Star Wars: Rogue One - 9 Ways It Actually Improves The Original Trilogy
6. Showcases The Importance Of Tarkin
Second only to Boba Fett in the low-screentime/huge-impact stakes, Grand Moff Tarkin was arguably presented as the main villain in A New Hope. He oversees the Death Star, commands the Empire's forces and even, to a degree, wields a degree of control over Darth Vader. Despite his (assumed) death at the end of A New Hope, he's become one of the franchise's most integral figures and a huge part of Star Wars lore.
It's not unkind to say though that his importance isn't necessarily a reflection of his relevance. His place in the hearts and heads of Star Wars fans owed considerably more to the captivating performance of Peter Cushing than it did the prominence his character was given in the story. Thanks to Rogue One though, his importance finally feels justified.
With no sign of the Emperor, and Vader only cropping up for a few minutes, Tarkin becomes the conceptual pinnacle of the Empire. Krennic might be the one driving the plot for the majority of the film, but his power struggle with Tarkin becomes one of the film's most intriguing subplots. His battle with him is ultimately futile, and within it you can envisage how many other pretenders to his throne have fallen by the wayside over the years. Tarkin in Rouge One is so wonderfully fleshed out, it makes his flippant annihilation of Alderaan in IV make perfect sense.