Why Darth Vader Believed Destroying Alderaan was a Mistake - Star Wars Explained
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Even Palpatine was shocked and a bit conflicted about the planet's destruction and that's saying something
If it had been some backwater planet that isn't populated by many aliens or humans, I doubt he'd care. Alderaan is part of the core worlds, seen as a gem of the galaxy on par with Coruscant. Besides, having just murdered billions, Tarkin created more problems rather than solved the current rebel threat by adding some rebel sympathizers to the Rebellion's side.
Alot of people either forget or don't know this. Palpatine was a pragmatist above all else.
The fact of the matter is that Alderaan was a highly productive world which meant that the Empire lost a major source of tax revenue. So Palpatine had every reason to be pissed off.
Yeah, if Palpatine is pissed you know you messed up. I also have a feeling that Tarkin was saved by dieing on the Death Star. Palpatine would have probably tortured Tarkin for blowing up Alderaan.
@jedileader0174 yeah, in the Legends novel Book of Sith, Palpatine muses on his plan to eliminate Tarkin as he had grown too ambitious for his liking. Plus I think one of the reasons Vader despised the Death Star is because he sensed that ambitious Imperials like Tarkin and Motti were letting the power of the Death Star get to their heads, to the point where they believed they could overthrow the Emperor, and Vader was low key warning them that the Force (the Emperor) is stronger. I believe Janus Greejatus (one of Palpatine's advisors that accompanied him to the second Death Star in ROTJ) goaded Tarkin to use the Death Star to take over the Empire in Legends.
The destruction of Alderaan was definitely the “Are we the bad guys?” moment for a lot of Imperials.
Facts. And the fact many were born there, had families there, was a huge oversight
perhaps a gangster filled planet would have been a better target. Maybe hitting the Hutt Homeworld, though that could bring other ramifications that the Empire may not want to face.
@@Shearper2Definitely would've been better to destroy Nal Hutta
@@Rensune Not when the Empire relies on the Hutts' criminal network for information they can't be seen publicly looking for. Not to mention if they pissed off the Hutts the Rebels would likely have the support of every criminal organization in the galaxy increasing their forces by several fold.
You know you are messed up when even Vader thinks you’re insane .
yeah I mean Alderon was a bad choice another planet could have had the desired effect
Yup!
For real he should have blown up Tatooine for how much he hated sand@@SaraMorgan-ym6ue
@@BobbyJonesIII-pz1lq😂 for real! If he only knew Obi-wan was there. It would have been tops on his list.
@@terpgirl5 Until he learned that his son was *also* on Tatooine.
Tarkin was an odd man. Brutal, efficient, and utterly lacking in any ability to think long term.
The destruction of Alderaan was probably the single biggest strategic blunder of the empire’s existence as it not only lead deprived the Empire of a valuable planet, it lead to an explosion of support for the Rebellion and mass Imperial defections
And funny enough it was the only huge decision Sidious didn't make for the empire. So literally one man messed up all of Sidious's plans in one go.
Not only that. According to beta cannon, the man on the Death Star who "pressed the button" to fire the super laser was so screwed in the head after what he had done, it caused him to hesitate at Yavin. ::::Standby. Standby.:::: And that gave Luke those extra few seconds to get the torpedoes into the Death Star and get away.
@@crazedvole I like that little story, it's a good view into a very secondary character. And it explains the ridiculously long countdown before the DS fires on Yavin :))))
@@andrewortelli7631 Sidious gave all the power to Tarkin. He should have seen this coming a mile away.
Give too much unchecked power to someone, even your personal enforcer to command, and then give them a huge super-weapon, and they will think themselves above all, and free to use said super-weapon. (maybe even see themselves overtaking the Emperor)
Moments before the station was finished, he should have replaced Tarkin from it's command.
Tarkin could think long term. Just not really long terms. Tarkin thought in years or months. The sith thinks in decades and centuries.
Darth Vader was actually right about destroying Alderaan being a mistake.
The biggest mistake that costed the Empire its own demise, as many countless planets and systems turned on the Empire and joined the rebellion afterwards.
yeah they really didn't think things through
Think the biggest factor was the destruction of the Death Star itself afterwards. Had it survived, the whole galaxy would have been oh shit. But since it also got vapped, everyone else went fk it, if we’re gonna get screwed, might as well go down fighting
@@SaraMorgan-ym6ue yeah that's the thing, imperial officers didn't had the brain to think
@@mudyaoit’s because while the leadership of Alderaan were rebels, the majority of the citizens were loyal to the Empire, so it’s destruction sent a message, that even if you are a Star citizen, never break any rules and are a paragon of Imperial values, you could still get killed by the Empire
My thoughts excactly
It ultimately became a perfect storm of circumstances.
Remember that just recently Palpatine finally dissolved the Imperial Senate, thus eliminating bureaucratic control over much of the systems. It was the final step towards turning the Empire into a full military dictatorship, with moffs in firect control over systems with their fleets The Death Star was to be the core of that "Tarkin Doctrine".
Then the Empire destroys a core world of the old Rebublic, and a loyal one to boot - Bail and Lea aside, Alderaan was never in open rebellion against the Empire. Thus, Tarkin presented the galaxy with an intresting choice - rebel against the Empire and die, or remain loyal and...die.
And then the rebels destroyed the Death Star...
Immediately afterwords, the sudden upheaval must have been intense.
