CT Why did Vader take orders from Tarkin?

This has always made me scratch my head. Vader seemed like the kind of guy who would take orders from no one except Palpatine.

Couldn't Vader have simply killed Tarkin without anyone knowing and just lie and say that he died from an accident?

 

I figured he knew Palpatine would be able to sense any lies, and punish him for going beyond his remit. Vader is valuable to Palpatine - but he's not the only person Palpatine values as a tool.

 

Starting in TCW, there has been some effort to explain Vader's deference to Tarkin. In TCW, Anakin began to see Tarkin as a man who knew how to win the war, as Anakin became frustrated by what he saw as unnecessary restrictions from the Senate and the Jedi Council. In the book Tarkin, we see them form something of a trust relationship. Both are ambitious, but they respect each others' skills. In Rebels we see once again that they respect each other. In Rogue One, when Tarkin relaizes it's time to open up a can whoopass, he tells an underling to "inform Lord Vader." I suspect Palps told Vader that Tarkin is in charge of the Deathstar project and to support him. Vader is kind of outside the normal military command structure. As the Emperor's right hand, he does whatever the Emperor wants. In ANH, the Emperor wanted Vader to act as Tarkin's enforcer.

 

He didn't. They just had mutual respect, as seen in TCW.

 

The two had mutual respect for each other and Vader knew the Death Star was Tarkin's domain. More importantly, Tarkin is too valuable to the Empire to be killed. Vader would gain nothing from killing him.

 

Vader only attacked those who angered him. Motti made the mistake of mocking him about the Force and his failure to obtain the Death Star plans after they were passed around like a hot potato and then were stuck on Tatooine. Ozzel and Needa failed him. So it is not unreasonable for Vader not to choke Tarkin, because he has not given Vader reason to do so.

 

I'm sure Vader had orders to the effect of, "Tarkin is valuable, for now. You'll be under his command, as long as he doesn't get too ambitious. If he goes too far, kill him at once. As for the other officers, do as you see fit. They can be replaced."

 

Tarkin and Vader had great respect for one another. Heck I woudn't be surprised if Tarkin decided to start a coupe that he would appeal to him to join his side against the Emperor.

 

vader only listens to tarkin because he respects his military expertise and because the emperor has tarkin in charge of the military. they collaborate equally.

 

The original press materials back in 1977 (and then Brian Daley's radio drama) clearly stated that Tarkin had aspirations for becoming Emperor himself (the Sith Lord premise hadn't been flashed out, yet, especially because in an extended screenplay scene Vader was mocking the Emperor).

In hindsight it now appears to me that Vader was deliberately sent / stationed on the Death Star by the Emperor to ensure that neither Tarkin or Motti were getting any funny ideas of hijacking the Death Star for their own purposes.

One particular (deleted) Scene (BA53) I always found rather interesting suggested that Commander Number One ('Chief Bast') was realizing Vader's function:

COMMANDER
We've started to search the spaceport at Mos Eisley. It's just a matter of time before we've found the droids.

VADER
Send in more men if you have to. It's her hope of that data being used against us that is the pillar of her resistance to the mind probe.

COMMANDER
Until then we must waste our time with Governor Tarkin's foolish plan to break her.

A subordinate calling the governor's plan "foolish" is quite something, perhaps Commander Number One realized that there was more to Vader than most assumed and was trying to earn his confidence.

 

Why do people expect Vader to just kill everyone that gets near him?? He isn't a serial killer. Vader may be bad but he still dishes out compliments to his men and rewards good work... Just like any boss with a short fuse he punishes those that fail him or are being insolent.

He respects Tarkin - Why is this hard to understand?

 

It was in the novel as well.

Before that, Tarkin gently criticises Vader's methods:


"The final checkout is complete." Motti informed them. "All systems are operational." He turned to the others. "What shall be the first course we set?"
Vader appeared not to have heard as he mumbled softly, half to himself, "She has a surprising amount of control. Her resistance to the interrogator is considerable."
He glanced down at Tarkin. "It will be some time before we can extract any useful information from her."
"I've always found the methods you recommend rather quaint, Vader."
"They are efficient," the Dark Lord argued softly. "In the interest of accelerating the procedure, however, I am open to your suggestions."
Tarkin looked thoughtful. "Such stubbornness can often be detoured by applying threats to something other than the one involved."
"What do you mean?"
"Only that I think is time we demonstrated the full power of this station. We may do so in a fashion doubly useful." He instructed the attentive Motti, "Tell your programmers to set course for the Alderaan system."

