History Characters / StarWarsImperialCourt

* VillainousBreakdown: With Nils Tenant.

* DidntSeeThatComing: He thought it impossible that the natives of Endor (human child-sized primitives) [[RockBeatsLaser might be able to take advantage of their native terrain against the Empire's finest troops]] (though said natives did have help from a Jedi, a droid who could hack anything, and several crack-shot rebel commandos). He also apparently never considered that a guy who [[LoveMakesYouEvil turned to the dark side to save his wife]] might [[LoveRedeems turn from it to save his son]].

* DidntSeeThatComing: He thought it impossible that the natives of Endor (human child-sized primitives) [[RockBeatsLaser might be able to take advantage of their native terrain against the Empire's finest troops]] (though said natives did have help from a Jedi, a droid who could hack anything, and several crack shots). He also apparently never considered that a guy who [[LoveMakesYouEvil turned to the dark side to save his wife]] might [[LoveRedeems turn from it to save his son]].

->'''Appears in''' ''[[WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars The Clone Wars]]''[[note]]appears in a vision only[[/note]] | ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' | ''Lords Of The Sith'' | ''[[WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels Rebels]]'' | ''Film/ANewHope'' | ''VideoGame/{{Commander}}'' | Marvel's ''Star Wars'' | ''Darth Vader'' | ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' | ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''

** Palpatine also uses it, as revealed in ''Literature/DarthPlagueis'', as he has the Trade Federation [[Film/ThePhantomMenace blockade Naboo]] to gain sympathy.

* ManipulativeBastard: Palpatine is the puppet master behind the curtain, pulling the strings of all the characters in the movie. His manipulativeness is evident throughout the saga. From co-ordinating, and eventually betraying the Trade Federation, as they attack Naboo as an excuse to replace the incompetent Chancellor Valorum as Chancellor. Setting up the various commerce guilds in the Galaxy to take on the Republic as an excuse to access emergency powers. Getting Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader to kill Count Dooku to replace him as his apprentice, and then promising to save his wife from [[SelfFulfillingProphecy certain death]] with his [[DealWithTheDevil knowledge of the dark side]] so he would [[FaceHeelTurn turn his back]] [[FallenHero on the Jedi.]] And this is just to name a few of the manipulative things he's done.

** MouthOfSauron: In addition to serving as TheDragon, performs this duty for Emperor Palpatine. It's not obvious at first glance, but notice that Vader has frequent contact with Imperial commanders, to whom he frequently gives commands. Palpatine is never shown speaking to any of his other underlings except Vader in the original trilogy (with the exception of "Fire at will, commander!"

* AntiVillain: Type II and Type II. Darth Vader essentially became one by ''Return of the Jedi''. For one thing, it is hinted that his attempts to turn Luke to the Dark Side were as a means of protecting him (the only alternative was to kill him), and when mentioning that it's too late for him to redeem himself, he seems to say it with a tinge of remorse. This, combined with the fact that he even breaks his general rule of YouHaveFailedMe, show that the dark side has begun to lose its' grip on him.

->'''Appears in:''' ''[[Literature/StarWarsTarkin Tarkin]]''

An ambitious military officer who rose through the Republic Army's ranks during the Clone Wars. As governor of the Outer Rim Territories for the Galactic Empire, he was put in charge of the construction of the Death Star, which he saw as a way to keep the galaxy's star systems in check.

!!!Other members of the Imperial Court

[[folder:Wilhuff Tarkin]]
!!Governor/Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wilhufftarkin_sw_3111.jpg]]

->'''Portrayed by:''' Peter Cushing (''Film/ANewHope''), Wayne Pygram (''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'')
->'''Voiced by:''' Stephen Stanton
->'''Appears in:''' ''[[WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars The Clone Wars]]'' | ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' | ''[[Literature/StarWarsTarkin Tarkin]]'' | ''Film/ANewHope''

-->''"Fear will keep the local systems in line. Fear of this battle station."''