@@Warcodered01 Exactly...Palpatine was notified of both events at the same time, needless to say he was furious. If Tarkin had not died on the Death Star, he would have killed him himself.
@@Michael-kd1ho Vader was punished instead of Tarkin, with the loss of his other arm
@Michael-kd1ho generous if you to assume Palpy would kill Tarkin,
@@Michael-kd1hoI don’t think that Palp specifically said that he would kill him. He just said “Tarkin is lucky that he died on the Death Star.” You see, the difference between Vader and Palp is that when it comes to killing someone, Vader makes it quick and clean. In most instances, you will meet your end by the saber or him choking you. Choking is the worse of the two but even then at least it’s usually over relatively quickly.
You see, Palp is creative. He won’t just simply kill you with his saber or snap your neck with Force Choke. He wants to make it as loud and as long as possible. For example, shocking you to death slowly with his lightning, feeding you to a swarm of man-eating insects, etc. But Palp won’t even stop after you’re dead. No no, Palp will go as far as to put you in multiple clone bodies so he can torture you to death in newer and creative ways again and again.
That’s what happened to the chief engineer of the Death Star. Imagine what he had planned for Tarkin. I think the reason Tarkin stayed on the Death Star, even though he knew Luke made the run, wasn’t just because of his pride. He knew what was waiting for him if he got out of there alive.
Even as a Jedi anakin was surprisingly a good military general. As a sith lord he was a monster but in terms of military actions he surprisingly fair to people that had some sense. I am sure that Vader was thinking if we destroy the planet it would give us more control in terms of fear but it would cause more to rebel since the empire can just destroy a planet at will
Really, Anakin was just a more innocent Vader, when you look at his actions. The novel of ep 3, Obi even said Anakin is loyal to people, not ideas. It's actually a rather noble personality trait for a military leader, but as ep3 proved, it has its issues if you have too much loyalty to 2 different people with vastly different ideals, especially when one is exploiting your fears.
I liked legends Vader more. He wasn't evil per se. He still lived his 501st and even had a friend. He was more realistic. Broken but not evil. He only did the evil stuff because he thought it was the practical decision. Of course that's the dark side for ya. He actually hated himself more than anything.
Though the neck snapping scene in Obi-Wan was definitely Vader. He wasn't doing that because he enjoyed it. He wanted Obi-Wan. Brutal tactics was always Anakin.
We are talking about a kid who at 9 blew up a ship that did have living beings
Just like leia said and she was right the stronger and more brutally the empire clamped down on the galaxy the more would rebel and stand in defiance against the empire
Their determination to defeat the empire only grew after the destruction of Alderaan
Play the force unleashed opening sequence and you may change your mind
@@Charlie4.-. na that commander was a idiot to be fair
Vader was almost at a Thrawn, Tarkin, or Radus level of military strategic planning, leadership an execution. Way back almost when he first led forces as a Jedi
Tarkin was drunk on power in this moment. Vader could see that, and while respecting its darkside alignment he also had the appropriate amount of caution. After all, he knows what it means to lose oneself to the pride before the fall.
And, Dooku told him that. Dooku, who Tarkin actually met and whoose alliance he denied. Dooku was more calculating. And what's more interesting is that their actors were real life friends.
I like the idea that the career Imperials were less rational than the Sith.
I believe a lot of them were affected by the cloud of Sith influence. Palpatine's Dark Side was influencing their Dark tendencies, which in turn feed into the Dark Side that Palpatine was tapping into. I think in one of the Zahn books, Thrawn did a study that showed a massive drop in Imperial officers' effectiveness and leadership AFTER Palpatine was killed.
@@jsbcodyPalpatine couldn't be bothered with such petty details. He recruited people who were inclined to his views. Palpatine had more important things to do with his time.
@@jsbcody Think that's Legends at this point, but yes. I think what you are refering to is Sidious using a kind of subtle battle meditation during the confrontation with the rebels over the second Death Star. In the immediate aftermath of his death at the hands of Vader - before even his death was widely known - Thrawn noted a drop in the efficency of the Imperial navy in battling the rebel squadrons.
If i recall it right, Sidious even taught an Imperial admiral who was somewhat Force sensitive a variation of the technique.
Less rational than Vader, anyway. Kinda hard to be less rational than Palpy.
@@VestedUTuber Palps was very rational, he was just a completely amoral sociopath.
Alderaan's destruction was the Empire's greatest mistake one that took even Sidious by surprise as while he had given Tarkin the authority to destroy a planet he didn't expect it to be Alderaan one of the most peaceful, beautiful and influential worlds in the galaxy. It's loss sent a wave of shock, grief and then rage against the Empire for this horrific crime from the core worlds - who suddenly realised that there wealth and political power didn't shield them from the madness of the Empire as it always had before - to the outer rim. When the battlestation was subsequently destroyed by the Rebel Alliance it ultimately sealed the Empire's downfall.
from his perspective I can see why giving someone that authority while station on the space station makes sense from a strategical point of view, his mistake was not limiting Tarkin's allowed targets and not giving Vader the green light to punish him if he got out of hand
imperial moffs have often forgotten that their authority never should exceed a Sith's
When a sith lord thinks your totally insane. You are at a whole new level of craziness.
Had Tarkin survived thedestruction of the Death Star, it would have been in his interests to commit suicide before falling into the hands of the Emperor. In the novel Dark Saber, it is revealed what the Empetor did to the Chief Engineer and designer of the Death Star...he tourtured him to death, then used the force to put his life force into a clone body, and do it over and over again, while allowing the engineer to remember each horrific and painful death.
