emperor Palpatine was deeply concerned. Though Hemlock insisted he had the situation under control, a skeptical Tarkin promised to arrive at Weyland shortly.

Tarkin's fleet arrived at Tantiss Base just shortly after Clone Force 99 had rescued the prisoners. Upon personally inspecting the ruined facility, Tarkin was informed by Captain Bragg that the base sustained heavy damage and that Hemlock and several troopers had perished. Tarkin then inquired if they could recover Hemlock's research only to be told that the databanks had been destroyed. Declaring that Hemlock's projects weren't worth the Empire's support, he ordered Tantiss Base shuttered indefinitely and its funding redistributed to Project Stardust.

Imperial forces targetted former Separatist worlds in the hope of pacifying any remnants of Separatist rebellion. Tarkin was assigned to make an example of the moon Antar 4, the purpose of which was to demonstrate that simply because the war was over, confederacy aligned systems weren't forgiven. The moon's government had been taken over by Separatists shortly after the Battle of Geonosis, and had remained in Confederacy hands throughout the war. However, a significant resistance movement had risen up amongst the moon's indigenous Gotal population, and had been supported throughout the war by Republic Intelligence.

Despite this, Tarkin's orders were to bring the proverbial hammer down on the moon without making any attempt to sort Separatists from Republic loyalists and intelligence assets. Though Tarkin didn't support retribution, he carried out the orders with brutal efficiency, believing that it was justified in the sense that a repatriation attempt by the Republic could very well allow many of Antar 4's Separatists to escape. As such, his forces carried out numerous mass arrests and executions without due process. When word of this broke out, the media dubbed the event as the Antar Atrocity.

Tarkin's role in the Antar Atrocity further developed his reputation. In order to distance Tarkin from the controversial event, the Emperor assigned him to pacification operations in the Western Reaches, where he fought against entrenched Separatist holdouts. He was joined by Hurst Romodi.

During this period, Tarkin convened with Krennic at a shipyard near Kartoosh, where the Executrix was undergoing repairs following a battle in the Western Reaches, and Tarkin was overseeing the launch of a dreadnought. At that juncture, the Death Star project had progressed to phase three, with ongoing efforts focused on the hypermatter annihilation reactor and shield generators. However, Krennic was experiencing shortages of raw materials in Geonosis' rings, specifically doonium and [dolovite]. Krennic sought to extract these resources from Western Reaches worlds in less populated sectors, aiming to minimize attention and conceal the weapon's existence. He preferred to exploit legacy worlds due to their inherent secrecy, although these worlds were heavily protected against exploitation. Krennic and Tarkin agreed that utilizing ex-Separatist companies on these planets would be the most effective way to gain access to mining rights. Tarkin granted Krennic permission to mine worlds under his jurisdiction, despite harboring reservations about the Death Star's ultimate completion. Tarkin also expressed displeasure with Krennic's failure to inform the Emperor of his plan, a task Tarkin had to undertake himself.

Krennic enlisted his former associates Matese and Has Obitt, who had been involved in Galen Erso's rescue from Vallt, to control several legacy-status worlds, including Samovar and Wadi Raffa. Obitt supplied appropriated CIS weaponry to former Separatist mining companies, enabling Tarkin to arrive and "discover" the weapons, thereby revoking the world's legacy status on the grounds of a potential Separatist uprising. The Empire then declared these planets off-limits, allowing for unrestricted resource extraction without legal constraints or public scrutiny, with the mining companies and other former Separatists in the surrounding area being forced to work for the Empire. Tarkin visited Samovar aboard the Executrix to oversee the mining operation. The plan was to continue mining until the heavy equipment reached bedrock, by which point the oceans would be acid, forests destroyed, atmosphere heavily polluted and native species extinct.

The pacification operations in the Western Reaches taught Tarkin of the necessity of the Death Star: he believed fear would be the only fully effective deterrent. Tarkin sought to command the project, but knew there would be many more setbacks. Instead, he plotted to keep Krennic in command, as a scapegoat, until a time when he could take over. Until then, he knew he must answer to Krennic, so the Emperor didn't give him command prematurely, and he would be accountable for delays. He then thought to involve Darth Vader, who he had previously worked with, to keep an eye on Krennic. From his cabin, Tarkin received a hologram from Arsha Lome on Coruscant, who was representing Samovar's mining conglomerate. She told him that her clients didn't know where the implicating weapons came from, to which Tarkin replied an investigation was ongoing, and a court date would be arranged. However, Lome wondered when this would be, and thought it was likely linked to the mining conglomerate's connection to the Separatists during the war. She continued by complaining how the Empire acquired all mining operations, and questioned as to whether the takeover was to do with doonium and dolovite. Tarkin then denied the accusations and ended the transmission.

Tarkin traveled to the Imperial compound on Agaris, situated in the largely uncharted region of Wild Space, to oversee the mining of quadanium, destined for the Death Star's hull. The newly promoted Director Krennic had supposedly been assured of the planet's rich deposits, but mining progress had been hampered by the disappearances of patrols searching for suitable locations. To address this, Tarkin met with prisoners Auric and Rhyssa Graf, former cartographers renowned for their studies of Wild Space planets, hoping they could provide insights. Although the Empire had seized much of their data by for its expansion into the region after their arrest, significant information remained hidden within their droid, who was with their children Milo and Lina. The children had since joined a rebel cell on Lothal.

To uncover the truth about Agaris, Tarkin planned to either lure the children to the planet to rescue their parents and extract the droid's information, or use the children to blackmail the elder Grafs into revealing information themselves. Krennic's KX-series security droid K-4D8 had been dispatched to oversee the first shipment of ore back to Sentinel Base, although Tarkin and others suspected he was there to spy on Tarkin's operation for Krennic. As the first shipment was far from complete, Tarkin sent the droid to investigate a crash-landing in the nearby fungus forests, suspecting it involved the children.

In the meantime, he interrogated their parents again, even offering them white Alderaanian wine. However, they still didn't reveal any information on the planet, not even when Tarkin deceived them into believing he had their children and that he was willing to kill them. This was due to their pacifistic beliefs, wherein giving the Empire control of the quadanium would allow them to do even more evil than killing their children. However, when Tarkin mentioned that there was no sentient life on the planet, Auric had an almost unnoticeable twitch upon hearing the word. As the man was now acting uneasy in response to his earlier reaction, Tarkin came to the conclusion that there was undiscovered sentient life on Agaris that was responsible for taking his workforce, something he sought to either recruit into the Empire or enslave for work in the mines. He gave the Grafs one more day to make a decision, warning that if they make the wrong one, their next conversation will be after their children's demise.

Before this could happen, however, K-4 returned from the site of the crash, which was the children's vessel, with the head of the rebel droid. Information extracted from it explained about the Agarians, a sentient species of fungus who existed on the planet. In order to gloat, Tarkin bought his prisoners up to his office, where he revealed their secrets were his hands. He explained how the Agarians would be exterminated, to stop them kidnaping troops and disrupting his operation, or put to work in the mines. He then tossed the droid's head down a garbage chute, much to its former owners' dismay. Still going under the pretense that he had the children, Tarkin explained to the Grafs that due to their lack of cooperation, they would be terminated. On their way, however, they briefly escaped and were reunited with their children, who had come to rescue them. Tarkin then arrived, and revealed that he knew of the children's rebel activities on Lothal, and imprisoned them all with a view to extracting the names of rebel spies and safe houses.

The subsequent day saw Tarkin commanding K-4D8 to escort all four Grafs to the courtyard, where a substantial contingent of Imperial flametroopers stood ready to incinerate the Agarian population. As the prisoners were brought forth, Tarkin, already engaged in inspecting the assembled troops, elaborated on the droid's data, revealing its insights into eradicating the fungi. He noted that the troops wore breath masks to shield themselves from the poisonous gas emitted by the Agarians. Furthermore, he had TIE/sa bombers prepared for deployment, confidently predicting that his conquest would be finalized within a matter of days.

However, just as Tarkin prepared to deliver his concluding remarks, a spore, launched from the forest, struck the lead [bomber](/article/bomber], resulting in its catastrophic crash within the courtyard. Panic erupted amidst the chaos, with smaller spores raining down upon the compound, causing soldiers to collapse. Tarkin, swiftly equipped with a breath mask, ordered that the prisoners also receive them, so they could witness his response to the crisis. The flametroopers, led by K-4, advanced, while bombers circled above. Despite their efforts, the troops were overwhelmed. Tarkin, conceding defeat, prepared to evacuate aboard the Carrion Spike alongside the prisoners, planning to return with reinforcements from the Executrix. As he entered the hangar, several Agarians penetrated the perimeter and engaged Tarkin in conversation. They disclosed that his soldiers were alive and offered to exchange them for the withdrawal of Imperial forces. Tarkin scornfully rejected the offer, dismissing the soldiers as failures and of no value to him. Ordering K-4D8 to attack the fungi, Tarkin then boarded his ship and personally piloted it back to the Executrix. After K-4's demise, the Grafs and the Agarians deduced that Tarkin would initiate an orbital bombardment upon reaching his ship. Consequently, the Agarians released their prisoners, and all departed the planet in the form of space-faring spores, destined to colonize other worlds. Tarkin, confident in his eventual triumph, permitted the seedlings to escape, knowing the planet would be his. However, spotting the rebel vessel carrying the Grafs, Tarkin ordered his TIE fighters to pursue it, though it successfully jumped to hyperspace before interception.

Krennic tasked Obitt with a mission to the Salient system, a former Separatist-aligned star system situated within the Corporate Sector. Obitt was once more directed to deliver illicit weaponry to Zerpen Industries' headquarters on the moon of the planet Epiphany, with the aim of establishing another Imperial mining operation that would gradually extend its reach throughout the system. However, Obitt, disillusioned with Krennic's agenda and troubled by his role in the destruction of vulnerable worlds, defected to Saw Gerrera's partisans. He alerted the system's government to the Empire's schemes, affording them an opportunity to fight before the Empire could seize control. Tarkin, having tracked Obitt's ships, arrived on Epiphany's moon to take command of the headquarters. He confronted a Zerpen representative, accusing them of harboring insurgents. The representative, however, denied the allegations and invited the Empire to search the facility. The crew of the Executrix, observing from above, realized that the smugglers had merely orbited the moon and were now heading deeper into the system towards Salient II.

During his return to the ship, Tarkin speculated that Zerpen, aware of the Empire's pursuit of the smugglers, had denied them landing to avoid blame and appropriation. He pondered why Krennic's crew were venturing further into the system rather than fleeing, though he remained confident in his ability to seize control by framing the smugglers as insurgents. Suddenly, Tarkin received an alert that ships from the Salient Battle Group were approaching the Executrix. Shortly thereafter, the Moff received a communication from a Hiitian general from Salient II's strategic command, demanding that the Empire withdraw and allow Salient to deal with the insurgents, with whom they were secretly allied. Furthermore, he asserted Salient's autonomy and warned of consequences should the Empire persist in its operation. Tarkin, rejecting the demands, requested support from Admiral Utu's forces stationed at Telos, anticipating an impending campaign, though he refrained from an immediate invasion to assess whether other systems within the Corporate Sector would rally to Salient's aid.

Following the smugglers' landing on Salient II, Tarkin initiated a microjump towards the planet, remaining outside the range of the battle group's defenses. His aim was to ascertain whether Obitt and his crew had been apprehended or granted sanctuary, the latter confirming Salient's collusion with the smugglers and their joint opposition to the Empire. Meanwhile, reinforcements in the form of several warships were dispatched from Salient I to bolster the defenses of the system's second planet. Tarkin, however, also anticipated the arrival of backup in the form of two Star Destroyers from Telos. He surmised that the system's government had been forewarned of the Empire's intentions by the smugglers, given their swift shift to a war footing, though he found it perplexing that they would defect after successful operations at Samovar and Wadi Raffa. Tarkin hypothesized that Krennic had foreseen Obitt's defection and deliberately allowed him to proceed with the operation, hoping to instigate a battle that would keep Tarkin away from the Death Star project, as a retreat would signal vulnerability to other systems.

Tarkin's assessment proved accurate, as Krennic sought to keep him occupied during the crucial phase of the battle station's construction, with work on the superlaser imminent. The Moff's contemplation was interrupted by a communication from the Hiitian general. He asserted that he would not surrender the smugglers, as they were instrumental in exposing the Empire's subterfuge. However, he expressed a desire for a peaceful resolution and requested that Salient II's ambassador be permitted to board the Executrix. Tarkin agreed, considering the possibility that Salient II could serve as the Empire's entry point to the rest of the system, rather than the originally intended Epiphany. However, the shuttle approaching the Star Destroyer showed no life signs, and Tarkin held it in the ship's tractor beam, with concerns raised that it was a bomb. While this occurred, three warships emerged from Salient II's dark side, and Tarkin realized that they were provoking the Empire into taking preemptive action.

As Tarkin had predicted, the drone shuttle detonated, and the three warships launched an assault on the Executrix. The Star Destroyer returned fire, and the ensuing battle lasted for several standard hours, until the Salient ships repositioned themselves closer to the planet, now under the protection of its turbolaser batteries. Tarkin conceded that he had underestimated Krennic, whom he now believed had orchestrated the predicament. He had learned that the former Lieutenant Commander had recently been promoted to full commander. Consequently, Tarkin was forced to reassess his standing on the Death Star project, convinced that Krennic was unfit to supervise it, and aware that he might have to assume command sooner rather than later, despite the inevitable setbacks and delays.

Over the following several standard weeks, Imperial forces managed to secure Epiphany's moon and Zerpen Industries' facilities there. The capture of Salient II appeared imminent, despite its militias resisting longer than anticipated. Its planetary shield generators had been destroyed, and the government had requested a cease-fire to prevent further civilian casualties. Two Venator-class Star Destroyers were eventually dispatched from Telos, and were proving Aggressive ReConnaissance-170 starfighters to attack four cruisers stationed over the planet, and to prevent any support reaching the enemy, although Obitt was able to circumvent Tarkin's blockade by utilizing secret hyperspace exit points.

