Moff Tarkin
The Central Character: We first came to know him as Grand Moff Tarkin (played by Peter Cushing) in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope – at which point he was the Governor of the Imperial Outland Regions and Commander of the Death Star. He is such a chilling presence that even Darth Vader seems to regard him fearfully.
This cold nature is best demonstrated when he uses the Death Star to destroy Alderaan, in front of Alderaan’s own Princess Leia. In other areas of the Star Wars universe, we have seen him earlier in his life, as a Captain, then as an Admiral in the Republic Navy during the Clone Wars. We’ve also seen him as a colleague of Vader and Emperor Palpatine, overseeing the construction of the Death Star. Ultimately, however, he is killed at the end of A New Hope when Luke Skywalker destroys the Death Star.
The plot: In the style of House Of Cards, the film charts the rise to extreme power of an ambitious, corrupt and dangerous man. As he progresses up through the ranks, Tarkin manipulates and subverts the intentions of those around him for his own nefarious purposes – leaving a trail of ruined careers in his wake.
The director: Kevin Macdonald, whose directorial experience includes many stories in which complex plot-lines unfold through well-paced, tension-building character arcs, such as Touching The Void, The Last King Of Scotland, and State Of Play.