Unfortunately, he shared the fate of the first Death Star, but we’ve luckily seen more of him in The Clone Wars, Rebels, his own novel, Tarkin (which delivers thoughtful complexity to Tarkin’s character while exploring his unique relationship to Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine), and Rogue One. As commander of the first Death Star, he proved to be the perfect blend of ruthless, calculating, and arrogant, and it’s the combination of those qualities that led to both his rise and his downfall. Since his first appearance in A New Hope, Tarkin has been the measuring stick for all Imperials to follow. There’s no way to talk about Imperial officers without listing Wilhuff Tarkin at the very top of the list. Here’s a look at seven Imperial officers who fought those rebel scum as they tried to maintain their stranglehold over the galaxy. But what good is a protagonist without a bunch of bad guys to give them something to fight for? In Rogue One, we saw what rebel heroism looks like without the help of the Force in that spirit, let’s not forget that plenty of villains also served their cause without the aid of a mystical superpower.
Luke, Han, Leia, Rey - there’s no shortage of tales detailing their heroism and valor. We all know the exploits of the good guys in a galaxy far, far away.
