User:Thefourdotelipsis/wip

Early career
Cassio Tagge was a Human male who was a member of the highly influential House of Tagge, an immensely wealthy family that controlled the ubiquitous Tagge Company, as well as a bountiful mining operation. By 18 BBY, Tagge had enrolled in officer training within the Imperial Military, against the wishes of his older brother Orman, who by that point was baron of the House of Tagge and by extension the head of TaggeCo. While in training, Tagge began to hear odd rumors concerning Emperor Palpatine and the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, concerning bizarre powers and rituals surrounding the pair. The young officer-in-training was particularly concerned by the stories around Vader's sudden rise to prominence within the year-old Galactic Empire, and was concerned when Orman began embroiling himself in Palpatine's affairs. Meeting on Tepasi, Tagge and his brother discussed Orman's recent meeting with the Emperor&mdash;the baron was confident that the New Order would prove hugely profitable for TaggeCo. The younger Tagge was nonetheless worried by the persistent rumours, but Orman was dismissive of Vader's influence, confident that he could turn the situation to his advantage and supplant the Dark Lord at Palpatine's side. Tagge's fears were not assuaged, and they ultimately proved well-founded&mdash;Vader visited Tepasi shortly thereafter, having learned of Orman's meeting with Palpatine, and blinded the baron with his lightsaber.

In due course, Tagge held the rank of general in the Imperial Army of the Galactic Empire&mdash;he proved a capable and astute officer who was disinterested in politics and heirarchy, and placed more stock in loyal service to the Emperor. As such, Tagge eventually developed enough power and influence, combined with the favorable standing of the House of Tagge on Imperial Center, to hold sway with Palpatine himself. The general also had command of his own starfleet, and was ultimately seen as an unlikable, imposing figure within the army's heirarchy. At some stage, the Empire was alerted to the existence of the secretive Force-sensitive Fallanassi people by one of their number. In response, Tagge was dispatched to the planet Lucazec with the intent of offering the Fallanassi the protection of the Emperor should they pledge fealty to the Empire. The general met with their leader, Wialu, and warned her that should they refuse Palpatine's offer, they would be hunted down and exterminated as the Jedi Order had been. After consulting with her people Wialu nonetheless refused, claiming that they served only the Light, and would not be utilized to further Palpatine's ambitions.

Tagge, unsatisfied with the response, set about a campaign to force the Fallanassi into reconsidering their position. Capitalizing on Lucazec's open-immigration policy, the general placed his agents in villages with whom the Fallanassi enjoyed and thrived on open trade. Tagge's agents performed various acts of subterfuge within those villages, among them arson, turning water bitter, and killing house animals. The Imperial agents would then blame the disturbances on the Fallanassi, turning the villages against the obstinate Force-sensitives. The situation reached a fever pitch when three Fallanassi were attacked in the village of Jisasu&mdash;in response the Fallanassi first sent their children away, before abandoning the planet totally, leaving their settlement desolate and in ruins. The Force-senstitive group returned to their reclusive ways, hiding on J't'p'tan in the Koornacht Cluster.

Death Star service
Although Cassio Tagge's heritage assisted in his being posted to the Death Star battlestation his reputation as an officer was a key instigator, as was his relationship to the Emperor, who handpicked Tagge for the task. Over the planet Despayre in the Horuz system, the construction of the gargantuan battlestation, which had the capacity to destroy entire planets, was under the supervision of Grand Moff and Governor Wilhuff Tarkin, to whom Tagge reported as a key adviser. Tarkin was pleased with the general's appointment, valuing Tagge's rational mindset and tactical nous. The general was placed in charge of the station's defenses and would ultimately be responsible for the usage of the superlaser weapon itself. Part of his responsibilities involved outlining the battlestation's gunnery positions, choosing to have them distributed alphabetically throughout the station rather than in any sort of tactically-inspired or logical setup.

