PT Thoughts on Tarkin in RotS?

I’ve always thought that for such a big name in the SW canon, Tarkin had too small of a role in RotS. Personally, I always thought it was a bit of an odd choice not to show him being recruited and how he was recruited. What do you think?

 

He's not that important in the grand scheme of things. He has no connection to Anakin's family arc, he's just a part of the imperial buearacry, and he's killed off after one movie. His 5 second cameo in ROTS feels totally fine.

I did like the expansion in TCW though, I just feel that in the main films, backstory for such a minor character is un needed, much like how we don't see Boba Fett transition to a full Bounty Hunter in the films, but do in TCW (or would have done, had the arc covering it been finished).

 

Lucky he made it in at all. Not enough time.
GL even cut a 10 second scene of Yoda going into exile.

 

The movie isn't about Tarkin. It's about the main characters. A brief cameo at the end was exactly what was appropriate.

 

He kinda reminded me of a zombie Ferengi in ROTS, maybe a good idea he didnt have more screen time.

 

Don’t look at him to closely and it all works out.

 

It did seem that in 99, Lucas was considering having Tarkin in AOTC and ROTS.

"Well, Tarkin was basically a small time politician who was a governor of a small Outland Region sector until he became one of the first supporters of Palpatine. As a result of his ties with Palpatine, Tarkin steadily moved up the "political ladder" during Palpatine's climb up the political ranks, which culminates in Palpatine becoming Emperor."

--George Lucas, Leonard Maltin Interview, 1999.

I wager that Lucas did change his mind about that and just left Tarkin to the brief cameo. That's why the EU used him a lot and then we got RO, which allowed for his part to be brought forward and given clarification for those who weren't in the know as the fandom is.

 

That CGI still amazes me

 

It also makes him feel uncomfortable.

 

Ha! No but seriously it was a nice cameo

 

He was recruited long before the events of ROTS, that's why his recruitment isn't shown. He joined the Republic Judicial Forces even before TPM. Is everything a controversy nowadays?

 

Yes welcome to the internet

 

Childhood. Ruined.

 

One could argue him being in RotS at all was unnecessary. With that in mind, his appearance feels not too cold and not too warm, but just right.

 

Now, I might not like the CT characters in the PT (Although I do not find the Emperor in ROTS awful anymore) Tarkin's CGI was great, although R1 Tarkin is a little bit better.

 

Tarkin in ROTS wasn't CGI! He was played by Wayne Pygram, who looks sort of like Peter Cushing, but the similarity was enhanced with make-up and small prosthetics if I'm not mistaken. Anyway, there was never a need to have his Tarkin look identical to Cushing's, because in the finished version we never get a close-up of his face.

 

He’s only there for five seconds, all of which he just sort of looks at the Emperor and Vader before moving out of their way. It’s fine.

 

Correct.



That is Pygram during the making of the film. Since there was no dialogue, it was easy to just get away with a blink-and-you miss him cameo. But since RO needed him to have a more substantial role, other methods were required.

 

I find it both a bit odd and a little bit of a waste to have Tarkin played by Wayne Pygram.
He played a very memorable villain on Farscape.
So why have an actor of his caliber just for this five second cameo?

And if you watch these films as Lucas wants us to, starting with EP I, then you have no idea who this guy is.
He just stands there next to Vader and Palpatine and says nothing. He isn't even given a name.

Lucas had plans for him but left him out, his choice. I just think that it is a bit of a pity as the character had potential as did his relationship with Vader.
And it would have put a face on Palpatine's supporters in the Republic.

Oh well.
Old Stoneface

 

Right and then you see in either RO or ANH, who that guy is.

 

I love Tarkin, best OT villain in my mind... RO did him perfect - ROTS he looked horrid. I think he should have been used a hell of a lot more in the PT. I would have changed Naboo to Alderaan as well and had them slight him so that when the time comes there was a little more to his callus destruction of it...

 

I always felt ROTS lacked a cohesive bridge from the Republic to the Empire. We go from clones seemingly running every aspect of the military from episode 2 through all of 3 and then suddenly at the end of 3 we get the shot of the star destroyer with all the fresh Imperial recruits. The Clone Wars tv show definitely helps ease the transition but I do find it a little jarring in the context of the filmic saga on it's own.

As for Tarkin, it would have been cool if he had a small role in the Senate scenes supporting Palpatine but it's not necessary. Same with Alderaan. Many fans think we should have seen more of Alderaan in the PT to make it's destruction feel more personal but since the destruction of Alderaan barely gets any emotional gravitas in ANH it would have felt off. Imagine if it was Naboo that got destroyed in ANH. All that world building and development and then bam gone and never spoken of again. Besides I like Naboo being both Palpatine and Padme's home planet, mirrored in the serene surface paradise disguising an underworld of phantom creatures, beautiful symbolism about duality. Palpatine having his own planet destroyed in ANH would not feel right.

So it is with Tarkin. Had he been developed too much in the PT his sudden death in ANH would be jarring. With that said a slightly expanded role from the cameo we got might not have hurt but thankfully Rogue One fixes that perfectly.

I miss more the cut Qui Gon scene from the ending of ROTS that would have explained the Force Ghost method and Yoda admitting the teachings of the Jedi had failed and him adopting Qui Gon's interpretation of the Force which was following the "Living" Force aka living in the moment more rather than the unifying force.

 

Why does there need to be more to it? That's exactly the point: Tarkin destroys it simply because it makes a more effective political demonstration. There's nothing personal about it; it's just a cold and ruthless demonstration of control.

 

I do recall Sir Christopher Lee commenting in the archive audio commentary on the bluray of ROTS how he loved how his former compatriot Peter Cushing sort of appeared in the film with him, through the depiction of Wayne Pigram's role as Tarkin who was made to look stunning like him. Just a nice little anecdote.

I also just realized Alderaan couldn't have been Padme's home planet because then it would have been even more obvious that Leia was her daughter when they were supposed to be hiding her.

 

It would also lead to all sorts of other complications. Alderaan is clearly a hereditary monarchy, and Leia is a member of the royal family. But Lucas wanted to make Padme an elected queen of a planet. So how does that all fit together?