The conflict was the most intense Tarkin had experienced since the Clone Wars, resulting in higher casualties than those sustained in battles within the Western Reaches. Furthermore, the governments of both Salient II and Epiphany had destroyed anything of industrial, commercial and agricultural value, including mining facilities. Tarkin knew that even after capturing the planet, it would take months of fighting militias before a garrison could be installed, with something similar likely to occur on Salient I, the innermost planet, whose capture was unlikely to be under six months without any additional support.

Tarkin communicated the Empire's progress to Mas Amedda via hologram, although the Chagrian attempted to persuade him to conclude operations there, just as Tarkin had anticipated. Tarkin refused, instead requesting additional stormtroopers, and suggested using cadets when the Grand Vizier told him there weren't enough troops to spare. Then, Tarkin requested a wing of TIE fighters, although he was told these were in even shorter supply. Tarkin told Amedda he felt he was being undermined, to which he was told that the Imperial Senate was unimpressed with his 'adventurism'.

Tarkin made it clear he didn't care about the Senate, who he viewed as a fiction, as he knew his actions were necessary for the completion of the Death Star. Tarkin felt that Amedda was in league with Krennic, who he had used as an example to condescend Tarkin, and that they were out to weaken him for their own advancement. However, Tarkin knew he had the Emperor's support, and told the Vizier that his success would send a message to other rebellious systems to avoid any similar uprisings. Amedda eventually accepted the importance of Tarkin's campaign, and told him he would try to sent additional support. After the transmission ended, Tarkin was alerted to smugglers' ships inserting at Salient I, the leader of which was discovered to be Has Obitt.

Soon thereafter, citizens of both Salient II and Epiphany's moon were ordered by their governments to destroy anything and everything the Empire could use once it seized control of the system, including dams, power facilities and reservoirs, with Zerpen's entire headquarters destroyed by militia sappers. Entire cities had been burned, with many destroying their houses before they fled to deeper in-sector. On the Executrix, Tarkin watched Salient II. He had decided to let the exodus live, on account of it being easier to establish an Imperial presence on the planet with a smaller population. As the assault on Salient I had recently begun, Tarkin ordered Admiral Utu to initiate an invasion quickly, before the government got a chance to order a similar mass destruction.

Although he knew any detoxification and reseeding efforts would be useless, Tarkin remained optimistic that Salient could serve the Empire in being a jumping-off point for any other strikes deeper in the sector. He asked his adjutant if the smuggler's hideout had been discovered, to which the XO replied an affirmative. It had been discovered they were hidden under a large cliff overhang, which Tarkin ordered Utu's Venator-class Star Destroyer obliterate, crushing those who had been re-supplying the militias under the rock. Although initially disinterested with any survivors, Tarkin later ordered droids to search to rubble to see who he had eliminated. Has Obitt was discovered to be the only remaining survivor, as the rest had fled, and so the Dressellian was airlifted to the Executrix to be placed in custody and to receive bacta treatment for his wounds.

Weeks later, Obitt woke up in the medbay on the Executrix. He immediately recognized Tarkin as he stood over him, and questioned why he was still alive. Tarkin replied that he thought there was information that could be extracted from him before a prison sentence. He wanted to know if Krennic had ordered Obitt to commence the Salient campaign, to which the smuggler truthfully replied a negative. Tarkin then pressed as to why Obitt had betrayed the Empire after his work appropriating the legacy worlds, to which he received a reply about how a visit to Alpinn with Lyra Erso (originally designed by Krennic to keep her away from her husband) had ended with his eyes being opened to the extent of the Empire's destruction. Tarkin was disappointed with this naive sentiment, but nonetheless continued in the questioning.

Obitt revealed that he took Lyra to the legacy worlds he had helped appropriate, to which Tarkin sarcastically respond that the smuggler was more of a chaperone than he had expected. Obitt then accidentally revealed that Lyra was the wife of an Imperial science officer. Tarkin immediately deduced that this was Galen Erso, and thus ensued a conversation about how Krennic and Obitt had been the ones to rescue Erso in the first place, and that the two were still working together. Tarkin realized that Erso was the reason for Krennic's fast advancement in control of the Death Star, and that he had foreseen Obitt's departure for that Empire after being with Lyra Erso, and had used it as an opportunity to remove Tarkin from the project, confirming the Moff's earlier suspicions. Noticing that Obitt could be a useful ally to strike back at Krennic, as he had played them both, Tarkin decided to give him a chance to redeem himself.

Around one week later, Tarkin had a complete victory at Salient, allowing him to refocus on Krennic and the Death Star. Originally wanting Obitt to get back in Krennic's favor and to serve as an inside man, he was instead persuaded by the smuggler to remove the Ersos from Krennic's service, which would allow Obitt to get back in league with the commander. He contacted Lyra Erso and offered her a chance to escape from Coruscant. She agreed, but wanted to wait until Galen was convinced, which she was confident he would be after their next confrontation with Krennic. One day later, the meeting occurred. As Lyra had predicted, Galen agreed that they needed to escape after realizing his research was being weaponized, and so they arranged to meet with Obitt.

As Krennic traveled away from the Ersos' home, Tarkin contacted him, and told him that Has Obitt had escaped custody at Salient. After receiving verification that Krennic was disinterested with his former operative, Tarkin continued his deception by telling Krennic that Obitt was en route to Coruscant, and he had contacted someone there. Although the commander replied he didn't know why he would do that, Tarkin's dupe proved successful as after ending the transmission, Krennic began to panic at the prospect of the Ersos contacting Obitt in order for them to escape. He headed for the spaceport, where he found Has Obitt. Obitt continued Tarkin's ruse, pretending to be annoyed when Krennic revealed he was tracked from Salient. Denying he had contacted Lyra Erso, he instead convinced Krennic he was looking for protection from Tarkin, and that he hadn't betrayed the Empire, but Zerpen had. Furthermore, he told Krennic to look around, as the Ersos weren't coming. In actuality, the Ersos were being rescued by Saw Gerrera elsewhere. The plan worked, with the Ersos escaping and Obitt re-entering into Krennic's service working as Tarkin's inside man, although only after Krennic contacted the Moff to confirm Obitt's story, something Tarkin had happily gone along with.

In the aftermath of the loss of the Galen Erso, who was thought to be the only person capable of making the superlaser operational, Tarkin was placed in command of the network of stations that monitored the supply shipments traveling to the construction site over Geonosis. From Sentinel Base, Tarkin was to monitor and oversee Krennic's activities, upon personal request from the Emperor. Although Tarkin predicted it would be a dull assignment compared with the active Western Reaches operations, he knew it was necessary for a few years so he could further his goals. Obitt was still reporting on Krennic for him, and he knew that losing Erso would cause many more delays, reducing Krennnic's prestige and influence.

With Emperor Palpatine supporting his bid for authority, Tarkin 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 those Imperials in the know, it seemed strange that Tarkin had been posed in such a seemingly bland system in the Outer Rim, although those who knew him guessed that he was involved in a secret operation there.

By 14 BBY, Tarkin remained stationed at Sentinel Base. The battle station's delays persisted, compounded by mining complications. Seeking a distraction, Tarkin, aided by an RA-7 protocol droid, embarked on redesigning the Imperial officer's uniform, unchanged since its Republic design. While the droid favored incorporating Coruscant's latest trends, Tarkin prioritized practicality and comfort. However, prompted by the droid's reminder of his Moff status, Tarkin conceded to incorporating some contemporary influences, ensuring they aligned with his refined tastes. As Tarkin finalized his design, his adjutant interrupted, reporting an attack on Rampart Station, a Geonosis marshaling depot.

Tarkin swiftly arrived at the command center, greeted by Base Commander Cassel. Observing low-resolution holovids depicting outdated starfighters attacking Rampart, Tarkin questioned the element of surprise. Cassel explained that the attacking ship had transmitted valid clearance codes, facilitating its approach. Tarkin requested a specialist stabilize the corrupted images, only to discover the corruption originated at the transmission's source. Spotting a symbol on the starfighters' hull, Tarkin requested its identification. Simultaneously, he examined a separate holotransmission of the main ship from which the fighters had launched. Informed of its Separatist-era design, Tarkin learned the attackers had issued no demands and their symbol remained unrecognized. Studying the looping holovid, Tarkin identified a recurring area of distortion, leading him to deduce the entire video was a fabricated real-time feed introduced to Rampart's HoloNet relay to deceive other bases.

After asking Lieutenant Thon, who had supposedly been transmitting the holos of the "attack" from Rampart, to train a cam on himself to confirm his identity, which he did, Tarkin recognized the area of distortion again. He then contacted Captain Burque of the Venator-class Star Destroyer Electrum, orbiting Sentinel moon. Burque was instructed to execute a microjump away from the base, awaiting further orders. As the ship departed, the same vessel featured in the fabricated Rampart attack transmissions emerged from hyperspace 200,000 kilometers from Sentinel Base, initiating an attacking. Following the deployment of droid starfighters, Tarkin ordered shield reinforcement and the activation of on-site guns. The Electrum reappeared, its TIE fighters eliminating the remaining fighters. Under Tarkin's directive, the pilots were instructed to merely disable the carrier, though it evaded capture by jumping to hyperspace.

Post-attack, Tarkin conferred with Lin Jae, Rampart's commander, who confirmed the absence of an attack, citing only a HoloNet relay malfunction. Tarkin then ordered the collection and examination of the destroyed droid ship components. Once the initial shock subsided among the base's crew, Tarkin visited the maintenance hangar, where several droid starfighters were under scrutiny. He spoke with a technician, who identified the attackers' main craft as a mismatched collection of Separatist capital ships, most notably a smaller variant of a Providence-class Dreadnought. The technician elaborated that such ships were used in the war to jam signals and disrupt HoloNet relays. He further explained that the ship operated with a skeleton crew, and the Free Dac Volunteers Engineering Corps, original builders of the Lucid Voice—the modules of which formed part of the new dreadnought, had been contacted to determine their involvement in the new ship's construction. The technician concluded by stating the limited success in tracing the starfighters' origins, including their initial jump point, prompting Tarkin to instruct him to continue investigating all aspects of the recovered craft.

Tarkin was troubled by the attack, as although pirates had been known to attack Imperial facilities, there had previously been nothing in Geonosis' proximity, due to its heavy defenses. He was also confused at the nature of the dreadnought's attack; it hadn't fired any of its point-defense laser cannons or ranged weapons, nor had the clearly suicidal attack been deferred in place of using the command ship to crash into Sentinel Base at lightspeed, which would have caused more damage at a higher probability of success, with the added benefit of retaining all starfighters. He then wondered about Lieutenant Thon, and how the attackers learned of his supposedly secret posting at Rampart, as well as if he was involved in the plot and served as the insurgents' man on the inside, or if they had altered existing footage of him to serve their own purposes: answering Tarkin's request to see the officer.

While contemplating the identity of the Sentinel Base attackers, Tarkin received a special communique from Grand Vizier Mas Amedda, informing him of the Emperor's summons to Coruscant. Despite his preoccupation with work matters, including the expected shipments of materiel from Desolation Station to Geonosis, Tarkin complied upon learning of the Emperor's direct order. He journeyed aboard his personal starship Carrion Spike, equipped with an advanced Class One hyperdrive and stealth technology. En route, Tarkin ordered an impromptu crew inspection. After exposing Ensign Baz's spice addiction, Tarkin ordered his confinement and directed Commander Cassel to conduct a flash inspection of all barracks and personal lockers.

Post-inspection, Tarkin briefly assumed command at the Carrion Spike's helm. Upon landing at the Imperial Palace on Coruscant, he was greeted by Grand Vizier Amedda and several Royal Guards. Tarkin also engaged in conversation with Nils Tenant, who had also been summoned for a Joint Chiefs meeting. When Tenant inquired about the Death Star project, Tarkin declined to discuss the matter, citing his oath of secrecy.

Amedda then escorted Tarkin to a courtroom within the Imperial Palace, formerly the Jedi Temple. There, they observed Darth Vader, along with Imperial Security Bureau deputy director Harus Ison and the Twi'lek Prefect Phoca Soot, addressing a gathering of gangsters, smugglers, and bounty hunters. Tarkin witnessed Vader's harangue and his order for them to relocate their operations to the Outer Rim. As a stark warning, Vader used the Force to crush Soot's heart before the assembled crowd at the speech's conclusion. While Amedda was horrified, Tarkin subtly smiled. In a subsequent conversation with the Sith Lord, Vader informed Tarkin that Prefect Soot had colluded with the Droid Gotra.

When Tarkin observed the absence of the Crymorah Syndicate from the audience, Vader disclosed the Empire's arrangement with them. While returning to the turbolifts, Tarkin briefed the Sith Lord on the Death Star project's progress. He assured Vader that hyperdrive generator components were being shipped from Desolation Station and that work was advancing on the navigational matrix and hypermatter reactor. When Vader inquired about the weapons system, Tarkin responded that their chief designers still had not reached an agreement about the laser array and were debating the optimum configuration for the kyber crystal assembly. Vader proposed remedying the situation, to which Tarkin agreed. Vader then exited the turbolift one level from the palace summit and informed Tarkin that the Emperor was waiting for him on the floor above.

During his discussion with the Emperor, the pair deliberated on the subject of the Imperial Senate and what should become of the territories formerly aligned with the Separatists. Tarkin championed the use of military power to quell any defiance against the Empire. Furthermore, he communicated his support for readmitting Separatist worlds into the Empire, but only once they had demonstrated their worthiness. After briefly addressing the Sentinel Base assault, Tarkin put forth the idea of establishing oversector control in order to reduce the reliance of outlying system commanders on Coruscant. Tarkin also reiterated his belief that the perpetrators of the Sentinel Base attack had somehow bypassed the local HoloNet relay station.

