It is a theory of mine that
most of what happened in Return of the Jedi happened
first in the Marvel Comics series. A good example of this is the
very first Death Star revival, the Tarkin battle station from
issues 51 "Resurrection of Evil" and 52 "To Take
the Tarkin" which relate the appearance and destruction of
this heir to the Death Star. It could be argued that the super-weapon
plot device that has become such a staple of SW lore has its origin
in these issues.
Since there was not yet a second Death Star when this tale was told back in 1981, it fits uneasily in a larger continuity that includes Return of the Jedi. Taken on it's own, however, this is a humdinger of a story in which each of our favorite heroes and villains have their own moments to shine. Vader almost confronts Luke, Leia takes out a squad of Stormtroopers in John Woo-like fashion, Chewie plays toss-the-trooper and there is a great sub-plot concerning some Imperial officers who decide to do something about Vader and the cavalier manner in which he kills fellow officers over the most minor screw-ups.
If you're wondering how they destroyed it, well, let's just say Doctor Who would be proud.
The stories "Resurrection of Evil" and "To Take the Tarkin" have been reprinted in "Resurrection of Evil", volume 3 of Star Wars: A Long Time Ago..., Dark Horse Comics' trade paperback series reprinting the entire Marvel run.
The Tarkin
The following datafile accompanied the technical readout of the Tarkin Battle Station stolen by Captain Maraba Tev of Alliance Intelligence.
Personal log; final entry.
I realize now that I'm a dead man. My wounds are bound, but I'm still bleeding internally. And I'm not sure my X-Wing has enough left in her to make it back to base. When I was a boy I used to build ships in a bottle. Now I'm trapped in a bottle with one last ship to build.
It's obvious if you think about it. If you can build one Death Star, why not build another? The Empire is nothing if not single minded. When the Rebellion destroyed the Death Star, the Emperor wasn't about to let the technology behind the planet-smashing superlaser go to waste, so above the planet Hockaleg in the Patriim System he undertook the Tarkin Project, a battle station built around a superlaser. Unlike its fearsome predecessor, the Tarkin does not seem to have any exploitable flaws or unshielded exhaust ports. Although the Tarkin is a quarter the size of the Death Star, it is no less dangerous, perhaps more so. Whereas the Death Star was a multi-purpose station with a wide variety of support crews, ordinance and equipment, the Tarkin is designed solely to power and protect its superlaser. It is the final word in the Tarkin Doctrine for which it was named, a device whose only purpose is the destruction of worlds.
Because of it's smaller design and narrow focus, the Tarkin requires a support fleet of Star Destroyers and other picket vessels to protect it, making a large scale frontal assault all but impossible. Furthermore, the shields on the Tarkin are the most powerful ever developed. Currently the Tarkin is commanded by General Arno Biel an experienced and independent product of the old school of Imperial command. Finally, to make matters worse, I've heard rumors that Lord Vader himself may arrive to oversee the final stages of construction.
It is my last, best hope that this information finds its way back to the Rebellion where I pray that the heroes who managed to destroy one Death Star will be able to destroy another.
The Tarkin
Craft: Custom Ionic Cannon Mobile Space Platform
Type: Deep space mobile battle station
Scale: Death Star
Length: 30 kilometers
Skill: Battle station piloting: Tarkin
Crew: 30,000, gunners: 10,000, skeleton 10,000/+15
Passengers: 100,000 (troops), 5,000 (stormtroopers), 10,000 (support staff)
Cargo Capacity: over two hundred thousand kilotons
Consumables: 1 year
Cost: yeah, right, like you could afford it
Hyperdrive Multiplier: x3
Hyperdrive Backup: x20
Nav Computer: Yes
Space: 2
Hull: 5D
Shields: 4D
Sensors:
Passive: 250/0D
Scan: 1000/1D
Search: 5000/2D+2
Focus: 40/4D
Weapons:
Superlaser
Fire Arc: Forward
Crew: 168, skeleton 48/+10
Scale: Death Star
Skill: Capital Ship Gunnery: superlaser
Body: 12D (capital scale)
Space Range: 1-20/40/100
Damage: 2D to 16D*
500 Turbolaser Batteries
Scale: Starfighter
Fire Control: 1D
Space Range: 1-5/10/15
Damage: 5D
500 Heavy Turbolasers
Scale: Starfighter
Fire Control: 1D
Space Range: 1-7/15/30
Damage: 7D
250 Laser Cannons
Scale: Capital
Fire Control: 1D
Space Range: 1-5/10/15
Damage: 7D
250 Ion Cannons
Scale: Capital
Fire Control: 1D
Space Range: 1-3/7/10
Damage: 4D
100 Tractor Beam Emplacements
Scale: Capital
Fire Control: 3D
Space Range: 1-5/10/25
Damage: 5D
* The Tarkin's power systems can generate 2D of damage per half hour, up to a maximum of 16D damage. However, the energy cells in the design can produce 32D per day without severely straining the energy reactors.
The Tarkin was created by David Michelinie and Walt Simonson.