Even though the most casual Star Wars fans know that Darth Vader will choke out an Imperial Officer for questioning his methods at the drop of a hat, those same fans may be shocked to see Vader take backtalk from iral Tarkin without the proper context given in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. There remains a lingering question after Star Wars: A New Hope, one that begs for the logic behind a powerful Sith Lord allowing a Moff, with a lower ranking than his own, to give him any grief or direction. However, after witnessing the beginnings of their relationship, it becomes clear why Tarkin and Vader do not have a normal dynamic.
Besides Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader keeps every member of the Imperial forces firmly underneath his thumb. However, when it comes to Grand Moff Tarkin he not only refrains from threatening him but even heads his warnings and commands. While this relationship seems out of character for Vader at first glance, the origin of Tarkin and Anakin Skywalker's connection is broken down in The Clone Wars series. Throughout the show, the pair are seen to share a similar ideology, often taking extremist stances in the name of securing victory. In contrast to other Jedi, Tarkin soon comes to respect Anakin, ingratiating him in his more unorthodox plans. It is because of this prior relationship and history that Tarkin has a very different relationship with Vader than other imperial officers.
Vader Obeying Tarkin Is Weird In Star Wars (Without The Clone Wars)
Given Vader's murderous treatment of Imperial irals throughout Star Wars – variously, threatening, throttling and outright murdering those that disappoint him – his almost submissive behavior in the presence of Tarkin represents a real inconsistency. In Star Wars: A New Hope, for instance, Vader seemingly takes orders and humors lectures from iral Tarkin. This may just be due to the lack of clarity on Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back was written. However, Star Wars: The Clone Wars adds some context to Anakin and Tarkin's relationship that retroactively explains why Vader would allow such interactions. Viewers of the animated series are aware of the many interactions between the two in moments of wartime decision-making and political distress, bonding circumstances that led to mutual respect between Anakin and Tarkin. Without witnessing these interactions, it's easy to dismiss Vader and Tarkin's relationship as a narrative oversight, when it actually represents something much deeper.
Darth Vader's Tarkin Respect Proves Anakin Wasn't Entirely Dead
The very notion that Darth Vader would hold onto his respect for Tarkin shows that all of Anakin Skywalker's memories have not gone to the wayside as a result of his turn to the dark side. Their previous dealings, detailed in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and James Luceno's novel Star Wars: Tarkin, still clearly affect how Vader sees Obi-Wan Kenobi.
While it all started with Star Wars: A New Hope, the first film in the Star Wars franchise doesn't fully represent what the saga later turned out to be. The magic of the Dave Filoni-produced television shows is that they fill in so many of the gaps left by the films. It is a creative luxury to have a series like Star Wars: The Clone Wars that can expand on those smaller details. Inconsistencies and throw-away lines from the original films, that may not line up with the extended storyline laid out later on, sometimes contradict previous moments in Star Wars without the proper context. This is one of the times when background information actively protects the greater Star Wars lore.