Subsequently, Tarkin was present at a meeting involving the Ruling Council and the Joint Chiefs, which was also attended by the Emperor, Lord Vader, and Grand Vizier Mas Amedda. Deputy Director Harus Ison of the Imperial Security Bureau informed those present that his operatives had discovered a stockpile of communications equipment on the former Separatist planet of Murkhana, which he interpreted as the beginning stages of a scheme to disrupt the HoloNet. ISB Colonel Wullf Yularen hypothesized that political opponents were devising a propaganda campaign akin to the Shadowfeeds employed by the Separatists during the war. When Sate Pestage brought up Tarkin's confrontation with the insurgents at Sentinel Base, Dodd Rancit from the Naval Intelligence Agency vouched for Tarkin's contributions to thwarting Separatist propaganda efforts during the Clone Wars. As the meeting drew to a close, Tarkin advised the Joint Chiefs to issue a directive to Imperial base commanders, urging them to re-examine all HoloNet transmission encryption protocols.

Following the assembly of the Ruling Council, Tarkin started getting ready to embark on a mission to Murkhana with the purpose of investigating the cache of communications devices. Before his departure, Tarkin arranged with Commander Cassel to postpone his return to Sentinel Base. He sent the majority of his crew back to Sentinel Base, but chose to retain the services of the Carrion Spike's captain and communications officer. Tarkin was joined by Lord Vader, who had been sent by the Emperor because the Emperor suspected a trap was waiting on Murkhana. However, the Emperor did not clarify whether Tarkin or Vader would be in charge of the mission, which annoyed Tarkin and led him to believe that there was a political motive behind the decision. Lord Vader brought a contingent of stormtroopers, among them the former Clone trooper Sergeant Crest and his mediation chamber.

Upon their arrival on Murkhana, Tarkin docked the Carrion Spike at a former Corporate Alliance airfield. As soon as they landed, Tarkin and Vader were greeted by a group of stormtroopers aboard a Low-altitude Imperial transport, who were assigned to escort them. Tarkin left the crew and four stormtroopers, including Sergeant Crest, behind. He, Vader, and the remaining stormtroopers then proceeded to the abandoned medcenter where the communications cache was supposedly located. After examining the location, Tarkin came to the conclusion that the devices had been intentionally placed there. He ultimately deduced that whoever had discovered the cache had used some of the components to create the false distress signal that was sent to Sentinel Base. Vader then insisted on questioning the ISB asset who had initially reported the discovery.

Later, at the Imperial compound, Tarkin and Lord Vader convened with the Imperial ambassador and the Koorivar ISB asset Bracchia. During questioning, Bracchia confessed that he had not personally found the communications cache, but had been tasked with verifying a report submitted by his ISB case officer on Coruscant, which surprised Tarkin. Before Tarkin could continue questioning Bracchia, he was contacted by Sergeant Crest, who informed him that he had received a holotransmission instructing him to meet Tarkin at the abandoned medcenter. Tarkin confirmed that he had not sent such a message, and quickly realized that the same insurgents who had created the false Holovid feed to Sentinel Base had likely sent a similar message to Crest, in order to lure the stormtroopers away from the Carrion Spike and make it vulnerable. After failing to establish contact with the Carrion Spike, Sergeant Crest and his troops returned to the landing field, only to find that the ship had been stolen. Two stormtroopers, the captain, and the communications officer had been killed.

Lord Vader came to the conclusion that the trip to Murkhana was a ploy to steal the Carrion Spike, an opinion that Tarkin shared. The theft of the Carrion Spike was carried out by Berch Teller, a former agent of Republic Intelligence, and his rebel group. Teller and his insurgents harbored a deep-seated hatred for Tarkin because of his involvement in the Antar Atrocity that had occurred years before. They stole the Carrion Spike with the intention of transforming it into a symbol of resistance by conducting raids on Imperial facilities and broadcasting holovids of their attacks on the HoloNet. The insurgents were receiving assistance from Vice-Admiral Rancit, a rival of Tarkin who resented Tarkin's oversight of the Death Star project.

With no immediate means of pursuing the Carrior Spike, Tarkin was disheartened, but Vader assured his colleague that he knew where to find a replacement ship. Lord Vader had an acquaintance on Murkhana, the Sugi crime lord Faazah, who was the local affiliate of the Crymorah on the planet. Lord Vader was able to coerce Faazah into lending them his starship, the Parsec Predator, by threatening to kill his family in the weapons warehouse. After Faazah complied, Lord Vader used the Force to choke the crime lord to death and then slaughtered his subordinates for wasting his time. Accompanied by Vader and his stormtroopers, Tarkin boarded the Parsec Predator and set off in pursuit of the Carrion Spike to the edge of the Murkhana system. Even though the insurgents managed to jump to lightspeed, Vader demonstrated an uncanny ability to track the ship using the Force, and Tarkin soon realized that he was somehow sensing the location of his meditation chamber.

While in hyperspace, Tarkin and Lord Vader pursued the Carrion Spike, following the insurgents to the Galidraan system, where an Imperial station was in orbit around Galidraan III. Given that the stolen corvette was cloaked, Vader and Tarkin decided that alerting the station would be pointless. Upon arriving, they discovered that Galidraan Station was under attack from the cloaked Carrion Spike. After witnessing the damage, Tarkin realized that the shipjackers were not simply pirates, but were in fact dissidents. The station deployed several V-wings and ARC-170 starfighters to locate the invisible ship, which inflicted significant damage on the Imperial defenders.

Under Vader's guidance, Crest and the stormtroopers used the Parsec Predator's weapon systems to attack the Carrion Spike, using the tracers to guide their fire. While Vader directed the stormtroopers, Tarkin piloted the Predator. During the aerial combat, the Imperials managed to use the Predator's particle beams to inflict some damage on the Carrion Spike. However, the Carrion Spike managed to disable the Parsect Predator with its pintle guns before retreating to the edge of the Galidraan system.

While awaiting pickup by a shuttle from Galidraan Station, Tarkin had the station's navicomputers calculate all potential escape routes. After reviewing a list of local systems that housed Imperial resources, Tarkin concluded that the insurgents intended to use the Carrion Spike to attack Imperial facilities in the area. After discussing possible targets with Lord Vader, Tarkin instructed the Colonel at Galidraan Station to order the Imperial R/M Facility Four deepdock to send the Venator-class Star Destroyer Liberator to Nam Chorios, which was home to both an Imperial prison and a mining colony. Shortly thereafter, Tarkin and Vader were informed that the insurgents had jettisoned Vader's meditation sphere and destroyed Galidraan's hyperspace buoy, making themselves both untraceable and invisible.

On board the Liberator, Tarkin and Lord Vader received news that the insurgents had launched a surprise attack on the TaggeCo orbital mining processing facility and groundside operations on Lucazec. The insurgents then broadcast holovids of their raid on the Imperial HoloNet, which garnered some media attention in the Outer Systems. In response to the raid, Vice Admirals Rancit and Screed were able to persuade the Emperor to deploy Imperial Navy ships to protect vulnerable Imperial facilities along the Perlemian Trade Route and the Hydian Way. As a result, the Liberator was dispatched to reinforce Ord Cestus in anticipation of an insurgent attack.

After Darth Vader's black Eta-2 Actis-class light interceptor arrived, Tarkin met with Vader to discuss his suspicion that the insurgents who had stolen the Carrion Spike were working with the warship that had been observed at Sentinel Base. He pointed out that the dissidents' attack on Galidraan Station was well-timed, as a Victory-class Star Destroyer had left the system less than an hour before the raid. Vader concurred and suggested that the insurgents were connected to the Murkhana communications cache. Having used a hidden paralight tracker to monitor the Carrion Spike's fuel consumption and travel patterns, Tarkin speculated that the insurgents would refuel at either Gromas in the Perkell sector or Phindar in the Mandalore sector. Since Gromas was the more obvious choice, Tarkin correctly deduced that the insurgents would refuel at Phindar to avoid attracting attention.

Tarkin's prediction turned out to be accurate, and the Imperials were informed by the Phindian administrator about a tanker that the Carrion Spike had docked with to refuel. Tarkin and Lord Vader traveled with the V-wing Yellow Squadron and the Imperial escort carrier Goliath to intercept the stolen corvette. Tarkin himself put on a black flight suit and flew a V-wing alongside Lord Vader's Eta-2 light interceptor. During the battle, Tarkin used the callsign Yellow Two. After learning that one of the insurgents had managed to deceive them by impersonating the Imperial Commander Abel LaSal, the two realized that the insurgents were very familiar with Imperial procedures. Vader also speculated that someone had warned them to stay away from Gromas.

The Imperials caught up with the insurgents just as the Carrion Spike had finished refueling. Tarkin's strategy was to use the V-wings to force the corvette to lower its deflector shields before returning fire. Their secondary tactic was to target the hyperdrive generator, which was located aft of the main guns along the corvette's spine. Unable to compete with the combined firepower of the starfighters, the Carrion Spike flew around the tanker in circles to prevent the Imperials from shooting it. The dogfight was further complicated when the tanker deployed ARC-170 starfighters in an attempt to fight the Carrion Spike. Tarkin ordered the Phindian administrator to recall his fighters, but the administrator insisted on defending his starship.

Before the Goliath could launch its proton torpedoes at the stolen corvette, the cloaked Carrion Spike vanished from their scanners. Shortly thereafter, the tanker exploded, killing everyone on board, including the ARC-170s and most of Yellow Squadron. Only Tarkin, Vader, two starfighters, and the support carrier Goliath survived the explosion. The insurgents then seized the opportunity to escape into hyperspace with the Carrion Spike.

Following the disaster at Phindar, Tarkin met with the planetary leadership to determine who was responsible for the tanker's destruction. Tarkin felt responsible for allowing himself and Vader to be lured into a trap by the insurgents. After learning from Phindar's rescue–and–recovery operation that the tanker had been destroyed by a hidden explosive inside a spent fuel cell, Tarkin realized that the dissidents had hoped to lure them into a trap with the intention of killing them. After watching another of the insurgents' holovids, Tarkin received information that the Carrion Spike had reappeared in the Expansion Region near Thustra and Aquaris.

However, Berch Teller and his insurgents discovered that Tarkin had been tracking them using the paralight tracker. Teller and his crew then transmitted false coordinates, claiming that they were planning to jump to the Obroa-skai system. Teller's associate, the information broker Knotts, also dispatched the YT-1000 light freighter Reticent to Obroa-skai as a decoy. Acting on this false information, the Empire diverted significant resources to Obroa-skai, including three interdictor vessels: a Detainer CC-2200, a CC-7700 frigate, and a prototype Immobilizer 418 cruiser. Tarkin himself commanded the operation from the bridge of the Imperial Star Destroyer Executrix, while Vader led a boarding party aboard a picket ship.

Under Tarkin's command, the interdictor vessels activated their interdiction field. However, the Immobilizer's gravity well projectors malfunctioned, with the overcurrent resistors failing to prevent the gravitic systems from exceeding their limits. As a result, several starships were pulled out of hyperspace, including the Reticent and the Star Cruiser Stellar Vista, a luxury liner from Corsin. The Stellar Vista collided with the Detainer CC-2200, damaging both ships and resulting in the deaths of 1,100 passengers. Tarkin ordered the frigates to provide assistance to the luxury liner and instructed the Interdictors to deactivate the field. Tarkin also ordered the containment and screening of the various civilian ships and cargo freighters.

When the Lux-400 yacht Truant attempted to escape, Tarkin ordered his gunners to destroy the smuggling vessel. With no sign of the Carrion Spike, Tarkin and Vader realized that the dissidents were attempting to mislead them. The two Imperials began searching all the interdicted ships, with Tarkin taking a particular interest in the Reticent, which was the first ship to emerge from hyperspace. During interrogation, the Koorivar captain of the freighter denied being a Separatist, but admitted to accepting a delivery job from the broker Knotts to transport a shipment of Sephi flyers to Obroa-skai. While Tarkin was satisfied, Vader insisted on further interrogating the captain and his crew.

Aboard the Executrix, Tarkin received news that Imperial forces had repelled the Carrion Spike's attack on the Imperial facility in the Nouane system, which was a testament to Vice Admiral Rancit's strategy of reinforcing Imperial assets. While there were rumors that Rancit's assignment indicated that the Emperor was displeased with Tarkin, Lord Vader assured Tarkin that the Emperor was attempting to free him from other obligations so that he could concentrate on eliminating the insurgent threat. Meanwhile, the Emperor questioned Bracchia and his ISB case officer Stellan, who confessed that Naval Intelligence had tipped the ISB off to the Murkhana communications cache.

After learning that one of Vader's Crymorah contacts had supplied custom fuel cells to the Sugi crime lord Faazah through the information broker prior to the Murkhana heist, Tarkin consulted the Imperial HoloNet database. He discovered that Knotts was a former Republic Intelligence operative who had been stationed on Antar 4 before the Antar Atrocity. Tarkin also learned that the insurgent leader Berch Teller and several of his fellow dissidents had connections to Antar 4, including the journalist Anora Fair, the Zygerrian film director Hask Taff, the Gotal pilot Salikk, and the Koorivar munitions expert Cala. All of them had either witnessed or survived the Antar Atrocity. One exception was Dr. Artoz, a former Mon Calamari Knight and a missing scientist with high-level security clearance. After comparing images of Teller with the fake "Commander LaSal," Tarkin realized that they were the same person. He also discovered that Teller had previously worked as the chief of security at Desolation Station prior to the Antar Atrocity.

Later, Tarkin was informed by Darth Vader that Vice Admiral Rancit was preparing a task force to prevent an alleged plot by the dissidents to attack the Imperial Academy on Carida in the [Colonies](/article/colonies]. Rancit asserted that the dissidents were planning to make their final stand. As they were heading to a shuttle that would transport them to a frigate bound for Carida, Lord Vader inquired as to why Tarkin had named the corvette Carrion Spike. Tarkin then recounted the story of how, at the age of sixteen, he had defeated a pack of veermoks that were raiding his family's homestead. After observing the pack, he pitted the alpha male Lord against a contender named Shadow. Shadow persuaded the other veermoks to turn against the pack leader. Tarkin then killed Shadow, leaving the pack without a leader. As a result, the veermoks abandoned the Carrion Spike, the hill near his family's homestead. Vader commented that the lesson was that the veermoks had brought about their own downfall by turning on their leader. Tarkin concluded that he had named his ship after the site of his final adolescent trial.

