Other than being the Emperor's lead soldier, is there anything in Star Wars' "expanded universe" or any other source material that implies he had anything to do with "The Force" and Jedis? Was he simply a soldier with Vader being the "spiritual rep" in the field?

I have never seen any source to claim he has any sense of the force.

It is obvious he believes Vader has supernatural powers, but nothing spiritual about this guy.

remember in the military "You can give your heart to Jesus, but your ass belongs to the Marines"

I haven't seen anything about him having anything to do with the force. He was just an evil guy wanting to rule a part of the universe with fear...and have an affair, but that's another story.

There's some stuff in some weird EU about him having a son or something, but that's just fan fiction really.

he was one of the designers of the Death Star, but I've never read anything about him having any force powers
http://www.firsttvdrama.com/funstuff/tarkin.php3

Ok thanks guys.

Hey, I thought the Genosians designed the Death Star?

Since that's what the movies say, that's what the truth it.

Yea but if it happens in the EU than it actually happens because LucasArts approves of everything they write about before it is published. Like the death of Chewie.

Ever read Splinter of the Mind's Eye???

also this has went out the door a bit since episode 1....you are right, they did approve all of the EU, but that doesn't mean lucas considers it cannon.

Examples...ewok and droid cartoons....holiday special

im lumpy is in episode 3 i will love it

Lucasarts makes videogames.

Anyways, I really don't care. I'll enjoy the movies regardless.

The way I always saw it, Tarkin was the head of the Imperial military. Sort of Rumsfeld to the Emporer's Bush.

In the "line of power," Tarkin was probably right below Palpatine himself or at least very high up in the chain of command. (There were also some guys hanging around Palpatine's lair in ROTJ, not sure who they were.)

Darth Vader was pretty much just Palpatine's lackey. As you can see in the scene with Tarkin and the other guys, Vader gets very little respect until he chokes that one dude who gave him lip. And even then, Tarkin orders Vader to let him go.

The EU has fuck-all to do with anything but merchandising.

Just read about any of the novels or comics that came out before the prequels, and they have just about everything wrong. Cloning. Husband/wife Jedi teams. No Padawans. The only hold-over from the EU that made it into the prequels was naming the Imperial throneworld Coruscant.

Good stuff Josh.

Here's some excellently written fan speculation on the role of a "Grand Moff" in the Empire's military:

http://www.theforce.net/swtc/insigni...html#grandmoff
http://www.theforce.net/swtc/order.html#organisation

chewie is dead? omg, spoiler that shit next time.

Thanks! I'll check it out.

And Aurra Sing from Ep. I

Actually Vader came across as Tarkins little bitch in ANH

Yeah, Leia even says that Tarkin was "Holding Vader's leash." I wonder why Palpatine would give Tarkin more of a commanding role than Vader? Guess it was the military experience.

All I know is Peter Cushing has always rocked. If I was Vader, I would have knealt and then asked for some more Hammer anecdotes. Just like a Sergeant in wartime that saves the unit despite the Lieutenant’s incompetence, his rank doesn't matter. Tarkin rules!

The look on his face just (literal frame splice) before the Death Star pops is one of my favorite moments in the "good" trilogy.

The "good" trilogy?

For the same reason I saw Leia give her brother Luke a "sexy kiss" in "The Empire Strikes Back"....


Lucas didn't quite "flesh things out".

This is why although I love Vader, Tarkin is still waaaay cooler, and Frankly far more interesting IMHO. Vader jumped when Tarkin said so.

Thats because, from what I got out of it, Vader had really no command in the Imperial Navy or Army or whatever. I mean yea he was Plapantines student and everything and they gave him command eventually but what I thought was he really had no standing in the Empire, as a specific rank like Tarkin was a Grand Moff, he was just a Dark Jedi, but maybe I am wrong...

Yeah, pretty much. Vader's like a henchman or hatchet man.

To continue my Bush/Rumsfeld analogy, Vader would sort of be like Rove. Or, probably more accurately, Liddy (if we go back to the Nixon admin).