Star Wars, as they played the dual role of the main antagonist in A New Hope. But, even though they were on the same side, Tarkin absolutely hated Vader with a ion. However, the level of hatred Tarkin held for Vader is nothing compared to what it could have been - what it should have been. Indeed, if Tarkin knew one major secret, he wouldn’t simply have hated Darth Vader, he would have done anything to kill him.
In the Legends comic miniseries Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Lost Command by Haden Blackman and Rick Leonardi, readers are thrown into the early days of the Empire, back when Darth Vader was still hunting Jedi along with any other citizens of the newly former Empire who stood against the new regime. One of these ‘rebels’ (before the official rise of the Rebel Alliance) was someone who should have been a loyal follower of the Empire, but who, instead, decided to turn against it: Wilhuff Tarkin’s son, Garoche Tarkin.
At first, Darth Vader was sent merely to find and even rescue Garoche Tarkin and his crew, as he was an iral in the Imperial Navy who was on a mission to crush an insurgency on the planet Atoa. However, when Vader found him, it was revealed that Garoche had defected to the Atoan insurgency, as he resented the Empire for all the acts of atrocity he had committed as an Imperial iral. As if Garoche was any other person who stood against the Empire, Darth Vader murdered him.
Darth Vader Did More Than Just Murder Tarkin’s Son
Darth Vader & Emperor Palpatine Manipulated Tarkin Into Being a Better Soldier
Not only did Darth Vader kill Grand Moff Tarkin’s only son, but he also covered up the nature of his death and even used it to manipulate Tarkin into being an even better, more ruthless soldier of the Empire. Since Garoche went to Atoa to crush an insurgency, it only made sense for Vader (after getting the ‘OK’ from Palpatine) to report back to Tarkin that his son was murdered by the Atoan people. Darth Vader never told Tarkin that his son defected, covering up that truth with a lie that created even more death and destruction.
To add insult to injury, Darth Vader was always planning to murder Garoche Tarkin whether he defected or not to achieve the same end result with Grand Moff Tarkin.
Grand Moff Tarkin believed the lie about his son’s death, and it drove him to commit planetary genocide against the entire population of Atoa. This experience also strengthened Tarkin’s commitment to the Empire, as he came to subconsciously view any who stood against the Empire as the same people who killed his son. It’s that belief that allowed Tarkin to destroy Alderaan in A New Hope without blinking, effectively forging him into the heinous villain Star Wars fans met in Episode IV.
Maybe Tarkin would have seen things from his son’s point of view after learning that he had defected, and that Darth Vader - the ‘fist’ of the Empire - was the one who killed him. But, without question, the first thing Tarkin would have done is kill Vader out of pure, unadulterated vengeance. After that, it’s a toss-up as to how Tarkin would have lived his life. Maybe he’d still believe in the mission of the Empire, and solely blame Vader for his son’s death. Maybe not. Either way, it’s clear that Vader would know Tarkin’s wrath, just as Atoa and Alderaan came to know it.
Like Father, Like Daughter: Leia Organa Also Robbed Tarkin of His ‘Heir’
Leia Organa Defeated Grand Moff Tarkin’s Protégé: Ellian Zahra
Interestingly enough, Leia Organa did something similar to Tarkin like her father, Darth Vader. In Star Wars’ canon comics, during the Original Trilogy era, Leia’s arch enemy is an Imperial Commander named Ellian Zahra, who was actually the protégé of Grand Moff Tarkin. Zahra was primed to succeed Tarkin upon the Grand Moff’s retirement, but those plans came to a screeching halt when Tarkin was killed on the Death Star. While that was more Luke’s doing than Leia’s (though that point could be argued), it was Leia who ensured that Zahra never became like Tarkin by continuously defeating her whenever they met on the battlefield.
Wow, I Never Realized This Star Wars Character Could Defeat a Top-Rank Sith Lord
One Star Wars character has always been a strong warrior, but after killing a top-tier Sith Lord, they proved they're way stronger than fans thought.
Leia robbed Tarkin of his heir just like Darth Vader did, though with Vader, there was far more to it than just that. Darth Vader killed Tarkin’s son, lied to the Grand Moff about it, and used his son’s death to manipulate Tarkin into being an even better soldier for the Empire, leading to Tarkin becoming ruthless enough to wipe out all life on multiple planets. Therefore, it’s fair to say that - while Grand Moff Tarkin never liked Darth Vader in Star Wars - he would have done anything to kill him if he knew the truth.
- Created By
- George Lucas
- Cast
- Bob Anderson, Sebastian Shaw
- First Appearance
- Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
- Died
- Star Wars: Episode VI - Return Of The Jedi
- Alliance
- Jedi, Sith
- Race
- Human
