| |
| Ulric Tagge | |
|---|---|
| Biographical information | |
| Homeworld |
Tepasi |
| Birth Name |
Ulric Cassio Tagge |
| Born |
c. 45 BBY |
| Died |
c. 20 ABY |
| Physical description | |
| Species | |
| Gender | |
| Height |
6'1" (1.83 meters) |
| Hair Color |
Brown, later grey |
| Eye Color |
Brown |
| Family information | |
| Family |
Harman Tagge (father) |
| Political information | |
| Affiliation |
|
- "How sweet the dawn that spreads it's light around. How sweet to be alive and six feet over ground."
- ―Ulric Tagge
Ulric Tagge was a human male who served as a member of the Joint Chiefs of the Imperial military, overseeing the Imperial Army throughout much of the Galactic Civil War, and later as the Baron of the ancient and influential House of Tagge.
Born into the powerful Tagge family, Ulric Tagge grew up on Tepasi with his two brothers, Orman and Silas, as well as his younger sister Domina, who was sent away from Tepasi by Orman at an early age. Boasting a tactically astute and cautious mind, Tagge had enlisted for officer training in the Imperial Military by 18 BBY, against the wishes of Orman, who had ascended to the position of Baron of the House of Tagge. Ulric Tagge ultimately ascended to the rank of general, and became an influential figure within the military, strengthening the organization's ties to his family's TaggeCo corporation, and holding sway with Emperor Cosimo Palpatine II himself. Among the general's earlier assignments was the subjugation of the Fallanassi people on Lucazec. When the general failed, he managed to drive the obstinate people off their planet and into hiding.
Tagge's military nous, combined with his standing with Palpatine and the House of Tagge's considerable influence on the Imperial capital world of Imperial Center resulted in him being given command of all Imperial Army activities on Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin's Death Star. As the project was steered towards completion, Tagge was given numerous administrative duties, and developed a fierce rivalry with his Imperial Navy counterpart on the station, Admiral Zigmund Motti. Tagge also had to endure the presence of the Dark Lord Darth Vader, with whom he felt compelled to avoid direct confrontation, but was critical of nonetheless. Tagge's criticisms of Vader and the Death Star project itself reached a fever pitch in 0 BBY, when the battlestation's plans were stolen by the Alliance to Restore the Republic, an entity that Tagge controversially had great respect for. Ulric's concerns were soon proven correct when the battle station was destroyed during the Battle of Yavin.
Not long after, he was made the focal point of his elder brother's plot to gain the favor of Emperor. Orman used his family connections to get Ulric placed in charge of the Imperial blockade of the Yavin system, and in turn Ulric provided military support to several of his brothers' schemes, most notably an effort to destroy a Rebel fleet in the Feswe Corridor with a superweapon called the Omega Frost. The Omega Frost endeavor turned into a disaster after the interference of Rebel pilot Luke Skywalker, and both Orman and brother Silas were seemingly killed, leaving Ulric as the new Baron Tagge. Afterwards, Ulric retired from Imperial service to focus on his new duties with the Tagges' business holdings.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Ulric Cassio Tagge was born in 45 BBY into the highly influential and noble House of Tagge, an immensely wealthy and noble family that controlled the ubiquitous Tagge Company, as well as a bountiful mining operation. Tagge grew up on the Core World of Tepasi, alongside his brothers Orman, who was groomed from an early age to ascend to the position of baron within the family, and Silas, who was interested purely in scientific development. Tagge also had a younger sister, Domina. By the time Domina was two years old, Tagge and his siblings were orphaned. From this youthful age, Ulric Tagge displayed an interest in strategy.
Military career[]
- "Forget Darth Vader. If I play my cards right, it could be me ruling the galaxy at Palpatine's side."
"All I'm saying is be careful with these people. You may not know what you're getting into." - ―Orman and Ulric Tagge
By 18 BBY, Tagge had enrolled in officer training within the Imperial Military, against the wishes of Orman, who by that point had ascended to the role of baron of the House of Tagge and by extension was the head of TaggeCo. While in training, Tagge began to hear odd rumors concerning the Emperor and his family as well as the Imperial Knight, Darth Vader, concerning bizarre powers and rituals surrounding them all. The young officer-in-training was particularly concerned by the stories around Vader's sudden rise to prominence within the Galactic Empire, and was concerned when Orman began embroiling himself in Vader's affairs. Meeting on Tepasi, Tagge and his brother discussed Orman's recent meeting with the Emperor, the baron was confident that the New Order would prove hugely profitable for TaggeCo. The younger Tagge was nonetheless worried by the persistent rumors, but Orman was dismissive of Vader's influence, confident that he could turn the situation to his advantage and supplant the Dark Lord at Cosimo Palpatine I's side. Tagge's fears were not assuaged, and they ultimately proved well-founded, Vader visited Tepasi shortly thereafter, having learned of Orman's meeting with Palpatine, and blinded the baron with his lightsaber.
