30 Greatest Star Wars Characters

28. Grand Moff Tarkin

Peter Cushing's Grand Moff Tarkin remains one of the most fascinating characters in the Star Wars mythos, and he only appears in one film.

A lot of that comes down to Cushing's performance, but the main source of fascination with the character relates to the dichotomy between him and Darth Vader. Tarkin is a high-level Imperial Officer, and yet commands a certain respect from Vader, appearing to even outrank the Emperor's apprentice in the chain of command.

Cushing brought the appropriate amount of smarm to the part, and with further appearances in TV spin-offs and even Rogue One, it's clear there's a lot of love for everyone's favourite (only?) Grand Moff.