It's easy to forget how intelligent and forward planning Vader was despite his day to day suffering
He and Admiral Thrawn already viewed the Death Star as counterproductive to the empires integrity.
From Thrawns perspective far too much resources were diverted into this 1 weapon wheres he would have preferred training and construction of a massive imperial fleet think that sequel shit minus the planet destroying weapons
Daeth vader felt it was an arrogant claim for this weapon to be called stronger then the force when he knew that was never true
@@kurtpunchesthings2411
"From Thrawns perspective far too much resources were diverted into this 1 weapon wheres he would have preferred training and construction of a massive imperial fleet think that sequel shit minus the planet destroying weapons"
Except it wouldn't even be like that. Thrawn was an advocate for a more balanced fleet, and he was known to organize ships under his command into balanced battlegroups, centered around an ISD with numerous support and screening ships. So it'd be less "the Exagol Fleet without superlasers" and more an actually well-organized and balanced fleet. And sure, there's a time and place for superlasers - something like the _Conqueror_ class Star Destroyer from the TCG with its miniaturized and less powerful Death Star superlaser would make a great backline ship for sniping enemy capitals.
This isn't entirely related to your comment, but it made me think of the scene from Return of the Jedi where Vader arrives on the second Death Star and threatens Moff Jerjerrod with the wrath of the Emperor if the station isn't completed soon. That indicated to me, at least, that the Death Star was more important to Palpatine than it was to Vader; because by this point remnants of Anakin were stirring within Vader, and he was more focused on finding his son. Palpatine even acknowledges that when he arrives. "And now I sense you wish to continue your search for young Skywalker."
Yeah. I remember them talking in Thrawn Alliances.. he agreed with Thrawns desire for more effective single fighter ships. HELL IRONICALLY it was a single fighter ship that took out the Death Star
4:20
Only 1 common man has Vader said is his equal... Boba Fett. Because Fett was as skilled in combat as Vader, had honor, was as ruthless as Vader, but also understand that he couldn't fight Vader directly, but didn’t fear him. It was a mutual respect. Tarkin was just a glorified accountant
Well, it's a good thing Vader didn't live to see what boba has become
😑😔
If only Tarkin didn't beat Vader in the comics from Tarkin outsmarting him.
@onedeep6460 oh brother... not this again. Actually read legends Boba. Book of Boba and Legends Boba are still the same. Watch the fan super edit. They took out most of the humor scenes. It's still Boba. Boba Actually has always had a heart. He didn't trust people though.
Here's a few examples.
At some point before 16 BBY, Boba met Sintas Vel, a Kiffar bounty hunter. In an attempt at a normal life, he married her. The two later conceived a child, Ailyn Vel, who was born in 15 BBY. Fett's job allowed for few attachments, and the relationship was strained despite the love between Boba and Sintas. For work, Fett, under the alias of Jaster Mereel, also became a Journeyman Protector on Concord Dawn, as his grandfather had once been. The title of Protector was stripped from him after he killed a superior officer for raping Sintas. He was jailed, then forced to leave the planet in exile.[11] This, coupled with previous strain on the relationship, resulted in the divorce of Fett and Sintas and the severing of all contact from Fett with his family. Having failed in his attempts to be a regular man, Boba Fett once again fully dedicated himself to the bounty hunting trade. The abandonment of his family caused Ailyn to hate her father. Ailyn eventually took her father's identity and spent her entire life hunting him down.
Some time later, Fett and his wife met once more when a box containing flatpix of Fett, Sintas, and Ailyn, was stolen to lure Boba into a deadly trap. Boba defeated his would-be captor as well as his former flame, but allowed her to keep the box instead of destroying it as he had originally planned. His departing words to Sintas were that her wounds would heal over time, but his own wounds did not, as he revealed 50 years later.
As the clone cradled Juno Eclipse's apparently dead body, Fett took aim at Starkiller with his sniper rifle. To his shock, Eclipse awoke and kissed the clone, revealing that she had survived Vader's attempt on her life. The incident had a profound effect on Fett, who chose to spare Starkiller's life for the time being. As the Rebels went on to claim victory on Timira City, Fett retreated back to Slave I.
You want a monster in Mandalorian armor, Montross. Look him up.
@OdinPlays94 eh... sort of. Tarkin was only protected by Palpatine. It was because of a previous failure Vader was under him.
@@roycehuepers4325 I'm talking about the comic where Tarkin and Vader literally had a 1v1 and Tarkin defeated Vader by luring him to a location where he would get struck by lightning. Vader was never under his command.
Vader knew exactly what destruction of Alderaan meant. He knew how strong Rebellion would become. And he was right. Palpatine knew it too. He was upset and angry. He saw what could happen. Vader's view was very pragmatic and intelligent. Tarkin was completely disrespectful towards Vader. He grew too ambitious and careless. Vader was right in a way,Tarkin was a lunatic. May the Force be with you too😊
“Don’t be too proud of this technological terror you constructed. The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force.”
- Darth Vader
And yet, Vader was right.
Vadar was right in the end though
Yup and it was the force that ended up destroying the Death Star, it’s like poetry it rhymes
yes even the power of the force is far more then powerfule tnogh to distory planets on its own by the way. aslo not only the fact that the force that it could even disoty whole glatic sectors even on its own is what darth vader ment aobut both the light and dark sides of the force.