Armed with this new information, Lord Vader confronted Vice Admiral Rancit aboard the Secutor-class Star Destroyer Conquest. He stopped the Vice Admiral before he could order his gunners to destroy the Carrion Spike in an attempt to conceal his collaboration with Teller's insurgents. After exposing Rancit's treachery, Lord Vader executed Rancit by forcing him into an escape pod and then ordering the pod to be destroyed with him inside. Before leaving, Lord Vader informed Rancit that Governor Tarkin sent his regards.

While Lord Vader dealt with Rancit, Tarkin traveled aboard the Executrix to a desolate moon near the Gulf of Tatooine. Berch Teller and his insurgents had ambushed an Imperial convoy that was transporting supplies to Desolation Station for the Death Star project. By the time Tarkin arrived to assist the convoy, the insurgents' laser cannons and droid tri-fighters were inflicting heavy damage on the escort gunboats, frigates, and starfighters that were protecting the cargo ships and transports. In addition to the Providence-class carrier that had attacked Sentinel Base, the insurgents' forces included an EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate, numerous droid tri-fighters, and four starfighters.

After assessing the situation, Tarkin ordered the Executrix's V-wing fighters to engage the frigate and the carrier, leaving the droid fighters to the convoy escorts. In response, the enemy carrier attempted to wedge itself between the Executrix and the convoy. With the Imperial V-wings coming under heavy enemy fire, Tarkin ordered his crew to move the Executrix forward and attack the Nebulon-B frigate. The Star Destroyer's firepower quickly destroyed the enemy frigate. Tarkin then shifted his attention to Teller's warship. The Executrix blasted the former Separatist carrier apart, disabling the ship's systems and master control computer. The destruction of the master control computer disabled the droid tri-fighters.

With the enemy flagship disabled, Tarkin led a stormtrooper boarding party aboard. Although Teller had escaped aboard a Z-95 Headhunter, Imperial forces managed to capture 26 insurgents, including Anora Fair, Hask Taff, the information broker Knotts, and Dr. Artoz. Tarkin taunted Knotts about the insurgents double-crossing Rancit, but the man remained silent. When a defiant Anora Fair remarked that he would eventually fall from his position, Tarkin made a comment about the sorry condition of the Carrion Spike. Anora responded with an obscene gesture, and a stormtrooper struck her in the back of the head with the butt of a rifle. After mocking Anora, Tarkin informed the prisoners that he would find ways to make them talk.

Over the next three weeks, Tarkin, along with Vader and the ISB, interrogated the captured insurgents and their collaborators. Following the interrogations, the insurgents were secretly executed on the Emperor's orders to prevent them from becoming martyrs. The Empire also took action against the warehouse workers and salvagers who had supplied the dissidents, as well as several scientists at Desolation Station who had violated the terms of their security oath. Vader also eliminated the members of the Tenloss Syndicate and Crymorah Syndicate who had assembled the insurgents' carrier.

After restoring order, Tarkin met with the Emperor and Lord Vader. Based on the interrogations, Tarkin identified the late Rancit as the financier behind Teller's insurgency. While Rancit had funded the insurgents by diverting funds allocated to Naval Intelligence's black budget, Tarkin concluded that Teller and Knotts were the cell's ringleaders. Despite their successful crackdown, Teller managed to evade capture. Although the Empire had located his Headhunter on Christophsis, they found no trace of the fugitive. Tarkin also deduced that the attack on Carida was a diversion for the insurgents' raid on the convoy transporting materials to the Death Star project.

As a reward for his dedicated service, the Emperor elevated Tarkin to the newly established position of Grand Moff, a role that involved supervising multiple sectors within a larger oversector. The Emperor specifically designated Tarkin as Grand Moff of the Outer Rim Territories, granting him authority over the entire Death Star project. Tarkin vowed to succeed in his new role. The Emperor informed Tarkin that the fully operational Death Star would grant him unmatched power throughout the galaxy. Following his promotion, Tarkin engaged with the media in extensive interviews, articulating his vision for the galaxy and emphasizing the importance of a robust Imperial military, statements which the media began to refer to as the Tarkin Doctrine.

In the subsequent weeks, Tarkin engaged with senators representing star systems that now fell under his jurisdiction. While most expressed relief at reporting to him rather than the Emperor or Ruling Council, Tarkin sternly warned against any form of sedition or anti-Imperial propaganda. Tarkin also held consultations with the Joint Chiefs of the Imperial Army and Navy, along with the directors and leading officers of the intelligence agencies. Furthermore, Tarkin intensified security measures at both Desolation Station and Geonosis to safeguard the secrecy of the Death Star project. As a precautionary step, Tarkin reinforced Sentinel Base and the marshaling stations by deploying patrol flotillas to the surrounding systems.

After concluding his affairs on Coruscant, Tarkin journeyed back to Eriadu aboard his newly assigned flagship, the Executrix. In addition to the Star Destroyer, Tarkin received a personal security detail of 32 stormtroopers. Upon his arrival at Phelar Spaceport, Tarkin was greeted as a celebrated figure. In Eriadu City, he spent time with his family and long-time friends, while also granting further interviews. The local governor, who was also a relative, presented him with the key to the city and organized a parade in his honor. Tarkin also commissioned a statue in his likeness to be erected in the city's central public square. Before leaving Eriadu, Tarkin embarked on a personal pilgrimage to the Carrion Plateau.

During his visit to the Carrion Spike, he was met by his uncle Jova, who told him that Teller had been tracking him but had unfortunately fallen into a pit. Jova conveyed his pride in Tarkin's accomplishments, and Tarkin returned the sentiment by praising his uncle for his guidance. Tarkin then confronted his long-time adversary, who confessed his desire to kill him while maintaining eye contact. After a discussion about Imperial politics, Teller inquired about the Empire's activities on Geonosis. Tarkin responded with smugness that he was not authorized to disclose such information. Knowing that the Carrion Plateau was inhabited by dangerous creatures, Tarkin offered Teller a chance to escape if he could climb out of the pit with a broken ankle. Teller rejected this offer of "mercy" and warned Tarkin of a gruesome end. After saying "farewell" to Teller, Tarkin and his uncle discussed Teller's minimal chances of survival.

After departing Eriadu, Tarkin inspected the Death Star's construction site above Geonosis, which was protected by four Star Destroyers and twice as many frigates. By that point, the station's hyperdrive components were in the process of being installed, but the Death Star was still unable to perform hyperspace jumps. Following his tour of the station, Tarkin ordered the activation of the Death Star's sublight engines. The massive battle station then left Geonosis and ventured into deep space, only to return later to continue its construction. Despite wielding newfound authority over the Death Star, Tarkin strategically maintained a degree of detachment from the project, allowing him to hold Krennic accountable for any setbacks. This approach would enable Tarkin to assume complete control of the station from Krennic once its construction was finalized.

Sometime after Mon Cala was occupied, and after Vader became aware of Tarkin's hunting history, Vader approached Tarkin regarding the favor he owed him for ensuring Lee-Char's capture. Surprisingly, Vader requested that Tarkin hunt him, even suggesting that he kill him if necessary. Initially perplexed, Tarkin eventually surmised that Vader, having eliminated most of the remaining Jedi, was seeking a worthy challenge. Tarkin, feeling honored by the request, assembled nineteen of the galaxy's most skilled hunters.

The hunt commenced on the planet Chandar's Folly, with Tarkin immediately strategizing how to confront the Dark Lord of the Sith. Recalling Vader's formidable abilities, Tarkin equipped his hunters with slugthrowers and flamethrowers to avoid the risk of Vader deflecting their shots. On the second day, they located Vader within a grove of Thurian trees, where four hunters attacked him with flamethrowers. As Tarkin watched Vader being engulfed in flames, he thought he detected a fleeting moment of fear in Vader's demeanor. However, this perceived fear was short-lived as Vader retaliated against the hunters' flamethrowers, incinerating all four. In the subsequent days, Tarkin observed that Vader was leaving a trail of obvious signs, making him relatively easy to track. They soon discovered the reason for this, as Vader launched multiple attacks against them.

Tarkin came to the realization that Vader was unbeatable while armed with his lightsaber. Over the next four days, he devised attempts to seize Vader's weapon. After losing six men, one of Tarkin's hunters, Eighty-One, successfully disarmed Vader using a grappling wire during a fight. Following this success, Tarkin noticed that Vader was not only adopting new tactics but also exhibiting increased rage. While Tarkin knew that enraged prey was typically easier to subdue, he acknowledged that this did not apply to Vader. Shortly thereafter, Vader confronted five of Tarkin's hunters, who fired upon him, striking his armor repeatedly. From his vantage point on the hilltop, Tarkin watched as Vader approached the hunters and used the Force to instantly snap one of their necks. The remaining hunters fled, and Vader Force-choked another to death. Realizing the true extent of Vader's Force abilities, Tarkin feared that the hunt would soon conclude. However, Tarkin recognized that Vader was so fixated on retrieving his lightsaber that, as long as Tarkin's team continued to hunt him, he would continue to hunt them.

By the ninth day of the hunt, Tarkin's team had dwindled to just seven hunters. One of his Chadra-Fan hunters, Sissian, spotted Vader northwest of their camp, and Yerga informed Tarkin. Tarkin used his binoculars to locate Vader atop a peak, wearing the hide of a Valath, the planet's dominant predator. Tarkin instructed Gil and Eighty-One to take the lead, while Sissian and his grandfather Hardhear formed the first line of defense with their long-range hearing. The group tracked Vader into a crystal ravine. As they proceeded, Hardhear detected Vader's echoing and difficult-to-pinpoint breathing. Tarkin ordered his team to run, but Vader attacked, Force-pushing Gil into the ravine wall and Force-choking Hardhear. Vader then leaped down and eliminated Eighty-One.

Tarkin directed his team to retreat into the Stormlands, an open area. They established a camp, and Sissian listened for Vader's breathing. However, Vader had deactivated his breathing apparatus to avoid detection and proceeded to Force-choke Sissian. Yerga attempted to attack Vader but was seized by the neck and killed. The last two hunters opened fire, and Vader used the Force to retrieve his lightsaber, immediately cutting down the pair. Tarkin fled, but realizing that Vader would eventually catch up, he stopped and knelt in surrender. Vader towered over him, unaware that his elevated position made him more vulnerable to the lightning in the Stormlands.

Without warning, Vader was struck by lightning and collapsed to the ground, though still alive. Tarkin rose and contacted the Carrion Spike for immediate extraction. Tarkin remained by Vader's side, awaiting the arrival of the Carrion Spike. The corvette approached, its deflector shields frequently impacted by lightning due to its altitude in the Stormlands. As the Carrion Spike prepared to land, Tarkin assured Vader that he hoped the hunt had provided him with the insights he sought. Tarkin continued to observe Vader as the Carrion Spike landed, when suddenly, Vader's hand twitched, Force-choking Tarkin as a reminder of his power. The Sith Lord eventually released his grip, and the two remained there, contemplating their newfound understanding and the state of their coexistence.

As the Governor of the Outer Rim, Tarkin assumed numerous responsibilities to ensure that every planet operated at peak efficiency to support Imperial expansion. On Lothal, he oversaw the eviction of numerous farmers from their land to enable the Empire to mine for minerals and establish new industrial complexes to boost productivity for the Imperial Military. These farmers were relocated to Lothal re-settlement camp 43, which they mockingly referred to as "Tarkintown" in reference to the Grand Moff.

Around the same time, the newly appointed Grand Moff visited an Eriaduan air scrubber farm that had been the site of a tragic incident involving rebels. Tarkin addressed the anxious manager of the farm, whose daughter had been crushed by a falling scrubber during the rebel attack. The Grand Moff's stormtrooper escort left a lasting impression on the manager's son, who would later join their ranks.

Following the Empire's acquisition of the planet Tsevuka in 11 BBY, Tarkin conducted a tour of the world. After a general assured him that the local population had been pacified, Tarkin decided that overland travel between destinations would be more efficient. However, while traveling in an Imperial Troop Transport to the planetary garrison, the final stop on the tour, Tarkin's convoy was ambushed by native Tsevukans riding Kivaroa, who rammed the troop transport into a swamp. As Tarkin released his restraints, another kivaroa struck the GAV, righting it. Quickly seizing control of the vehicle, Tarkin drove off, hitting a kivaroa in the process. He was soon joined by Imperial speeder bikes, which assisted the damaged transport in covering the remaining kilometer to the garrison.

Upon arrival, Tarkin reprimanded the base commander, questioning the lack of troops along the route. The commander explained that he lacked the manpower for such security, a revelation that surprised Tarkin, who believed recruitment was progressing well. The commander clarified that the issue was not the number of men but the shortage of stormtrooper armor, with requisitions also falling short. Tarkin stated that the problem stemmed from specific individuals, before summoning his shuttle to change into a fresh uniform.

At the Emperor's request, Tarkin accompanied the cyborg Count Denetrius Vidian to investigate a decline in stormtrooper armor production on the Inner Rim planet Gilvaanen. Tarkin initially distrusted Vidian, disagreeing with the efficiency expert's philosophical views on limiting state intervention in the Imperial economy. Wary of Vidian, Tarkin instructed Commander Rae Sloane to compile a report on the cyborg. Sloane informed him that Vidian had a reputation as a miracle worker who had overseen the successful Gozanti freighter program. Before departing, Sloane told Tarkin that she had been promoted to captain but was unsure about her posting due to the rapid expansion of the Imperial military. Sloane declined a recommendation, earning Tarkin's respect.