Within the station's hierarchy, Tagge commanded the battlestation's Imperial Army contingent, with General Moradmin Bast serving under him as a subordinate. Tagge also found a rival in Admiral Conan Antonio Motti, whose opinions of the Death Star's worth and power greatly exceeded Tagge's own skeptical views. The senior staff of the Death Star were ultimately joined by Darth Vader, who was to serve as Palpatine's emissary on the battlestation. Motti loathed the Dark Lord and frequently challenged Vader openly&mdash;Tagge, on the other hand, chose only to criticise Vader when he was out of earshot, avoiding direct confrontation. He nonetheless complained to Tarkin about the appointment, but the Grand Moff was left unmoved by the protestations. It was Tagge's belief, ultimately, that the Death Star was a vanity project for Tarkin to secure more power and standing within the Empire, and that the project was divorced from logical military strategy. The general also kept himself aware of the construction progress on Despayre below, praising Major Calders for his work in making a formidable workforce out of the horde of slaves on the world. Calders was ultimately promoted to the role of warden on the Death Star itself.

In 0 BBY, the Death Star plans were stolen by agents of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, prompting Darth Vader to launch a mission to locate and retrieve the data tapes. The plans had found their way into the custody of Imperial Senator Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan, and although the Dark Lord of the Sith had taken Organa into custody and brought her back to the Death Star, he had failed to recover the tapes. Upon Vader's return, a meeting was convened in the Death Star conference room between Tagge, Admiral Motti, Generals Bast and Hurst Romodi, Colonel Wullf Yularen, Officer Cass among those in attendance. While waiting for Tarkin and Vader to arrive, Tagge aired his concerns about the present scenario: he was disturbed by the Dark Lord's activities, and openly expressed his disdain's for the Emperor's decision to appoint Vader to the Death Star. He then moved onto his next issue&mdash; while the Death Star remained at a level below full operational status, the general believed that the battlestation was vulnerable to attack. In his opinion, the Alliance to Restore the Republic were a well-organized unit, and posed a genuine threat that he felt his fellow officers did not sufficiently acknowledge. This was in spite of the fact that the battlestation had survived an earlier attack from the Alliance&mdash;it was Tagge's intent to have his grievances openly known and recorded.

Tagge was one of the few in the Empire to have such a high opinion of the Alliance's resources, and sure enough the suggestion was scoffed at by Admiral Motti, who retorted by claiming that while the rebels might pose a threat to Tagge's own starfleet, they would not be able to damage the Death Star. Tagge was not to to be silenced however, and insisted that the Alliance would build support within the Imperial Senate&mdash;at that moment Tarkin and Vader joined the group, with the Grand Moff announcing that Palpatine had disbanded the Senate, effectively removing the last vestige of the Galactic Republic. Tagge, incredulous, questioned just how Palpatine would be able to keep the Empire in check without the bureaucracy of the Senate, but Tarkin was unconcerned, as regional governors such as himself would now possess autonomy within their own territory. It was Tarkin's complete belief that the Death Star would serve as a deterrent to any unrest within local star systems&mdash; and he was unimpressed with Tagge's recalcitrant response to the Emperor's decision.

General Tagge was nonetheless still unsatisfied with the development, again citing the presence of the Alliance to Restore the Republic and their recent theft of the battlestation plans. The general insinuated that if the Alliance had possession of a complete technical readout of the Death Star's systems, they would potentially be able to identify a weakness to target and exploit. Vader reassured those assembled, however, that the recovery of the Death Star plans was progressing, and that they would be in Imperial possession soon. Motti took an opportunity to continue to heap praise upon the battlestation's powers and capabilities, suggesting that the Death Star's destructive capability was not a mere deterrent but was to be utilized. Vader chided the admiral for the sentiment, claiming that the powers of the Force dwarfed those of the Death Star&mdash;when Motti decided to retort yet again, Tagge and the others watched on as the Dark Lord of the Sith began choking the admiral through the Force. Tarkin brought an end to the exhibition, ordering Vader to stand down before answering Tagge's concerns&mdash;the Grand Moff claimed that Vader would ascertain the location of the Alliance's base in time for the Death Star to reach full operational status, at which time the battlestation would then be used to end the rebellion conclusively.

