11. Grand Moff Tarkin Blows Up Alderaan With Great Delight (A New Hope)
The Scene: As punishment for her refusal to give up the location of the rebel base, Grand Moff Tarkin plans to demonstrate the Death Star's power by blowing up her home planet of Alderaan. This causes Leia to name the base location as Dantooine, but Tarkin gives the order to destroy Alderaan anyway, telling her, "You're far too trusting". Alderaan is then exploded, to Leia's utter horror. Why It's Creepy: Cushing's performance here is deliciously sadistic, with Tarkin taking a clear joy in both Leia's distress and the power he holds in his hands, wiping out 2 billion lives with the press of one button. Vader may be a bad guy, but in many ways Tarkin is much easier to loathe despite being a relatively minor character. He was a creepy a**hole right to his final moments, which aptly enough saw him being turned into a crater just like those poor saps on Alderaan...
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