Nihilus 🤷🏻♂️ am I a joke to you?
You know it’s in the red when even Vader was like “this dude has lost his mind..”. But this is also the issue in Vader’s position. He had no rank in the empire he was kinda just a right hand man but those with high rank had say so that’s why it was easy for Tarkin to talk stupid to Vader
I imagine after being redeemed, Anakin's view Alderaan's destruction probably changed to being disgusted with Tarkin's actions and probably felt guilty for what he as Vader and the Empire put Leia through!
Vader was evil, but also very pragmatic
He knows that threatening to destroy the planet is a great bluff
but destruction itself brings new problems and only adds fuel to the fire of rebellion
@@tihomirrasperic It's the classic hostage dilemma. If you have a hostage, neither you nor your enemies want that hostage dead. Your enemies don't want the hostage to die because they are either too valuable or they care about the hostage on a personal level. And you don't want the hostage to die because if the hostage dies, then you no longer have anything to hide behind and are easy prey for your now furious and angry enemies.
The simple fact is that goddamn Tarkin was extremely drunk on power and had no idea that blowing away Alderaan would really cause more problems for the empire that he never knew. After that happened even more star systems wanted vengeance for Alderaan and joined the rebel alliance. Besides Vader should've stopped him somehow.
Honestly, blowing up Alderaan was like Tarkin shooting the Empire in the foot. Along with turning Imperials who were from Alderaan against the Empire but turning most of the systems against the Empire that were (probably) close to the core worlds. Had Tarkin blown up another planet that wasn't loyal to the Empire then things might have been different; granted, blowing up a planet is evil that cannot really be fathomed but at the very least there might have been less push back to worlds that were still loyal to, or would have remained loyal to, the Empire
When you put into consideration what Tarkin did to a Pirate Queen after he caught her during his younger year's it kind of puts into perspective just how messed up he is. For anyone wondering Tarkin sent the Pirate leader into a storage crate and sent that slowly flying into a sun.
Emperor Palpatine: Ah Governor Tarkin. I expected you use the Death Star to intimidate anyone who against our Imperial rule.
Tarkin: Yes I did, my lord. I did use this and destroy the planet.
Emperor Palpatine: Good. What's the name the planet you destroyed?
Tarkin: Alderaan, my lord. I did this in front of the prisoner, Princess Leia Organa.
Emperor Palpatine: YOU DID WHAT?!
Tarkin was lucky he was dead within the Death Star.
*Planet gets destroyed* Vader: and I took that personally
I bet he used to visit the place to relax from the stress of life.
Tarkin was the ultimate Villain in this era of the Star Wars universe. Even Palpatine said he didn't want rule over a galaxy of the dead. Leia in the radio drama accused Tarkin of being in war with life itself. The cold military industrial complex.... is without peace, compassion, no does it have passion (sith).
It's interesting how Vader is just going through the motions, like you said. He's not full of hate and anger like he was in his younger years, or like how Maul was his entire life. Sure, he's still really depressed, but all that trauma and depression has consumed Vader to the point that he's just got such an indifferent, completely nihilistic outlook on life. An entire planet is destroyed? Ah, well, it doesn't matter. Sometimes it's honestly shocking that Vader and Anakin were the same person.
The Death Star was far more potent as a symbol than as an actual weapon. Once they fired it the mythos of fear surrounding it dissipated as the reality and horror of what the Empire had created set in. At that point rebellion became the only option for a lot of people.
Ironically it would have been far more effective to have publicly demonstrated the ship's capability on a huge asteroid and publicly bill it as an upcoming planetary defense system. It would get the message across.
The Death star was the ultimate ultimatum, the ultimate deterrent to keep other planets in line, I heard that one of the operators regretted firing the weapon and deliberately left an opening for the rebellion to destroy the first death star as atonement
Vaders Death views are rather noble minded in some ways. He used calculation an no passion or personal feelings unless someone's really asking for it. Even seemingly merciful for a Sith when it suited him from some the stories. Helping hint at an allow for his eventual redemption. Conducting himself rather honorably for a villain. Something most villains seldom do.
Tarkin was such a small man, really. In both legends and canon, he always tries to undermine anything that doesn't fit his views even when there's clear advantages albeit with mixed results. Holding power for so long after the clone wars clearly made him crazed with power. I honestly can understand the madman who grew in confidence to think himself equal to palps, but sometimes I cannot understand how does someone cruel and calculating like vader deals with stuff on closed doors. Does power seem so alluring, once they've lost everything in their life? Perhaps vader itself represents self punishment, trying so hard to feel insensitive to numb his pain.
I agree, Tarkin had been in power for so long that it was like a drug to him. He needed more and more to feel satisfied. Palpatine made him untouchable so the even Vader couldn’t harm him, he probably views himself as nigh equal to palpatine. And when he was on the Death Star he probably had a god complex. As far as he’s concerned the Death Star is indestructible and has the power to wipe out anyone he chooses. While definitely Vader is sith, he doesn’t seem so drunk on power. I think at this point he’s just robotic. He’s slaughtered so many that it doesn’t excite him, he just kills out of self hatred and honestly just because he feels like he has no other option. He knows there’s little to be gained by destroying Alderaan but he realizes that tarkin is insane and can’t help himself.
