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DarthSpoiler
No, I am your spoiler warning!
Obi-Wan never told you what happened in "Of MSE-6 and Men", but this article does. Before you read it, search your feelings: you know you'll be spoiled if you do.
Weldon-HappyPride

"Of MSE-6 and Men" author Glen Weldon celebrates Pride 2022 and 2023; confirms Tarkin as the story's Imperial officer. See reference for transcription of text.[soc 1]

TK-421 (faux accent slipping)
It's lovely. Coruscant fiberweave, isn't it?
Tarkin
... It is indeed. I see there's more to you than meets the eye, trooper.
TK-421 (natural voice)
Ooh, it feels so nice between my toes! That's quality, you can tell, that's craftsmanship!... Uh. Um.
TK-421 (faux accent)
Where kin ah set down mah armor, sir? While ah work?
Tarkin
On the chair next to the bed, trooper... That's veermok hide, by the way. Nasty creatures.
TK-421 (faux accent)
Golly! Very impressive, sir!
— TK-421 and Tarkin roleplaying[1]

TK-421 and Wilhuff Tarkin are LGBTQIA+ characters in the New Canon Star Wars continuity. They are briefly a queer couple in "Of MSE-6 and Men", a short story by Glen Weldon from the 2017 anthology From a Certain Point of View. The characters originally appeared in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, with TK-421 as a non-speaking stormtrooper extra who's not "at his post" because Luke Skywalker stole his armor, and Grand Moff Tarkin (aka Governor Tarkin) as the primary villain. He didn't get the first name "Wilhuff" until years later, but it was carried over after the continuity split, unlike his Legends wife Thalassa Tarkin and mistress Natasi Daala.

"Of MSE-6 and Men"[]

"Of MSE-6 and Men" is from the point of view of MSE-6-G735Y, aka "G7", the "mouse droid" seen in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope approaching Chewbacca, Han Solo, and Luke Skywalker on the Death Star before Chewbacca roars and scares it into fleeing.

The story is presented in the format of the droid's system logs and dialogue it overhears. It is operating on limited knowledge and can't identify things, events, or characters by name because its sensors don't provide that information; for instance, most characters are "bioforms" who are "designation unknown" to G7.[1] Readers can recognize the things G7 doesn't know through their own knowledge of A New Hope and other SW sources. The two major characters G7 interacts with are its assigned stormtrooper, TK-421, and an Imperial officer, Grand Moff Tarkin.

The title is a play on "of mice and men", which is a phrase from Robert Burns' poem "To a Mouse"[note 1] and the title of a novella by John Steinbeck that has had various adaptations.

The story[]

This section adapts content that originated on the Wookieepedia page "Of MSE-6 and Men". The material was originally or primarily created by the user Immi Thrax. As with content on Star Wars Fic Reference Wiki, it is licensed under the Creative Commons – Attribution-Share Alike License.

The original form of this plot summary tried to convert the story's details into a narrative format while maintaining MSE-6-G735Y's limited point of view, the exact terms used in the story, and no additions that could clarify things for the reader. This revision for Star Wars Fic Reference Wiki has asides and notes to translate or provide details not explained in the story itself while hopefully being clear on what's explicitly in the text and what's reasonably inferred from it. (Sorry, G7, but you're a difficult narrator to follow). For instance, the Death Star is the setting yet it's never actually called that in the story, and it's during the events of ANH but the involved characters are never named.

Fastest mouse droid[]

TK-421
That was quick, G7. Fastest mouse droid in the fleet. It's those new rotors I put in, I'm telling you. You know what: We should get you on a racing circuit. Would you like that?
MSE-6-G735Y
09:12.15...BIOFORM QUERY "would you like that" LOGGED. RESPONSE REQUIRED, AFFIRMATIVE:
MSE-6-G735Y (vocalizing)
Beepbeep.
— Imagine TK-421 rubbing MSE-6-G735Y like a dog, like Poe Dameron and BB-8[1]

The MSE-6 series repair droid[note 2] MSE-6-G735Y works with Stormtrooper TK-421, who calls the droid "G7". At timestamp 08:00.01, G7 exits its sleep mode and is dispatched to the Maintenance Unit in Sector AA-345 of the DS-1 Orbital Battle Station.[note 3] TK-421 sends it to deliver a scanner servo to stormtrooper TK-450 at Docking Bay 228. TK-450 receives the tool and asks what took so long, as there are twelve starships awaiting scanning crews. G7 stops listening mid-sentence, which makes TK-450 respond that the droid has clearly been programmed by TK-421. TK-450 believes that TK-421 would be unable to endure demands from the likes of General Cassio Tagge, Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, and Darth Vader.[1] (Before the end of the story, TK-450 is proven very much mistaken.)

