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| Who’s Who Cassio Tagge |
Cassio Tagge (d. 35 rS) was a nobleman and general officer in the service of the Imperial State in the mid 30s rS; first appearing in Star Wars: From
the Adventures of Luke Skywalker and A New Hope, Cassio was a member of the senior line of the baronial House of Tagge, a dynasty descended
from one of the Founders of the Republic (according to “House of Tagge Sides with Loyalists”) and probably grew up on the House’s throne world
Tepasi in the Core Worlds Region. He was either the second or third child, as his eldest brother Orman inherited the family barony and headship of
the House in 15 rS, according to “New Tagge Baron Leads Tech Initiative.” Although it is not explicitly stated, it is probable that he and his siblings
– Orman, Silas, Ulric and Domina – are the children of the late Sanya, Baroness Tagge, who evidently died in 15 rS; although Ulric is known to be the
youngest Tagge brother, it is not known whether Cassio or Silas is the second son. A testament to the close relationship between his family and its
company with the Imperial State, Cassio entered an officer’s training program in the Imperial Army in 16 rS (as seen in “Evasive Action: End
Game”) and rose rapidly to the rank of high general, in which capacity he first appeared aboard the first Death Star.
The Death Star Technical Companion states that Tagge “moved up through the Imperial chain of command despite his steadfast refusal to play
political games with his competitors,” and that he was “a stable and reasonable officer,” whose “tactical and calculating mind never lets him take
action without careful planning”; the scholars agree in their biographical sketch in the Star Wars Encyclopedia, saying he was “known as a superb
tactician.” In contrast, Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker describes him as having “exhibited the attitude of one who had climbed
far and fast by methods best not examined too closely,” stating that he “did possess a certain twisted genius, but it was only partly that ability
which had lifted him to his present exalted station,” and that “other noisome talents had proven equally efficacious.” It should be noted, however,
that there exists a certain amount of confusion regarding Cassio, and his character and part is often confused with that of Rear Admiral C. Antonio
Motti. In the scene in the Death Star conference room, for example, Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker removes Motti from the
Death Star conference room altogether, giving his early lines to “an older officer, with facial scars so deeply engraved that even the best cosmetic
surgery could not fully repair them,” whom Cassio addresses as Romodi, and gives his later lines mocking Darth Vader to Cassio himself, and it is he
whose lack of faith disturbs the Dark Lord (furthermore, A New Hope credits him as “Commander Taggi,” misspelling his surname and misstating his
rank). It is possible that the description of Tagge as a somewhat unctuous man properly belongs to Motti instead (this idea is supported by the
Death Star Technical Companion, which states that Motti “excels in his devotion to the New Order and little else”). Notably, The Movie Trilogy
Sourcebook writes that Tarkin’s “tactical brain-trust aboard the Death Star” was “led by Admiral Motti and General Tagge” and was “unmatched
anywhere in the Empire,” to the extent that it was regarded as “a further blessing to the Alliance that so many of the Empire’s finest minds were so
conveniently wiped out.” Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds calls him “a cautious, plodding strategist.”
In his personal data journal (quoted in the Death Star Technical Companion), Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, Governor of Oversector Outer, wrote that
Tagge was “considered a grand tactician and leader,” whose personnel record indicated was “reasonable, rational, and stable,” and Tarkin regarded
him as “an excellent person to support a master tactician such as myself,” assigning him to be “responsible for the day-to-day defenses of the [Death
Star] project, and later for the weapon itself.” The Movie Trilogy Sourcebook goes even further, calling him “the grand tactician in charge of the
Death Star’s defense” and “responsible for the day to day monitoring of all systems functions and defensive armament,” as well as logistics and
morale. “● General Tagge” agrees, saying that he “oversees defense operations of Death Star,” and is an “outstanding tactician” and “no-nonsense
leader.” Given his aristocratic pedigree and his conservative mind, it is not surprising that Cassio was uneasy with the dissolution of the Imperial
Senate – quite a few aristocratic and patrician families had Senatorial connections – and he regarded it as a ‘necessary evil’ for the control of the
Empire and the Imperial civil service, an opinion that evidently lost him favor in Tarkin’s eyes (the patrician Tarkins of Eriadu had every reason to
share Tagge’s opinion, except that Tarkin, as a member of the college of Moffs, stood to gain tremendously from the redistribution of authority that
was to follow the Senate’s dissolution). Tagge did not get along well with Darth Vader, the Galactic Emperor’s personal emissary to the Death Star
Project; although he calls Vader “this Sith Lord inflicted on us at the urging of the Emperor” in Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker,
there is no evidence that he shared his brother the Baron’s sense of rivalry with the Dark Lord for the Galactic Emperor’s favor.
