Tan was a title-rank granted by Palpatine, both during the Clone Wars and later during the Galactic Civil War, to Starfighter Corps officers who had done him a special service. Only two individuals were known to have been granted this title, significantly, both of them Force-sensitive: Anakin Skywalker during the Clone Wars, and Maarek Stele during the Galactic Civil War.

Behind the scenesEdit

Russ Manning actually established the father of Luke Skywalker as "Tan Skywalker" in his 1979 newspaper comic strip The Constancia Affair. In one odd instance of TIE Fighter: The Official Strategy Guide, Imperial pilot Maarek Stele is referred to as "Tan Stele." In The Emperor's Pawns, Abel G. Peña introduced a retcon that established "Tan" as a title for exceptional pilots such as Maarek Stele. In Vader: The Ultimate Guide, Peña took the opportunity to apply the title to Anakin Skywalker, hence explaining "Tan Skywalker" appearing in the 1979 comic strip.

AppearancesEdit

• The Constancia Affair (First mentioned) (Retcon)

SourcesEdit

• TIE Fighter: The Official Strategy Guide (Retcon)
•  "The Emperor's Pawns"—Star Wars Gamer 5
• Vader: The Ultimate Guide

External linksEdit

•  "The Anatomy of a Ret-Con 3: or, "That Name No Longer Has Any Meaning For Me"" – "Only Sith Deal In Absolutes!," Abel G. Peña's StarWars.com Blog