Grand Moff Tarkin

Grand Moff Tarkin
Star Wars character
Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
First appearance	Star Wars (1977)
Created by	George Lucas
Portrayed by	Peter Cushing (Episode IV) (Rogue One; CGI facial likeness only) Wayne Pygram (Episode III) Guy Henry (Rogue One) (physical portrayal)[1]
Voiced by	Stephen Stanton (The Clone Wars, Rebels, and The Bad Batch) Trevor Devall (Lego Star Wars: Terrifying Tales) Guy Henry (Rogue One) Other: Keene Curtis (radio drama) Nick Jameson (Star Wars: X-Wing) Tony Pope (Read-along storybook CDs) Paul Darrow (Star Wars: Empire at War)
In-universe information
Occupation	Captain Admiral Governor of Eriadu Moff Grand Moff Station Commander
Affiliation	Galactic Republic Galactic Empire
Spouse	Thalassa Tarkin (Legends only)
Significant others	Natasi Daala (lover, Legends only)
Children	Ellian Zahra (surrogate daughter) Garoche Tarkin (son, Legends only)
Relatives	Jova Tarkin (great-uncle) Gideon Tarkin (brother, Legends only) Rivoche Tarkin (niece, Legends only) Ranulph Tarkin (cousin, Legends only) Saro (daughter-in-law, Legends only) Voren Na'al (nephew-in-law. Legends only)
Homeworld	Eriadu

Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise, introduced as the main antagonist of the original 1977 Star Wars film^[a] (although he has less screen time than his iconic equal Darth Vader), in which he was played by Peter Cushing. In the film, Tarkin is depicted as a high-ranking officer of the Galactic Empire, placed in charge of the operations on the Death Star, the Empire's moon–sized battle station. He orders the destruction of the planet Alderaan by the station's superlaser, and dies at the end of the film when the Death Star is destroyed by Luke Skywalker.

Apart from the original film, Tarkin has made appearances in various canon and non-canon Star Wars media, including the animated series The Clone Wars, Rebels, and The Bad Batch, and the films Revenge of the Sith and Rogue One. He is also the protagonist of the 2014 novel Tarkin, which details the character's backstory and rise to power within the Empire's ranks. In the novel, Tarkin advocates for the Tarkin Doctrine, a military system based on "the threat of force, rather than force itself". His philosophy becomes central to Imperial policy and earns him the position of the first Grand Moff in the Empire. (In the Galactic Empire, a "Moff" is the governor of a Sector, or subdivision of the Empire; a "Grand Moff" is the governor of an Oversector, a grouping of several Sectors.)

Tarkin's character has been well received, and he has been called "one of the most formidable villains in Star Wars history."^[2]

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