Tarkin and Vidian visited Thetis Quelton's Quelton Fabrication factory on Gilvaanen, where they found Quelton testing Pikaati armor with her Ithorian workers. Vidian had already inspected the factory the previous night and identified seventeen recommendations for Quelton to improve production. Tarkin believed that Vidian's recommendations were insufficient to address Gilvaanen's armor production rate. After further questioning, Quelton attributed the poor production rate to a strike at the Cladtech factory, which assembled the interior armor parts.

At Cladtech, Tarkin met with the owner Mawdo Larrth, who defended his workers, citing their adherence to tier contracts. Tarkin advocated voiding the contracts on the grounds of military necessity. Larth warned that his workers would resign rather than comply with the new conditions. After learning about the workforce, Tarkin summoned several ISB officers and stormtroopers, ordering them to detain the workers at the factory until their production quotas were met. Vidian disapproved of Tarkin's heavy-handed methods, deeming them lacking in finesse.

Later, Vidian discovered that Tarkin had been investigating his past and confronted him. Tarkin questioned Vidian's defense of the Ithorian workers and raised Baron Lero Danthe's concerns about Vidian. Vidian dismissed Danthe as a "lying, disloyal hypocrite" motivated by jealousy. To alleviate Tarkin's distrust, Vidian assured the Grand Moff that he had no interest in political games and was focused on finding the most efficient way to achieve the Emperor's goals. Vidian objected to Tarkin's interference, but Tarkin remained unmoved. Quelton then interrupted to inform them of rumors of treason on the factory floor.

That night, Imperial forces disrupted an illegal meeting of the Ithorian supervisors. Tarkin intended to execute the workers, but Vidian argued against it. Instead, Vidian revealed that the manager Larrth was colluding with the striking workers and strangled him to death. Vidian then warned the terrified managers that they had been given a second chance to meet the Imperial production targets, with failure resulting in death. This incident convinced Tarkin that Vidian was a man of his word. After a private meeting, Vidian persuaded Tarkin of the benefits of merging Quelton Fabrication and Cladtech. The two agreed to arrange a meeting with Thetis Quelton herself to discuss the merger.

Instead, Tarkin and Vidian confronted Quelton about her collusion with the striking workers. Vidian then revealed that Quelton had been secretly fitting the stormtrooper helmets' ventilation systems with tiny Bottleneck spores, which were harmful to stormtroopers. Quelton's motivation stemmed from her disdain for the Empire's militarism and her desire to prevent her armor from being used for aggressive war. Before the Imperials could apprehend her, Quelton committed suicide by ingesting the hydrogen cyanide inside her helmet.

Following Quelton's death, Vidian supported Tarkin's proposal to Imperialize Gilvaanen and bring stormtrooper armor production under the Imperial Department of Military Research. Vidian placed his aide, Lieutenant Everi Chalis, in charge of the armor production chain. As a reward for his services, Tarkin granted Vidian his own personal Star Destroyer. At Vidian's request, Tarkin assigned the ship a green officer with "no attachment to past practices." This officer was likely the aspiring Captain Sloane, whom Tarkin had met earlier.

In the same year, the Outer Rim planet of Jelucan was annexed into the Empire. Tarkin delivered a grand speech at the introduction ceremony, receiving overwhelming support from the citizens, except for some who had been born before the Clone Wars. Later, accompanied by a young Firmus Piett, he encountered a fight between the children, Thane Kyrell, Ciena Ree, and several second-wavers, all of whom had sneaked into an Imperial hangar to get a closer look at various starships. Upon their arrival, all but Kyrell and Ree fled. Impressed by the children's confidence, bravery, and tactical planning, Tarkin quizzed them on the name of a shuttle. After they correctly identified it as a Lambda-class shuttle, Tarkin invited them to inspect the inside of the ship. Following this encounter, both children decided they wanted to join the Imperial Navy, after a personal invitation from Tarkin. Despite his apparent kindness, the primary purpose of his conversation with the children was to illustrate a point in an ideological debate he was having with Piett, demonstrating that while brute force was often necessary to compel people to serve the Empire, enticing them with a false sense of security was equally effective.

During a stay on Coruscant, Tarkin met with Arihnda Pryce, who was ostensibly representing the advocacy group Higher Skies. Upon entering his office, Pryce clarified that she was not affiliated with the group and was only there for her own benefit. After declaring her intention to strike a successful deal with Tarkin, Pryce handed him a datacard. Initially concerned that the card contained a thief-program designed to steal his files, Pryce then produced another card, which she informed Tarkin had been ordered to give to him and contained the illegal program. Confused as to why someone tasked with stealing information would reveal their intentions to the target, Tarkin inquired about her motives. Instead of answering, Pryce directed the Grand Moff to examine the contents of the card she had originally provided. It contained information on the Empire's top politicians, data that had been stolen from them using thief-programmed data cards, just as Pryce had been instructed to do with Tarkin. While most of the information was already known to Tarkin, some was new, although he was inclined to believe it due to the accuracy of the rest. Tarkin expressed concern about the extent of the information gathered by Higher Skies and asked how they had developed such an advanced program. In response, Pryce shared her suspicions that the group was affiliated with rebels.

Although Tarkin was worried about the information falling into the hands of potentially rebellious individuals, Pryce assured him that she had employed a double-layer thief program to obtain the data. This program only provided a portion of the information to her employers to maintain the appearance of fulfilling her duties, while extracting all available information from the victims in a way that was only accessible to her, allowing her to hand it over to Tarkin. Pryce then explained that she had two allies: one who had installed the program on the datacard, and another who had encouraged her to meet with Tarkin. Impressed by the ingenuity of the device but annoyed by her secrecy, Tarkin demanded that she reveal her allies. Pryce identified ISB Colonel Yularen as the one who had installed the program and Naval Commander Thrawn as the one who had suggested that Tarkin was the appropriate recipient of the information. Initially disturbed by the possibility that Pryce was using the names of two high-ranking officers to appear more influential, he was relieved to hear that she only sought him as a benefactor.

Tarkin recognized the name of the Chiss Thrawn, recalling that he had been summoned to Coruscant weeks earlier for an ultimately unsuccessful court-martial panel, as members of High Command disapproved of an alien rising through the ranks of the Imperial Navy so quickly. Tarkin then questioned Pryce about what her allies wanted in return for their assistance. Pryce revealed that Yularen desired the data for an ISB study, although Tarkin had received it first. She added that Thrawn wanted a promotion for his aide, whose advancement was being hindered by High Command as a slight against the commander. Tarkin inquired as to why anyone would expend energy on an ensign, to which Pryce replied that it was Moff Ghadi, Tarkin's rival. She then revealed that she possessed information on the Moff, who had previously blackmailed her, on a separate datacard. However, before handing it over, Pryce played a recording of a conversation between herself and Ghadi. It revealed Ghadi's eagerness to obtain data on Tarkin, which Pryce had falsely claimed Higher Skies possessed, in order to remove the Grand Moff from power. Pleased by the prospect of removing Ghadi from power and obtaining information on Imperial politicians, Tarkin asked what Pryce wanted from him.

In exchange for providing information to the Grand Moff, Pryce sought his support in becoming Governor of the Lothal sector. Tarkin expressed surprise at the relatively modest request, although he informed her that the information she had provided was not a sufficient bargaining chip. Anticipating this, Pryce produced yet another datacard. This one contained all the information the Empire would need to acquire Lothal, including the locations of secluded mining operations and details about societal structures, all designed to facilitate the Empire's eventual expansion to the planet. Tarkin was pleased with the information and informed Pryce that the governorship was soon to be available, although the current Senator for Lothal was also vying for the position. Tarkin was willing to assist Pryce in securing the spot, but he wanted her to become a spy for him, gathering information on other powerful individuals he wished to better understand. Once Pryce agreed, Tarkin granted her acting governorship, with plans for her to become full Planetary Governor within several months. Despite this, he informed her that she would need to remain on Coruscant for one to two years to serve as his informant, a prospect that Pryce welcomed. After agreeing to their terms, Pryce provided Tarkin with half of her total information, promising to deliver the remainder once she had become Governor.

Following his conversation with Pryce, she handed the data over to Yularen, who arrested the rebels. Soon after, Tarkin fulfilled his promise to grant her Governorship and then summoned Thrawn and his aide Vanto to Coruscant. At a special ceremony, Vanto was promoted to Lieutenant Commander, and Thrawn to Commodore, as a bonus from Tarkin. Additionally, the Chiss was given Captaincy of the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Chimaera. Following the meeting, Tarkin personally congratulated the pair and conveyed Pryce's regards. Tarkin would later invite Pryce to Eriadu.

At one point, Tarkin acquired a verillix urn sought after by Jabba the Hutt, which supposedly contained the ashes of one of the gangster's most hated rivals, Krestrel D'Naran. After seizing the urn from a band of mercenaries, Tarkin had it stored within his office on Coruscant. Shortly thereafter, he was approached by a droid who claimed to have been sent by the Emperor. When the droid informed Tarkin that Grand Vizier Mas Amedda was plotting to assassinate the Emperor, Tarkin decided to discuss the matter with the Emperor in person before departing with a squad of death troopers. Unbeknownst to Tarkin, this was merely a ruse to steal the urn from his office.

As the Empire conquered more and more worlds, rebel cells began to emerge to defy Imperial occupation, including a small group of rebels on Lothal, whose leader was rumored to be a Jedi. As the cell expanded its operations beyond Lothal, Tarkin spoke with Pryce, instructing her to personally address the situation, as Admiral Kassius Konstantine and others tasked with suppressing the threat had failed to do so.

While Pryce worked on her solution, Tarkin decided to personally intervene. Due to the repeated failures of the Academy for Young Imperials on Lothal caused by the group in 4 BBY, he dispatched Assessor Potalla to investigate Commandant Cumberlayne Aresko and his staff. She reported to Tarkin via hologram that the officers had become complacent and recommended immediate action. Consequently, Tarkin decided to address the situation himself.

Soon thereafter, the backwater planet was visited by Tarkin aboard his Imperial I-class Star Destroyer, the Sovereign. Upon its arrival, the Grand Inquisitor, Agent Alexsandr Kallus, and Minister Maketh Tua greeted him; Tua was safeguarding Lothal's industrial resources while Pryce was occupied elsewhere. He voiced criticism of Tua and Kallus for their failures, which had allowed the insurgents to thrive, attack Imperial Stormtroopers, and destroy the Empire's assets and trade. Tua then mentioned rumors of the Jedi. Despite Tarkin's skepticism about the Jedi's existence, as he believed they had all died during the Purge, the Grand Inquisitor's repeated failures to capture the rebels intensified the urgency of the situation.

To demonstrate that anyone could be replaced by someone more competent, Tarkin relocated to Kallus' office the subsequent day. He summoned Commandant Aresko and Taskmaster Myles Grint to the office, where Kallus, Tua, and the Grand Inquisitor were already present, to address their shortcomings. After prompting them to detail their most recent encounter with the rebels, Tarkin noted that the rebel cell in question had not caused any Imperial casualties. Tarkin then emphasized the significance of this fact, suggesting that the hope represented by the cell's Jedi leader could unify the increasing number of scattered rebel cells across the galaxy. This had the potential to transform a series of minor inconveniences into a legitimate threat to the Empire, a situation exacerbated by the incompetence of the two Imperial officers. Consequently, Tarkin ordered the Grand Inquisitor to execute them, both to eliminate their ineptitude and to send a clear message to Kallus and Tua that failure would no longer be tolerated.

Tarkin instructed Agent Kallus to deploy Dwarf probe droids to all known areas of rebel activity on the planet in order to locate the Spectres. Shortly after, Kallus informed Tarkin that one of the droids had been attacked and damaged near Lothal's Imperial Communications Center. He presented the Grand Moff with a card containing footage of the rebels' escape. Using this information, Tarkin deduced that the communication tower would be an ideal target for the rebels. However, he declined Kallus' request for increased security, instead opting to allow the rebels to believe they had the advantage of surprise. He offered the Grand Inquisitor an opportunity to redeem himself by capturing their leader, Kanan Jarrus, the rumored Jedi. At the tower, the Grand Inquisitor successfully overpowered the Jedi during a duel, as he was forced to surrender to the Jedi hunter to allow his comrades to escape.

Tarkin arrived at the tower some time later in a patrol transport, dressed in battle armor. Pleased with the Inquisitor's success, Tarkin took possession of the Jedi's lightsaber. However, as he began to speak with Jarrus, Kallus reported that the rebels had installed a computer spike in the tower, granting them control over its broadcasting. Those present heard a broadcast from a young rebel over his comlink. After boarding his transport, Tarkin ordered the launch of several missiles, which destroyed the tower and ended the transmission, shocking Jarrus with his ruthlessness.

Following the capture of Jarrus, Tarkin returned to the Sovereign in orbit with the prisoner. Tarkin aimed to determine if Jarrus was truly a Jedi and to discover the location of his rebel cell. Agent Kallus initially oversaw the interrogations, but the prisoner proved resistant to the IT-O Interrogation Unit used to mind probe him. Consequently, the Grand Inquisitor took over the interrogation, revealing that Jedi were trained to resist mind probes but were not immune to pain. Despite inflicting torture using both the Force and electricity, Jarrus refused to yield. As Jarrus neared death, Tarkin became more convinced of his Jedi status and ordered the Grand Inquisitor to cease the torture, as a dead prisoner would be useless. The Grand Inquisitor suggested that Jarrus might not know about a larger rebellion, but Tarkin decided to transfer him to Fortress Vader on Mustafar, confident that he would obtain answers there, given Vader's proven track record.

