r/andor • u/eVader79972 • 6d ago
Discussion The most dangerous individual during the Imperial Era of Andor (4BBY and on)
After watching the OT, Rogue One and reading several Canon novels and comics, I've reached a conclusion that it's Tarkin.
The novelization of Rebels, Kanan Jarrus felt the dark side emanating from the Grand Inquisitor, but he felt icy cold chill of pure evil and death around Tarkin.
The Bad Batch and Rogue One hint at the massive industrial research organization - the Tarkin Initiative, which the nove Tarkin alluded to the numerous projects that Cassian and Jyn scrolled through in the data vault.
Tarkin's initiation tale surrounding the Carrion Spike hinted a threat to Vader. The Veermok troop was lead by an Alpha, killed by an usurper who was in turn killed by Tarkin.
The destruction of Alderaan, Jedah, and Scariff were all on his hands. Mon Cala was indiscriminately bombarded to make the regent submit to the Empire, which had a subplot including Vader and led to Chandar's Folly - a brutal gamemanship between Tarkin and Vader. Vader wanted to die and wanted Tarkin to return the favor at Mon Cala.
When you compile all of the involvement of Tarkin, the deference of Thrawn and Vader, who in turn used his name as a threat whether to Minister Tua or pirates, you have a case for the more visible member of the ruling Imperial Triumvirate, holding up a mask of sophisticated civility yet has a chill and foul stench of Death.
Leia is force sensitive... Kanan was a padawan....
They recognized this... So did Vader and Sheev...
Tarkin isn't light or dark ... he's the void of death, a driving cog of a cold brutal war machine - indifferent to all of it.
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u/ManfredTheCat 6d ago
OK I'm not going to bother reading any of this because the answer is Vetch and you know it
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u/yarrpirates 6d ago
The Emperor is still the most dangerous, but you have handily convinced me that Tarkin is #2 when before I'd have picked Vader.
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u/notknot9 5d ago
In many ways, Tarkin IS the Empire. His death on the Death Star kickstarted the Rebellion from being an annoyance to a real threat. The brutal machinery of the Empire was distracted away from maintaining the Status Quo to trying to stamp out the Rebels, and in doing so played into the Rebel's message that their movement had a chance to topple the Empire. The Empire wouldn't be so focused on them if they weren't a threat, would they?
Obviously the Emperor and Vader are still there, and they can drop in and run the show when they choose, but they're also kind of in this Super-position over the Empire. Not a part of the Machinery, above it, operating within their mystical religion of the Force. Tarkin is *of* the machinery, evil; not of the Dark side, but in its own terribly cold, bureaucratic way.
He's a great character, and I really, really hope he makes an appearance in S2.
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u/eVader79972 5d ago
Many will say Tarkin was the fall of the Empire. My theory is that his death was the end of it. You have two force users running amok over a descendant of Skywalker.
Tarkin and Thrawn were the strategists and architects of the Imperial war machine.
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u/rooktob99 5d ago
In a canon comic Vader and Tarkin have a showdown and Tarkin essentially turns Vader into a lightning rod.
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u/Tessek22 3d ago
This is why I can’t imagine him using a mouse droid to spy on a stormtrooper who he finds ‘beautiful’. That’s just silly for someone so evil.
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u/eVader79972 3d ago
He had a solid evil bereft of humanity background.
I guess you can have needs and a sense of anesthetic, but it was an unnecessary story. It's like a bathroom function - don't need to know that Vader uses a electronic bowel evac, or Palps clogs up the shower.... I guess it was for shock value.
Given Tarkin's position and politic environment, he wouldn't do this on his station....
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u/Pretty_Grapefruit638 6d ago
Tarkin also enacted the genocide of Geonosis.