Arriving back at Sector AA-345, TK-421 compliments G7 for being the fastest mouse droid in the fleet; in fact, TK-421 has dreams of setting up a racing business with G7 on Coruscant. He confides to the droid that he feels trapped on the station. Although he prefers its soothing aesthetics and flattering lighting to the depressingly sallow Lasan,[note 4] he hates his rigorous stormtrooper routine. It includes constantly wearing a Stormtrooper helmet, which is having negative effects on his skin. Since G7 processes a lot of things as if they're orders to carry out, TK-421 sometimes accidentally gives it a command, like so:

TK-421
And yeah: moon-sized planet vaporizer. I get it. I'm not saying that it's not sexy, living on a giant orbital death machine. But there's no downtime, is the thing. You're always on. All these drills, these last-minute inspections. I hate having to wear this helmet all the time. I mean, it's so so so so bad for the skin, G7, you have no idea. Just look at this.
MSE-6-G735Y
09:14.02...BIOFORM VOICE COMMAND "just look at this" LOGGED. SYNTACTICAL ANALYSIS: IMPERATIVE. RESPONSE REQUIRED: ENGAGE HOLORECORDER
TK-421
I mean I could get in trouble just for taking this stupid bucket off, but this is what I'm talking about. I mean, this zit here on my chin? It's the size of a Kowakian monkey-lizard, honestly. Ugh, I feel so gross. Don't look at me!
MSE-6-G735Y
09:14.02...BIOFORM VOICE COMMAND "don't look at me" LOGGED. RESPONSE REQUIRED: DISENGAGE HOLORECORDER
— This recording comes up again in just a few pages[1]

So, when TK-421 tells G7 to look at him, the droid interprets the words as a command to activate the holorecorder, records TK-421 removing his helmet to complain about having a pimple the size of a Kowakian monkey-lizard on his chin,[note 5] then stops recording after TK-421 says "Don't look at me!" Afterward, TK-421 tells the droid to enter standby mode.[1]

Special delivery[]

Tarkin
... Who is he? He's... beautiful!
MSE-6-G735Y (diagnostic)
15:01.33...EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN OF HOLORECORDER SYSTEM ACHIEVED
Tarkin
What? No! Bring him back! Play back the entire message!
— Did anyone ever think Tarkin would have a "Who is [s]he? [S]he's beautiful!" moment?[1]

Later, TK-421 awakens G7 and sends it to deliver a HypnoHypodermal Injector Needle C-7R for an IT-O Interrogator in Detention Block AA-23.[note 6] There, G7 is opened by someone who is soon identified (via another person's dialogue) as Lieutenant Blagg.[note 7] Blagg is in a hurry because someone is "on his way now"[note 8] to investigate whether the prisoner's[note 9] interrogation will begin on schedule, and Blagg ordered the infuser needle two subcycles ago. Blagg has a Gamma level security clearance, which is higher than TK-421's Lambda,[note 10] so Blagg telling G7 "Go! Get out! Quickly!" is an order that conflicts with, but supersedes, TK-421 cargo delivery order; it requires G7 to race away at top speed. In doing so, G7 collides with the arriving Imperial officer, knocking him down.[note 8] G7 detects that this officer has security level Alpha One[note 10] and alerts itself that its own holorecorder matrix was damaged in the collision.[1]

(From here, we're going to just say it: the officer is Tarkin. Avoiding the name over and over is needlessly confusing, so just keep in mind he isn't actually getting named in the story.)