An ambitious military officer who rose through the Republic Army's ranks during the Clone Wars. As governor of the Outer Rim Territories for the Galactic Empire, he was put in charge of the construction of the Death Star, which he saw as a way to keep the galaxy's star systems in check.

* AllThereInTheScript: In the closing credits of "Point of No Return" it's revealed that he's been promoted to the rank of Admiral since his last appearance in ''The Clone Wars''.
* AmbiguouslyEvil: Presented as such in ''The Clone Wars''. As anyone familiar with [[Film/ANewHope the movies]] knows, he simply hasn't gotten the chance to be unambiguous.
* CoDragons: Him and Vader are the top officers serving the Emperor in ''A New Hope''. Although Tarkin orders Vader around a couple of times, he also lets him take the initiative more often than not. His authority is probably based on the fact that he is in charge of the Death Star, and that's where Vader happens to be; in most respects they are equals.
* ComplainingAboutRescuesTheyDontLike: After being rescued from The Citadel, he isn't very grateful to Anakin and his team, which annoys them.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: His reasoning behind the Death Star is to frighten the citizens into servitude. Tarkin didn't seem to think that would result in people [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating joining the Rebel cause because they don't like having their planets blown up]].
* EvilOldFolks: During the Galactic Civil War, he was one of the oldest Imperials, and is considered to be one of the most monstrous by many due to ordering the destruction of Alderaan.
* FaceFramedInShadow: During the Citadel story arc his face had a tendency to have rather sinister lighting.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He acts very polite towards Leia, then casually orders her planet blown up in front of her.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: He and Anakin get along in the Citadel trilogy of ''The Clone Wars'', foreshadowing their later working relationship in ''Film/ANewHope''.
* {{Hypocrite}}: His going back on his ultimatum and has Alderaan blown up anyway is all the more vile when he acts shocked and enraged that Leia lied about where the rebels were stationed.
* IcyBlueEyes: His eyes have a cold blue shade that match his unpleasant personality.
* InspectorJavert: Subverted in his prosecution of Ahsoka for the Jedi Temple bombing: he did everything in his power to make sure Ahsoka is convicted of her supposed crimes, despite some obvious and suspicious coincidences pointing to a {{Frameup}}. According to WordOfGod, this was because he didn't actually care about who was the perpetrator, he only wanted to convict a Jedi to strengthen his position and weaken the Order's.
* {{Jerkass}}: In his appearance in the ''Clone Wars'' series, he had to be saved by Anakin from the Separatists. However, instead of being gracious enough to express gratitude to Anakin, he is a complete jerk about it, causing Anakin to tell him that he'll only respect those who know gratitude. However, the two do start to get along, and Anakin [[JerkassHasAPoint acknowledges that Tarkin has several good points]].
* KarmicDeath: He is killed on the very station he hoped to use to instill fear in the galaxy, giving it a new hope instead.
* KickTheDog: He orders the destruction of Alderaan even after Leia tells him what he wants to hear (though she was lying), simply because he believes the planet would serve as an effective demonstration.
* KnightTemplar: Why no, he doesn't see anything amoral about blowing up a pacifist planet - it's only to protect order.
* LackOfEmpathy: He threatens to destroy Alderaan to make Princess Leia spill the beans on where the Rebels are hiding, then blows up Alderaan anyway to set an example for the rest of the galaxy.
* MachiavelliWasWrong: He was certain that fear of the Death Star would keep the thousands of opressed star systems in line, and he blew up Alderaan as a demonstration and warning. It backfired, because the general outrage over destroying the peaceful planet increased the support of the Rebellion.
* TheMeanBrit: He isn't ''British'', [[AliensOfLondon per se]], but he's certainly mean.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: The destruction of Alderaan at his command was meant to be a demonstration of the Empire's power, and that resistance would be crushed effectively instantaneously. Instead, it ''[[EpicFail tremendously increased]]'' support for the Rebellion.
* NoMacGuffinNoWinner: When it became obvious, that he can't stop Tarkin from escaping, Osi Sobeck, warden of the Citadel attempted to kill him, in order to stop the Nexus Route coordinates he had memorized from getting back to the Republic.
* NonActionBigBad: All he does in ''Film/ANewHope'' is command the destruction of a planet; he does not carry it out himself.
* NotSoDifferent: His actions in war are similar to Anakin's, who realized this midway through the Citadel trilogy.
* SadisticChoice: Forces on Leia, between betraying the Rebellion or Leia's home planet. Leia betrays the Rebellion. Appears to, anyway; it later turns out that she gave him false information in order to stall for time. Tarkin blows up her planet anyway.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Sort of. His constant complaining to his superior officer's face puts him into this trope. It's also hinted that he got his position from his connection with Palpatine, as well.
* SmugSnake: Even when the Rebels have crucial information on how to blow up the Death Star, he deliberately does nothing to order for the protection of the vulnerable area, nor does he have a contingency plan should anything go wrong.
* TemptingFate: He is incredulous when one of his subordinates suggest evacuating during the Rebel attack on the Death Star.
-->'''Tarkin:''' Evacuate? In our moment of triumph? I think you overestimate their chances!
* TheUnfettered: And he criticizes the Jedi for being TheFettered in a time of war. He takes this viewpoint further in his service to the Empire, blowing up a planet just to set an example.
* UngratefulBastard: Ahsoka saves his life back when he is first introduced in ''The Clone Wars'' Season 3. One would think this would earn her at least a little consideration. One would be wrong. Though not without good reason, he cuts her no slack when it appears as if she murdered a suspect, and extends this to suspicion of her attempting to silence potential witnesses. He is outright gleeful when he asks the Court to sentence Ahsoka to death.
* VillainousCheekbones[=/=]VillainousWidowsPeak: Played with during ''The Clone Wars'' in that he's working for the good guys, but is still a ruthless {{Jerkass}}. They fully suit him under the Empire's rule.

