The Imperial University



Tarkin Doctrtine Exam Notes {TD}

In order to understand the nature of the Doctrine, first the history of the man who drafted it must be explored.

Wilhuff Tarkin witnessed the decay of the Repblic from his Governors position over his homeworld of Eriadu, a densely populated world in the Seswenna sector. Being a man of vision, he was able to rise through the military and political ranks of his homeworld, and eventualy able to make what would later become valuable contacts among Palpatine's senate as well in the world of corporate interests.

Tarkin was well rewarded for his support when Palpatine restructured the galactic government. Tarkin was given command of the Seswenna sector, though this came also as reward for what some would consider an atrocity. On the distant world of Ghorman, Tarkin literaly crushed a rebellion by landing his shuttle on it, killing hundreds of citizens who were protesting Imperial taxation. This act, which would later become known as the Ghorman Massacre by the Rebellion, helped Tarkin earn his governor status over the sector, and not a reprimand like many demanded.

But almost immediately, resistance to the New Order made itself evident, and they took advantage of bureaucratic borders that seperated sectors, using these borders to elude uncoordinated Imperial sector forces by entering space that the pursuing forces could not venture into.

To counter this tactic, Tarkin drafted a proposal entitled "Increasing the Security of the Empire". This proposal suggested that in addition to sectors being defined by astrographic and political boundaries, they should also be defined by overlapping "priority sectors" defined by the amount of treasonous activity located in that area. Tarkin's proposal outlined that these "Oversectors" would be ruled over by a single person, a "Grand Moff", who would see to every aspect of these "Oversectors".

Another part of Tarkins phillosophy, and part of the proposal, was his "rule by fear" phillosophy. It outlined that the resources necessary to subjugate all the worlds of the Empire would be astronomical, so a means of cowing the population would need to be found. Tarkin believed a single show of force, that was so overwhelmingly powerful, would break any potential rebellious activity from ever occuring.

This proposal was sent to Emperor Palpatine, who liked it so much that Tarkin was immediately given the title of Grand Moff over the outrim Oversector, and work on implementing the entire doccument began immediately. From this point on, the proposal would be known as the "Tarkin Doctrine".

Tarkin founded the Maw Installation to help further the "ultimate weapon" portion of the Doctine. The Installation housed many of the best weapons researchers, and the Death Star was eventualy designed there and a prototype built. But the Installation was kept a secret, only those there, and Tarkin knowing the exact location of the Installation. Tarkin's mistress, a young Imperial commander named Daala, was left in charge of the Installations defenses. Not only was she his mistress, but Tarkin also considered the young naval officer his protégé, and taught her everything he knew. The Maw Installation's secret was kept so closely that Tarkin had the engineers who built it killed after completion.

Tarkin was instrumental in the subjugation of the Mon Calamari. The bloody conquest destroyed 3 of the floating cities, with the prisioners being taken as slaves. One of these slaves was personally taken by Tarkin, an Ackbar. The young slave learned everything possible from Tarkin. Tarkin took centerstage when dealing with Mon Calamari rebels.

The grand triumph of the Maw Installation was the Death Star. It was a weapon far larger and deadlier than any the universe had ever seen. It was exactly what the Tarkin Doctrine called for. Tarkin was given command of the station and he set course for the station aboard a shuttle. A rebel attack on his shuttle managed to free his slave Ackbar, and though Tarkin escaped, Ackbar would later turn out to be a deadly enemy of the Empire's. Tarkin eventually made it to the Death Star, and took command of the station.

Later, when Darth Vader arrived with Princess Leia Organa, a rebel prisoner, Tarkin would order the destruction of her native Alderaan in an attempt to locate the hidden rebel base. Despite the destruction of the planet as a warning to the galaxy, a planet name was given by the prisioner. After an investigation, it was discovered that the location was false. The true location of the Rebel base wouldn't be discovered until after Leia Organa's rescue by rebel spies, which was a carefully orchestrated plan of Tarkin's. Placing a homing beacon on the ship, he was able to track it to the true rebel base.

Believing the Death Star indestructable, he led it in an assault on that very rebel base at Yavin IV. The rebels launched their defenses, and managed to find a weak point in the design thanks to the stolen plans. Despite knowing of the stolen plans, Tarkin refused to abandon the station, and died there with the stations destruction.

Tarkin was survived by his widow, a severe woman who ran a megonite moss mining operation on Phelarion. On that planet, a solid black obelisk stands as tribute to the memory of this influential Imperial.

Below is a copy of the communiqué sent from Tarkin to the Emperor, which would later become known as the "Tarkin Doctrine".

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Imperial Communiqué #001044.92v
To: His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Palpatine
From: Governor Tarkin, Seswenna Sector, Eriadu
Regarding: Increasing the security of the Empire

Your Majesty:
It has recently come to my attention that what had previously been the quiet grumbling of malcontents on backwater worlds has become dissidence in more civilized systems. Your Majesty will forgive me if I am repeating foundless rumors, but I have heard there is even armed defiance in some sectors.

Coupled with increasing to your plans from hot-headed young senators, this situation has given me pause to think about our long term security arrangements. I myself have been frustrated chasing pirate bands in my sector, only to have them leap deep in a neighboring sector where my forces cannot follow without running into conflict with another Moff. If the scattered armed resistance should become organized, it will doubtless follow the example of it's criminal brethren. Granting any rebel group the advantage of elusiveness is foolhardy at best. At worst, it could lead to our destruction.