Tarkin talks to Blagg about melting the droid for scrap and disciplining whichever trooper dispatched the droid in such a sorry condition at a crucial time for the Empire. The damaged G7 is unable to stop itself from malfunctioning and displaying the holo-recording of TK-421 complaining about his pimple. Tarkin remarks that TK-421 looks beautiful and tells G7 to play back the whole message.[note 11] Since Tarkin's Alpha One security level supersedes all known commands and subroutines, G7 attempts to comply with his order, but it is unable to because its holorecorder has an unrecoverable failure.[1]

Blagg asks Tarkin if they should begin interrogating the prisoner,[note 9] but Tarkin says that will be done by Darth Vader, who relishes the work. After receiving reports about Blagg, Tarkin is only there to ensure the lieutenant is on schedule. Blagg protests about working as fast as possible despite the equipment delays and is about to blame them on TK-421 when Tarkin interrupts. He is leaving to ice his bruised hip and will deal personally with the stormtrooper that dispatched the willful droid. He says Blagg's only priority is preparing the interrogator droid for Vader without making excuses; he sarcastically says he does not want to rush Blagg, but the prisoner must tell them all that she knows. After Tarkin criticizes G7 and confirms it can still move and navigate, he dispatches it to enter sleep mode in his officer's quarters within Sector GM1-A.[1]

Tarkin fixin' to be in TK-421's DMs[]

When G7 next comes online, Tarkin says it took a few cycles for him to repair the droid's holorecorder and replace its wheel treads to prevent it from dirtying his expensive new carpet. He refers to himself as an old man who still remembers his Academy lessons on basic droid mechanics. He tells G7 he is about to record a holomessage to deliver to TK-421, along with an item he has placed in its cargo bay. Tarkin then invokes Imperial Protocol Alpha One, which overrides all previous directives given to the droid. He orders G7 to shunt the instructions it just received and associated subroutines to his personal ephemeradata-neurocloud, and to not produce geosync data or conduct routine uplinks to the network; after the instructions are carried out, they will be expunged from the droid's memory.[1][note 12]

That's... one way to do it[]

TK-421
I can't come on too strong, because he wants to be in control, that much is clear. And he's certainly not being coy about his intentions. So. Direct, but not aggressive, not tradey... Still. I should... probably... butch it up a bit, though, right?
[MSE-6-G735Y's syntactical analysis: inconclusive. Insufficient data]
TK-421
No, yeah, I should. He's a graysuit, he went through the Academy. They always want the whole 'backwater, rough-around-the-edges military grunt' thing. You know: 'Oh my, sir, I never... I ain't never done this before'. Trust me, I know his type. All right. Engage holoreco— Wait!
[MSE-6-G735Y engages holorecorder; halts recording]
TK-421
Helmet... off, I think, for this, G7. Give him something to get him started... There. Okay. Engage holorecorder.
— TK-421, thinking out loud to MSE-6-G735Y, but it has insufficient data to answer the question[1]

Back in Sector AA-345 with its memory missing, G7 is greeted by TK-421 after he views Tarkin's holomessage. TK-421 is surprised but flattered that he has caught someone's eye. He muses that if he plays things right, he can get a transfer for himself and G7 to Coruscant, and maybe anything else they want. According to TK-421, Tarkin is a graysuit who went through the Academy and therefore will find a backwater military grunt appealing.[note 13] After engaging the holorecorder, TK-421 puts on an act[note 14] with a deeper voice and a faux accent.[1] He will report to the officer's quarters at once and that it would be an honor to repair Tarkin's aqualeisure unit, but first he will shower with the antibacterial nanofoam[note 15] that Tarkin sent him. TK-421 also adds flattery about skillfully repairing his droid before disengaging the holorecorder. He sends G7 to deliver the message while he makes himself "presentable". Which involves doing push-ups. (... k.)[1]

How space fascists flirt[]

Tarkin (to G7)
Yes? Well? What did he say? Is he coming?
TK-421 (in holorecording, with faux accent and deeper voice)
I say, sir, thank ya kindly for sendin' my little MSE-6 droid back to me all fixed up so good! Ya got a gift, if that's not too forward of me, sir. TK-421 out!
Tarkin
... My, but he's laying it on a bit thick... Ah well. The games we play.
— Tarkin reacts to TK-421's message[1]

MSE-6-G735Y goes to Tarkin's officer's quarters to deliver TK-421's response. Tarkin comments on TK-421's backwater act, which apparently isn't a turn-off.[1]

G7 notes another memory loss before hearing TK-421 thank Tarkin for repairing his droid. Tarkin invites TK-421 to come inside after removing his armor to avoid tracking grease or other residue on the carpet. In TK-421's excitement over recognizing the Coruscant fiberweave, his naive act momentarily slips, then he catches himself and asks where to put his armor. Tarkin tells him to set it next to the bed on the veermok-hide chair.[note 16] TK-421 is to go about his business in the aqualeisure unit while Tarkin prepares for a meeting with the Joint Chiefs.[note 17] Tarkin whispers to G7 to execute Imperial Protocol Alpha One, resulting in another memory loss.[1]

