I never really gave Tarkin’s position much thought until i was watching a youtube video recently. I’d always assumed that Tarkin was under Vader’s command, but in the movies you see Tarkin give Vader direct orders. Most of the time Tarkin is actually Vader’s superior, but there are situations where they’re equals.
Vader’s place in the Empire is an odd one because most of the time he acts as a special agent that operates at the very boundaries of the Empire’s hierarchy. He’s not exactly a military officer. But there are specific situations where he does officially assume a military role, and he even commands his own special class of ship. A super star destroyer (the Executor)
