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Grand Moff Tarkin

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Grand Moff Tarkin
Star Wars character
First appearanceStar Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker (1976 novel)
Created byGeorge Lucas
Portrayed by
Voiced by
Information
Occupation
  • Governor of Eriadu
  • Station Commander
Affiliation
Spouse(s)Thalassa Tarkin
(Legends)
ChildrenEllian Zahra
(surrogate daughter)
Garoche Tarkin
(son, Legends)
RelativesGideon Tarkin
(brother, Legends)
HomeworldEriadu

Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin is a made-up character in the Star Wars movies, shows, and books. He first appeared in the 1977 movie Star Wars (later called Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope). He is one of the main bad guys in the story.

Tarkin works for the Galactic Empire. He is the leader of the Death Star, a very large round space station. The Death Star has a huge laser that can destroy whole planets. Tarkin is played by actor Peter Cushing in the first movie.

Tarkin is also in other movies, TV shows, and books, including Revenge of the Sith, Rogue One, The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and Star Wars: The Bad Batch. His past is explained in the 2014 book Tarkin. In 2006, the website IGN said Tarkin is one of the most powerful and scary villains in Star Wars.[2]

Creation and portrayal

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At first, the character Tarkin was planned to be a holy man from a planet called Aquila. This idea was later changed, and he became a villain instead.[3]

Because the Emperor does not appear in the first movie, director George Lucas used Tarkin as the main bad guy to show how the Empire works.[4] A book made to explain the movie says Tarkin wants to become Emperor himself.[5]

Peter Cushing later joked that he did not know what a "Grand Moff" was. He said it sounded like something that lives in a clothes closet. He described Tarkin as a very angry and unpleasant man.[6]

In Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, a younger Tarkin is played by Wayne Pygram. Heavy makeup was used to make him look like a young Peter Cushing.[7]

In animated shows, Tarkin is voiced by Stephen Stanton. Stanton studied Peter Cushing’s acting so the voice would sound similar but younger and more human.[8]

In Rogue One, computers were used to make Tarkin look like Peter Cushing again, even though Cushing had died. A digital face was placed over actor Guy Henry’s performance.[9][10]

This was very hard to make and very expensive. Some people liked it, and others felt unsure if it was right to use a dead actor’s face.[11]

Appearances

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Movies

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Star Wars (1977)

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In the first movie, Tarkin is a Grand Moff and controls the Death Star.[12] He works with Darth Vader to stop the Rebel Alliance.

Tarkin captures Princess Leia. He threatens to destroy her home planet, Alderaan, if she does not tell him where the Rebels are. Even after she lies, he destroys Alderaan to scare everyone.

Tarkin lets the Rebels escape so he can follow them. When they attack the Death Star, he refuses to leave. Luke Skywalker destroys the Death Star, and Tarkin dies inside it.

Revenge of the Sith (2005)

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A younger Tarkin appears at the end of the movie. He stands with Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine while the Death Star is being built.[13]

Rogue One (2016)

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In Rogue One, Tarkin takes control of the Death Star from Orson Krennic. He orders attacks using the Death Star and destroys the Rebel base on Scarif, killing Krennic and many Rebels.

Television series

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The Clone Wars

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Tarkin appears as a younger officer in the Republic Navy. He does not trust the Jedi. He helps put Ahsoka Tano on trial, even though she did nothing wrong.

Star Wars Rebels

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Tarkin rules many outer planets and hunts Rebels. He works with Darth Vader and punishes his own officers if they fail.

The Bad Batch

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Tarkin helps change the Empire’s army. He wants normal soldiers instead of clones. He tests Clone Force 99 and orders the destruction of Kamino.

Novels

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Tarkin (2014)

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This book talks about Tarkin’s past. It shows how he meets the Emperor and Darth Vader and becomes powerful. It explains the Tarkin Doctrine, which means ruling by fear instead of kindness.[14]

Legends

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Older Star Wars stories are now called Legends and are not part of the main story anymore.[15]

In these stories, Tarkin appears in many books and comics. His ideas about ruling by fear are still important.

