Will Tarkin's Protégé Appear In The 'Andor' Series?
"As my mentor used to tell me, relish the victory, but savor the hunt."
These are the words of Ellian Zahra; an Imperial Commander and the current antagonist of Charles Soule's 2020 Star Wars comic series. After losing her parents at a young age, Zahra joined the Imperial Academy and became a student of none other than Governor Wilhuff Tarkin. After rising through the ranks and officially joining the Empire upon graduation from the academy, Zahra was taken by Tarkin to his home planet of Eriadu. Here, she would compete with his other hand-picked students in a hunt for an albino veermok. Killing both the veermok and her fellow students, Zahra gained Tarkin's favor and became his personal protégé throughout the Empire's rule.
However, she would fall out of his favor when she failed to eliminate a warlord named Burnium Ro, resulting in a permanent demotion from her mentor. Desperate to regain his approval, Zahra abandoned the Death Star during the Battle of Yavin, sending a message to Tarkin, telling him that she was going to complete her mission. But as she left the Death Star, it exploded behind her, killing Tarkin and motivating Zahra to avenge him by destroying the Rebel Alliance.
Throughout Soule's comic, Zahra has been a formidable antagonist for the crew of the Millennium Falcon and the Rebellion at large. Left in charge of hunting the Rebel fleet by the Emperor, she has been pursuing Luke, Leia, Lando, and Chewbacca in her personal Star Destroyer, Tarkin's Will, which still shows damage from the Death Star's destruction. She is especially focused on Leia, who she considers responsible for the attack on the Death Star. In the comic's eight issue, Zahra infiltrates the Nebulon frigate that Leia is aboard and confronts the princess personally in the ship's engine room. Following a brief struggle and the arrival of Luke, Zahra and her forces retreat while the Rebels escaped.
Though Zahra was unable to capture or kill Leia, she still considered this a victory, as she had instilled fear in the princess and shaken her confidence in leading the Rebellion. Zahra has quickly proven herself to be a deadly rival for the Rebellion and a worthy successor to Tarkin in terms of loyalty and ruthlessness. This has led me to consider a bold possibility for the character's future; could Ellian Zahra appear as an antagonist in Andor?
Set to release later in 2022, Andor has been sold as a prequel to Rogue One, expanding upon the backstory of its titular rebel, played once again by Diego Luna. As well as the Rebel Alliance as a whole, prior to the original trilogy. There have also been rumors about Tarkin himself having a small role in the series, which isn't totally unfounded, given the character's controversial role in Rogue One. But given the mixed reception and results of Tarkin's CG recreation in the film, I'm leaning towards this being simply a rumor.
However, I am willing to bet on Zahra, Tarkin's protégé, appearing in the series to act as an opposing force to the growing Rebel Alliance. She would be a considerable match for Cassian and his fellow rebels while they try to establish and prepare themselves for an all-out war with the Empire. It would also allow Tarkin to still have a level of presence in the series, despite not physically being there. Zahra acting as a rival for the Rebellion in Andor would not only help connect the show to the comics, but also provide more build-up to Tarkin's appearance in the film that the show is leading into, Rogue One. Will I be disappointed if Zahra isn't in Andor? No. But her involvement would certainly make sense in the context of the show. So personally, I wouldn't underestimate her chances.
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