Beta as an upgrade[]

Several cycles later, TK-421 awakens G7 in Sector AA-345 and the droid detects he has been upgraded to Beta security level.[note 10] TK-421 tells it not to worry about its choppy memory; Tarkin has told him it's out of an abundance of caution, so TK-421 doesn't want G7 taking it personally. TK-421 gushes for a bit, saying Tarkin is very busy and stressed because he is responsible for everything on the station, and although he maintains an icy exterior with other people, he drops it and can just be himself and laugh when he is alone with TK-421. The stormtrooper asks G7 to trust him that it is better off not seeing the messy, complicated human-being stuff,[1] which is suggestive of what that stuff is.[note 18]

TK-421 shares good news about securing a transfer for himself and G7 to station security up on the 300 level, which Tarkin assured him is a cushy gig. TK-421 next plans to get assigned to Tarkin's personal detail; after that, he will get himself and G7 transferred to Coruscant and enter G7 in the droid racing circuit while living in Tarkin's penthouse, which has a balcony overlooking the Imperial Palace.[note 19] TK-421 then receives a transmission ordering him to guard a captured light freighter[note 20] and sends G7 to the officer's quarters.[1]

Explosively well[]

09:59.11...RUN SELF-DIAGNOSTo2j390rtqhwp9 09:59.12...ALERT ALERT WOOKIEE AGGRESSION DISPLAY INITIATED ALERT ALERT ALERT THREAT LEVEL: RED. CANCEL SELF-DIAGNOSTIC ALERT ALERT 09:59.13...ALERT ALERT EXECUTE SELF-PRESERVATION/FLIGHT SUBROUTINE. SHUTDOWN HIGHER FUNCTIONS. ENGAGE MOTORS, TOP SPEED ALERT ALERT

— MSE-6-G735Y, relatable[1]

Tarkin asks G7 if it has a delivery from TK-421 or is there for another reason, then dismisses his own questioning and tells the droid to bring TK-421 to him immediately,[note 21] because: "I've had a terribly, terribly exciting day at work—gave a presentation that went just exceedingly well—explosively well, heh heh heh heh— and now I'm quite, I'm quite keyed up."[note 22] G7 detects that TK-421's helmet geosync beacon is in Docking Bay 327.[note 23]

Intercepting the beacon's path at turbolift bank L301-E, G7's proximity sensors detect three bioforms and initially identify an unknown Wookiee alongside the beacons for TK-710 and TK-421.[note 24] However, there's a biological anomaly; the bioform wearing TK-421's armor has a negative variance in height from TK-421's stored biodata. G7 is on alert and attempting to reconcile the discrepancy when the suddenly-threatening Wookiee growls in an aggressive display. The droid does the internal version of a keysmash, executes self-preservation flight mode, and flees at top speed to Sector AA-345 (back to the maintenance unit it was assigned to at the start of the story). There, it enters sleep mode and loses its memory again.[1]

If it weren't for that meddling rebel scum...[]

Tarkin
Your master, little droid. He's dead. Murdered. By rebel scum. Stole his armor, and stuffed that rather... remarkable body of his in a crawl space. I want you to know they will... they will pay. In mere seconds, this station will annihilate the last pitiful dregs of the Rebellion, and your master will be avenged. He was... cleverer than he let on. He thought I didn't notice but... ah well. I had... such plans for him, you know. For... for us. Such plans.
[Tarkin orders MSE-6-G735Y not to respond to explosions, dismisses the rebel attack, then continues talking at G7]
Tarkin
Because today, little one, today you are no lowly repair and maintenance droid. Today and today only, for your master's sake, you shall stand witness to the awesome destructive power of this battle station.
— Sugar daddy Tarkin is sad and mad his sugar baby's dead[1]