Contrary to his portrayal in these sources, the Official Site’s Databank claims that his “reputation as a brilliant tactician” was “undeserved,” saying
that “an analysis of his command decisions aboard the Death Star” demonstrated that “the uninspired Tagge distributed the Death Star’s gunners
alphabetically throughout the station, rather than in logical, strategically-defined patterns,” and that this “led to disunified firing patterns and less
than optimum performance from the Imperial gunners during the Battle of Yavin.” This analysis seems suspiciously spiteful, as the alphabetical
arrangement of gunner’s mates has very little bearing on how well they perform their assigned task of shooting down enemy fighters; it is somewhat
incredible that alphabetical positioning would have any statistically significant impact on the quantifiable performance of the Death Star’s gunner’s
mates, especially considering that no more than a statistically insignificant fraction of the total population of gunner’s mates could have had
experience in working together prior to being stationed aboard the Death Star.
After the Death Star’s construction was completed, Tagge argued that the station was still vulnerable, and that the rebel Alliance was more dangerous
than his colleagues were willing to admit, and realized that their ideological opposition to Palpatinism was a source of profound motivation (“they
are propelled by something more powerful than mere engines: this perverse, reactionary fanaticism of theirs”); interestingly, by identifying the rebels
as reactionaries, Cassio cast the Empire in the role of the revolutionary state. He warned especially that if the rebels had obtained a complete
technical readout of the Death Star, it was possible that they might find a weakness in the battlestation’s design; The Movie Trilogy Sourcebook
reveals that Cassio had actually already “discovered that the Death Star . . . had a fatally vulnerable chink in its armor,” which explains his acute
concerns about the rebel Alliance having obtained a copy of the Death Star plans, and how quickly the tactical action analysts realized that the rebel
attack pattern during the Battle of Yavin posed a real danger to the battlestation. Unfortunately Cassio’s concerns were overruled by Tarkin, egged
on by other members of senior staff, including Motti and Romodi. He was killed when the Death Star was destroyed in the Battle of Yavin,
ironically via the very same technical flaw that Cassio had warned the rebels might discover. Cassio was the first of the Tagge siblings to die.
For some time it was believed that, along with Maximilian Veers and Moradmin “Chief” Bast, Cassio had not died at Yavin; this is due to the fact
that Cassio and Ulric were initially the same character, under Ulric’s name. In “The Empire Strikes!” Han Solo mentioned that “the Empire wouldn’t
hit a Tagge family ship. . . one brother’s an Imperial fleet commander,” and in “Siege at Yavin!” used starship dealer Jorman Thoad mentions that he
wishes he had “an Imperial general in the family like the Tagges.” However, both characters should have said that there were two general officers in
the family, as neither one had any way of knowing that Cassio had been killed when the Death Star was destroyed (Solo had no way of knowing that
he had been on board, while Thoad did not even know the Death Star had ever existed in the first place). In “Return to Tatooine!” Ulric mentions the
Death Star as a fiasco, but he and the Baron conspicuously fail to mention Cassio’s death, and in “Dark Lord’s Gambit” Vader refers to Luke
Skywalker as being responsible for the deaths of two of Domina’s brothers, when by that point Vader knew that he was in reality responsible in
part for the deaths (more or less) of three. It is clear, of course, that these irregularities exist because it was not until Geonosis and the Outer Rim
Worlds – published some 24 years later – that Cassio and Ulric were actually established as separate characters; Ulric is said to have followed Cassio’
s footsteps, eventually rising to the rank of major general.
