Q&A's About 'Star Wars': In 'Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope,' who is the principal villain, Tarkin or Vader?

When I first watched Star Wars at the age of 14, I thought Darth Vader was the main villain of the movie for maybe the first 30 minutes.

In this scene, as well as all the others set aboard the Tantive IV, the guy in the black armor seemed to be in charge of the Imperial army. He gave orders, the scary-looking stormtroopers and the various officers deferred to him and called him “Lord Vader.” And younger Star Wars viewers thought he ran the entire Galactic Empire.

Then I saw this scene and realized that Vader, while clearly a powerful Imperial leader, was assigned to assist, not lord it over, Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, Governor of the Imperial Outland Regions and commander of the Death Star.

Vader could give orders to field grade Imperial officers. And, even though the film never made this clear, he had an Imperial-class Star Destroyer (the Devastator) and its entire complement at his disposal. He could also intimidate Imperial admirals and generals with his baleful gaze and the occasional Force choke…at least until Tarkin told him to cut it out. Clearly, as Leia pointedly states on the Death Star’s overbridge, Tarkin is “holding Vader’s leash” throughout A New Hope.

So though Vader is the public face of Emperor Palpatine’s New Order, Tarkin is the cold-blooded bureaucrat who runs the Empire’s huge military machine. (At least, till the Death Star is destroyed at the Battle of Yavin.)