With the establishment of the First Galactic Empire, a thousand generations of scattered,
decentralized authority were replaced with autocratic rule on an unprecedented scale.
Stripped of much of its power, the Imperial Senate ceded its authority to a new system
of regional governors, twenty formidable individuals appointed the title of Moff and entrusted
to fulfill the directives of the most determined and powerful regime the galaxy had ever seen.
First among this cabal to earn the title of “Grand Moff” was a man whose very name
would come to define the essence of the Empire itself, Wilhuff Tarkin.
Born to a wealthy and influential family on the planet Eriadu, Tarkin was raised on the
principles of respect, discipline, obedience, and self reliance.
He spent much of his childhood learning to survive in the savage wilderness of Eriadu,
a wilderness his ancestors had helped tame.
These early lessons helped prepare him for a career of military service, one that began
in the Outland Regions Security Force.
Here Tarkin displayed a unique talent for anti-piracy work, adapting the survival and
hunting techniques he had used on Eriadu for use in space combat.
His success against Q’anah’s Marauders, and the brutal methods through which he achieved
that success, made Tarkin a controversial but respected figure.
While attending the Sullust Sector Spacefarer's Academy and preparing for a career in the
Judicial Department’s paramilitary forces, a chance encounter with Sheev Palpatine, then
a Senator of Naboo, influenced Tarkin to consider a career in politics.
Eventually, with Palpatine’s support, Tarkin became the Governor of Eriadu.
Shortly before the outbreak of the Clone Wars, Tarkin was approached by Dooku, a former Jedi
Master who had left the order and reclaimed the title Count of Serenno.
Disillusioned by perceived corruption within the Republic, Dooku attempted and ultimately
failed to sway Tarkin and Eriadu to join his Separatist movement.
Tarkin’s loyalty further impressed Sheev Palpatine, now Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic
Republic.
With the declaration of the Confederacy of Independent Systems and the outbreak of hostilities,
Tarkin resigned from his role as Governor and became one of the first officers of the
newly formed Republic Navy.
Tarkin served in a number of decisive battles before being briefly captured and imprisoned
by Separatist forces.
His rescue by famed Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker led to a sort of mutual respect between the
two but failed to alter Tarkin’s assessment of the Jedi as a whole.
Tarkin believed the Jedi code was ill-suited for a galactic war, and he recommended that
the Jedi be gradually phased out of military command.
Following his escape, Tarkin was appointed to the Special Weapons Group within the Strategic
Advisory Cell on Coruscant.
The purpose of this group was to oversee the development of a new kind of battle station.
Shortly after, Tarkin was promoted to the rank of Admiral, and became a key figure in
developing high level strategic operations in the ongoing war against the Confederacy
of Independent Systems.
The end of the Clone Wars and the establishment of the Galactic Empire thoroughly transformed
the political landscape of the galaxy.
Through his connections with now Emperor Palpatine, Tarkin secured a position as Moff as well
as a seat on Imperial High Command.
With his newfound influence, Tarkin became intimately involved in the activities of Advanced
Weapons Research, the successor to the Special Weapons Group and now under the authority
of the Imperial Security Bureau.
While here, Tarkin founded a secret think tank that would come to heavily influence
the projects undertaken by the AWR.
Tarkin was among the foremost champions of Project Stardust, which had inherited the
idea first proposed during the Clone Wars for the construction of a moon sized deep
space battle station.
He was widely suspected to be the Emperor’s personal eyes and ears within the project,
leading to a rivalry with its other high-ranking officials, particularly Director Orson Krennic.
As Stardust progressed Tarkin was also tasked with the integration of various worlds that
had resisted Imperial authority.
Among these was Mon Cala, which, despite Tarkin’s efforts, would eventually become one of the
primary benefactors of the Alliance to Restore the Republic.
After pacification campaigns in the Western Reaches and the Corporate Sector, Tarkin was
rewarded for his efforts with a promotion to the newly created office of Grand Moff.
With unrivaled authority over the entire Outer Rim Territories, Tarkin contributed to the
shaping of general Imperial Policy, with the galactic media coining the term “The Tarkin
Doctrine” based on several of his opinions and political beliefs.
In his new role, Tarkin toured the Outer Rim, ensuring the region was operating at peak
efficiency to help sustain Imperial infrastructure and expansion efforts across the whole of
the galaxy.
He also managed the Empire’s efforts to hunt down and destroy the growing threat of
Rebellion, developing a working relationship with Grand Admiral Thrawn and Darth Vader,
perhaps the most trusted servant of the Emperor.
Tarkin believed the ultimate solution to the Rebel Alliance was the deployment of Project
Stardust, now officially named the DS-1 Orbital Battle Station or “the Death Star”.
Tarkin personally supervised the installation of the station’s Superlaser and took direct
command of the station following the Battle of Scarif, in which the plans for the Death
Star were stolen by Rebel spies, and Orson Krennic was killed.
Aboard the DS-1, Tarkin was determined that the station’s weapon be used on the still
undiscovered Rebel headquarters.
Despite the interrogation of Princess Leia Organa, daughter of a prominent former Senator
and suspected Rebel sympathizer, the location of the Rebel base remained hidden.
Still driven to use the station’s full power, Tarkin directed that Alderaan, homeworld of
the Organa family and highly sympathetic to the Rebel cause, be destroyed.
With the destruction of Alderaan, Tarkin believed that the futility of resisting the Empire
had been made clear to the entire galaxy.
With the eventual discovery of the Rebel Base on Yavin 4, Tarkin ordered it too to be destroyed,
forcing the Rebel alliance into what he considered a final, suicidal attack on the station.
During the Battle of Yavin, Tarkin was informed that the Rebel attack was based around a previously
unknown critical weakness in the design of the Death Star, but believing the Rebellion’s
strategy to be ultimately futile, opted to remain onboard the station.
This decision would cost Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin his life, when mere moments before
Yavin 4 was destroyed, a single rebel starfighter broke through Imperial defenses and ignited
the station’s reactor core with 2 proton torpedoes.
His death sent shockwaves across Imperial leadership and his legacy remained divisive
within the Galactic Empire until it’s collapse.
Many placed the failure of the Death Star solely upon Tarkin himself, lamenting how
many other projects might have been funded with the resources directed towards the battle
station.
While his ultimate role in the collapse of the Empire remains debated to this day, there
is no denying that Wilhuff Tarkin was an imposing and enormously proficient individual.
His experiences as a hunter on Eriadu instilled in him a strong belief that life was a constant
struggle for survival.
He expressed this belief through the ruthless and relentless pursuit of his goals and his
ambition was perfectly suited for a career in the Galactic Empire.
He fiercely advocated for a strong Imperial military and placed enormous emphasis on the
power of fear and intimidation.
He held little tolerance for failure and was known to summarily execute those who had failed
while under his command.
He was also known for his sharp memory and never forgot or forgave any slight against
his character, either intended or perceived.
Mon Mothma, one of the most prominent members of the Rebel alliance and the first Chancellor
of the New Republic once described Tarkin as a “heartless skeleton held together by
the stiffness of his uniform.”
That opinion is likely shared by much of the greater galaxy, but within the Unknown Regions,
Grand Moff Tarkin is held in much higher esteem.
Within the First Order, squadrons and legions bear the names of those they consider the
greatest Imperial heroes.
Tarkin is among them and the squadron of First Order Tie Fighters that carries his legacy
may yet have the chance to fulfill the vision left unfinished by the First Galactic Empire.
In Dossier, the Templin Institute investigates the legendary figures from alternate worlds.
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