Upon awakening three cycles later in Sector GM1-A (officer's quarters), G7 learns from Tarkin that TK-421 was murdered by rebels who stole his armor and stuffed his body into a crawl space. Tarkin sounds sad and vows to avenge TK-421 by annihilating the last pitiful dregs of the Rebellion.[note 25] Tarkin admits that he had plans for TK-421 and for them together. At that point, G7 receives a report of an explosion on 100 level, Sector GM1-B, Corridor L104E. G7 attempts to leave, but Tarkin orders it to ignore the ongoing inconsequential attack[note 26] and instead witness the battle station's awesome destructive power.[note 27] He orders the droid to wait a bit and then follow him to the command bridge, where it's to stay out of the way while they both watch the destruction of the rebel base.[1]

En route, G7 is caught in an explosion and suffers catastrophic damage. As the battle station enters firing range, the droid is picked up by a stormtrooper who offers to clean and repair G7 after the battle. The stormtrooper is interrupted mid-sentence while observing that G7's streaks of carbon scoring look like racing stripes.[1]

The end! G7 must've been on the Death Star when it blew up :(

End of content adapted from Wookieepedia.


The audiobook[]

Glen Weldon
Just heard a clip from my story on the #FromaCertainPOV audiobook. Holy crap. The production! Jonathan Davis (#NotTheKornGuy) is incredible.
Glen Weldon
When I heard about the audiobook I figured they'd skip my story, as it's formatted in a way to make audio presentation nearly impossible.
Glen Weldon
Can't say why, but you'll know when you see it. But they did it. Somehow. Amazing.
— From the days of Twitter's 140-character limit[soc 2]

The audiobook version doesn't provide individual credits for the voices in each short story, but author Glen Weldon complimented the primary voice performer, Jonathan Davis,[note 28] and how his story was adapted for audio.[1] Basically, certain repetitive diagnostic portions are read out in a mellow voice like a public service announcement. A more electronic voice is used for G7's processing and analyses of the messes it finds itself in. The Imperial characters are all fully voice-acted.

The other uncredited-but-identifiable voice is frequent SW reader Marc Thompson, who performs Tarkin for this story. Aside from being a recognizable impersonation of the character, Thompson's performance can be compared to how he voices Tarkin in "Change of Heart" within the same anthology.

The author[]

Glen Weldon, a gay man himself,[soc 3] queered two Star Wars characters for the New Canon. As of 2024, he's apparently still having a lot of fun with the way people react to this story.


Weldon tweeted in advance of publication about his then-upcoming story that featured a droid caught up in the "gay demimonde on the Death Star":

Glen Weldon
Wrote a @starwars story from the POV of a hapless droid caught up in the Death Star's gay demimonde #FromACertainPOV
Glen Weldon
YES THERE IS TOO a gay demimonde on the Death Star.

I mean, there HAS to be, right? Statistically?

Plus, the lighting's so flattering.
@FlyingEnemy
The Grand Moff brings his own shadowy demimonde with him, like carry-on luggage. Would have loved a scene where we meet his partner Maurice.
[Glen Weldon "likes" this reply]
— The term "Grand Moff" isn't used in the story, but he's there[soc 4]

The day after the anthology was released, Weldon tweeted a screenshot of a mobile browser search for the phrase "tarkin gay", which he paired with another of the character Cersei Lannister smirking and raising a glass of wine while watching her plot unfold in the Game of Thrones episode "The Winds of Winter". He "liked" a reply to it by @PeterJVilla: "You see? She can be reasonable."[soc 5] (The user is paraphrasing Tarkin speaking to Darth Vader about Princess Leia and the rebel base.)


On the following day, Weldon joked about dropping a single:

(Name redacted)
ok wat fuckin new sw book or show or info on the back of a cereal box said tarkin is gay in 2017 im abt to lose my mind in this chickfila
Glen Weldon
My new single, "('Bout to Lose My Mind) In This Chikfila" drops next week
— It never dropped :([soc 6]

When directly asked if the character was Tarkin, Weldon has twice responded with an animated GIF of Tim Heidecker shrugging from the "Balls" episode of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!:

Elizabeth Schaefer
I feel so honored! High fives, @ghweldon! #FromaCertainPOV
[Screencapture from an Amazon review of the anthology, scored 1 of 5 stars]
Subject: Fire the editor
There are a couple of good short stories, but for the most part, it was yet another big let down.
(Spoilers for CW/TW: Homophobia) I really can't believe that your editor allowed gay porn in Star Wars. I actually stopped a production line at work, un-suited, just so I could get to my phone to skip forward to the next short story so I didn't have to listen to any more trash. There is more than one story that pushes an agenda. The Star Wars world is no place for a social experiment. You will lose more than you will gain. I for one am done with any more Star Wars books, too many bad ones as of late. I will listen to "Expeditionary Force" for my future listening enjoyment.
Glen Weldon
My #fromacertainpov editor is the best editor. Unnamed Empirical Officer Voice: "High fives, Elizabeth. High fives ... inDEED."
@kaermoron
blink twice if the officer was Tarkin
[Glen Weldon responds with the shrugging GIF]
[#fromacertainpov responds with a GIF of Barack Obama from Between Two Ferns, saying "Fair enough."]
— One of the threads[soc 7]

@DeltoidSteep
Hey @ghweldon I just finished reading "Of MSE-6 and Men". I loved it but I have a question. Was the officer Tarkin??
[Glen Weldon responds with the shrugging GIF]
— He did it again![soc 8]

And more jokes in other plot-release Tweets:

Glen Weldon (in quotation marks)
Disney Channel to feature its first gay character. We're convened a team of experts with reactions.
Glen Weldon
I am on record as being pro gay villain. Long and storied history. Flair. Personality.

Related: Pick up FROM A CERTAIN POINT OF VIEW maybe!
@adam807
Tarkin's a villain? He's the most sensible person in the whole series!
[Glen Weldon "likes" this reply]
— Governor Tarkin, Disney villain[soc 9]

Glen Weldon
Attention this remains a perfectly valid acceptable wonderful costume idea about which I have no opinion I mean why would I
Weldon-CouplesCostume
[Screenshot of @finncree: "couples costume idea", with images of Tarkin standing at the board room table and of TK-421 guarding the Millennium Falcon]
Glen Weldon
But if you do it send all the pictures what no reason shut up
— Well, where are the pictures?![soc 10]

As a final tweet in 2024, Glen Weldon addressed the topic one last time:

@delicatekestis
TARKIN?? GAY???
[@delicatekestis embeds a TikTok by @entertainmentbread doing a dramatic reading of a Tumblr thread by platinum supa;[soc 11] Glen Weldon quotes the Tweet to reply]
Glen Weldon
This is my final post on here, because come on.

Meet me over on Threads.
— What a way to close out of X/Twitter[soc 12]

Fan resources[]

Notes[]

  1. The relevant lines in Scots are "The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley," which can be translated to English as "The best-laid schemes of mice and men / Often go awry".
  2. MSE-6 series repair droid = "mouse droid", those little boxy wheely units
  3. DS-1 Orbital Battle Station = the Death Star
  4. Lasan was the homeworld Lasat like Zeb from Star Wars Rebels, and the Empire committed genocide against them before that series began. But that's not TK-421's concern.
  5. TK-421 exaggerates just a bit. The first Kowakian monkey-lizard in SW was Jabba the Hutt's little jester Salacious B. Crumb in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi.
  6. In ANH, a droid with a threatening needle hovers towards Princess Leia as she's kept prisoner in Detention Block AA-23.
  7. FYI, Blagg's gender and pronouns are not given in the story. In the audio drama version, the character is performed by a male voice actor.
  8. 8.0 8.1 This is Tarkin.
  9. 9.0 9.1 The prisoner = Princess Leia
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Lambda are letters from the Greek alphabet. Their use here in naming security levels puts them in descending order, with "Alpha" as the highest. "Alpha One" would presumably be the highest of the high.
  11. Tarkin is to TK-421's hologram as Luke Skywalker is to Princess Leia's hologram.
  12. Technobabble translation: "Turn off location metadata, send this to my private account in the cloud, then go into airplane mode to stop syncing data. Delete this."
  13. Graysuit = Imperial officer wearing that particular uniform, not an enlisted trooper. TK-421 basically assumes officers like to play with their existing power dynamics.
  14. No particular in-universe subculture is named, but the audiobook has TK-421 adopting a very "aw, shucks" country-boy persona to "butch it up".
  15. Since "aqualeisure unit" and "antibacterial nanofoam" never come up again in SW, best guess from names and context: luxury shower or tub and a foaming acne soap to help TK-421 with his zit.
  16. Veermok is one of the big "THIS IS TARKIN" flags. since they're basically his origin story in New Canon, as shown in James Luceno's 2014 novel Tarkin. On Tarkin's homeworld, Eriadu, there's an Eriadu veermok subspecies. As a teenager, he defeats a pack of them at the Carrion Spike and learns to control others through fear. He subsequently names his personal starship Carrion Spike. He later narrows down candidates to become his sole protégé through a task that involves hunting an albino veermok on Eriadu. Veermok = Tarkin.
  17. Meeting with the Joint Chiefs = the evil boardroom meeting in ANH
  18. TK-421 spared G7's poor, innocent visual processing unit... or they just didn't want a sex tape holo getting out.
  19. Imperial Palace = the former Jedi Temple, taken over by Emperor Palpatine
  20. Captured light freighter = Millennium Falcon
  21. Compare:
    • "Of MSE-6 and Men": "Find him. Bring him here. Immediately."
    • ANH: "Terminate her! Immediately!"
  22. Compare the "presentation" euphemisms for blowing up Alderaan, killing billions, to those in ANH: "I would like you to be my guest at a ceremony that will make this battle station operational"; "an effective demonstration". Also, TMI, Tarkin. TMI. We didn't need to know genocide gets your motor running.
  23. Docking Bay 327 = where the Death Star tractor beam held the Millennium Falcon
  24. Wookiee = Chewbacca, TK-710 = Han Solo, and TK-421 = Luke Skywalker
  25. Compare that quote to ANH: "We will then crush the Rebellion with one swift stroke."
  26. Compare:
    • "Of MSE-6 and Men": "This rebel attack on the station is inconsequential. They are pests, mynocks, vaporizing themselves against our outermost defenses. Ignore them, and whatever minor damage they manage to incur before snuffing themselves out."
    • ANH: "Evacuate? In our moment of triumph? I think you overestimate their chances!"
  27. Compare:
    • "Of MSE-6 and Men": "You shall stand witness to the awesome destructive power of this battle station."
    • ANH: "I think it is time we demonstrated the full power of this station." and "Fear will keep the local systems in line. Fear of this battle station."
  28. The Jonathan Davis of Star Wars, not to be confused with the Jonathan Davis of Korn.