[[folder:Denetrius Vidian]]
!!Count Denetrius Vidian
->'''Appears in:''' ''Literature/ANewDawn''

The Empire's leading efficiency expert eight years after the Empire took power. A ruthless cyborg who believes in efficiency over safety, he arrives on Gorse to boost Thorilide production, although he may have some ulterior motives. [[spoiler:His real name is Lemuel Tharsa.]]

* AndIMustScream: He sees his time hospitalized and having his flesh eaten away as this. He threatens to do the same to Kanan and Hera, and for even longer for experimentation purposes.
-->'''Count Vidian:''' Can you imagine what it is to live without senses, without any means of interacting with your environment?\\
'''Kanan Jarrus:''' After a few drinks.\\
'''Count Vidian:''' The mind is a dynamo in the dark, an engine endlessly running, powering nothing. It thrashes in the night, seeking daylight, inventing its own. ''Controlling nothing.'' Consider that! The youngling and the aged experience it - the struggle with ineffectuallity. Controlling nothing is the true death.
* ArtificialLimbs: All four of his limbs are artificial, and he essentially has super strength that allows him to beat beings much stronger than a human to death and jump great distances.
* AttackReflector: His entire body can deflect blaster shots thanks to a cortosis graft. [[spoiler:[[EyeScream Zaluna learned this the hard way.]]]]
* AxCrazy: He may claim not to enjoy beating people to death, but he sure seems to do it an awful lot in the name of "efficiency".
* BadassTransplant: His cybernetics make him incredibly deadly in a fistfight.
* BodyHorror: According to his backstory, he lost the majority of his body to a flesh-eating disease [[spoiler:that came as a result of [[NoOSHACompliance too much exposure to toxins and other chemical agents in the industries he explored]]]].
* {{Catchphrase}}: "Forget the old way".
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: His ideas for increasing work efficiency includes [[BadBoss killing "inefficient" workers]] and [[NoOSHACompliance neglecting worker safety]]. [[spoiler:Ironically, he used to be a safety inspector for the Mining Guild - and not a military whistleblower as claimed by his official biography - when he was Lemuel Tharsa, and it was because other [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Corrupt Corporate Executives]] that he decided to stop playing by the rules.]]
* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: Several characters note that there is nothing human about Vidian anymore. As described from Kanan's perspective, he looks like "a war droid playing a human at a masquerade party."
* {{Cyborg}}: He contracted a disease that robbed him of his limbs and ate away his flesh, which resulted in him getting cybernetic limbs. He also lost his eyes, and had them replaced with cybernetic ones that he can use to playback anything he saw that day. His voicebox is also in his throat, so his lips do not move when he speaks. He specifically selected the baritone of the voice based on research regarding the most authoritative and inspiring voice tone. [[spoiler:Near the end of the story, it's revealed that even the face under his synth-skin his robotic. And there are several that aides that he made like himself as well.]]
* FacialHorror: [[spoiler:During the final battle aboard the ''Forager'', he gets rid of his synth-skin face to reveal a metallic face underneath.]]
* FauxAffablyEvil: A seemingly charismatic businessmen who's actually a temperamental sociopath underneath.
* FreudianExcuse: [[spoiler:It's because of other [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Corrupt Corporate Executives]], [[AndIMustScream spending two years bedridden due to a flesh-eating disease and feeling "useless" at that time]] that he strives for efficiency at all costs.]]