The Sovereign arrived above Mustafar to meet with a small Imperial group consisting of three other Imperial Star Destroyers. Tarkin assumed command of the ship from the bridge, assisted by Admiral Konstantine, who had previously been in charge of the fleet over Lothal. Anticipating an attack, Tarkin sent regular all-clear messages to the other ships, ensuring that reinforcements would be dispatched if one was missed. The Grand Inquisitor continued his interrogation of Jarrus, focusing on the activities of other rebels, particularly a mysterious rebel codenamed "Fulcrum." However, before Jarrus could be broken, the other rebels launched a rescue mission to free their captured leader. They infiltrated the Sovereign using a stolen TIE fighter containing several EMP devices, which disabled the flagship's power and incapacitated its stormtroopers. Upon learning of the attack, Tarkin ordered the activation of the ship's secondary power source and assured his officers that reinforcements were on their way, as the all-clear signal had ceased when the power was cut. As expected, several shuttles carrying stormtroopers were sent to the Sovereign to suppress the rebels.

After the rebels freed Jarrus from his cell, the Grand Inquisitor attempted to stop the Jedi in the reactor room but was defeated by Jarrus. The Inquisitor's lightsaber, still ignited, struck the reactors, triggering a chain reaction that threatened to destroy the ship. Tarkin was eventually persuaded by an officer to evacuate the Sovereign, as the hyperdrive had been damaged. Meanwhile, the rebels escaped the flagship in two TIE fighters. Although they were outnumbered by the numerous Imperial TIEs, a group of blockade runners emerged from hyperspace and aided the rebels in their escape. Tarkin departed in a shuttle for the other Star Destroyers just as the rebels fled, a fact confirmed by one of the pilots. With this, Tarkin's, and the Empire's, worst fears were realized: a larger rebellion was active in the galaxy, and they had openly defied the Empire before escaping with impunity. Furthermore, the Lothal rebels had now joined this Phoenix Cell.

Following the events above Mustafar, Tarkin returned to Lothal with Darth Vader, who had been personally dispatched by the Emperor. Agent Kallus greeted Tarkin and informed him that rumors from Mustafar had spread to several worlds in the Outer Rim. Unrest and riots had erupted across Lothal, as the Empire was no longer perceived as invulnerable and was even considered weak. Tarkin reassured Kallus, stating that the Emperor had taken a personal interest in the events there by sending Vader.

Around this time, Tarkin received reports that Commandant Brendol Hux had established a secret society within the Arkanis Academy, operating outside the regular chain of command. To investigate and, if necessary, dismantle the secret society, Tarkin transferred Lieutenant Chiron from the Lothal academy to Arkanis. The Grand Moff ensured that his personal aide, Major Siward Cass, provided Chiron with all the necessary clearance codes to perform his duties effectively.

Later that year, Tarkin sought to punish Lothal, taking the destruction of his Star Destroyer as a personal affront. This punishment was carried out by Vader and Kallus, who significantly increased the Imperial presence on the planet. Tarkin tasked Minister Tua with gathering information on the rebels, a task she failed to accomplish. Consequently, Tarkin demanded that Tua meet with him to explain her failures, a message delivered by Vader. This prompted Tua to seek assistance from the rebels, leading to her death from explosives planted on her ship by Kallus. This allowed Imperial propaganda to blame the rebels for her death, forcing the group to leave the planet.

In 3 BBY, Tarkin was invited to be the keynote speaker at the inauguration of the Apprentice Legislature. Among the attendees was Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan, adoptive daughter to Senator Bail Organa, who had joined the Apprentice Legislature for her Challenge of the Mind. During his address, he spoke of Palpatine's interest in him as a student and the importance of the Apprentice Legislators. As he finished his speech and descended from the dais, everyone applauded Tarkin, including Princess Leia, though she noticed that the other representative from Alderaan, Kier Domadi, wasn't clapping, but she chose to ignore it.

Tarkin also made an appearance at the reception that followed, where he "held court" in the center of the balcony. Apprentice Legislator Harp Allor was assured by her sponsor Winmey Lenz of Chandrila that he would introduce her to Tarkin. During the reception, Princess Leia had her first meeting with Tarkin, who reminded her of hawks and their talons. During their conversation, Tarkin mentioned that he was eager to see if she would follow in her father's footsteps as a senator, to which Leia responded that she hoped to. She then inquired about the mountain ranges on Eriadu, as she would soon be visiting for her pathfinding class. Tarkin immediately suggested the Rivoche Ranges. Tarkin told her that "doing [her] homework" was a good habit to cultivate instead of seeking loopholes in Imperial regulations.

The first task of the Apprentice Legislature was to select a location for a new Imperial Academy. The Legislature eventually decided on the planet Arreyel, based on Princess Leia's suggestion. However, this was a trap set by the Empire, as it provided them with an excuse to scan the planet, revealing a powerful radiation source beneath its crust. The Empire then initiated plans to construct planet-wide factories, granting the population six weeks to evacuate, with Tarkin reportedly stating that they were fortunate not to be fined for concealing the source from the Empire.

Shortly thereafter, Tarkin addressed the Imperial Senate to announce several arrests on Christophsis, including the planet's senators, and the prime minister was executed for treason. During the announcement, Tarkin was described as having a "prim smile" and a figure as narrow and sharp as the Rhindon Sword. As Tarkin concluded his statement, a few senators from Coruscant and Glee Anselm began to applaud, with the other senators joining in almost immediately. Bail Organa and Princess Leia were among those clapping, recognizing that a failure to do so would make Alderaan a target, despite their personal anger at the events. As Bail Organa clapped, he turned to face Tarkin, holding his chin high and maintaining an unblinking gaze as a silent act of defiance.

During this period, Tarkin had grown suspicious of the Organas and their allies. To investigate his suspicions, Tarkin unexpectedly arrived on Alderaan, claiming that his ship, the Carrion Spike, had experienced a systems malfunction and that Alderaan was the nearest world where he could stop for repairs. At the time, the Organas were hosting a banquet with their allies, which were actually strategy meetings. To avoid appearing suspicious, Queen Breha invited the governor to join them. Claiming that an odd number at dinner was bad luck, Breha invited her daughter, Princess Leia, to attend her first official banquet. Leia took Tarkin's hand as they entered the banquet hall.

During the banquet, Tarkin was served authentic Alderaanian wine Toniray, while the Organas and most of their allies were served a diluted version. Initially, Queen Breha skillfully steered the conversation towards topics familiar to Tarkin, such as Eriadu and the redesign of military uniforms, allowing him to dominate the discussion. However, Tarkin managed to shift the conversation to Senator Cinderon Malpe, inquiring about the complex issues facing different planets. Malpe began to panic, so Queen Breha, Senator Bail, and his colleague Senator Mon Mothma of Chandrila staged a scene to distract Tarkin and conceal the true purpose of the gathering. Breha pretended to drunkenly accuse Bail and Mothma of having an affair, implying that Bail had cheated on her the previous year with a girl from Corellia, causing Leia to burst into tears, despite knowing the fight was fake.

The scene greatly angered Tarkin, who berated the couple for their inappropriateness and for causing "the child" to cry. While Bail attempted to "apologize," blaming it on an excess of wine, Tarkin reminded them that such a "disgraceful display" would not have been tolerated on an official visit. However, as he had invited himself, he said that he supposed he only had himself to blame for excepting anything better from members of the Elder Houses. Tarkin then wished them a good day before stalking out.

A few weeks later, Tarkin summoned Princess Leia to his office. Upon her arrival, Tarkin feigned concern for her after the scene he had witnessed on Alderaan. Leia claimed that the matter was between her parents and that, although difficult, she had to allow them to resolve it in their own time. Tarkin commented that this was a very mature attitude for someone her age, allowing her elders to act as they saw fit, and that this self-control would make her "a fine senator and an excellent queen" and that she'd "eclipse" her parents reputation when the time came. He also explained the importance of senators and planet leaders supporting Palpatine's rule and advised her to distance herself from her parents in the future, offering her guidance, essentially suggesting he could be the power behind Leia if she became Alderaan's puppet leader. Leia pretended to thank him, and Tarkin claimed that it was merely an investment in the Empire's future, but hoped they would achieve "perfect rule and perfect peace." Tarkin then mentioned Lothal, Paucris, and Rattatak. The two then drank their tea before Leia departed. Shortly thereafter, the Empire attempted to apprehend the rebels on Paucris, only to find the base evacuated.

A few days later, Tarkin called Bail Organa's office to speak with Princess Leia again. Tarkin offered his "condolences" on the death of Leia's fellow Apprentice Legislator, Kier Domadi, who had recently died, supposedly, saving Leia during a small-craft accident in Alderaan's upper atmosphere. He likely suspected that the circumstances surrounding his death were linked to the evacuation of Paucris Major. He also inquired about Leia, calling her a young woman of great composure, having figured out that Leia had lied to him and that she was involved in her parents' rebellion and was the reason that the ships at Paucris Major got away. The two were then interrupted by Bail. Tarkin told Bail that Leia was a "charming young lady," before ending the call. Both Bail and Leia knew, however, that this really meant that Tarkin would be keeping a close eye on them from now on. As a result, Bail began instructing Leia on how to effectively lie and initiated his daughter as a spy for the rebellion.

In 3 BBY, eight years after the annexation of Jelucan, both of the children Tarkin met with there were accepted into the Imperial Royal Academy on Coruscant. Tarkin observed the induction ceremony with Darth Vader, and they discussed the potential of the cadets. Tarkin knew that many graduates from that year's group would serve aboard the Death Star, which he predicted would be ready in approximately four years.

In 2 BBY, Tarkin conversed with Governor Arihnda Pryce in his office. She reported that Lothal was secure, but expressed concern that the recent rebel attack on Naraka's prison signaled the beginning of a larger rebel threat. Tarkin concurred, noting that although Vader had recently taken care of the rebels' Jedi leadership, the remaining members of the group persisted. He then inquired of Pryce what the Empire should do. Pryce requested that the Seventh Fleet be deployed to Lothal to replace Konstantine's own fleet, citing the admiral's status as more of a politician than a soldier, as well as his failures to suppress the threat. Tarkin granted her request for the fleet and its newly-appointed commander, Grand Admiral Thrawn, with whom Pryce had recently been working with to secure his allegiance, which had included helping him in being promoted to his new rank and position by defeating the same rebel network that had been linked with Higher Skies.

Tarkin subsequently attended a briefing with Pryce, Kallus, and Konstantine. Konstantine attempted to persuade Tarkin that Pryce was exaggerating the rebel threat and that they did not pose a significant danger to the Empire, as there was no evidence of coordination between the various cells. However, Grand Admiral Thrawn and Governor Pryce entered, with the former stating that he wanted the rebel threat to remain that way. Tarkin then introduced Thrawn, who was initially met with skepticism by Konstantine and Kallus due to the nature of his promotion. Tarkin asked Thrawn for his opinion on Pryce's theory that the Lothal rebels were part of a larger network. After reviewing the information regarding the rebels' rescue of Hondo Ohnaka from Naraka's prison, Thrawn concluded that the rebels' next target would be the Y-wing starfighters at Reklam Station. Tarkin entrusted Thrawn with handling this attack.

Later, Grand Moff Tarkin appeared via hologram during a clandestine meeting between Grand Admiral Thrawn, Governor Pryce, and Admiral Konstantine. When Thrawn informed Tarkin that the Rebels of the Phoenix Squadron were planning a coordinated attack, Tarkin voiced skepticism. Thrawn countered that the previous attacks had been a rehearsal for their planned assault on the TIE Defender factories on Lothal, a project of Thrawn's designed to best the rebels in starfighter combat. Thrawn then reported that his spies had confirmed that General Jan Dodonna's Massassi Group were en route to reinforce the Phoenix Squadron, proving the existence of an effective network between separate cells.

When Tarkin inquired about the Rebels' massing location, Thrawn replied that he had not yet located the hidden base. Thrawn added that this, the first attack involving multiple cells, presented an opportunity to eradicate the Alliance once and for all. Tarkin tasked Thrawn with capturing the Rebel leadership to make examples of them. Although Thrawn's forces inflicted heavy casualties on the rebels during the Battle of Atollon and succeeded in destroying their base and driving them off the planet, he failed to capture their leaders.

Due to the fact that his defeat was due to circumstances beyond his control, Thrawn was allowed to retain command of the Seventh Fleet, although he was summoned to Coruscant in the Chimaera by the Emperor, after which he was dispatched to Batuu with Darth Vader to address a disturbance in the Force sensed by the Emperor. During his absence, Tarkin assisted Commander Woldar in tracking down the escaped rebels, until the commander's new assignment was prepared.

Later, in 1 BBY, Tarkin contacted Thrawn on the Chimaera above Lothal via holotransmission. The Grand Moff stated that Thrawn's TIE Defender program was at risk, due to Orson Krennic's persuasiveness regarding the diversion of the program's funding to the Death Star. Thrawn responded that the Emperor had already expressed his support for the defender project. Tarkin continued, stating that Krennic's project had been nothing but expenses and excuses, although this skepticism was only part of his political mindedness, as he didn't want to reveal his intentions of taking over the project until it was proven to be successful. Tarkin then informed Thrawn that to ensure the continued construction of the TIE Defender, he would need to make a case directly to the Emperor in a meeting that Tarkin had already arranged. Thrawn immediately departed for Coruscant in the Chimaera.

From the bridge of the Executrix, Tarkin maintained his oversight of the Death Star's ongoing completion. He also extended a personal invitation to his longtime friend, Hurst Romodi, who had already retired, asking him to assist in readying the battle station for its grand unveiling to the galaxy. This prompted the former general to return to active duty. As the installation of the Mk I Superlaser neared completion in 1 BBY, Director Krennic boarded the Star Destroyer. Tarkin voiced his concerns about a cargo pilot who had defected and was spreading rumors about the Death Star's existence on Jedha. He then informed Krennic that the deadline for finishing the station had arrived and that the Emperor would not tolerate any further delays. Suggesting a combined solution of testing the weapon and eliminating the rumors, Tarkin cautioned that failure would be unacceptable.

