Why did Tariq kill Ghost in ‘Power?’

For six seasons, audiences were hooked on the trials and tribulations of James “Ghost” St. Patrick and the provocative company he kept on the Starz crime drama, Power. Like any thrilling show, it was full of twists, turns, and payoffs that left some characters dazed, confused, and even dead.

This tragic fate included Ghost, the lead character himself, who winds up pushing daisies. Given every action Ghost took in trying to live a legit life, keep his family together, and distance himself from his old dangerous ways, why were his days still numbered? And why did Tariq, Ghost’s own son, kill his father?

The strained relationship between father and son

After getting out of prison, Ghost was determined to fly straight and run a legitimate business operation after a dangerous and consequential life of crime. While he was away, though, the lives of his loved ones hung in the balance, and after his release, it was imperative for Ghost to keep his family together, while staying out of trouble. With the cast of characters in this show, that was definitely no easy task.

Tariq spent the first two seasons of the story arc deeply loyal to his family unit finally made complete upon Ghost’s return from incarceration. Eventually, though, Ghost’s seemingly traitorous break from the family during the show’s third season practically causes Tariq’s personality to do an about-face. Tariq gets more acclimated to the environment that once compromised Ghost; this is a demonstration of Tariq’s resentment of his father and a form of acting out towards him.

In the fourth season, Tariq’s turn for the worse was nearly complete. He had been involved in robberies and additional tests of fortitude that were orchestrated by Kanan, a rival of Ghost. He endured a kidnapping, death threats, heavy treachery, and the loss of people close to him, all of which further fueled his disdain for his father.

And in the fifth season, Tariq openly showed favoritism toward Kanan over his whole family. He then got fully immersed in the drug game, becoming a seller at his own school.

The sixth and final season of the series featured Tariq’s expulsion from school as a result of his drug activities, but more seriously, his life was threatened again, and he was disavowed by Tommy, Ghost’s close confidant. And after his once-secretive activities came to light, he was faced with picking between what was legit, and the underworld that everyone else in his circle seemed to have a hand in.

Tariq makes the biggest decision of his life, thus far

Inevitably, Tariq seemed to become familiar with the world that his father, Ghost, strove to distance his whole family from. And because of his father’s independent actions, Tariq saw plenty of reasons to start making some important decisions of his own.

However, Ghost himself confronted his son with his strong disappointment that Tariq chose the life of a criminal. He even laid out the consequences for Tariq, should he ever betray his father again. That was all Tariq needed to fully realize he was no longer living under Ghost’s wing.

Tariq made the decision — along with a spiritual nudge by the late Kanan — to do away with his father. He confronts him with the belief that it was Ghost’s actions that broke their family apart and that the damage is irreversible. Tariq shoots Ghost who, as he slowly dies, directs Tommy not to kill Tariq in response to his impending death.

Where is Tariq now in the Power universe?

Tariq’s mother, Tasha, takes the fall for Ghost’s murder, allowing Tariq to finish high school and make his way to college. His story continues in Power Book II: Ghost, the first spinoff in the Power series. This series is followed by Power Book III: Raising Kanan, a prequel series delving into Kanan’s origin story, and Power Book IV: Force, which revolves around Tommy Egan’s rise away from New York City.