* HairTriggerTemper: He gets set off very easily, and ends up killing at least one person simply for being there when he got annoying news. Commander Chamas notes that his stateroom was completely trashed.
* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:He gets by killed by Skelly, the same guy whom he got the idea to destroy Cynda from and gave several fatal internal injuries to.]]
* LackOfEmpathy: If he ever had it before, he lost it along with most of his body. He's willing to murder for efficiency. At the beginning of ''A New Dawn'', [[EstablishingCharacterMoment he orders the destruction of a damaged freighter just because it would be faster to replace than to repair it]].
* MadeOfIron: Thanks to his excessive cybernetics, he is difficult to kill, to the point that he survived a mine collapse on Cynda. He also has cortosis grafts in his skin that can conduct the energy dissipated from blaster bolts. [[spoiler:He dies for real when Skelly blows up the ''Expedient'' with both of them onboard.]]
* NoOSHACompliance: It's more accurate to say if an industry has ''any'' safety regulations, chances are that Vidian will remove some of them for his idea of efficiency if he takes control of it. [[spoiler:Ironically, he used to be a safety inspector himself.]]
* SmugSuper: He's very overconfident and thinks he can gain the loyalty of anyone serving under him, such as promising Captain Sloane a position as the youngest Admiral in the Imperial Navy when he really finds the idea laughable. [[spoiler:He also tries to sabotage his rival, Lero Danthe, by falsifying a report on the half-life of exposed thorilide. It comes as a shock to him when Sloane tries to have him arrested.]] That said, he's still dangerous in a fight and it still takes a lot to kill him. [[spoiler:Even when Sloane orders his arrest, he just [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomps]] the stormtroopers carrying out the order. The only two times he's been successfully put down was when Skelly drugged him and later, blew him up (and [[KilledOffForReal killed him for real]]) on the ''Expedient''.]]
* SocialDarwinist: He sees any worker who isn't at their potential or "ordinary" as useless, and will see fit to dispose of them. For example, he tried to kill Okadiah just because he was too old for physical labor. Kanan counters his idea by pointing that his knowledge is what still makes him useful.
* TheSociopath: He's in charge of part of the Empire's production and business division, but he has very little to no regard for the lives of workers for the sake of "efficiency". As a lot of characters note, there's barely anything human about him anymore, and not just because of the excessive cybernetics.
* ThatManIsDead: Subverted. [[spoiler:After he became Count Vidian, he treated Lemuel Tharsa as a separate entity and used the name to validate his own plans.]]
* UncannyValley[=/=]UncannyValleyMakeup: Invoked. The only part of him that looks human is a synth-skin face [[spoiler:(and underneath that is a metallic skull)]], and it barely even moves. He doesn't even move his lips to talk (that's done with a vocalizer on his neck). As Kanan describes him, he looks like a droid trying to dress like a human instead of a cyborg.
* VillainousBreakdown: He loses cool almost any time Baron Danthe reports demands for unrealistic production increases. [[spoiler:He has another when Captain Sloane tries to have him arrested for treason against the Emperor.]]
* WalkingShirtlessScene: He has one during his brawl with Kanan and Hera in his operating room on Calcoraan. His torso is artificial as well.