Even the excellent pace with which His Majesty is increasing the size of the Imperial Fleet can scarcely hope to provide all-encompassing security should a significant number of planets decide to defy your New Order. We are years -- perhaps decades -- away from a force vast enough to secure every system and every world simultaneously.

Therefore, I present the following recommendations for your consideration:

- To provide a swift, systematic response to rebellion as it appears and before it has time to entrench, I suggest the formation of Oversectors -- sectors consisting of systems in which rebellion is newly born, or systems which maintain frequent contact with systems in chronic unrest. These Oversectors would be formed without regard to current sector boundaries. With the freedom to cross outdated political borders, Oversector forces would be able to respond to threats quickly, while they are still small and manageable.

Liquidating a dozen small threats is easier than rooting out one well-established center of defiance. As an Oversector is created across problem sectors, they must be given a greater quantity of forces than a normal sector. Three Sector Groups should suffice.

- Command of an Oversector should be given to a single individual who reports directly to His Majesty. This will bypass any delays caused by political opportunism in your advisors.

- Cannibalize existing holonet transceivers, modify them, and put them in the flagship of every Sector Group in an Oversector command. Place similar devices within his Majesty's command ship and within the royal palaces of Imperial City. This will enable forces to respond to threats almost as quickly as they are reported. Imperial forces will be able to coordinate to a degree impossible by the enemy whose fastest means of communication is an ever-changing rendezvous point somewhere in the galaxy.

- Rule through the fear of force rather than through force itself. If we use our strength wisely, we shall cow thousands of worlds with the example of a select few. These examples would need to be highly visible worlds, whose punishment would be further revealed through our control of information via the hyper media.

- Your Majesty, it has long been my contention that your New Order needs one undeniable and overwhelming symbol to impress and, yes, frighten the masses. The average citizen has no grasp for numbers nor a head for calculation. I maintain that the effectiveness of the Star Destroyer stems from not only it's massive firepower, but from it's size. When citizens look at a Star Destroyer and then compare it to the craft which might be mustered to attack it, they have a tendency to dissmiss such a notion as suicidal rather than approach the problem tactically.

This natural state can be exploited to a far greater degree, as the average citizen deals in symbols, not rational analysis. If we present the galaxy with a weapon so powerful, so immense as to defy all concievable opposition against it, a weapon invunerable and invinsible in battle, then that weapon shall become the symbol of the Empire. We need only a handful, perhaps as few as one, of these weapons to subjugate thousands of worlds. It must have force enough to dispatch an entire system, power enough to shatter planets. The fear such a weapon will inspire will be great enough for you to rule the galaxy unchallenged. What do you need with the Senate when you can give direct control of territories to your hand-picked regional governors? Sweep away the last remnants of the Old Republic and let fear keep the local systems in line -- fear of our ultimate weapon.

I am ready to begin work to implement these steps at your word.

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Summarized measures set forth by the Tarkin Doctrine:

- "Oversectors": contain tumultuous systems, monitor and react to rebellious activities within those systems, formed without regard for the borders of standard sectors, would receive more forces than other regions of the Empire specificly designed to squash small resistance before it can organize, governed by a single person who reports directly to Emperor, and recieves an average of 3 Sector groups worth of ships.
- HoloNet: re-establish HoloNet network utilizing components from previously dismantled HoloNet network with only Oversector command ships, the Emperors Flagship, and the Imperial palace being on the network.
- Utilize fear of force more than force. Superior coordination of oversectors and control of information via news media can make a greater impression of overwhelming force than an actual application of force can accomplish.
- A super weapon should be used as a symbol of Imperial power, furthering the "fear of force" goal. The weapon should inspire fear and awe to such a level that an attack on it would be inconceivable, and the weapon itself would be invincible in battle, and wield a power great enough to dispatch an entire system.


Upon recieving the proposal from Tarkin, then only a regional Moff, Emperor Palpatine saw the importance of the measures set out in the propsoal. It was adopted as Doctine, and swiftly became a cornerstone of Imperial policy. It was adopted immediately, and in its entirety. Tarkin was promoted to Grand Moff of the Outer Rim Oversector, given command of the Death Star upon its completion, and was one of the few officers to ever have authority over Darth Vader.

Emperor Palpatine left it to Grand Moff Tarkin to announce the dissolution of the Imperial Senate, another instance of the Doctrine being put into practice. Additional instances of the Tarkin Doctrine being put into use are found throughout the Empire. The Executor, a super star destroyer, is an instance of already existing practice being adapted to the super-weapon idea within the Doctrine. Later, the second Death Star, the World Devestators used to punnish the Mon Calamari for their rebelion, the Eclipse-class star destroyer, the Sovereign-class star destroyer and the Sun Crusher are all manifestations of the Imperial attempt to rule through fear of force.

[NOTE: Originally, the Emperor had the expensive to maintain HoloNet network dismantled, however Governor Tarkin urged the Emperor to reinstitute it on a far smaller scale. HoloNet would be reserved for use by the Imperial Navy only, and only at the Sector Group level of organization.]