At this point, Vader was just....empty. He had nothing left to live for except for the Dark Side & Sidious (and this was Palpatine's plan all along, to make Vader so dependent on him that Vader wouldn't dare try to betray him). His beloved wife was dead, as were his children (or so Vader believed, as Vader did not know that Padme had successfully given birth to their children before her death). He'd betrayed and eradicated the Jedi, and any other friends he may have had as Anakin Skywalker were either dead themselves, now believed Anakin to be dead, or they knew that he'd become Vader and they now hated and despised him. Vader was completely alone, and he had nobody who truly cared about him on a personal level. Even those that he had a good relationship with within the Empire generally only had a good professional/working relationship with Vader and knew next to nothing about who he really was as a person, and the kind of heartbreak, loneliness, and pain that he was living with every day.
The day Vader learned that Luke was his son was the day that Vader began to feel something that he hadn't felt for a *very* long time: Hope. He finally felt hope that even if Padme was gone, he could still try to rebuild his family by reuniting with his son. And I believe that it is that faint feeling of hope that allowed Vader to very slowly start walking down the path that led him to his eventual redemption by sacrificing himself to save his son. Hope is anathema to the entire Sith doctrine that Palpatine adheres to, as the existence of Hope means that there is a chance at redemption, no matter how small. This is why Palpatine actively tried to strip Vader of any and all personal bonds he had with anyone other than Palpatine himself, it was all so that Vader would have no choice but to serve Palpatine for the rest of his life, unless Vader wanted to end up truly alone by betraying Palpatine.
I think that most of us Legends age fans would agree that Tarkin was a bit nuts but , consider this - Maybe he was so sadistic because he had no noticeable link to the Force ? I just wonder what it would have been like if he had the link and knowledge that Vader , Sidious , Luke , or even any of the ancient Sith had ? Would he have been Plaqueis’ acolyte instead of Palpatine ? It seems to me that he thought just as far ahead or consequentially as any Sith Lord did . What would happen if he and Shiv had to compete for Plagueis’ attention ?
If he thought ahead he wouldn't have blown up Alderaan, or gone out of his way to piss of a guy who could snap his neck with his mind. Seriously Vader could have killed him and what would have happened the Emperor would have been angry at him?
As a HUGE Kotor 2 fan, i keep asking myself...could a superweapon like the deathstar also create another huge force echo? And would it once again lead to a monster like Darth Nihilus?
I’d love to see that become a plot device in a new sw trilogy
@@bluenexus1212 ahh..i see another man of culture. Nice to meet you sir!😊
@@GothReaper616 :salute: nice to meet you too!
Knowing Tarken’s backstory, it’s not surprising to hear someone in the story think he’s insane.
And how he was portrayed in the Clone Wars show.
Well it’s not even a matter of morality but straight up common sense. As you said Alderaan was a powerful inner core world. But more importantly it was a peaceful and well loved world. The Organas were just good people. Bail himself was well known as a do gooder who tried his best to help others in the galaxy. This world and the ruling family were LOVED or at the very least respected by the other worlds. I cannot get over how Tarkin, who is a very intelligent man, couldn’t see how destroying this world would simply be THE BEST recruitment for the Rebellion. And it was. Systems starting joining the rebellion in droves after its destruction and the subsequent destruction of the Death Star.
That exchange between Vader and Tarkin was in the Star Wars: A New Hope radio drama that was originally broadcast on NPR Playhouse in 1981.
Its interesting to think of the officers of the Empire as hollow geniuses. Men with so much potential, but who all eventually fall flat on their faces from their own human stupidity. That if they were anything else, or even simply force sensitive, that they would be better, make better decisions, and altogether keep themselves sane through their own power ego.
I wonder if the words Vader spoke to Tarken came back to him the moment the deathstar was about to blow up, and if it only hit him then and there that he screwed up royally. That his death right there was punishment comparable to what Sidius would do to him for such a moronic blunder. Afterall, Alderon was Sidius's home as well, but more importantly, it was his seat of power, the location of which he gained political power, and the reason the empire exists to that day at all... Tarken, in his own self stroked ego whether intentionally or unintentionally blew up Sidius's grasp on the galaxy... and the very people of the galaxy he had been trying to force nothing but fear into for decades.
Afterall, if you actually blow up a planet entirely, thats one thing, scorch the surface permanently, another (causes actual fear). But destroying a planet shows you no longer have any self preservation, nor that you respect life at all. Something that doesn't spark fear, but rebellion. For if you destroy one planet entirely, then whats to say you wont just continue doing it, much less for the smallest and most benign of reasons?
I really can't believe that Tarkin actually destroyed the planet
it shows how ruthless Tarkin can be. Destroying a planet is pretty ruthless
True
@@DeathScepterNot just any planet, but one the literal cradles of galactic civilization. Palpatine himself was only expecting tarkin to make an example of some random mid-rim planet nobody really gave a shit about.
@@7ElevenTruther i know.
Well, it's fictional, so you don't need to BELIEVE it. Do you mean you can't suspend your disbelief? If not, why not?
I'm surprised that only Vader and Obi-Wan felt the tragedy that befell Alderaan. I was sure that many on the Death Star, who were partially or semi Force sensitive would've felt this epic shock wave. What were Luke's thoughts? At the time he was in initial training yet he was somewhat sensitive? Right? Palpatine would've also felt this, as many Jedi and similarly Force sensitives from Alderaan.