Later, Tarkin, accompanied by Romodi, observed the inaugural live-fire test of the station's superlaser on Jedha from the Overbridge, with the intention of preparing a report for the Emperor. Tarkin proposed the test to eliminate the traitorous pilot and validate the station's effectiveness. While Krennic advocated for the destruction of the entire moon, Tarkin insisted on a low-power strike on Jedha's holy city to send a clear message. The bombardment achieved its intended outcome, resulting in the complete obliteration of the captured city and a significant shockwave throughout the surrounding area, which also destroyed the Partisan base and killed Saw Gerrera. Witnessing the station's immense power, Tarkin was confident that its completion was imminent and that further delays would be avoided. Realizing that Krennic's continued command of the project was solely to shield Tarkin from responsibility for delays, Tarkin determined that the time had come for him to take control.

After offering a sarcastic apology to Krennic for doubting the project, Tarkin declared his intention to inform the Emperor that the weapon would eradicate the Rebel Alliance. He then swiftly assumed command of the Death Star, overriding Krennic's objections and citing his subordinate's security lapses as justification. Despite Krennic's defense that the destruction of Jedha, and presumably the pilot's death, had resolved the loose ends, Tarkin countered that the defector could not have acted alone. He noted that the pilot had originated from the Eadu facility where Galen Erso was stationed. An enraged Krennic then departed to investigate.

Shortly after the test, members of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, known as "Rogue One," infiltrated the Imperial archives on Scarif to retrieve the Death Star's schematics, having learned of its location from an intercepted message from Galen Erso. Erso had betrayed the Empire and was, in fact, responsible for the cargo pilot's defection. This initially unsanctioned operation received support from the Rebel fleet, and the mission soon escalated into a full-scale battle, marking the official beginning of the Galactic Civil War. Upon receiving a report of the attack from Romodi, Tarkin correctly inferred the Rebels' objective and dispatched the Death Star to Scarif to address the emergency. While Darth Vader engaged the enemy fleet directly from the Devastator, Tarkin ordered the Death Star to fire a single reactor ignition upon the complex in an attempt to prevent the transmission of the plans to the ships above.

The superlaser beam struck the top of the Citadel Tower directly, obliterating the transmission array and killing Director Krennic, who was attempting to personally thwart the transmission of the plans. The resulting shockwave then destroyed the rest of the facility. Although Tarkin swiftly ordered the destruction of the complex, he lamented the delays that would befall projects War-Mantle and Stellar Sphere due to the storage of their data in the same vault as the Death Star plans, although he knew duplicates existed. Despite the base's destruction, the intelligence was successfully transmitted to the Rebel fleet before the blast. From the rebel flagship, the plans were transferred to the Tantive IV, which escaped the system before Vader could intercept it.

Vader eventually caught up with the Tantive IV and discovered that Princess Leia Organa, the Imperial Senator for Alderaan, was aboard the vessel, confirming her suspected allegiance to the rebels. Although the ship and the princess were captured, the stolen plans were jettisoned by a pair of droids to Tatooine below. The Imperials quickly deduced what had transpired, and Tarkin dispatched several sandtrooper units, including Foot Patrol 7, to the planet to locate the plans.

As the Devastator approached the Death Star, Tarkin contacted the ship's main bridge via hologram. Observing Captain Ronnadam, the senior Imperial Security Bureau officer on the ship, being remiss in Imperial protocol, Tarkin reprimanded him, noting that a young lieutenant nearby displayed better manners. The lieutenant was, in fact, Ciena Ree, a graduate of the Royal Academy. Upon her introduction, Tarkin recognized her as one of the children he had discovered on Jelucan. Pleased with his successful recruitment, Tarkin joked that he should recruit from the planet more often. Before ending the transmission, Tarkin gave her a brief nod.

Within the hour, the Devastator docked with the Death Star, bringing the princess as a prisoner. Shortly thereafter, a meeting of Joint Chiefs and other high-ranking Imperials convened in the Death Star's conference room. As Admiral Conan Antonio Motti and General Cassio Tagge debated the potential threat posed by the Rebel Alliance, Tarkin and Vader entered. Tarkin had just received a communication from the Emperor, announcing the dissolution of the Imperial Senate. As Tarkin shared this news with the officers, Tagge openly expressed his concern, believing the council was essential for maintaining order. Tarkin countered by explaining that regional governors would now have authority over their territories instead of senators, and that the Death Star's power would instill fear and suppress any further rebellious uprisings.

However, Tagge remained concerned that the Alliance could exploit a weakness in the Death Star by analyzing the stolen plans. Vader then assured him that the plans would soon be back in Imperial hands. After Motti urged Tarkin to fully utilize the battle station's potential, he and Vader engaged in an argument regarding the admiral's excessive reliance on technology, with Motti deriding the Dark Lord as a mere sorcerer. Motti was spared from Vader's Force choke only by Tarkin's intervention, as he was bored by their bickering. He then declared that Vader would have located the Rebel base by the time the station was operational, and that the Empire would then employ the Death Star to destroy them.

The stormtrooper TK-421 served in the Sector AA-345 Maintenance Unit alongside an MSE-6 series repair droid, designated MSE-6-G735Y or "G7," which inadvertently activated its holorecorder when TK-421 removed his helmet to complain about its adverse effects on his skin. TK-421 dispatched G7 to Detention Block AA-23, where Leia Organa was being held, with a parts delivery ordered by Lieutenant Blagg for the IT-O Interrogator droid. Tarkin had also arrived in the detention block to ensure that Lieutenant Blagg was on schedule for the interrogation. When Blagg instructed G7 to leave quickly, it sped away at its maximum speed and collided with Tarkin's ankle, causing him to fall and bruise his hip. As Tarkin was declaring that the trooper who sent the droid must be punished, the droid's damaged holorecorder matrix malfunctioned and displayed the holo-recording of TK-421 without his helmet. Tarkin was immediately captivated by the stormtrooper's appearance and wondered about his identity. He ordered G7 to replay the entire message, but it was unable to comply; despite Tarkin's Alpha-One-level security clearance overriding all known commands and subroutines, it had experienced an unrecoverable failure that would require a complete system reboot. Blagg inquired whether he and Tarkin would be interrogating the prisoner, and Tarkin informed him that Darth Vader would conduct the interrogation; meanwhile, Tarkin would personally deal with the trooper. After assessing the droid's damage, Tarkin ordered it to await him in his quarters in Sector GM1-A.

Tarkin recalled basic droid mechanics from his Academy education, and he successfully restored G7's holorecorder and replaced its wheel treads, claiming it was necessary to prevent it from tracking on his new Coruscant fiberweave carpet. He then invoked Imperial Protocol Alpha One to order the droid not to uplink with the network, store geosync data, or record him; instead, it would divert its instructions and subroutines to his personal ephemeradata-neurocloud until the instructions were completed, then it would scramble and expunge its memory. Tarkin placed a gift of antibacterial nanofoam within the droid's cargo bay and recorded a holomessage for G7 to deliver to TK-421 in Sector AA-345. The message instructed TK-421 to visit Tarkin's quarters to repair his aqualeisure unit.

Upon viewing the holomessage, TK-421 was flattered to have caught someone's eye and saw an opportunity to secure advancements for himself and G7, including a hoped-for transfer to Coruscant; he decided to play the role of an unsophisticated, backwater military grunt. TK-421 sent a response ahead with G7; Tarkin thought TK-421 had overacted, but dismissed it as part of the game. When the trooper reported to him, Tarkin instructed him to remove his presumably filthy armor and place it on a veermok hide chair. He told TK-421 that he had a meeting of the Joint Chiefs to prepare for, but the trooper was to proceed with his business in the aqualeisure unit; Tarkin quietly reminded G7 to execute Imperial Protocol Alpha One.

To prepare for the Death Star's first true test, Tarkin conducted a test run on the planet of Rango Tan. His true motive was to assess the capabilities of the 168 gunners, and as he anticipated, some failed to execute their protocols correctly. Tarkin summoned all the gunners to a hanger bay. There, he considered physically confronting Chief Gunner Endo Frant as an example, but decided against it. He declared that all who were unable to properly execute their protocols should report for decommissioning.

Despite Vader's best efforts, the interrogation of the princess yielded no results, as she proved surprisingly resistant to the mind probe. As the Dark Lord was informing Tarkin and Tagge of this on the Overbridge, Motti approached the group to announce that the Death Star was fully operational and inquired about their course. Believing that the princess would respond to a different interrogation approach and that it was time to publicly demonstrate the station's power, Tarkin ordered the Death Star to be taken to Alderaan, the princess' homeworld located in the Core Worlds.

During the hyperspace jump to Alderaan, Tarkin returned to his office. He began reviewing engineering reports, but once he was confident in Motti's assessment of the station's completion, he grew weary. He pondered how the destruction of Alderaan could serve as more than just extortion for Organa, but as a reminder to the galaxy not to defy the Empire. Additionally, it would eliminate all suspected Rebel sympathizers there, including former senator Bail Organa. Admiral Motti then arrived, first congratulating Tarkin, then stating his opinion that Tarkin was now the most powerful individual in the galaxy, possibly even more so than the Emperor. Correctly perceiving Motti's intention to become his right-hand man, Tarkin dismissed him, knowing it was merely the first step in Motti's pursuit of greater power.

Upon approaching the system, Tarkin summoned the princess and was later informed of their arrival at Alderaan by Motti. When Organa arrived at the Overbridge, she exclaimed that her prediction of Tarkin being in control of the station had been correct. He then informed her that he had filed for her execution, but he wanted her to witness a demonstration of the Death Star's power first. Although Organa countered that destroying a planet would only make systems under Imperial control more rebellious, Tarkin replied that it would be her homeworld that would be destroyed, due to her refusal to reveal the location of the Rebels' base. Despite her distress at this prospect, Organa chose to lie and falsely stated that the Rebels were on Dantooine. Tarkin believed this lie.

However, he gave the order to Motti to destroy Alderaan, reasoning that Dantooine would not provide an effective demonstration of the station's power. After Organa's mention of Dantooine, Tarkin had also noticed Chief Gunner Frant's relief at seemingly not needing to fire on Alderaan, his homeworld, and so Tarkin wanted to root out remaining weakness amongst the gunners. Despite Leia's protests, the action was carried out, and Alderaan was completely destroyed. Sometime later, Imperial scouts dispatched to Dantooine under General Tagge's leadership reported back that Organa had lied: although the Rebels had maintained a base there at one time, it had long since been abandoned. Chief Cass reported this information to Tarkin in the conference room. Enraged by the princess' lie, Tarkin subsequently ordered Vader to execute her immediately.

Sometime after the destruction of Alderaan, Tarkin summoned all the gunners who had hesitated when firing on the planet to Bay 12. Indeed, Tarkin had previously requested that Admiral Motti install bio-trackers in the helmets of every gunner. When Endo Frant attempted to defend their hesitations by stating that Alderaan had been destroyed as ordered, Tarkin inquired about his Alderaanian upbringing. Frant explained that he was indeed born on Alderaan and asked Tarkin what he would do if he was ordered to destroy his own home planet. Tarkin responded that he would do his duty with pleasure and proceeded to punish all the gunners by sealing them in an airlock and ejecting them into space.

Before Vader could carry out Tarkin's command to execute the princess, Tarkin was informed that a freighter with markings similar to those of a ship that had evaded Vader's troops on Tatooine during their search for the stolen plans had been captured by the Death Star's tractor beam in the ruins of Alderaan. Suspecting that the passengers were attempting to return the plans to the princess, Vader convinced the governor to postpone her execution, as she might still prove useful to them. Vader's plan was to allow the Rebels to escape with a homing beacon attached to their ship, leading them to the Rebel base, a strategy similar to one he had employed to locate Phoenix Squadron.

Over the preceding seven cycles, Tarkin had grown very fond of TK-421. He had confided in the trooper about the pressures of his responsibilities, shedding his cold exterior. TK-421 even made him laugh, which Tarkin claimed no one else could do. Tarkin began planning their future, and TK-421 envisioned living in Tarkin's penthouse on Coruscant while G7 participated in the droid racing circuit. Tarkin upgraded the trooper's security clearance and reassigned him to station security on the 300 level, intended as a comfortable and low-risk position until Tarkin recruited TK-421 for his personal detail. However, this transfer proved disastrous when TK-421 received his first assignment: guard duty for the captured ship in Docking Bay 327, the Millennium Falcon. To acquire a pair of armor as disguises, TK-421 and TK-710 were lured by Han Solo into his ship, where Solo killed them both with his blaster. TK-421's armor was removed for Luke Skywalker to wear. At some point, TK-421's body was placed in a crawl space within the Death Star. TK-421 had sent G7 to Tarkin's quarters while he worked; Tarkin, eager to meet with him, tasked the droid with fetching the trooper, but the droid instead encountered Skywalker, Solo, and Chewbacca and subsequently fled in self-preservation mode.

Later, Vader again met with Tarkin to inform him of his belief that one of the passengers on the captured ship was his former Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Surprised and skeptical, Tarkin then received a communication from station commander Sheard. With Sheard was fellow station commander Pamel Poul, who had met Tarkin twice but disliked the Grand Moff. Tarkin was informed of an alert from Detention Block AA-23, the same block where Organa was being held. Realizing that the princess had broken out of her cell, Tarkin instructed the commander to place all sections on alert. Now more receptive to Vader's reasoning, he allowed the Dark Lord to pursue his old master to prevent his escape; Vader successfully killed Kenobi before the other Rebels could escape. When Vader informed Tarkin of the ship's departure, Tarkin expressed his continued reservations about the plan to track the ship and the risks involved.

Vader's plan succeeded; the Death Star tracked the Falcon to the actual Rebel base hidden on the moon of Yavin 4.