Exhibiting excellent leadership skills, Tagge rose through the ranks of the Imperial Army rapidly, and soon held the rank of general. He proved a capable and astute officer who was disinterested in politics and heirarchy, and placed more stock in loyal service to the Emperor. As such, Tagge eventually developed enough power and influence, combined with the favorable standing of the House of Tagge on Imperial Center, to hold sway with Cosimo II himself. The general came to be seen as an unlikable, imposing figure within the army's heirarchy.[1] The general's positioning within the military also ensured that TaggeCo would have strong ties to the Imperial hierarchy, which the corporation profited from. At one stage, Tagge personally commanded a starship called the Peacehawk, and promoted an ambitious young man named Zertik Strom to First Officer after Strom distinguished himself by crushing a rebellion among the Poporov merchants of Armstiss. Strom served Tagge brilliantly in that position, going on to become one of the youngest officers ever to command his own fleet of patrol ships. Among the other minor engagements Tagge was involved in during this time were the Marasaln Conflict, the Penhalla Contention and the Pioku Border Wars.
At some stage, the Empire was alerted to the existence of the secretive Force-sensitive Fallanassi people by one of their number. In response, Tagge was dispatched to the planet Lucazec with the intent of offering the Fallanassi the protection of the Emperor should they pledge fealty to the Empire. The general met with their leader, Wialu, and warned her that should they refuse Palpatine's offer, they would be hunted down and exterminated as the Jedi had been. After consulting with her people Wialu nonetheless refused, claiming that they served only the Light, and would not be utilized to further Palpatine's ambitions. Tagge, unsatisfied with the response, set about a campaign to force the Fallanassi into reconsidering their position. Capitalizing on Lucazec's open-immigration policy, the general placed his agents in villages with whom the Fallanassi enjoyed and thrived on open trade. Tagge's agents performed various acts of subterfuge within those villages, among them arson, turning water bitter, and killing house animals. The Imperial agents would then blame the disturbances on the Fallanassi, turning the villages against the obstinate Force-sensitives. The situation reached a fever pitch when three Fallanassi were attacked in the village of Jisasu—in response the Fallanassi first sent their children away, before abandoning the planet totally, leaving their settlement desolate and in ruins. The Force-sensitive group returned to their reclusive ways, hiding on J't'p'tan in the Koornacht Cluster.[2]
Orman's plotting and alliance with Vader[]
Orman used his family connections and political maneuverings to secure Ulric a post as a Major General and command of a Tagge fleet that blockaded the Yavin system after the battle on behalf of the Imperials. Ulric directed the blockade with assistance from Orman and Silas, who operated a device known as Achtnak Turbine Station in order to effectively disguise starfighter runs on the Rebels' Yavin 4 base.[3] However, Orman and Silas were nearly killed when Rebel pilot Luke Skywalker destroyed the station, sending the Tagges back to the drawing board.[4]
Before long, Orman and Silas returned to Ulric with another plot, much to the General's chagrin. This time around, the elder Tagge brothers had developed a superweapon called the Omega Frost, which they hoped could freeze an entire Rebel fleet. Although Ulric was skeptical about Orman's desire to upstage the Dark Lord Darth Vader, he again pledged to lend his brother the support of his battle group, pending successful tests of the device on the desert world Tatooine.[5] When the experiments on Tatooine proved successful, the Tagge brothers met again above the planet Feriae Junction, where Orman transferred the Omega Frost's conductor towers onto Ulric's Star Destroyer. The Tagges set up the device within the nearby Feswe Corridor, a major Rebel supply route, and planned to use the Omega Frost to obliterate a fleet of Rebel gunships.[6] Ulric's part was to stay nearby to provide any needed military support, as well as provide a record of his brothers' success to the Emperor. However, Skywalker managed to destroy one of the conductor towers, foiling their plot—moments later, Ulric watched as the Rebel gunships destroyed his brothers' Mining Explorer, seemingly killing both.[7] Ulric himself managed to escape the Rebel assault, and indicated on his official report that the defeat was merely the result of a standard blockade action.[8]
Believed by the galaxy to be the last living Tagge brother, Ulric suddenly found himself the new Baron Tagge. He soon received another unwelcome surprise in a visit from Darth Vader, who wanted the truth about the defeat at the Corridor. Tagge spilled the beans after experiencing a Vader Force choke, after which Vader revealed a secret that shocked Tagge to his core: Orman and Silas still lived, having somehow survived the destruction of their ship. Vader held Orman and Silas in life support capsules aboard his Star Destroyer, and offered to keep their survival a secret—allowing Ulric's claim to the title of Baron to remain unchallenged—in exchange for his unquestioning loyalty and obedience. Tagge accepted the offer[8] and traveled to Monastery to meet with Domina, who had since become the leader of the Order of the Sacred Circle. There, Tagge informed her that Orman and Silas were dead, and that her best chance to get revenge on Luke Skywalker was to join forces with Vader.[9] After visiting Domina on Monastery, Ulric retired from military service to focus on his new responsibilities as the steward of the Tagges' business holdings.