I'd have liked to have seen Palpatine send a telepathic comms to Vader, to kill all officers in the area and take Tarkin into custody. To weave a story to the galaxy that this was the doing of the Jedi and why they must be stopped. The notion that no one would notice or miss Alderaan was ridiculous in my opinion.
Perhaps because I enjoyed the radio drama so much, I had a specific take on this. I think that Tarkin was a tool that Palpatine was growing tired of, and his actions at Alderaan allowed him to be eliminated in such a way that Palpatine's fingerprints would be absent.
While Tarkin's and Palpatine's interests were aligned for decades, the insertion of Tarkin's loyalists in positions of power on the Death Star must have alarmed Palpatine. In the radio drama, Motti nudges Tarkin in the direction of a coup. Tarkin tells him to watch his tongue, but it is clear that he has been entertaining the idea. Vader makes an interesting comment to Tarkin that the emperor was "wise" to choose a man as loyal as Tarkin to run the Death Star. To me, this hints that Vader's presence on the Death Star is as Palpatine's eyes and ears, and he is reminding Tarkin of this.
Vader protests when Tarkin decides to destroy Alderaan, saying that this was a decision for Palpatine and not him. Tarkin pushes back hard, and Vader knows that he is surrounded by Tarkin loyalists, so he temporarily relents.
Now consider that Vader got himself off of the Death Star during the raid, in a hyperspace capable TIE prototype with heavy shielding. Given Palpatine's prescience, it is possible that while he didn't know specifics, he knew that Tarkin, his loyalists, and the Death Star itself, needed to be removed.
The destruction of the Death Star allows Palpatine to declare a state of emergency that lasts until the collapse of the Empire itself. To me, it appears that these events are all planned, but that they were "dumbed down" in the movie for the sake of a mass audience.
For all of the criticism of the CGI Tarkin in Rogue One, I would argue that it was a perfect representation of Tarkin. There was clearly a void in that guy's inner character (bravo to Peter Cushing's performance) and a walking, talking Uncanny Valley of a person just seems to fit.
Although the princess was his daughter , I myself do not believe that saying that he was holding his daughter back is a correct statement . From what I have gathered from over the last 46 years since Star Wars debuted , Leia would have been well practiced at holding her emotions in check . Therefore , unless Vader was actively trying to get down the basics of how she was built through the Force , he wouldn’t have been able to even passively figure out her parentage . Both of their attentions were soley focused on the vid screen watching the actions transpire .
But I do get what you mean sir .
Vader would not be a good judge of that. The problem with seeing it from Vader’s perspective is he was not always aware of his true motives. He didn’t always realize how the Force was manipulating him, and considering that Leia said to Luke that she somehow always knew Luke was her brother without consciously acknowledging it, it would be ludicrous not to expect that Vader on some level did know Leia was his daughter, and that this knowledge was affecting his actions. Another problem is that Vader in ANH was not conceived to be the same person as Anakin Skywalker or Leia’s father. However, there has to be some accounting for it, even if it is a rather unsatisfying retcon explanation. So call me sentimental, but I interpret his reaction to Alderaan’s destruction being the result of the good that was still in him, something he would never admit even to himself because he was ashamed of the light that was still in him, considering he had been trying to destroy it for two decades and hadn’t succeeded.
Remember Palpatine was pissed about the planet’s destruction are very own emperor and we all know how he truly feels about things, but this set him off he was livid at both Vader and Tarkin The Emperor 🧎♂️Our Emperor never approved of the planets, destruction
This video was not based on the original adaptation of the movie penned by Alan Dean Foster. For one thing, in that novel (writtern very early in the canon), Vader held the emperor in contempt. The Master/ Apprentice relationship hadn't been planned yet.
Also, I wonder what would've happened if Palpatine had been in Alderaan, doing a secret visit (for whatever reason) to the planet? Oh the possibilities.
I was thinking what if Tarkin choose occupation instead of destruction. Alderaan can be easily occupied - Leia said that herself- "Alderaan is a peaceful world without standing military". After that Bail Organa should be arrested for treason and supporting terrorists organizations. Imperial propaganda should paint Bail Organa as traitor, criminal and someone who support pirates to attack imperial stations and convoys in order to gain money and political power for his own benefits. Many people in the galaxy will believe that those accusations are at least partially true, because people are more inclined to believe the bad things for others. Anyway this will discredit the Rebel Alliance and people of the Empire will see them more and more as terrorists and greedy and power-hungry criminals, who wanted to take down Palpatine just take his place. This will strike the rebel leaders worse than any military operation by the Empire - they will lose the trust of their own people and they will be abandoned. Meanwhile Bail Organa will be thrown in to one of the many imperial prisons. He doesn't even have to be executed - eventually he can become an unfortunate victim of a prisoner's uprising. The Emperor will state how sad is the brutal dead of Bail Organa, especially since the investigation against him wasn't complete and the Empire will come clean from all that story. Anyway all that didn't happen, because Grand Moff Tarkin was too bloodthirsty.
Shout out to those book writers for showing us why Vader thought the Death Star's power was insignificant compared to the force.
The fact that Tarkin talked back to Vader like that is astounding! Vader was the de-facto second in command of the entire empire, so Tarkin was technically back-talking his superior!
One thing I never understood about the First Order and especially the Empire is; how can you expect to rule the Galaxy if you both frequently murder your commanders and subordinates and then completely destroy planets with super weapons. I found it hilarious how Tarkin fired upon and annihalated the Imperial base on Scarif and then decided to further destroy a entire planet.