The Death Star Technical Companion states that Cassio was a male human 1.8 meters tall whose loyalty was unambiguously to the Empire; it
describes him as “an intense, no-nonsense type with a slight paunch,” but quickly adds that his girth “does nothing to dispel the man’s look of
power.” He is said to be knowledgeable in computer programming and repair, demolitions, security operations, and bureaucratic procedures, and
(unsurprising for a professional soldier) was skilled with firearms and grenades, as well as repulsorlift operation and “beast riding” (presumably in
reference to recreational pursuits). He is said to have normally carried his code cylinders (used as part of his insignia of rank), a comlink, a blaster
pistol, and some grenades, although the latter two were apparently well-concealed, as neither is visible during his appearance in A New Hope. The
Movie Trilogy Sourcebook adds that he was also familiar with business matters and especially matters related to “Tagge Industries” (unsurprising,
given his pedigree), as well as military history, survival tactics, Naval space combat maneuvering, siege operations, and starfighter combat.
References:
the Adventures of Luke Skywalker and A New Hope, Cassio was a member of the senior line of the baronial House of Tagge, a dynasty descended
from one of the Founders of the Republic (according to “House of Tagge Sides with Loyalists”) and probably grew up on the House’s throne world
Tepasi in the Core Worlds Region. He was either the second or third child, as his eldest brother Orman inherited the family barony and headship of
the House in 15 rS, according to “New Tagge Baron Leads Tech Initiative.” Although it is not explicitly stated, it is probable that he and his siblings
– Orman, Silas, Ulric and Domina – are the children of the late Sanya, Baroness Tagge, who evidently died in 15 rS; although Ulric is known to be the
youngest Tagge brother, it is not known whether Cassio or Silas is the second son. A testament to the close relationship between his family and its
company with the Imperial State, Cassio entered an officer’s training program in the Imperial Army in 16 rS (as seen in “Evasive Action: End
Game”) and rose rapidly to the rank of high general, in which capacity he first appeared aboard the first Death Star.
The Death Star Technical Companion states that Tagge “moved up through the Imperial chain of command despite his steadfast refusal to play
political games with his competitors,” and that he was “a stable and reasonable officer,” whose “tactical and calculating mind never lets him take
action without careful planning”; the scholars agree in their biographical sketch in the Star Wars Encyclopedia, saying he was “known as a superb
tactician.” In contrast, Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker describes him as having “exhibited the attitude of one who had climbed
far and fast by methods best not examined too closely,” stating that he “did possess a certain twisted genius, but it was only partly that ability
which had lifted him to his present exalted station,” and that “other noisome talents had proven equally efficacious.” It should be noted, however,
that there exists a certain amount of confusion regarding Cassio, and his character and part is often confused with that of Rear Admiral C. Antonio
Motti. In the scene in the Death Star conference room, for example, Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker removes Motti from the
Death Star conference room altogether, giving his early lines to “an older officer, with facial scars so deeply engraved that even the best cosmetic
surgery could not fully repair them,” whom Cassio addresses as Romodi, and gives his later lines mocking Darth Vader to Cassio himself, and it is he
whose lack of faith disturbs the Dark Lord (furthermore, A New Hope credits him as “Commander Taggi,” misspelling his surname and misstating his
rank). It is possible that the description of Tagge as a somewhat unctuous man properly belongs to Motti instead (this idea is supported by the
Death Star Technical Companion, which states that Motti “excels in his devotion to the New Order and little else”). Notably, The Movie Trilogy
Sourcebook writes that Tarkin’s “tactical brain-trust aboard the Death Star” was “led by Admiral Motti and General Tagge” and was “unmatched
anywhere in the Empire,” to the extent that it was regarded as “a further blessing to the Alliance that so many of the Empire’s finest minds were so
conveniently wiped out.” Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds calls him “a cautious, plodding strategist.”