An unfortunate vindication
Vader proceeded to torture the captive Organa with an IT-O Interrogator droid, although the Dark Lord reported to Tarkin and Tagge later that he was having great difficulty extracting the location of the Alliance's hidden fortress from her, given her formidable resistance to the droid. Motti soon approached the trio, announcing that the station had reached full operational status. Tarkin immediately decided upon a target&mdash;Organa's homeworld of Alderaan&mdash;and he ordered the admiral to have the battlestation taken to that system immediately. Tagge was concerned by the decision, but the Grand Moff reassured him that he had been given carte blanche to demonstrate the Death Star's capabilities. Although Tarkin was able to extract Dantooine as the site of the Alliance base from Organa, he had Alderaan destroyed nonetheless. Scout ships were dispatched to Dantooine shortly thereafter, finding only an abandoned base. Although the Grand Moff issued an order to have Organa executed, it was not carried out, as the princess was rescued by a group of Alliance sympathizers and escaped the Death Star aboard the captured YT-1300 light freighter Millennium Falcon. Vader, however, had a homing beacon placed aboard the freighter, allowing the Imperials to track Organa to the Alliance base on Yavin 4.

Tarkin had the station brought to the Yavin system in the hopes of being able to destroy the fourth moon and the Rebel base on it. In response to the battlestation's arrival in the system, the Alliance launched an attack with T65 X-wing and BTL Y-wing starfighters, based on the stolen Death Star data tapes that Vader had failed to recover, despite his earlier reassurances to Tagge. The scenario was one that the general had predicted, but Tagge himself was not without fault&mdash;his organization of the Death Star's gunnery positions was revealed to have been sorely lacking&mdash;the dis-unified firing patterns allowed the Alliance's starfighters to slip through the station's defenses, exposing the general's generals choices as unsound. Although Vader participated in the battle himself and managed to down many Alliance pilots, one of their number, Luke Skywalker, managed to fire two proton torpedos into the Death Star's 2-meter-wide exhaust port, destroying the station and claiming Tagge's life.

The true nature of the Death Star's destruction was kept hidden from the public&mdash;it was reported on a 35:4:22 NewsNet bulletin that Tagge had perished in a shuttle accident at the Tallaan Imperial Shipyards, alongside Tarkin and Motti. In the wake of General Cassio Tagge's death, members of the Alliance who had proved instrumental in the Battle of Yavin were continually harassed by his siblings and the greater forces of the House of Tagge. The Imperial ties to the House of Tagge remained strong however, with Orman capitalizing on the connection to involve himself in the Imperial Military's Blockade of Yavin.

Personality and traits
In his younger days, Cassio Tagge was a cautious and apprehensive initiate in the Imperial Military, and was perturbed by the stories around the two figureheads of the Empire in Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader. He advised caution to his brash and powerful older brother Orman, urging the baron to act in moderation when dealing with the Emperor, although his warnings would ultimately go unheeded.

Cassio Tagge was one to heed caution in dealing with the Alliance to Restore the Republic&mdash;he acknowledged their abilities to cause significant harm to the Empire, and was one of the few individuals in his walk of life to think in such a way. It was his opinion that the Alliance held sway within the Imperial Senate, and he was willing to contemplate the worst-case possibility that they would be able to ascertain a method by which to damage or destroy the Death Star. He was disinterested in the political maneuvering within the Imperial Army, and instead devoted himself to serving Galactic Emperor Palpatine. Tagge was outspoken and argumentative in putting across his beliefs among his peers, openly questioning decisions made by influential figures such as Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, Sith Lord Darth Vader, and Emperor Palpatine.

Tagge earned the ire of Admiral Motti through his more conservative approach to the Death Star battlestation, and the two developed a rivalry while serving under Grand Moff Tarkin. His belligerent attitude clashed with that of Motti, and retained his skepticism of the Death Star project even in the light of successful demonstrations of the battlestation's power.

