Andor has been an amazing series for many reasons, including what it reveals about Imperial officers. On that note, the show helps us realize why Grand Moff Tarkin didn’t abandon the Death Star in A New Hope. We can think of it as a captain going down with his ship, but it’s more than that rationale.
Tarkin’s Refusal to Leave the Death Star
We can thank this Reddit discussion for opening up new viewpoints to explain why Tarkin refused to evacuate the Death Star. We may be accustomed to thinking that he was being stubborn and holding to “blind confidence” when he stayed put on the Death Star even after the Imperials knew the Rebels were targeting its fatal flaw. Yet, “the fates of Dedra Meera and Major Partagaz” in Andor tell us a different story.
Both Meera and Partagaz wound up on the wrong end of the Empire after their prolonged service to it. At the end of the series, we saw that Meera was in the prison camp, Narkina 5.
While we may cheer this villain’s demise, as actress Denise Gough did, it reveals the harsh punishment that awaited even cherished Imperial officers who did not fully live up to expectations.
The same goes for Partagaz. After he failed to stop Kleya Marki from escaping and overall could not stifle the upcoming Rebellion, he fell out of favor with the top leadership, i.e. the Emperor, and decided to end his own life. In this scene, we can relive his dejected last moments.
These two main Imperials provide reference points for Tarkin’s decision to stay with the Death Star. Like Partagaz and Meera, Tarkin had given everything to the Empire, but if he abandoned his cherished superweapon, he knew his fate.
Tarkin’s Career and Reputation
A more important component, though, explains why Tarkin stayed aboard the Death Star. He had forged a reputable career, and the Death Star was the pinnacle of his achievements. Besides the anticipated punishments for leaving it, he couldn’t just abandon it because it would destroy his reputation, even if he perished.
Tarkin had worked his way up in the Imperial Navy to a point where he became “the first ever Grand Moff.” As Wilhuff Tarkin, he started in the Judicial Department before serving as governor of his home planet. One of Tarkin’s key roles was opposing the Jedi as leaders of the Grand Army of the Republic.
Once he served on the Strategic Advisory Cell, Tarkin earned the rank of admiral. An interesting connection here is how the Special Weapons Group within the Cell had Orson Krennic on it. Krennic and the Weapons Group led the efforts to build the Death Star before Tarkin took direct command.
As Tarkin became the military commander of the Death Star, he was completely responsible for it. Besides the Emperor, he was the top official on the station. He had invested so much of himself and time in it that he couldn’t allow himself to abandon it, even in the face of threat. Tarkin was likewise totally committed to using the Death Star as the forefront of his Doctrine of Fear.
Partagaz’s role with the Empire is informative here. He only held the rank of major on the Imperial Security Bureau, but he assumed his responsibilities in a manner that mirrors Tarkin. As we saw in Andor, Partagaz ran the ISB Board with a firm, decisive hand. He was dedicated to stopping the festering insurgency and well-respected in Imperial circles.
Partagaz, like Tarkin, was at the height of his career and ultimately took his own life to avoid punishment for what was considered a failure with Kleya and the leaked intelligence. Yet, he also did it because all he had worked for would have been undermined even if he had continued in his role.
As a fan aptly stated, Tarkin had “no choice” but to remain onboard the Death Star. If he had chosen to evacuate, he would have appeared “weak in a moment of crisis.” If the Rebels had not succeeded, he would have been left with a tarnished reputation, decreased respect, and most likely severe punishment. The same goes for Partagaz.
Tarkin Refused to Evacuate
In essence, Tarkin’s entire career and reputation were on the line when the Rebels sought to blow up the Death Star. He was not the type of character to retreat from adversity. It wasn’t so much that he was blinded by arrogance, but committed to it. He also wouldn’t have wanted the end paths of Meera and Partagaz, but that was a tertiary concern.