Hume Tarl

Hume Tarl
Descriptive information
Species	Human
Chronological and political information
Affiliation(s)	Galactic Empire Stormtrooper Corps Tempest Force

"I served six years in Tempest Force, rising to sergeant. We were one of the finest legions in the New Order."

―Hume Tarl

Hume Tarl was a human stormtrooper who served as a member of the Galactic Empire's Tempest Force legion for six years and earned the rank of sergeant. Tarl was garrisoned with the rest of the unit on the forest moon of Endor to protect the Death Star II superweapon while it was under construction. In 4 ABY, the Alliance to Restore the Republic mounted an effort to destroy the Death Star, but fell into an Imperial trap.

Tarl was part of a group of stormtroopers who escorted a rebel strike team who had been captured inside the Death Star's shield generator bunker out into the surrounding forest. Native Ewoks then attacked the Imperial forces, freeing the rebels and ultimately leading to the successful destruction of the Death Star.

Biography

A well-laid trap

"All right, move it!"

―One of the stormtroopers escorting the rebels from the bunker

Hume Tarl (foreground, left) escorted the captured Endor strike team from the shield bunker.

Hume Tarl was a human member of the Galactic Empire's Stormtrooper Corps who served as part of the Tempest Force legion for a total of six years, rising to the rank of sergeant within that time. During the construction of the Death Star II Imperial superweapon in the Endor system, Tarl and the rest of Tempest Force were garrisoned on the Forest Moon of Endor in order to protect a shield generator bunker there that provided protection for the Death Star from the moon's surface.

In 4 ABY, Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine set a trap for the Alliance to Restore the Republic—rebels engaged in a Galactic Civil War with the Empire—and lured rebel forces to Endor to try and destroy the Death Star. As part of their attack, a rebel strike team infiltrated the bunker in order to destroy it; however, before the team could plant their charges in the bunker, the trap was sprung and the rebels were captured. Tarl was one of several stormtroopers who then escorted the captured rebels out through the back entrance to the bunker into the surrounding forest, where additional Imperial forces awaited them.

Battle breaks out

Although Tarl and Tempest Force captured the rebels, they were soon attacked by Ewoks.

Once outside the bunker, Tarl moved ahead of the rebels then turned to watch them as they stopped in the entryway. The stormtroopers then escorted the rebels further out into the midst of the gathered Imperials, at which point the uncaptured rebel protocol droid C-3PO called out to the Imperials from the trees nearby. A group of stormtroopers were then sent to apprehend the droid and his counterpart R2-D2, but were ambushed by an army of Ewoks.

As the Ewoks opened fire on the Imperials outside the bunker with bows, the rebel captives attacked the distracted Imperials around them and broke free. During the ensuing battle, the rebels and their Ewok allies managed to eventually regain entry to the bunker and destroy it, resulting in the destruction of the Death Star and the death of the Emperor. Tarl survived the battle and later spoke about having served in Tempest Force.

Personality and traits

Tarl believed Tempest Force to be one of the finest legions serving the Empire's New Order.

Equipment

Hume Tarl wore stormtrooper armor and carried an E-11 medium blaster rifle.

Behind the scenes

Hume Tarl first appeared in the 1983 original trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. The character's scenes were filmed near Crescent City, California between May 3 and May 8, 1982. In the current Star Wars canon, the character was identified in "Tempest Force Battle Preview," an article published by Atomic Mass Games on July 13, 2023 to promote the Tempest Force Battle Force Starter Set for the tabletop game Star Wars: Legion.

The name originated in the Star Wars Legends continuity, where the surname Tarl was first provided for the film character on a card in the 1999 "Endor Limited" expansion for the Star Wars Customizable Card Game produced by Decipher, Inc. The forename of Hume was then revealed in The Essential Guide to Warfare, a 2012 reference book written by Jason Fry and Paul R. Urquhart.

Appearances

• Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi (First appearance)

Sources

• Tempest Force Battle Force Preview on Atomic Mass Games' official website (content now obsolete; backup link) (First identified as Hume Tarl)