You can rule with respect or fear. First order and the empire went with fear. If you are against us you die without exceptions. Fear sometimes can make people more obedient and help them perform better if their lives are at stake. So their structure is based on if you join us and perform well you will be rewarded but if you don't you will remain with the weak and be below us.
I would love to see a What If story where Tarkin was forced off the station and survived its destruction. Silmply so I can see how he reacts to the entire Empire falling apart while knowing it was entirley HIS incompetence
Or a What If when Sidious got his hands on Tarkin.
Tarkin was power-mad and potentially more dangerous than the Sith. And with the death star under his control, he would have used it against the Emperor himself.
Destroying a whole planet was so evil & beyond cruel
THE Blunder. Not only did it cause the galaxy to be negative to the Empire, not only did this cause the ranks of the Rebel Alliance to swell, but the destruction of Alderaan resulted in the Alderaan officers that served in the Imperial Navy to outright go renegade and join the Rebels thinking that all this situation was the ultimate betrayal for their loyalty. This resulted in the Rebel Fleets to gain cadres of professional, highly trained and experienced ship officers with a brutal grudge against the Empire.
Fascinating analysis, because the way you are describing Vader in this moment, as machine-like and utterly dispassionate seems to have been what the Republic Order of Jedi aspired to be, and that Anakin never could be. So, only as a Sith Apprentice could Anakin Skywalker, as Vader, achieve the level of dispassionate disconnect that he was supposed to attain as a padawan.
This was quite intriguing, thanks for this video.
This doesn’t line up with the Vader in the movies. If Tarkin would have said this on screen to Vader I believe he would have been choked to death or maybe even had lightsaber in the chest. Vader in the movies did NOT allow people to talk back to him.
Tarkin had more authority than Vader. Vader does as the emperor wills.
@@minuette1752 True, but how many people did he choke out or kill just for being incompetent. I can’t see him being disrespected in front of others and just taking it. I think the Emperor would even expect him to not take it.
Tarkin actually had a lot of respect from Vader, spanning back to The Clone Wars. Further, Palpatine had told Vader that he needed Tarkin, so he was not to touch him. Finally, the Death Star was Tarkin’s command, not Vader’s. Vader was there more as an observer and enforcer. So, while Vader could think Tarkin had gone loco, he could not do anything about it without Palpatine to give the go ahead.
@@cwalker228Those people he chocked were precisely because they weren’t high ranking enough
The emperor had a lot of preference for Tarkin, so he was pretty special, in episode V with no one higher than him or special to the emperor Vader has free range to force choke any incompetent he wants
Well it was I mean let's be real the line about the tighter the empire grip the more that slips though your fingers was right but Alderaan gave people something they didn't have before, a martyr to rally behind.
I love how you quoted the Star Wars radio show
Tarkin is off his rocker 😂😊
I'm sure hell reserves a special place in hell for Grand Moth Tarken.
I thought Palpatine’s original plans for the Death Star wasn’t to terrorize or crush the rebellion in his own galaxy, but to counter another threat he could foresee coming from outside the galaxy.
That was the plan … I can’t spell their name, but is was some alien species off world. Hidden in the area of the galaxy few dared to explore, those who did - returned crazy, or not at all. (Luckily, Thrawn is our most capable to combat this threat.)
@@captonloner4685yuuzong vong
Yeah I don't get why everyone blames Vader for blowing up Alderaan. Tarkin clearly gave the order and had command over the station so it was his call which planet to destroy. Plus Vader hated the Death Star project in the first place. Both he and Thrawn thought a better use for the resources was the TIE Defender program. Vader did a lot of horrible things but, Alderaan's destruction was not on him.
It's almost like Tarkin and Sidious were sadistic idiots or something.
I can't ever watch the Tarkin and Leia scebes the same way after reading Carrie Fisher's behind the scenes stories about Peter Cushing.
The destruction of Alderaan is a huge backfire.
The loss of resources it immense to start with. From a pragmatic point of view, just don't.
An object lesson for dissenters needed to be much, much more restrained. A move like this was only ever going to grant the Rebellion more support, because this was the ultimate mask-off moment. This was now an Empire that had to be stopped no matter what.
It's one thing to destroy a Rebellion cruiser in time of war, but it's another entirely to exterminate a passive and unarmed planet and everyone on it.
Part 3 to Qui Gon training Anakin please!!! Amazing cliff hanger and people still go back to part two asking for it to continue!
Thank you for this video.
"We need a statement, not a manifesto!" -- Rogue One Tarkin
"Destroy the planet." -- New Hope Tarkin
man, all those beautiful vistas gone to dust. so sad. but the revenge that happened afterwards could be called sweet.
The movie is called Star Wars. No one got in line in 1977 for that other name.
You know your outta your damn mind when Vader is like “yea this guy nuts” 😂
Varder just be like"oooh i see,your fucking INSANE"
That joke at the beginning (calling Alderaan “innocent” made me chuckle.
Informative.
Vader is showing a surprising amount of insight, I'm sure if Palpatine knew what Tarkin was planning he would say only go as far as you need to for theinformation. no more
but Tarkin to think destroying Alderaan was a good idea I wonder if he deprived his brain of oxygen
It seems like palpatine would be the only one to authorize a death star strike.