 

Because Lucas really wasn’t planning ahead, and at the time, Darth Vader wasn’t yet conceived of as the No. 2 guy in the Imperial power structure.

 

Back then, Vader apparently thought of himself as number one (though not politically):


Vader stared at the motley array of stars displayed on the conference-room map while Tarkin and Admiral Motti conferred nearby. Interestingly, the first use of the most powerful destructive machine ever constructed had seemingly had no influence at all on that map, which in itself represented only a tiny fraction of this section of one modest-sized galaxy.
It would take a microbreakdown of a portion of this map to reveal a slight reduction in spatial mass, caused by the disappearance of Alderaan. Alderaan, with its many cities, farms, factories, and towns -- and traitors, Vader reminded himself.
Despite his advances and intricate technological methods of annihilation, the actions of mankind remained unnoticeable to an uncaring, unimaginably vast universe. If Vader's grandest plans ever came to pass, all that would change.
He was well aware that despite all their intelligence and drive, the vastness and wonder were lost on the two men who continued to chatter, monkeylike behind him. Tarkin and Motti were talented and ambitious, but they saw things only on the scale of human pettiness. It was a pity, Vader thought, that they did not possess the scope to match their abilities.
Still, neither man was a Dark Lord. As such, little more could be expected of them. These two were useful now, and dangerous, but someday they, like Alderaan, would have to be swept aside. For now, he could not afford to ignore them. And while he would have preferred the company of equals, he had to admit reluctantly that at this point, he had no equals.

 

my impression was Vader wasn't commander of all the military in ANH. he took orders from the Emperor for particular missions.
In Empire he may have been given more free reign to hunt down the rebels.

 

I always like to think that the Death Star was Tarkins turf, so Vader respected Tarkin when it was around that matter.

 

Exactly. That is the reason. All this other stuff like they are equals or Vader respects him, just doesn't add up. The relationship doesn't fit with the rest of the movies and what we know about the Sith. No way Tarkin could out rank Vader in ANH, but he does.

The scene where is force choking Motti, and Tarkin tells him to stop and Vader says "As you wish..." could be altered to "Ill do as I wish..." That could help a little.

 

Simple explanation: Palpatine told Vader that the Death Star was Tarkin's special project and he would be Tarkin's second in command, only acting against Tarkin if the situation warranted. As far as the choking Motti thing, well again, this isn't Vader's turf. If we assume that Palpatine told Vader that he would act as Tarkin's second in command while onboard the Death Star, of course he'll stop choking Motti when Tarkin ordered him. And it wasn't even a order that hinted disrespect, it was more of a, "Dude, can you please stop killing one of our officers in the middle of an important meeting?" Vader wouldn't have argued because again the situation didn't warrant it AND they were sort of on a tine crunch.

 

Because he's been ordered to by his master, The Emperor.

Lucas's model for the Imperial hierarchy is clearly the divide and rule policy (like Hitler's Germany). Everyone has overlapping responsibilities and ranks. All priorities other than seeking approval, favour and advancement from the Emperor are secondary.

This appears to be Supreme Leader's policy too.

 

Lots of good answers here, this kind of thing is explored heavily in the Marvel Comics' Vader series, but with other imperial officers.

Vader is the Emperor's number two as a Sith but he has to earn his place in the Imperial military command (see the above comparison to Hitler). As his Sith apprentice he's definitely expected to earn an extremely high rank within the Empire and he does.

By the time Empire Strikes Back happens, I don't really observe anyone with the stature of Tarkin, let alone Vader, in the Empire so the Gillen comic is very much about how we get to that point from ANH where like someone mentioned above, there seem to be officers with comparable hierarchical placement to Vader himself.

The Emperor uses people like Tarkin to keep Vader in check and folks like Vader to keep Tarkin in check....

 

Nice shine of light on it with the comics. Really need to get back on my reading schedule.

 

The part of the premise I left out is that in addition to all those dynamics, as the only surviving commander involved in the destruction of DS 1, Vader has to re-earn even the pull he had with the Emperor as of ANH between 4 and 5. The Vader comic does not disappoint.

T

 

What was always weird and out of place for me is when Tarkin kind of barks at Vader "Im taking an awful risk lord vader. This will better work!" as if hes threatening him

 

i get the feeling they're more or less on the same level. even in the scene in the conference room they're all speaking freely to each other.