- "The rebels will come to know this ship, and they will tremble to see it."
- ―Commander Zahra
The Tarkin's Will, formerly known as the Fortitude, was an Imperial-class Star Destroyer in the Imperial Navy. It was present near the Death Star at the time of the Battle of Yavin, and was severely damaged by debris from the Death Star. Following the Battle, the Fortitude was scheduled to be recycled and turned into scrap for a new starship, but was rechristened as the Tarkin's Will by the vengeful Imperial Navy Commander Ellian Zahra, who took the vessel as her flagship.
History[]
The Battle of Yavin[]
- "Countless loyal Imperial subjects died that day. People. Murdered by Leia Organa's traitorous insurgency."
- ―Commander Zahra, on the Battle of Yavin
The Fortitude was heavily damaged during the Battle of Yavin.
The Fortitude was an Imperial-class Star Destroyer in service to the Galactic Empire's Imperial Navy during the Galactic Civil War.[1] In 0 BBY,[11] the Fortitude was present at the Battle of Yavin.[4] At the battle's end, the young rookie Rebel pilot Jedi Lieutenant Luke Skywalker destroyed the Empire's planet-killing superweapon, the Death Star.[12] In the aftermath of the explosion, debris from the battle station struck the Fortitude, killing many. Although the ship survived, the damage to the hull was severe, leaving great scars running across its surface. After the Battle, the ship was scheduled to be recycled and turned to scrap for a new starship.[4]
Hunting the Rebel Armada[]
- "This vessel is a memorial to the great tragedy of the Death Star. And an instrument of vengeance for everyone who died with it."
- ―Zahra, to Gorr
Before the ship got recycled, it was handpicked by Navy Commander Ellian Zahra to become her flagship following the Battle of Hoth when Skywalker’s father Darth Vader allowed her to take any ship from the Imperial Navy. Zahra, who was the protégé of Governor Wilhuff Tarkin and lost him when Skywalker destroyed the Death Star, chose the ship because of its history, hoping that its scarred surface would serve as a reminder of the crimes of the Rebel Alliance. Zahra filled the crew of the ship with others who lost close friends and family at Yavin.[4] Renamed after her mentor who took away command of the Death Star from his late rival Director Orson Callan Krennic of the Imperial Weapons Division,[12] the Tarkin's Will would go on to serve Zahra as she hunted the remnants of the Alliance Fleet.[1]
Zahra overlooks the battle from the bridge.
Not long after the Battle of Hoth, Zahra cornered the Fourth Division of the Rebel Fleet at Rendezvous Point Delta-Three by using a signal analysis protocol she invented to pinpoint the enemy fleet's location. Commanding from the Tarkin's Will, Zahra led her forces in blockading the Fourth Division, trapping the rebels between a star and her assault group. The blockade was broken by the arrival of the Millennium Falcon, which destroyed one of Zahra's light cruisers and allowed the survivors of the attack to escape.[1]
Sometime later, the Tarkin's Will was successful in destroying the Rebel Alliance's Sixth Division, leaving no survivors. Following the engagement, Zahra's second-in-command, Lieutenant Gorr, proposed repairing the ship's outer hull, unaware of its memorial significance. Commander Zahra chastised him aboard the bridge, informing him of the ship's past and then leading the crew in a rallying cry of remembrance for those they lost.[4] Zahra later intercepted transmissions from the Alliance Fleet's Seventh Division and began tracking their movements. As she reported her findings to Vader, the Sith Lord felt a disturbance in the Force on Tempes in the Outer Rim. She offered to have the Tarkin's Will provide assistance on his mission there, but Vader denied her, insisting that he would handle the matter himself. Instead, he commanded her to not let a single rebel ship escape their grasps.[13]
Behind the scenes[]
Tarkin's Will first appeared in Star Wars (2020) 1, written by Charles Soule and illustrated by Jesús Saiz,[1] released on January 1, 2020.[14]
Appearances[]
- Star Wars (2020) 1 (First appearance)
- Star Wars (2020) 3 (First identified as Fortitude)
- Star Wars (2020) 6 (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars (2020) 7
- Star Wars (2020) 8
- Star Wars (2020) 10
- Star Wars (2020) 11
- Star Wars (2020) 12
- Star Wars (2020) 13 (Mentioned only; in the opening crawl)
- Star Wars (2020) 19 (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars (2020) 21
- Crimson Reign 2
- Star Wars (2020) 22
- Star Wars (2020) 23
- Star Wars (2020) 24 (Wreckage only)
- Star Wars Outlaws (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars (2020) 49 (Mentioned only)
Sources[]
Commander Zahra Wants Revenge in Marvel's Star Wars #23 – Exclusive Preview on StarWars.com (backup link)- Star Wars: Timelines
- Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Star Wars (2020) 1
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Star Wars (2020) 23
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Star Wars (2020) 11
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 Star Wars (2020) 3
- ↑
Visit a Galaxy Far, Far Away with our Star Wars liveblog direct from San Diego Comic-Con 2024! on Popverse: "We're beginning our journey three years after the Battle of Yavin" (backup link archived on January 22, 2025) dates the events of Star Wars Outlaws to 3 ABY.. The Battle of Panisia which is when the Tarkin's Will was destroyed is mentioned as being a recent event, therefore the destruction of the Tarkin's Will must take place during the same year.
- ↑ Star Wars (2020) 3
- ↑ Star Wars (2020) 7
- ↑ Star Wars (2020) 10
- ↑ Crimson Reign 2
- ↑ Star Wars (2020) 21
- ↑ Star Wars: Galactic Atlas
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
- ↑ Star Wars (2020) 6
- ↑
Star Wars (2020) #1 on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link)
