10 Most Disturbing Star Wars Characters

In the later years of the Galactic Empire power had become concentrated in a small cadre of men. Vader and Palpatine were at the top of the food chain. This was, in no small part, due to their dark knowledge of the force.

However, a man who commanded equal parts fear and power was Grand Moff Tarkin. And Tarkin achieved his infamy without any ability in the Force. No, he was just a really, really bad dude.

Tarkin was so respected that he could order Darth Vader around like a lap dog. You need to be pretty intimidating to bully a Sith Lord. So, how did he earn this respect?

Tarkin believed the only way to achieve peace in the galaxy was through fear. People had to fear the Empire so much that they would never dare rebel. And for Tarkin this was more than an idea - it was a practice.

Tarkin's ideology was on full display at the Ghorman Massacre. Citizens of the planet Ghorman gathered to protest imperial taxation. The protestors crowded onto a landing pad to prevent Tarkin’s ship from landing on the planet. Tarkin ordered his pilot to land despite the crowd. His ship crushed a large group of protesters, killing most of them and maiming the rest.

There was also the small matter of Tarkin destroying the planet of Alderaan. No real reason to do this. He did it because he could, and because it would send a message. By the way, in that single act Tarkin likely killed more people than Vader and Palpatine combined.

So much for Sith Lords. This guy was the real baddie.