References[]

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 New Canon · From a Certain Point of View, "Of MSE-6 and Men", by Glen Weldon. Published 2017 by Del Rey. Illustrator not credited.
Social media [soc]
  1. The Tweets:
    Glen Weldon
    also pssst happy pride pssst
    Glen Weldon (quoting prior Tweet)
    I don't know who needs to hear it besides me but
    Glen Weldon (as a reply)
    'I can't believe they made a space-Nazi gay! What of representation? Of seeing people exactly like me, and only that?'

    Queer people can be evil. We often are. Life's rich goddamn pageant! Tuh-rust me.
  2. [Untitled] (Twitter thread) by Glen Weldon on <x.com>. Published 2017-09-21. (Archived on 2021-04-24)
  3. "Bio" by Glen Weldon on Glen Weldon, Writer"Plus, I'm a gay dude willing to spend a chapter [of a Batman book] gamely attempting to defend the Schumacher films. For my sins." (Archived on 2021-11-28)
  4. [Untitled] (Twitter thread) on <twitter.com>. Published 2017-09-14. The "gay demimonde" thread. (Archived on 2021-04-24)
  5. [Untitled] (Twitter thread) on <twitter.com>. Published 2017-10-04. ""tarkin gay"" Archived link to "liked" reply, which has since been deleted (Archived on 2019-10-01)
  6. [Untitled] (Tweet) by Glen Weldon on <twitter.com>. Published 2017-10-05. (Archived on 2020-01-07)
  7. [Untitled] (Twitter thread) on <twitter.com>. Published 2017-10-10. (Archived on 2021-04-24)
  8. [Untitled] (Twitter thread) on <twitter.com>. Published 2017-11-08. (Archived on 2021-04-24)
  9. [Untitled] (Twitter thread) on <twitter.com>. Published 2017-10-26. @adam807's Tweet has been deleted. (original link down; URL was: <https://twitter.com/adam807/status/923638889230848000>) (Archived on 2021-04-24)
  10. [Untitled] (Twitter thread) on <twitter.com>. Published 2017-10-29. (Archived on 2021-04-24)
  11. The original: [Untitled] (Tumblr thread) by platinum supa on <platinumsupa.tumblr.com>. Published 2019-11-12. (Archived on 2024-07-23)
  12. [Untitled] (Tweet quote-response) on <x.com>. Published 2024-02-14. (Archive link)
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