15. Grand Moff Tarkin
One of the most important people in the Imperial government, Grand Moff Tarkin championed the Imperial philosophy of ruling through fear. The Death Star was his brainchild and he also created the Maw Installation, which went on to build other super-weapons such as the Sun Crusher. He was given control of the Death Star after it became operational and was killed when Luke Skywalker destroyed it in the Battle of Yavin. Tarkin is played brilliantly by Peter Cushing and is actually one of the more memorable characters from the original movie. He exudes a personality that is at once both charming and ruthless and although his smug self confidence and denial that his ship is in any danger are classic bad guy cliches, Cushing makes them work brilliantly.