[[folder:Lero Danthe]]
!!Baron Lero Danthe
->'''Appears in:''' ''Literature/ANewDawn''

Count Vidian's underling and main political rival in the Imperial Court, Danthe is constantly attempting to sabotage his superior's work by manipulating large increases in the demand of resources Vidian needs to acquire.

* SmugSnake: Every scene with him has him smugly assuring Vidian that he is sure he can meet the new material quotas, all while plotting the Count's downfall.
* TheStarscream: He is plotting to discredit Vidian and take his position. To this end, he convinced [[spoiler:Commander Nibiru Chamas]] to serve as his spy on the ''Ultimatium'' and gather information on Vidian.

** Vader's tendency to do this is lampshaded in ''TheForceUnleashed'' where there is an achievement for killing a certain number of your own men while playing as Vader in the prologue. Bonus points for it being an ActorAllusion as well (Matt Sloane, the voice of Vader in that game, also voiced Chad Vader, with the achievement being a direct reference to that series).

[[folder:Wilhuff Tarkin]]
!!Governor/Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wilhufftarkin_sw_3111.jpg]]

->'''Portrayed by:''' Peter Cushing (''Film/ANewHope''), Wayne Pygram (''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'')

->'''Appears in:''' ''[[WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars The Clone Wars]]'' | ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' | ''[[Literature/StarWarsTarkin Tarkin]]'' | ''Film/ANewHope''

-->''"Fear will keep the local systems in line. Fear of this battle station."''

An ambitious military officer who rose through the Republic Army's ranks during the Clone Wars. As governor of the Outer Rim Territories for the Galactic Empire, he was put in charge of the construction of the Death Star, which he saw as a way to keep the galaxy's star systems in check.

[[folder:Mas Amedda]]
!!Grand Vizier Mas Amedda
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mas_amedda_sw_115.jpg]]

->'''Portrayed by:''' Jerome Blake (''The Phantom Menace'', ''Revenge Of The Sith''), David Bowers (''Attack Of The Clones'', ''Revenge Of The Sith'')
->'''Voiced by:''' Stephen Stanton
->'''Appears in:''' ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' | ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'' | ''[[WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars The Clone Wars]]'' | ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' | ''[[Literature/StarWarsTarkin Tarkin]]'' | ''[[WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels Rebels]]''

The Vice Chair of the Galactic Republic to both Valorum and Palpatine. After the establishment of the Empire, he became Grand Vizier and head of the Imperial Ruling Council.

* CorruptPolitician: He's one of the bureaucrats who keep Chancellor Valorum from acting on his best judgment against the Trade Federation during the Naboo crisis, and is believed to actually be accepting bribes from the Federation. Amedda also assists Palpatine in overthrowing the Republic and establishing the Empire.
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: He immediately proclaims that Yoda can't be dead when the clone troopers report their [[NeverFoundTheBody failure to find Yoda's body]] after his fight with Palpatine in ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith''.
* TheDragon: Serves as this for Darth Sidious in the political arena.
* HornedHumanoid: Has four long horns, two of which are draped over his shoulders.
* NumberTwo: He's the Vice Chair and Speaker of the Senate for both Valorum and Chancellor Palpatine. After becoming Grand Vizier of the Empire, he meets with government officials in Palpatines stead whenever the Emperor is not available.
* OverlyLongTongue: A deleted scene in ''Attack of the Clones'' reveals him to have a long forked tongue.
* RubberForeheadAlien: He's a Chagrian with blue skin and long horns.
* SecretKeeper: According to WordOfGod, he is aware that Chancellor Palpatine is secretly Darth Sidious.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Denetrius Vidian]]
!!Count Denetrius Vidian
->'''Appears in:''' ''Literature/ANewDawn''

The Empire's leading efficiency expert eight years after the Empire took power. A ruthless cyborg who believes in efficiency over safety, he arrives on Gorse to boost Thorilide production, although he may have some ulterior motives. [[spoiler:His real name is Lemuel Tharsa.]]
----

* NoNameGiven: Palpatine was originally just referred to as "The Emperor" before he was officially given the last name of Palpatine. His first name, Sheev, would not officially be discussed until 2014's ''Tarkin''.