Tagge had a reputation as a capable officer and an astute tactician, although his positioning of Imperial gunner positions on the Death Star ultimately proved inadequate against the Alliance's starfighter attack.

Tagge was considered a rational thinker by Grand Moff Tarkin, and an astute tactician.

Tagge had a degree of twisted genius about him, and he was feared and respected within the Death Star hierarchy. He was considered to have an unpleasant and unlikable demeanor. Tagge also disliked Darth Vader immensely, criticizing the Dark Lord with vigor behind his back.

Tagge was an intense, no-nonsense figure, who projected a powerful and commanding presence. It is speculated that Tagge's refusal to politically maneuver himself within the Imperial Army appealed to Palpatine. His criticism of the dissolution of the Imperial Senate lost him favor with the likes of Wilhuff Tarkin. He was a cautious being, and preferred to survey all options before taking a plan of action. Although this often served him well, it would occasionally be to his detriment. This balanced view made him an unusual figure within the heirarchy of the Imperial Military.

Appearance and attire
Cassio Tagge was 1.8 meters in height, and had brown hair, cropped short with sideburns. Tagge also had brown eyes, and wore the standard uniform of an Imperial officer. He had a slight paunch, although this was not in detriment to his otherwise commanding appearance.

Equipment
Among General Cassio Tagge's personal effects were a datapad, a comlink, a blaster pistol and his code cylinders.

Behind the scenes
"I tell you he's gone too far. This Sith Lord sent by the Emperor will be our undoing. Until this battle station is fully operation, we are vulnerable."

- An earlier version of General Tagge's first lines.

General Tagge was created by George Lucas for the 1977 film Star Wars, in which he was portrayed by Don Henderson. The character is credited erroneously as General Taggi in the film's end credits. In early drafts of the film's screenplay, Lucas swapped the names of General Tagge and Admiral Motti, which had repercussions in the film's various adaptations. Early dialogue for Tagge revealed that he, like Motti, has reservations about Darth Vader's capacity to recover the data tapes of the Death Star plans. This version of the script is reflected in the first part of Marvel Comics' adaptation of the film, although the character's appearance more closely reflects that of the actor playing Admiral Motti, Richard LeParmentier, rather than Henderson. The comic issue also gives Tagge the rank of commander, rather than general. Alan Dean Foster's novelization of Lucas's screenplay further confuses the issue, giving Motti's lines to Tagge, and as a result it is General Tagge who is strangled by Darth Vader in the scene. Foster's novel also gives Tagge his earlier line regarding Darth Vader, and features him arguing with another character, Romodi. The novel also features dialogue from Tagge that concerns his opinion on Tarkin, which does not feature in the film itself.

Marvel's adaptation of the Star Wars story continued beyond the events of the film, and featured another by-product of the Tagge/Motti confusion. The comics featured the character of Ulric Tagge, who notably hates Darth Vader and bears a resemblance to LeParmentier as Motti, rather than Henderson as General Tagge, who was later confirmed to have died during the destruction of the Death Star. In the issue Star Wars 25: Siege at Yavin, the character Jorman Thoad mentions that the Tagges are fortunate to have an Imperial General within their family&mdash;as this is set after Cassio's death, it is possible that it is referring to Ulric instead.

The confusions between Tagge and Motti persisted for decades, with the first issue of Bruce Jones's adaptation of Star Wars identifying Motti as "Commander Tagge". In Ryder Windham's 2004 junior novelization of Star Wars Trilogy: A New Hope, the erroneous rank of "commander" for Tagge is reflected once more.

Appearances

 * Evasive Action: End Game
 * Death Star
 * Star Wars radio drama
 * The Star Wars Storybook
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope novel
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope junior novel
 * Star Wars: A New Hope - The Special Edition 1
 * Star Wars Manga: A New Hope 1
 * Star Wars 1
 * Star Wars 25: Siege at Yavin
 * The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader
 * Before the Storm
 * Shield of Lies
 * Shield of Lies

Non-canon appearances

 * William Shakespeare's Star Wars