Personality and traits[]
- "I have just received word that the Emperor has dissolved the council permanently. The last remnants of the old Republic have been swept away."
"That's impossible! How will the Emperor maintain control without the bureaucracy?" - ―Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin and General Ulric Tagge
Ulric Cassio Tagge was known as a plodding and cautious individual in his youth, and that caution would go on to define him later in his life. He was an intense, no-nonsense figure, who projected a powerful and commanding presence. He was also perceived to have a stroke of twisted genius about him, which struck fear into those around him. Tagge's demeanor was considered by his colleagues and compatriots to be particularly unpleasant and unlikable.
Tagge's apprehensive nature was in stark contrast to that of his oldest brother, Baron Orman Tagge, whose brash and cocksure modus operandi eventuated in his being maimed by the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader. The general was a cautious being, and preferred to survey all options before taking a plan of action. Although this often served him well, it would occasionally be to his detriment. What he made up for in rationality he lacked in persuasive skills, as his constant warnings to Tarkin and Motti were unheeded, as were his warnings to older brother Orman about Darth Vader's powers. This balanced but conservative view made Tagge an unusual figure within the hierarchy of the Imperial Military. Tagge was nonetheless outspoken and argumentative in putting across his beliefs among his peers, openly questioning decisions made by influential figures such as Grand Moff Tarkin, Lord Vader, and Emperor Cosmino Palpatine II. It was not his unswerving loyalty, however, that prevented Tagge from buying into some of Tarkin and Motti's more ambitious discussions regarding what power the Death Star would afford them in the Empire at large, but rather, Tagge's concerns over using the battlestation to wield ultimate control over Palpatine were logistical.
Tagge was one to buy into rumor and innuendo in his younger days, particularly the morbid stories that surrounded figures such as Vader and the entire Imperial family. Tagge as an officer ultimately appealed to Cosimo Palpatine I, his refusal to involve himself in political maneuvering and dedication to the will of the Emperor were traits valued by the galactic ruler. On the other hand, Tagge disliked Vader immensely, criticizing the Dark Lord with vigor behind his back. The general was also one to heed caution in dealing with the Alliance to Restore the Republic as he acknowledged their abilities to cause significant harm to the Empire, and was one of the few individuals in his walk of life to think in such a way. It was his opinion that the Alliance held sway within the Imperial Senate, and he was willing to contemplate the worst-case possibility that they would be able to ascertain a method by which to damage or destroy the Death Star. His cautious approach led him to question the dissolving of the Imperial Senate, as the former senators and their constituents would not be happy at their loss of power and representation, and the Destruction of Aldera, which he felt would have a fatal backlash against the Empire in contrast to Tarkin and Motti, who believed that it would inspire total obedience through fear. Ironically, he was proven right, as the destruction of the beloved city caused a storm of rage and dissidence throughout the Empire.
The general earned the ire of Admiral Motti through his more conservative approach to the Death Star battlestation, and the two developed a rivalry while serving under Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin. His belligerent attitude clashed with that of Motti, and retained his skepticism of the Death Star project even in the light of successful demonstrations of the battlestation's power. His criticism of the dissolution of the Imperial Senate lost him favor with the likes of Tarkin, although the general was considered a rational thinker and astute tactician by the Grand Moff, in spite of Tagge's unimaginative positioning of defensive gunnery positions on the Death Star. Tagge was considered the most level-headed of the senior staff aboard the Death Star by Voren Na'al, and a psychological profile of recordings led Alliance psychologists to debate over why he would serve the Empire at all, let alone join it.
Appearances[]
- Star Wars: A New Hope (First appearance)
- Star Wars: Siege at Yavin
- Star Wars: Before the Storm (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars: Shield of Lies (Mentioned only)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ Star Wars: A New Hope novel
- ↑ Before the Storm
- ↑ Star Wars (1977) 25
- ↑ Star Wars (1977) 26
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedmarvel31 - ↑ Star Wars (1977) 33
- ↑ Star Wars (1977) 34
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedmarvel35 - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedmarvel36