Lothal re-settlement camp 43

"It's a sad little slum named for the Imperial governor who kicked everybody out of their homes in Tangletown, and other outlying farming communities. Typical. Those in power don't ask, they just take."

―Ezra Bridger, in his Rebel Journal^[6]

Lothal re-settlement camp 43 was a refugee settlement on the Outer Rim planet Lothal, constructed during the Imperial Era to house farmers displaced by the Galactic Empire’s mining operations. Lothalites referred to the settlement as Tarkintown or Tarkin City after Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, who ordered the displacement on the mining recommendations of Imperial Mining Institute analyst Ria Clarr—a recommendation Clarr came to regret given the conditions that the people of Tarkintown were forced to live in.

The settlement, located in a temperate area near Lothal's Capital City, consisted of makeshift dwellings built from salvaged shipping containers, and it was centered around a damaged moisture vaporator with drinking water that was likely contaminated. Lacking proper sanitation and infrastructure, Tarkintown’s multi-species residents were forced to rely on mutual aid and occasional support from the rebel group known as the Spectres. Imperial retaliation against such rebel efforts made Tarkintown a target, including a mass poisoning that nearly killed a number of inhabitants. In 4 BBY, during the Siege of Lothal, the Sith Lord Darth Vader ordered Agent Alexsandr Kallus of the Imperial Security Bureau to burn Tarkintown to the ground. Its residents were either imprisoned or killed, with no records kept as to how many of Tarkintown's citizens were casualties.

Description

"Locals call it Tarkintown."
"Named for Grand Moff Tarkin, Governor of the Outer Rim."

―Garazeb Orrelios and Sabine Wren^[3]

Tarkintown, officially designated as Lothal re-settlement camp 43^[2] and also known as Tarkin City,^[7] was a makeshift settlement on^[3] the Outer Rim planet^[8] Lothal,^[3] located in a temperate area^[4] not far from Lothal's Capital City^[5] and a supply depot set up by Devaronian black marketer Cikatro Vizago.^[9] Established during the Imperial Era, the camp housed displaced Lothalites who had been forcibly removed from their farmlands to make way for Imperial mining operations.^[2] Derisively known as Tarkintown after Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, the Imperial Governor of the Outer Rim Territories,^[3] and the man^[8] responsible for the establishment of the settlement,^[3] the town was a slum^[6] composed of crude, temporary structures clustered together on the open plains, forming a dense and haphazard community.^[2]

The town's dwellings were primarily constructed from repurposed shipping containers, with over forty structures providing minimal protection against the elements. The town was built as a grid around a central plaza,^[5] centered around a moisture vaporator^[2] that was one of five throughout the settlement.^[3] It served as a vital source of drinking water despite being in a state of disrepair. The vaporator's weathered exterior and the likelihood of water contamination reflected the overall poor conditions of the settlement. A cleared space surrounding the vaporator served as a communal gathering area, functioning as Tarkintown's town square. The settlement was surrounded by sludge-covered ground that emitted a foul odor. When smuggler and gambler Lando Calrissian visited Tarkintown, he noted the unsanitary conditions and how the sludge was clearly not mud.^[2]

Tarkintown's desolate appearance was a direct consequence of Imperial policy,^[2] and its eventual destruction during the Siege of Lothal^[10] in 4 BBY^[1] served as a stark reminder of the Empire's control over Lothal. The camp was razed on the orders of the Sith Lord Darth Vader as reprisal against growing rebel activity on the planet, leaving behind smoking ruins and a once-again displaced population.^[10]

History

Establishment

"My research for the Mining Institute concluded that a rich vein of ore lay below these people's farms. I personally convinced the Grand Moff that mining would be worth the effort. At the time, I believed the Empire was a force for good, and would help lift Lothal out of poverty and obscurity."

―Ria Clarr, who felt personally responsible for the plight of Tarkintown^[2]

During the Imperial Era, the Empire's occupation of Lothal had a particular focus on mining the planet for minerals and ores that could fuel the Imperial war machine. The Empire initially strip-mined uninhabited regions of the planet but eventually turned its attention toward inhabited areas, including farmland. At first, the Empire compensated disaffected citizens—farmers whose livelihoods were affected were given new homes and jobs, and often they found themselves better-off. The Empire was able to use this for propaganda purposes to demonstrate their supposed generosity. Once they had enough positive stories, however, they began to shrink compensation packages until, finally, they discontinued them entirely and began taking land by force and under threat of imprisonment.^[9]

The name "Tarkintown" referred to Grand Moff Tarkin, who the displaced farmers held responsible for their plight.

Displaced citizens began congregating in shantytowns across Lothal.^[9] One such place was Lothal re-settlement camp 43, established based on a report and recommendation from analyst Ria Clarr of the Imperial Mining Institute. In her research, Clarr discovered that a rich vein of ore was situated beneath the surface of some of Lothal's farms.^[2] This included the farming community of Tangletown^[6]—once known as the "Food Basket of Lothal" because of its rich supply of spices and fruits^[11]—and nearby communities.^[6] Believing that mining the ore would help lift the people of Lothal out of poverty, Clarr provided her recommendation to mine the area to Tarkin.^[2]

To prepare for the mining operation,^[2] the citizens of the affected farming communities^[6]—in contradiction of the previous Imperial policy to offer compensation in exchange for land^[12]—were forcibly removed from their homes and concentrated in the area^[6] that became Lothal re-settlement camp 43.^[2] Anyone who fought back during the relocation was arrested for treason. The locals came to refer to the camp as Tarkintown, named for Grand Moff Tarkin himself.^[3] The camp ended up being established near a supply depot run by Cikatro Vizago. Because the people of Tarkintown were refused compensation or work and lacked Imperial paperwork to rebuild their lives, Vizago was able to use the community of desperate people as a semi-frequent labor force. He provided them low wages that were generally paid back to him in return for goods that they were not able to secure from anyone but him.^[9]

The conditions of the camp, one of many on Lothal that were built as part of a growing refugee crisis that affected hundreds,^[5] were bleak,^[3] with the once-thriving farmers^[6] forced to live in impoverished and starving conditions,^[3] even with help from Vizago.^[9] Clarr, who knew that Tarkintown had become a poor area, came to regret her recommendation when she flew to Tarkintown for a follow-up survey and saw just how bad the conditions had become, much worse than Imperial propaganda had led her to believe.^[2] In truth, Tarkintown was a symbol of what it meant to live under Imperial rule.^[11]

Rebels to the rescue

"Thank you. Thank you so much."
"I… I didn't do anything."

―A Rodian citizen of Tarkintown and Ezra Bridger^[3]

Ezra Bridger, Sabine Wren, and Garazeb Orrelios distribute food to the people of Tarkintown.

In 5 BBY,^[1] the Spectres—a rebel cell operating from their VCX-100 light freighter,^[8] the Ghost, on Lothal—sought to provide aid to the people of Tarkintown. The rebels stole a number of crates from Capital City, some of which contained food that they brought to Tarkintown to help the starving population there. Ezra Bridger, a native Lothalite who had spent years living as a street orphan in Capital City before being unintentionally swept up into the rebels' mission to steal the crate, saw Tarkintown for the first time and learned firsthand about the plight of the people. Bridger, along with the rebels Sabine Wren and Garazeb Orrelios, distributed the food from the stolen crates to the people and received the citizenry's warm gratitude. That mission, and the gratitude he received from the people of Tarkintown, helped inspire Bridger to join the rebel cause and train as a Jedi under the tutelage of one of the Spectres' leaders, former Jedi Padawan Kanan Jarrus.^[3] At some point, Bridger wrote about Tarkintown in his Rebel Journal,^[6] while Wren wrote about and kept her artwork of the town in her own journal^[13] in 4 BBY.^[14] Wren did not like having to keep art of places like Tarkintown, but she felt it important to remember what it meant to live under Imperial occupation.^[13]

The rebels continued to assist the town's citizens,^[15] as did Vizago, who provided relief for refugees like those in Tarkintown through his black market operations.^[16] On one such mission, the crew received orders from "Fulcrum"^[15]—the codename of Ahsoka Tano, a former Jedi Padawan herself^[8] who operated as a rebel informant^[17]—to retrieve a crate of supplies from the planet Kaller to give to the people of Tarkintown.^[15]

Mindiz begins to feel ill from the poisoned food.

During another supply run, the Spectres delivered additional crates of food to Tarkintown, unaware that the Empire had poisoned the provisions as a punitive measure against rebel interference. The toxin quickly spread, incapacitating a number of residents, including a young girl named Mindiz, who had been living alone since the Empire took her parents prisoner. Captain Hera Syndulla of the Spectres analyzed the poison and identified an antidote that was only available in Capital City, the heavily fortified center of Imperial operations on Lothal. Feeling personally responsible for the situation, especially for Mindiz, with whom he had formed a bond, Orrelios embarked on a solo mission to retrieve the cure. He infiltrated an Imperial medical facility and confronted Agent Alexsandr Kallus^[18] of the Imperial Security Bureau,^[3] who admitted that the poisoning was a deliberate act of retaliation. The other Spectres, realizing Orrelios had gone off alone, arrived in time to assist him, retrieve the antidote, and escape from a firefight with the Empire. They returned to Tarkintown and distributed the antidote, saving the poisoned citizens. Orrelios reassured Mindiz that she would never be alone and promised to always protect her.^[18]

In 4 BBY,^[19] Bridger broadcast a message of hope and rebellion to the people of Lothal, urging Lothalites to stand together in the face of the Imperial occupation. Bridger's message and willingness to stand in defiance of the Empire inspired Ria Clarr to turn her guilt over her role in Tarkintown's conditions into action. She stole Imperial credits from Lando Calrissian, who had won them in a card game against Vizago at Old Jho's Pit Stop, and distributed them to the people of Tarkintown to help make amends. Calrissian and Vizago, who both felt they had been cheated out of their money, pursued Clarr to Tarkintown, where they discovered what she was doing. Their confrontation was interrupted by the arrival of Imperial forces who were pursuing Clarr as a traitor. A firefight ensued, during which Clarr defeated her Imperial pursuers. Clarr's victorious stand against the Empire inspired the people of Tarkintown with a renewed purpose: Tarkintown was their home, and they would defend it by whatever means necessary. Calrissian and Vizago departed, while Clarr remained behind with the people.^[2]

Destruction

"All I sense is evil. Why would they burn Tarkintown?"
"To spread fear, make us afraid. The people that lived here just got caught in the middle."
"This happened because of us?"
"There's a cost for any action we take now, Ezra."

―Ezra Bridger and Kanan Jarrus^[10]

Ezra Bridger and Kanan Jarrus witness the aftermath of Tarkintown's destruction.

After Bridger's broadcast and an ensuing rebel action at Mustafar,^[1] Darth Vader arrived on Lothal^[17] to oversee the Imperial pursuit of the Spectres during the Siege of Lothal. To send a message to the rebels, and to exploit their compassion for Tarkintown in order to drive them out of hiding^[10] through their contacts in the settlement,^[20] Vader ordered Kallus to burn the settlement down. Tarkintown was left a burning wreck, and its inhabitants were either^[10] rounded up by the Empire and sent to prison camps^[5] or killed.^[21] Shortly thereafter, Bridger witnessed the aftermath of Tarkintown's destruction and sensed only evil left in its place. Reflecting on the cost of fighting the Empire, Jarrus told Bridger that any anti-Imperial action they took from there on out had a cost.^[10]

Imperial propaganda later claimed that Tarkintown's destruction was the result of its residents aiding and abetting rebel agents. However, some came to believe that the destruction was done simply to anger the rebels operating on Lothal and draw them out^[5]—just as Darth Vader had intended.^[10] The Empire recorded the events of the town's destruction in an Imperial file titled Reprisal Activities, which was later collected in the "Lothal" section of the Imperial Archives. Historian Beaumont Kin, writing in^[21] his^[8] history book The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire^[21] in 35 ABY,^[22] noted that there was no remaining record of the number of casualties in Tarkintown. Kin further noted that the intended audiences for the attack were the Lothalite civilians and the rebels who operated in that system, and that the Imperial lockdown of the planet made it impossible for details of the attack to spread offworld as either a threat to other civilians or as inspiration for rebels elsewhere.^[21]

Inhabitants

"The Ghost crew brought the locals some food. I helped hand it out. Most of the time they have to hunt and scavenge. They cook their meals over tiny grease fires. The Empire is slowly killing these people. And I think it's only going to get worse."

―Ezra Bridger, in his Rebel Journal^[6]

The inhabitants of Tarkintown were former farmers^[6] and residents of Lothal who had lived comfortable lives^[5] before being forcibly displaced by the Galactic Empire. They were a multi-species community, including humans, Ithorians, Rodians, and Ugnaughts.^[3] They were relocated to the settlement after Grand Moff Tarkin approved the mining of their land for Imperial resources.^[2]

A human and Rodian citizen living in Tarkintown's impoverished environment.

Life in Tarkintown was marked by hardship and deprivation.^[2] Once from thriving communities,^[6] the people of Tarkintown were impoverished and struggled with food shortages,^[3] unsanitary living environments,^[2] and a lack of medical supplies.^[18] Food that was not provided through outside aid was generally acquired^[6] through subsistence farming,^[5] hunting, and scavenging, with cooking only possible over small grease fires.^[6] The result was a hand-to-mouth life, with little hope of ever being able to escape from Tarkintown's conditions,^[11] along with an ever-present fear that the Empire could forcibly take their new land as well and leave them homeless once again.^[9] The drinking water was potentially contaminated,^[2] and the settlement itself was a slum^[6] surrounded by sludge and filth.^[2] Inhabitants like Mindiz were left without families due to Imperial arrests^[18]—disobeying Imperial orders meant immediate arrest for treason.^[23] The town also became a target for criminals and smugglers who felt they could take advantage of the people's desperation.^[8]

Tarkintown was a veritable powder keg as many inhabitants felt they had nothing left to lose.^[5] While some in Tarkintown had lost the will to live due to their conditions,^[23] others remained resilient. They welcomed assistance from rebels like the Spectres, who provided food and medical aid,^[18] and Tarkintown provided the rebels a safe refuge in return.^[5] Vizago offered citizens low-paying work, and in exchange they could use the money he gave them to purchase needed supplies.^[9] Their gratitude toward the rebels helped inspire Ezra Bridger to join the rebellion^[3]—and his resistance ultimately helped liberate Lothal from the Empire^[24] in 1 BBY.^[1] However, the town was also vulnerable to Imperial retaliation, including poisoned food shipments^[18] and—in spite of the people's resilience to defend their homes—the ultimate destruction of Tarkintown^[10] in 4 BBY,^[1] on the orders of Darth Vader. The settlement was burned to the ground, and its inhabitants were either taken prisoner by the Empire^[10] or killed. The exact number of casualties remained unknown by 35 ABY.^[21]

Behind the scenes

Creation and inspiration

"We must have a name for this place; we can't call it any old thing."
"This is the era of Hoover prosperity; let's call this place Hooverville."

―Two shanty town dwellers, in an excerpt from The Story of Hooverville, In Seattle by Jesse Jackson (1935)^[25]

Hoovervilles, like the one pictured here in in 1936, served as the real-world inspiration for Tarkintown. — Hoovervilles, like the one pictured here in Bakersfield, California in 1936, served as the real-world inspiration for Tarkintown.

Tarkintown was developed for the animated television series Star Wars Rebels and first appeared in the first part of Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion,^[3] the two part series premier which debuted on September 26, 2014.^[26] Concept art for Tarkintown was shown in "Meet Ezra, the Street-Smart Hero," a February 14, 2014 web video introducing audiences to the character of Ezra Bridger.^[27] Additional art, originally revealed in the article "Reigniting the Rebellion!" in Star Wars Insider 146^[28] on December 10, 2013,^[29] was later posted to the Star Wars Rebels Facebook page to coincide with the episode;^[30] the concept art was erroneously labeled as concept art for the Capital City marketplace in the StarWars.com episode guide for Spark of Rebellion.^[31] Later concept art for the town's destruction, depicted in the season two premiere two-parter episode Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal, was released at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim on April 19, 2015.^[32] Tarkintown was further identified as "Tarkin City" by "Ezra Bridger and Other Users of the Force,"^[7] published on August 5, 2022 as a volume in the Star Wars Encyclopedia series of reference books.^[33]

The concept and name for Tarkintown was inspired by the term "Hooverville," which referred to shanty towns created in the United States for Americans who had been affected and displaced by the Great Depression in the 1930s. The name "Hooverville" was applied as a reference to Herbert Hoover,^[34] the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933,^[35] who presided over the Wall Street crash of 1929 and the resulting Depression.^[34] Like President Hoover, Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin became the namesake for Tarkintown on Lothal.^[36] Unlike the real-world parallel, Tarkintown was destroyed, whereas Hoovervilles were ultimately taken down after the economic recovery brought about by the United States' involvement in World War II.^[34]

LEGO content

"We have to make sure that supply carriers can land near the settlements! Otherwise the farmers will starve to death."
"But any large ship that approaches Lothal without the correct Imperial codes will be shot down."
"Then we have to go and get the codes! We must help those poor farmers!"

―Ezra Bridger and Garazeb Orrelios^[37]

The Ghost flying from Tarkintown in the LEGO Star Wars comic strip "Virus Alert!" — The *Ghost* flying from Tarkintown in the LEGO *Star Wars* comic strip "Virus Alert!"

In the non-canon comic strip "Virus Alert!,"^[37] written by Christian Hector and published on October 30, 2015^[38] in the fifth issue of the Blue Ocean Entertainment LEGO Star Wars Magazine, the Spectres undertake another mission to deliver supplies to the residents of Tarkintown before they starve. To do so, they first need to steal Imperial codes that will authorize supply carriers to land on Lothal without being shot down. The Ghost infiltrates an Imperial Star Destroyer, where Chopper uploads a virus that causes the ship's systems to malfunction and cause confusion while Bridger and Chopper find and retrieve the codes. After successfully evading Imperial stormtroopers as well as the Grand Inquisitor, the Spectres manage to escape the ship with the codes in-hand.^[37]