Ranulph Tarkin

Ranulph Tarkin was a Human male from Eriadu who became an important political figure in the waning years of the Galactic Republic. Born into the wealthy Tarkin family, Ranulph spent his younger years further increasing the family's wealth and solidifying Eriadu's hegemony in the Seswenna sector and the broader Outer Rim Territories. He became determined that the Republic could not be secure without centralized armed forces and demanded the restoration of the Republic Military, forming his own fleet and army, the Republic Outland Regions Security Force, as a prototype for the new force. By 44 BBY, Tarkin was serving as the Senator for the Seswenna sector and was the leader of the Senate's Militarist faction, becoming the Senate's most vocal advocate for re-armament.

When Iaco Stark created a crisis by pirating the Trade Federation's shipments during a bacta shortage, Tarkin saw his opportunity to win the day. He pressured Trade Federation Minister Nute Gunray into giving up the location of a secret summit on Troiken in which Tarkin's political rival Senator Finis Valorum and a Jedi delegation would mediate between the Stark Commercial Combine and the Trade Federation. At Gunray's signal that all parties were assembled, Tarkin sent his full paramilitary force to Troiken, determined to stamp out Stark's pirates by force of arms and prove the value of a strong military once and for all.

The attack went awry when Stark anticipated that the senator would ambush him and infected Tarkin's fleet with a navigational computer virus. Tarkin was among the reduced fleet that made the jump to Troiken, where they were battered by Stark's navy. Tarkin had to abandon ship and seek shelter in the deserted mines of Mount Avos with the Jedi and Valorum. There he fell apart, dejected at his loss, and was inclined to give up. The Jedi and Tarkin's aide, Jace Dallin, took over leadership of Tarkin's army and held out against Stark's troops, building a burning resentment and shame inside Tarkin. Finally, as victory neared under Jedi Master Plo Koon, Tarkin took his fate back in his own hands and absconded with an explosive. Sacrificing himself, he released a swarm of carnivorous challat eaters from behind a cave-in, killing himself but taking Stark's troops, trapped by Koon's strategy, with him. In the aftermath, due to the political influence of the Tarkin family, Ranulph Tarkin's reputation remained strong and he was recalled as the "Hero of Troiken" for his part in Stark's defeat.

Text and facts from the “Ranulph Tarkin/Legends” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.