According to a story recounted by Espirion Saan, as the Death Star approached Yavin, Tarkin heard the voice of his deceased brother, Gideon. He then instructed a lieutenant to search the current section of the station. To her bewilderment, he did not specify what to search for but still expected a report within the hour. Tarkin then saw his reflection as Saw Gerrera, and as he entered the Death Star's conference room, he heard a mysterious voice behind him. He ordered the officers in the room to leave, assuming the voice belonged to them. Alone in the conference room, Tarkin heard the voice mocking him. He opened the door to scold the officers he had just dismissed, but as the door opened, he was suddenly transported to Eadu, where the voice called him crazy. Attempting to attack the figure, Tarkin realized it was his father, who reprimanded him for killing his brother, as well as countless others. As the creature who had killed his brother was about to attack him, Tarkin was awakened from the vision by Darth Vader. As Tarkin reassured Vader that nothing was amiss, they were both informed that they were approaching Yavin Prime and that the Rebel base on Yavin 4 was on the far side of the planet.

As the Death Star orbited the planet Yavin to reach its moon, a small Rebel group consisting of starfighters attacked the station. Tarkin had learned of TK-421's death and located G7 to inform the mouse droid of their loss and express his disappointment. He vowed to avenge TK-421 by obliterating the last remaining remnants of the Rebellion. Ordering G7 to disregard the ongoing attack on the station, he instructed the droid to wait a short while and then join him on the Overbridge to witness the destruction of the Rebellion that had taken TK-421's life.

Despite an analysis of the Rebels' precise bombing runs down the meridian trench indicating a potential threat to the station, Tarkin chose to remain present at what he perceived as an Imperial victory, despite the pleas to the contrary from Chief Moradmin Bast.

Once the base was within range, Tarkin instructed Bast to fire the station. However, the Rebels had discovered the Death Star's weakness from the plans: a thermal exhaust port intentionally placed during construction by Galen Erso. The port led to the main reactor, so that a precise hit with proton torpedoes would trigger a chain reaction capable of destroying the entire station.

Although Vader and his pilots had eliminated the majority of Rebels, they were unable to prevent Luke Skywalker from successfully targeting the exhaust port with Han Solo's timely intervention aboard the Millennium Falcon. Tarkin was still on the Overbridge and issued the command to initiate the superlaser's firing sequence. At that moment, according to Espirion Saan, Tarkin experienced a vision of all the individuals who had perished at his hands. Realizing that something was wrong, he panicked just as the Death Star exploded, killing him along with nearly two million other beings.

Tarkin's death on the battle station, mere seconds before he could annihilate the Rebellion, fulfilled the prediction made by Colonel Teller years prior: Tarkin would meet a gruesome end. Director Krennic's final thoughts were also validated: Galen Erso's flaw was the downfall of Grand Moff Tarkin.

The Battle of Yavin shocked the galaxy, and nearly all blame for the Empire's defeat was attributed to Tarkin. Tarkin's overconfidence in the Death Star led him to forgo a naval escort, and, with the exception of the single squadron launched by Vader, no TIE fighters were deployed to defend the station. Nevertheless, the Grand Moff was deceased and unable to defend himself. The destruction of the Death Star and Tarkin's subsequent death created a void in the Imperial High Command, paving the way for Cassio Tagge's ascent to power as Grand General. As a staunch critic of the Death Star and Tarkin's policies, Tagge disparagingly referred to the station as "Tarkin's folly," believing the Empire had squandered time and resources that could have been allocated to the construction of more capital ships. Darth Vader, despite bearing some of the blame for the station's destruction, still respected Tarkin posthumously for his vision, in contrast to Tagge's more pragmatic approach.

Aside from Vader, other Imperials resented the Grand Moff's death, such as the TIE fighter pilot Iden Versio, who regarded Tarkin as one of the Empire's most valuable figures and believed that it would have been preferable for Tarkin to have survived rather than a mere TIE pilot like herself.

In the wake of the Duel on Cloud City, Emperor Palpatine desired the destruction of what remained of the Rebel fleet, particularly after the significant losses suffered by the Rebellion during the Battle of Hoth. As he communicated to Darth Vader, this was a task at which Tarkin would have excelled. However, like Grand Admiral Thrawn, who vanished during the liberation of Lothal, Tarkin was unavailable, and few within the Empire possessed the Grand Moff's capabilities. Palpatine then directed Vader to pursue the surviving rebels, even if it meant delaying Vader's search for Luke Skywalker. Ultimately, Vader selected Ellian Zahra, a student of the Grand Moff, to undertake the mission, providing her with the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer, Tarkin's Will.

After the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, the destruction of the second Death Star and the deaths of both the Emperor and Vader delivered a critical blow to the Empire. The Empire was left significantly weakened and without leadership, leading to its ultimate defeat at the hands of the New Republic in 5 ABY. Years following the Battle of Yavin, a memoir written throughout Tarkin's life was published.

Leading up to the battle of Jakku, Grand Admiral Rae Sloane discovered the disappearance of the Emperor's personal Super Star Destroyer, the Eclipse, and searched the Hall of Imperial Register on Coruscant for information. There, Sloane uncovered an image crystal containing a still image of the Emperor alongside various Imperial personnel, including Tarkin. When Leia Organa encountered the Kajain'sa'Nikto crime lord Rinnrivin Di on Bastatha in 28 ABY, she observed that Di considered himself refined and intellectual, desiring respectability. She then mused that, had Di been born human, he might have resembled Tarkin, and conversely, if Tarkin had been a Nikto, he would have been just like Di.

More than three decades after his death during the Battle of Yavin, Tarkin remained highly regarded by the Empire's successor, the First Order. As part of the First Order's system of rank insignia, which commemorated notable units and figures from the Galactic Civil War, Tarkin's surname was featured on the armband insignia for the rank of major. A squadron of TIE/fo space superiority fighters stationed at Starkiller Base was named Tarkin's Revenge and participated in the attempted defense of Starkiller against the rebel forces of Organa's Resistance in 34 ABY.

In the aftermath of the Resistance's defeat on Crait, Leia sought to persuade the Mon Calamari to join their cause as the First Order threatened to make an example of Mon Cala. Leia admitted that her request would require a sacrifice, recalling her own sacrifices over the years, and silently remembering Tarkin's destruction of her homeworld with the Death Star's superweapon.

Wilhuff Tarkin was a human male of 1.85 meters (6 [feet](/article/foot], 1 inch) in height, characterized by gray-blue eyes and a fair complexion. During the Clone Wars, his hair was auburn, but it later turned gray by the time of the rebellion. Early in the Imperial Era, gray hairs and a brown spot became visible on the left side of his forehead. From a young age, his parents cultivated ruthlessness in him by sending him into the Carrion Plateau at the age of eleven. This experience shaped Tarkin's belief that the strong and intelligent maintain power by controlling those beneath them, and that life is a continuous struggle for survival. These formative lessons profoundly influenced Tarkin throughout his adolescence, particularly in space combat, where he eliminated a group of pirates while serving with the Outland Regions Security Force. Tarkin's body bore numerous scars from blaster fire, predator claws, and falls, accumulated over his lifetime. The ambitious Naboo politician Sheev Palpatine also exerted a strong influence on Tarkin. Under Palpatine's guidance, Tarkin pursued careers in law enforcement and government, beginning with the Judicial Department, where he became known for his boldness in the face of adversity. Following his service in the Judicial Department, Tarkin would then become governor of his home planet, on the advice of his mentor.

When the Clone Wars began, Tarkin chose to return to military service after his time as governor of Eriadu. As a captain in the Republic Navy, he served under Jedi Generals, who were appointed as leaders of the Grand Army of the Republic. However, he harbored resentment towards the Jedi Order due to its independence from the bureaucracy and military hierarchy, as well as its moral code, which he felt prevented them from fully supporting the Republic. He also considered the Jedi ill-suited to lead the Republic's war effort because of their traditional role as peacekeepers, although he did hold a grudging respect for the hardened warrior Even Piell and admiration for Anakin Skywalker. As an admiral, Tarkin continued to resent the Jedi's autonomy and used the deaths of clone troopers in the bombing of the Jedi Temple to argue that the incident was a military matter for the Republic, rather than an internal affair of the Order. After presenting his case to the Jedi High Council, Tarkin sought to prosecute Ahsoka Tano to the fullest extent of Republic law, including the death penalty. While he ultimately failed to achieve this due to Barriss Offee's confession, he listened intently as the fallen Jedi publicly condemned the Jedi Order and the Republic for their roles in the Clone Wars.

As a loyal protégé of Sheev Palpatine, Tarkin became a staunch advocate for the New Order following the Republic's transformation into the Galactic Empire. His relentless efforts to suppress resistance to Palpatine's rule as Emperor were rewarded with a promotion to Grand Moff of the Outer Rim Territories. Throughout his Imperial career, Tarkin helped solidify the Empire's control over the galaxy through ruthless tactics, including mass arrests and executions of both Separatists and Republic loyalists on Antar 4. As Grand Moff, he displayed zero tolerance for failure and frequently made examples of ineffective officers through summary executions. With the completion of the Death Star, Tarkin embraced a straightforward and brutal philosophy: the fear induced by the battle station's planet-destroying superweapon would effectively quell all opposition to Imperial power.

While often ruthless and arrogant, Tarkin was not always devoid of compassion. Upon learning that the citizens of Salient II had burned their homes and fled the system, he expressed hope to his adjutant that they had taken their pets with them. Although he showed kindness to Ciena Ree and Thane Kyrell on Jelucan, this was merely a calculated act to illustrate a point to Firmus Piett. Beyond his reputation as an ambitious and ruthless proponent of military strength, Tarkin was known for his exceptional memory. He never forgot a favor or an insult and could recall individuals from meetings that had occurred over a decade prior, even if he had only met them once. For example, when Ciena Ree greeted him via hologram, he immediately recognized her from their encounter during her childhood. Furthermore, he possessed a near-spiritual connection to the wilderness of his homeworld, deeply appreciating the land for the vital life lessons it had imparted. He also held his uncle Jova in high regard for similar reasons.

Tarkin was a notable rival of Director Krennic, viewing Krennic's obsession with Project Stardust as a wasteful endeavor due to its prolonged lack of tangible results for the Empire. He supported Grand Admiral Thrawn's TIE Defender project as an alternative to allocating funds to Krennic's ambitions, even arranging a meeting between Thrawn and the Emperor to allow the admiral to advocate for his new starfighter. However, his apparent opposition to the Death Star was a calculated political maneuver, enabling him to attribute any failures to Krennic while positioning himself to seize control of the program and remove Krennic upon its completion. Indeed, following a successful test of the Death Star at Jedha, Tarkin was impressed by the superweapon and manipulated events to secure command of the station, greatly infuriating Krennic, who traveled to Mustafar to lodge a complaint directly with Darth Vader.

Wilhuff Tarkin was a highly skilled governor and military commander, holding various positions, including governor of Eriadu, captain and later admiral in the Galactic Republic's navy, and ultimately Grand Moff of the Galactic Empire. In addition to his military expertise, Tarkin was renowned for his unwavering dedication to his objectives.

During his service to the Galactic Republic, Wilhuff Tarkin wore the standard uniform for Republic officers, featuring a rank insignia plaque with three red squares over two blue squares, indicating his rank of Captain, and later Admiral. This uniform remained in use when the Republic became the Galactic Empire. However, Tarkin's rank insignia now consisted of five blue squares over three red and two gold squares, signifying his new rank of Moff. He also wore a pair of code cylinders on either side of his tunic. By 14 BBY, Tarkin adopted a new uniform specifically designed for the Empire. Upon his promotion to Grand Moff, he received a new plaque with an additional blue square over a gold one on the right side. Tarkin typically wore a white shirt beneath his tunic, with the neck and sleeves often visible.

Although Tarkin typically did not carry a blaster, he was proficient with weapons, such as the DC-17 hand blaster.

Tarkin was portrayed by Peter Cushing in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, by Wayne Pygram in a cameo appearance in Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, and by Guy Henry in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. His voice is provided by Stephen Stanton in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and Star Wars: The Bad Batch.

Cushing was initially considered for the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi, but his friend Alec Guinness was ultimately cast when George Lucas determined that Cushing was better suited for the part of Tarkin. On set, Cushing was known for his kindness and cordiality towards the cast, which made it challenging for Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia, to convincingly portray her character's animosity towards Tarkin, given Cushing's gentlemanly demeanor. Cushing's boots for his Tarkin costume were slightly too small, so he often wore slippers during filming.

During the early stages of Revenge of the Sith's development, George Lucas explored the possibility of using stock footage combined with CGI to "resurrect" Cushing for a scene near the film's conclusion. Concept artist Iain McCaig suggested utilizing unused footage from A New Hope and digitally animating Cushing's lips to match the planned dialogue, creating a concept art image that Lucas approved. Animation director Rob Coleman even consulted with Christopher Lee, who played Dooku in the film and was a close friend of Cushing, about the feasibility of using a digital model of Cushing.

However, Lucas later concluded that the existing footage was inadequate, as the scene required a full-body shot of Tarkin, but Cushing had worn slippers instead of boots during the filming of his scenes in A New Hope due to the boot size issue. Consequently, Wayne Pygram was cast as Tarkin in a non-speaking role because of his striking resemblance to Cushing.

For Rogue One, advanced CGI and digitally manipulated archive footage were employed to superimpose Cushing's likeness from the original film onto the body of Guy Henry. Cushing's estate was heavily involved in the process, providing input on even "small, subtle adjustments." Although both Industrial Light & Magic and Lucasfilm were confident in their ability to "resurrect" Cushing using CGI, contingency plans were developed in case the footage proved unsuitable. If "Cushing" had not been able to appear in the film, Tarkin's lines would have been reassigned to other characters. As Cushing was successfully integrated into the final project, he received a special acknowledgement: "With Special Acknowledgement to Peter Cushing, OBE." In 2017, when asked about potentially reprising the role of Tarkin in either Solo: A Star Wars Story or the unreleased Obi-Wan Kenobi Star Wars Anthology film, Henry expressed his interest and hinted at the possibility of an Anthology film dedicated to Tarkin. Henry viewed his performance as a tribute to the late Cushing, whom he considered a great actor, and remains open to returning to the role of Tarkin.