Tarkin was Vader’s boss in this instant he was the only imperial officer that was untouchable by Vader this was made very clear by the emperor he loved his ruthless efficiency Vader obviously had no say in the death of millions of people
It’s over Tarkin, you gave them the moral high ground!
In this instance in Vader's mind it's like *school bully crushes an anthill in front of the animal activist, believing they just did irreparable damage to all creation* while Vader sees an entire planet in comparison, with Palpatine as its defacto God and himself as the archangel Michael. I wish so badly we could have seen Vader absolutely demolish Tarkin on screen. Vader was famous for his use of Force Crush, great and all but has anyone considered the opposite? Rather than implode, just sending it with the force to explode every atom of your existence.
Tarkins arrogance was very well displayed in Rouge One.
Vader never understood that he was a as much of a slave as he had been as a child. While he saw himself as an elite Sith, Palpatine merely saw him as a replaceable tool. But, the Rule of Two requires that the Apprentice murder their Master and take their place. Palpatine knew that giving his Apprentice a hyperdrive-capable battle station with a planet-killing superlaser would be a suicidal mistake. Later, in RotJ, notice that Palpatine kicks Vader off of the second Death Star as soon as he's settled into his new throne room, and is later annoyed when Vader dares to come back on board without asking permission first.
What happened in the senate following the destruction of Alderan and the loss of Bail Organa?
Nothing. The senate was dissolved even before Alderaan's destruction
Everyone forgets how much exposure to politics Vadar had when he was Anikin
you know, in theory, if the death star was used against a world filled with gangsters and no-good-nicks like Tatooine or Nar Shaddaa, it may have had a very different effect on the galaxy and seen as a good thing
Alderaan was supposed to demoralize the rebels yet instead it had the opposite effect and brought more to the cause.
The destruction of Alderaan was not a part of palps plan and therefore he was forced to meditate on how this would affect his grand plan for the galaxy and his sith empire
About the thumbnail:
The don't actually think Leia wept like that as she was dragged back to her cell. The very idea of an entire planet being annihilated like that was utterly inconceivable. She was likely only expecting the equivalent of a devestating orbital strike, given what happened at Scarif. In all likelihood, she was in complete shock as she struggled to process what just happened.
Vader HAD to, well he sort of had to "let Moff Tarkin do as he wanted," as Palpatine had put him "directly under Tarkins Command," which of course, pleased Vader like"a Cat being drenched with a bucket of Water."
But an or from Sidious, was nonetheless, an "order from Sidious," and to be Coutermanded at one's own peril ... 😟
I had loved to see how Darth Vader ramm his lightsaber in Tarkins torso.
Well Palpatine would have ordered the same most likely. So why bother. It’s not like good ol Palp will consider a lighter act. 😅
Tarkin had balls of steel standing up to Vader like that
All in all, Leia took having her entire planet being blown to smithereens in front of her pretty well. I'm not a sentimental person by nature, but I imagine if it were me in this situation, watching Earth blow-up would elicit a stronger reaction than Leia's.
She looked like a teenager who was told they couldn't use the car that night.
Even then, poor Leia might had been traumatized over the complete destruction of her home planet.
Still one of the heaviest moments I ever saw on the movie screen. I was ten. My Mother who took me said it was the first time she ever heard me gasp in terror.
Palpatine: You know what maybe I really should put a leash on Tarkin, he can destroy any planet in the galaxy, preferably the outer rim, but not Alderaan, yeah you know what, Linda put me through to the death star immediately.
from a Military point of view, it makes no sense to reveal your greatest weapon in an act of pettiness, it should have been revealed only after they destroyed the rebellion.
To quote generation tech Tarkin was the greatest recruiter, the rebel alliance ever had
The destruction of Alderaan spelled the beginning of the end for the Empire. Vader realized this, Thrawn knew this long beforehand, even Palpatine came to realize this towards the end.
thank you for posting! i must say vader does not like sharing his power i think lol and the fact that two people are trying to show him up does not help. it also gave him time to look at things as they were. over all he just wants his place in the world that he has yet to find
Wonder how the Empire would have looked like if Vader had full control not only the military, but the Death Star, too.
The Empire destroying Alderaan was equivalent to Hitler invading the Soviet Union, it was the beginning of the end for both of them
Even then, tyrants don't want to admit they make terrible decisions that dooms their empire.
I wish they would have shown some of this remorse in 'Rogue One' when they destroyed The Holy City of Jeddha, which was important to the Jedi, and major source of kyber crystal, but they didn't even suggest it.
Not a lot of people talk about the idea that palpadine considered the force as a means to an end. I don’t think he liked it. I think he threw his lot in with normal humanity and the Death Star was his present to that constituency.
Vader: “Master this dude is crazy”
Palpatine: “Vader he is in charge you will do what he says”
Palpatine: “YO THIS DUDE IS CRAZY!!”
"The suffering doesn't really matter to me anymore, Isaac... Only the death... Only the death matters now..." -Lord Vlad "Dracula" Țepes
If Vader could feel the ending distress of the entire palnet and its population as Obi Wan did, I can only imagine it being a massive dopamine rush for Palpatine like its the best sort of porn for the Sith lord and his craving for unlimited powah.
The problem was Palpatine didn't approve Aalderan's destruction. He approved of a planet's destruction. But not one of the core worlds which pretty much angered him to the point that Tarkin dying on the Death Star was mercy compared to what lied ahead if he went to the goat to Palpatine's office.