In his personal data journal (quoted in the Death Star Technical Companion), Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, Governor of Oversector Outer, wrote that
Tagge was “considered a grand tactician and leader,” whose personnel record indicated was “reasonable, rational, and stable,” and Tarkin regarded
him as “an excellent person to support a master tactician such as myself,” assigning him to be “responsible for the day-to-day defenses of the [Death
Star] project, and later for the weapon itself.” The Movie Trilogy Sourcebook goes even further, calling him “the grand tactician in charge of the
Death Star’s defense” and “responsible for the day to day monitoring of all systems functions and defensive armament,” as well as logistics and
morale. “● General Tagge” agrees, saying that he “oversees defense operations of Death Star,” and is an “outstanding tactician” and “no-nonsense
leader.” Given his aristocratic pedigree and his conservative mind, it is not surprising that Cassio was uneasy with the dissolution of the Imperial
Senate – quite a few aristocratic and patrician families had Senatorial connections – and he regarded it as a ‘necessary evil’ for the control of the
Empire and the Imperial civil service, an opinion that evidently lost him favor in Tarkin’s eyes (the patrician Tarkins of Eriadu had every reason to
share Tagge’s opinion, except that Tarkin, as a member of the college of Moffs, stood to gain tremendously from the redistribution of authority that
was to follow the Senate’s dissolution). Tagge did not get along well with Darth Vader, the Galactic Emperor’s personal emissary to the Death Star
Project; although he calls Vader “this Sith Lord inflicted on us at the urging of the Emperor” in Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker,
there is no evidence that he shared his brother the Baron’s sense of rivalry with the Dark Lord for the Galactic Emperor’s favor.
Contrary to his portrayal in these sources, the Official Site’s Databank claims that his “reputation as a brilliant tactician” was “undeserved,” saying
that “an analysis of his command decisions aboard the Death Star” demonstrated that “the uninspired Tagge distributed the Death Star’s gunners
alphabetically throughout the station, rather than in logical, strategically-defined patterns,” and that this “led to disunified firing patterns and less
than optimum performance from the Imperial gunners during the Battle of Yavin.” This analysis seems suspiciously spiteful, as the alphabetical
arrangement of gunner’s mates has very little bearing on how well they perform their assigned task of shooting down enemy fighters; it is somewhat
incredible that alphabetical positioning would have any statistically significant impact on the quantifiable performance of the Death Star’s gunner’s
mates, especially considering that no more than a statistically insignificant fraction of the total population of gunner’s mates could have had
experience in working together prior to being stationed aboard the Death Star.
After the Death Star’s construction was completed, Tagge argued that the station was still vulnerable, and that the rebel Alliance was more dangerous
than his colleagues were willing to admit, and realized that their ideological opposition to Palpatinism was a source of profound motivation (“they
are propelled by something more powerful than mere engines: this perverse, reactionary fanaticism of theirs”); interestingly, by identifying the rebels
as reactionaries, Cassio cast the Empire in the role of the revolutionary state. He warned especially that if the rebels had obtained a complete
technical readout of the Death Star, it was possible that they might find a weakness in the battlestation’s design; The Movie Trilogy Sourcebook
reveals that Cassio had actually already “discovered that the Death Star . . . had a fatally vulnerable chink in its armor,” which explains his acute
concerns about the rebel Alliance having obtained a copy of the Death Star plans, and how quickly the tactical action analysts realized that the rebel
attack pattern during the Battle of Yavin posed a real danger to the battlestation. Unfortunately Cassio’s concerns were overruled by Tarkin, egged
on by other members of senior staff, including Motti and Romodi. He was killed when the Death Star was destroyed in the Battle of Yavin,
ironically via the very same technical flaw that Cassio had warned the rebels might discover. Cassio was the first of the Tagge siblings to die.
