Grand Moff Tarkin has been an institution inside of Star Wars canon since we were introduced to the character in A New Hope. Books, comics, and even appearances in both Rogue One and Star Wars: Rebels have built this character into more than just a one-dimensional villain.
Star Wars even built Tarkin into Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Bad Batch so we could see how his views developed.
But for those who haven’t read Tarkin (by James Luceno), there is still a bit of a gap that we haven’t seen much of. That would be Tarkin’s rise to power, and while the book does it justice it would be gratifying to see that progression on the screen to cement Tarkin’s villainy in front of a greater audience.
How could Tarkin return?
With the new series Star Wars: Andor it would seem to be a perfect opportunity for our favorite Grand Moff to return. But as we saw in Rogue One, it may be a question of how to return Tarkin in a way that respects both the character and Peter Cushing.
The deep-fake method of using CGI to replace the face has been problematic for Star Wars in the past, so then would it simply be a recast? That seems to be the most likely but we may see the art of CGI return more of our favorite characters.
So, is he back for sure?
So far we have not received any official confirmation that the Grand Moff will make his return, but various outlets have been reporting rumors of his appearance in the series since 2020 and they still continue to this day. Even if Tarkin does not appear in the first season of Star Wars: Andor the second half of the series will have a time jump that makes his appearance even more likely.
Hopefully, the iconic villain will make his devious return soon but the Rogue One blunder may have been his last laugh.