Wider elements of Star Wars canon have confirmed just how important Grand Moff Tarkin was to the Empire including why his death was such a significant event. While upcoming Star Wars movies are unlikely to feature the return of Tarkin, other shows, books, and comics have explored his history at length. Tarkin’s Star Wars timeline before the events of A New Hope is one of the more interesting regarding minor characters in a galaxy far, far away, and proves just how vital he was to the Empire.
The main exploration of Tarkin outside of Star Wars’ TV shows or movies came in Tarkin, a book written by James Luceno. The book is set between Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope and details Tarkin’s rise to power within the Empire. Through this book and other elements of Star Wars canon, Tarkin’s death has been revealed to have shaken the Empire given the Grand Moff’s crucial role in expanding the tyrannical regime across the galaxy.
Tarkin’s Base On Eriadu Was Essentially The Empire’s Outer Rim Base
One of the core reasons for Tarkin’s importance to the Empire was his home planet of Eriadu. Eriadu is a planet located in the Outer Rim of the galaxy that has most recently been showcased in Star Wars: The Bad Batch. Interestingly, the capital of the Empire is Coruscant in the Core Worlds meaning the reach of the Imperials was not quite as forceful in the Outer Rim upon its formation.
That said, Eriadu has been confirmed as the leading candidate for the Empire’s secondary capital. Through being the home of the Tarkin family, the Empire had a strong foothold in the Outer Rim thanks to the location of Eriadu. Led by Tarkin, this foothold was influential in tightening the grip of the Empire over the planets in the Outer Rim which proved his influence within the organization.
Tarkin’s Death Left The Empire Defenseless In The Outer Rim
Concerning why Tarkin’s death was such a big turning point for the Empire, it left the Imperials all but defenseless in the Outer Rim. Of all the people in leadership positions across Palpatine’s Empire, only two had significant knowledge of the Outer Rim: Grand Admiral Thrawn and Grand Moff Tarkin himself. Thrawn’s story in Star Wars Rebels showcased that he was exiled into another galaxy a year before the Galactic Civil War began leading much of the Outer Rim’s coordination to Tarkin.
However, Tarkin was killed a year after this upon the destruction of the Death Star by the Rebel Alliance. As such, the Empire’s grip massively loosened on the planets of the Outer Rim. Without one of its core commanders orchestrating things from Eriadu and the Death Star in Tarkin, Star Wars‘ Empire lost a vital cog in the machine that can be argued to have directly led to its downfall, proving the Grand Moff’s importance.
