Although Tarkin did briefly appear in Episode III, that role was a cameo that lasted seconds, so it was only in Episode IV that we saw what kind of a man he was, which was one of the most powerful officers in the Empire. Originally Governor of the Outland Regions, he was appointed Commander of the Death Star by Palpatine. He also holds the distinction of being one of the few non-Jedi to tell Darth Vader off without being killed for it! When we first met Vader he was this hulking black figure who choked a man while holding him in the air. Who would ever want to mess with him? Apparently Tarkins okay with it since he told later Vader to quit choking that officer who was talking trash about the Force. He was also quite ruthless. Even when Princess Leia revealed the location of the Rebel base after he threatened to blow up her home planet Alderaan, Tarkin blew up the planet anyway as a show of power. Seriously, you don't want to cross this guy. Unless of course youre a small group of Rebel fighters who are exploiting a small exhaust port weakness in the Death Star. To be fair, the odds were stacked against the Rebels and Tarkin believed he could easily wipe them out and destroy their base on Yavin IV. Unfortunately, he didnt count on a young farm boy with the Force and his smuggler friend screwing him over. He paid for his arrogance by getting blown up with everyone else in that monstrosity. Tarkin may have been a memorable character, but hes also an example of what happens when you underestimate the Force.