For some time it was believed that, along with Maximilian Veers and Moradmin “Chief” Bast, Cassio had not died at Yavin; this is due to the fact
that Cassio and Ulric were initially the same character, under Ulric’s name. In “The Empire Strikes!” Han Solo mentioned that “the Empire wouldn’t
hit a Tagge family ship. . . one brother’s an Imperial fleet commander,” and in “Siege at Yavin!” used starship dealer Jorman Thoad mentions that he
wishes he had “an Imperial general in the family like the Tagges.” However, both characters should have said that there were two general officers in
the family, as neither one had any way of knowing that Cassio had been killed when the Death Star was destroyed (Solo had no way of knowing that
he had been on board, while Thoad did not even know the Death Star had ever existed in the first place). In “Return to Tatooine!” Ulric mentions the
Death Star as a fiasco, but he and the Baron conspicuously fail to mention Cassio’s death, and in “Dark Lord’s Gambit” Vader refers to Luke
Skywalker as being responsible for the deaths of two of Domina’s brothers, when by that point Vader knew that he was in reality responsible in
part for the deaths (more or less) of three. It is clear, of course, that these irregularities exist because it was not until Geonosis and the Outer Rim
Worlds – published some 24 years later – that Cassio and Ulric were actually established as separate characters; Ulric is said to have followed Cassio’
s footsteps, eventually rising to the rank of major general.
The Death Star Technical Companion states that Cassio was a male human 1.8 meters tall whose loyalty was unambiguously to the Empire; it
describes him as “an intense, no-nonsense type with a slight paunch,” but quickly adds that his girth “does nothing to dispel the man’s look of
power.” He is said to be knowledgeable in computer programming and repair, demolitions, security operations, and bureaucratic procedures, and
(unsurprising for a professional soldier) was skilled with firearms and grenades, as well as repulsorlift operation and “beast riding” (presumably in
reference to recreational pursuits). He is said to have normally carried his code cylinders (used as part of his insignia of rank), a comlink, a blaster
pistol, and some grenades, although the latter two were apparently well-concealed, as neither is visible during his appearance in A New Hope. The
Movie Trilogy Sourcebook adds that he was also familiar with business matters and especially matters related to “Tagge Industries” (unsurprising,
given his pedigree), as well as military history, survival tactics, Naval space combat maneuvering, siege operations, and starfighter combat.
References:
- Carey, Craig R., Jason Fry, Jeff Quick and Daniel E. Wallace. Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds. Wizards of the Coast, Inc., 2004.
- Boucher, Greg and Michael Stern. The Movie Trilogy Sourcebook. West End Games, 1993.
- Ens, Paul. “Evasive Action: End Game.” Lucasfilm Ltd., 2006.
- “● General Tagge.” Premiere Set. Star Wars Customizable Card Game. Decipher, Inc., 1995.
- Goodwin, Archie. “Dark Lord’s Gambit.” Star Wars Vol. 1, No. 35. Marvel Comics Group, 1980.
- Goodwin, Archie. “Return to Tatooine!” Star Wars Vol. 1, No. 31. Marvel Comics Group, 1979.
- Goodwin, Archie. “Siege at Yavin!” Star Wars Vol. 1, No. 25. Marvel Comics Group, 1979.
- Goodwin, Archie. “The Empire Strikes!” Star Wars Vol. 1, No. 18. Marvel Comics Group, 1978.
- Hidalgo, Pablo. “New Tagge Baron Leads Tech Initiative.” Republic HoloNet News. Star Wars Insider No. 74. Paizo Publishing LLC, 2004.
- “House of Tagge Sides with Loyalists.” HoloNet News Vol. 531, No. 49. Lucasfilm Ltd., 2002.
- Lucas, George. A New Hope. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, 1977.
- Lucas, George. Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker. Ballantine Books, 1976.
- Slavicsek, Bill. Death Star Technical Companion. West End Games, 1991, 1993.
- “Tagge, General.” Star Wars: Databank. Lucasfilm Ltd., 2002.
| This site is for informational and entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement of any kind is intended. Star Wars and related materials are © Lucasfilm Ltd., which reserves all rights thereto. All original material is © Julius Sykes. Please do not use without permission. |
| This biography was originally added in 2005. It was republished on 6 October 2007. |