Notes

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References

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  1. 1 2 Cushing is also given a special credit acknowledgement for this movie, as Peter Cushing OBE, for the use of his character likeness.
  2. ↑ Gilchrist, Todd (August 8, 2006). "Star Wars Speeches: Grand Moff Tarkin". IGN. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Tarkin, Grand Moff". Databank. Lucasfilm. Archived from the original on August 3, 2008. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
  4. ↑ Lucas, George (2011). Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Blu-ray). Audio commentary for Episode IV – A New Hope.
  5. ↑ Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy (DVD). Star Wars Trilogy Box Set DVD documentary. 2004. 74:30 minutes in.
  6. ↑ Saavedra, John (February 26, 2018). "Star Wars: That Time Grand Moff Tarkin Blew Up Alderaan While Wearing Slippers". Den of Geek.
  7. 1 2 Audio commentary on Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
  8. ↑ Vilmur, Pete (March 3, 2011). "Look Who's Tarkin: Stephen Stanton". StarWars.com.
  9. 1 2 Anderton, Ethan (January 6, 2017). "See How 'Rogue One' Brought Peter Cushing Back As Grand Moff Tarkin". /Film. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Valnet, Inc. Archived from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  10. 1 2 Hooton, Christopher (December 24, 2016). "Rogue One: Peter Cushing resurrected as Grand Moff Tarkin via CGI was impressive, but was it ethical?". The Independent. London, England: Independent Print Ltd. Archived from the original on December 26, 2016. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  11. 1 2 Walsh, Joseph (December 16, 2016). "CGI resurrection of Peter Cushing is thrilling – but is it right?". The Guardian. London, England. Archived from the original on December 23, 2016. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Peter Cushing in "Star Wars"". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. August 13, 1976.
  13. 1 2 Breznican, Anthony (August 24, 2015). "Should Star Wars: Rogue One resurrect Peter Cushing as Tarkin?". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 25, 2015. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  14. 1 2 Keane, Sean (November 3, 2014). "REVIEW: Star Wars: Tarkin brings us into the Empire's dark heart". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  15. 1 2 "Disney and Random House announce relaunch of Star Wars Adult Fiction line". StarWars.com. April 25, 2014. Archived from the original on May 14, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Grand Moff Tarkin". StarWars.com. Archived from the original on August 3, 2024. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  17. ↑ Gilchrist, Todd (August 8, 2006). "Star Wars Speeches: Grand Moff Tarkin". IGN. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Tarkin, Grand Moff". Databank. Lucasfilm. Archived from the original on August 3, 2008. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
  19. ↑ Lucas, George (2011). Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Blu-ray). Audio commentary for Episode IV – A New Hope.
  20. ↑ Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy (DVD). Star Wars Trilogy Box Set DVD documentary. 2004. 74:30 minutes in. His insatiable political ambitions to become Emperor have driven him to use ruthless means to quell the rapidly growing rebellion.
  21. ↑ Saavedra, John (February 26, 2018). "Star Wars: That Time Grand Moff Tarkin Blew Up Alderaan While Wearing Slippers". Den of Geek. London, England: Dennis Publishing.
  22. ↑ Vilmur, Pete (March 3, 2011). "Look Who's Tarkin: Stephen Stanton". StarWars.com. Archived from the original on September 13, 2011. Retrieved March 4, 2011.
  23. ↑ Lincoln, Kevin (December 24, 2016). "How Did Rogue One Legally Re-create the Late Peter Cushing?". Vulture. New York City: New York Media. Archived from the original on December 24, 2016. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Perfect Actor to Bring Tarkin to Life". Comicbook.com. January 13, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  25. ↑ Guerrasio, Jason (January 11, 2017). "The actor behind the CGI Tarkin in 'Rogue One' tells us how he created the character". Business Insider. New York City: Axel Springer SE. Archived from the original on January 10, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  26. ↑ Itzkoff, Dave (December 27, 2016). "How 'Rogue One' Brought Back Familiar Faces". The New York Times. New York City. Archived from the original on December 28, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  27. ↑ "'Morbid and off-putting' or 'convincing'? Rogue One's CGI Peter Cushing gets a mixed response from Star Wars fans". The Telegraph. London, England: Telegraph Media Group. December 16, 2016. Archived from the original on December 18, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  28. ↑ Fullerton, Huw (December 22, 2016). "How a Holby City actor brought one of Star Wars' most iconic characters back to life". Radio Times. London, England: Immediate Media Company. Archived from the original on December 16, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  29. ↑ "Peter Cushing in "Star Wars"". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Block Communications. August 13, 1976. p. 29.
  30. ↑ Child, Ben (August 24, 2015). "Star Wars: Rogue One 'to resurrect Peter Cushing via CGI', despite slipper issues". The Guardian. London. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  31. ↑ Blauvelt, Christian (February 17, 2011). "Star Wars - The Clone Wars: Grand Moff Tarkin makes his debut!". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 19, 2011. Retrieved February 19, 2011.
  32. ↑ "Get your exclusive first look at Grand Moff Tarkin on 'Star Wars Rebels'". Entertainment Weekly. February 3, 2015. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  33. ↑ Schaefer, Sandy (May 4, 2021). "Star Wars: The Bad Batch: Season 1, Episode 1, 'Aftermath' Recap & Spoilers". CBR. Archived from the original on May 5, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  34. ↑ Miller, David (April 5, 2021). "Every Star Wars Character Returning In The Bad Batch". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on May 6, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  35. ↑ Silliman, Brian (May 4, 2021). "The Premiere of Star Wars: The Bad Batch Answers Burning Questions and Hurts Our Souls". Syfy Wire. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  36. ↑ Kane, Alex (May 14, 2021). "The third 'Bad Batch' introduces an all-new 'Star Wars' monster". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  37. ↑ Crouse, Megan (December 29, 2016). "Star Wars: A Guide to the New Ships of Rogue One". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on October 14, 2018. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  38. ↑ "Tarkin's Gay Lover: Star Wars Bizarre". May 31, 2021. Archived from the original on February 8, 2022. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  39. ↑ McMilian, Graeme (April 25, 2014). "Lucasfilm Unveils New Plans for Star Wars Expanded Universe". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 30, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  40. ↑ "The Legendary Star Wars Expanded Universe Turns a New Page". StarWars.com. April 25, 2014. Archived from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
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