* TreacherousAdvisor: He was acting as a kindly uncle figure for Anakin, listening to what he had to say, encouraging his rebellious side, and heaping him with praises. His true motives were to turn him to his side and against the Jedi.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: He and Anakin get along in the Citdadel trilogy of ''The Clone Wars'', foreshadowing their later working relationship in ''Film/ANewHope''.

* IcyBlueEyes: His eyes has a cold blue shade, that match his unpleasant personality.

!!All spoilers regarding the Prequel Trilogy, the Original Trilogy, and ''The Clone Wars'' are unmarked. Examples relating to Disney's EU and the new movies can be spoiler-tagged if deemed necessary.

[[folder:Emperor Sheev Palpatine]]

[[folder:Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin]]

[[folder:Grand Vizier Mas Amedda]]

[[folder:Count Denetrius Vidian]]

[[folder: Baron Lero Danthe]]

* UnfortunateName: It's not hard to see why he doesn't wave his first name (Sheev) around too often.

* NoNameGiven: Palpatine (originally just "The Emperor," making this a mild subversion) has never been given a first name and might not even have one.

* UriahGambit: Does it to Maul ''and'' Dooku. It's also pretty clear that he had every intention of doing this to Vader.

* BloodKnight: As much as he might want to kill Palpatine and become Emperor, realistically Vader is too much of a warrior to deal with all the politics and scheming involved with being the ruler of a Galactic Empire. Before being immolated, he was HotBlooded to the point of being AxCrazy. His lava bath and some soul-searching in the months that followed his robotization taught him to ([[TranquilFury mostly]]) control his emotions.

* SupernaturalGoldEyes: While his eyes appear blue for the majority of the original trilogy, after he fries himself with his own Force Lightning they're revealed to be yellow due to his immersion in the Dark Side.

* BloodKnight: As much as he might want to kill Palpatine and become Emperor, realistically Vader is too much of a warrior to deal with all the politics and scheming involved with being the ruler of a Galactic Empire.

* ADayInTheLimelight: The ''Dark Lord'' trilogy of novels chronicles his transformation from the broken remnants of Anakin Skywalker to the stoic Dark Lord of the Sith.

* DarkLordOnLifeSupport: He can't live without his suit for more than a few minutes. He ''could'' have gotten an upgraded suit that removed most of his armor's limitations, but decided against it due to the procedure being too risky.

* FateWorseThanDeath: The operation that placed him into his suit was extremely painful, and left him stuck in an elaborate iron lung in constant physical pain, as well as emotional due to the belief of having killed his wife. To make matters worse, he suspects Palpatine deliberately constructed the suit to be ''very'' uncomfortable as a roundabout means of punishing him for his failure.

* TheSlowWalk: Initially the construction of his leg prosthetics prohibited him from walking in any other fashion. Even after he overcomes this, he keeps it up purely for the intimidation factor, as seen in his very first scene in ''A New Hope''.

* DarkLordOnLifeSupport: He can't live without his suit for more than a few minutes.

* FateWorseThanDeath: The operation that placed him into his suit was extremely painful, and left him stuck in an elaborate iron lung in constant physical pain, as well as emotional due to the belief of having killed his wife.

* NomDeGuerre: Combined with ThatManIsDead; when he became a Sith Lord, he ditched the Anakin Skywalker in favor of Darth Vader, effectively [[DeathOfPersonality "killing" Anakin]] (or so he thinks).

* ObviouslyEvil: Vader wears very large black suit, a menacing cape, and a [[TheFaceless face-concealing helmet]]. His name also sounds like "invader," as well as "dark father" in Dutch.

* TheSlowWalk: Does this in his very first scene in ''A New Hope''.