Star Wars/W

Wampas
Wampas are primitive, extraterrestrial creatures indigenous to the ice planet known as Hoth. Towering at more than eight-feet-tall, they are powerful, predatory carnivores that live in caves and hunt for live prey. With the aid of the white fur, a Wampa can easily camoflage itself in Hoth's snow-covered terrain, making it easier for the creature to stalk its prey. They will use their massive paws to snap an animal's neck then bring it back to the cave where it will either eat it right away, or save it for future consumption. In 3 ABY, Rebel Alliance leader Luke Skywalker had a grisly encounter with a Wampa. The creature attacked him while he was planting sensors in the area and killed the Tauntaun he was riding. It dragged both Luke and the dead animal back its lair. It suspended Luke upside down from a frozen patch in the ceiling of the cave, intending on preserving him for later. While the Wampa dined on the carcass of the Tauntaun, Luke used his lightsaber to cut himself free. The noise alerted the Wampa who charged after him. Luke swung his saber, severing the creature's arm, then made his escape out into the bleak, snowy landscape.

Wilhuff Tarkin
Of all those who rose to power in the Galactic Empire, few possessed such raw ambition as that of Wilhuff Tarkin. Tarkin was born to a life of wealth and privilege on the planet Eriadu approximately sixty-four years prior to the Battle of Yavin. He came from a prestigious family who held great influence in the Galactic Senate and dominated the political structure in the Seswenna sector for several generations.

In the years following the Battle of Naboo in 32 BBY, Tarkin continued to rise through the halls of power, eventually earning the attention of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Palpatine and he shared many of the same viewpoints, in particular a common hatred for all non-human races, whom they believed to be inferior and responsible for the what they perceived as chaos throughout the galaxy.

Shortly after achieving the rank of Grand Moff, Wilhuff authored a communique that would come to be known as the Tarkin Doctrine. In short, this manifesto illustrated Tarkin's ideology of maintaining order through the projection of power. Power was maintained by imposing a sense of fear among dissidents. The greatest representation of the New Order's power was the Death Star. As Grand Moff, Tarkin held sway over all of the regional governors in the Empire. His power continued to grow until eventually Palpatine placed him in command of the Death Star.

Tarkin viewed the Death Star as the greatest expression of fear and power in the galaxy. He took great pride in its ability to serve as a deterrent against dissension. Even Emperor Palpatine came to view Tarkin as a threat and assigned Darth Vader to serve on the Death Star as his personal spy. He made Vader subservient to Tarkin's command to allay any suspicion. Tarkin's co-commanders on the Death Star were High General Cassio Tagge and Admiral Conan Antonio Motti.

Emperor Palpatine dissolved the Galactic Senate, transferring the balance of power from the bureaucracy to that of regional governors. Tarkin's power grew even greater because of this. He possessed the ability to take indiscriminate action without the need for Senate approval. He answered only to the Emperor now.

Tagge did not share Tarkin's and Motti's confidence in the Death Star's defenses and was concerned that the Rebel Alliance could conceivably find a weakness in the structure's defenses. Admiral Motti however truly believed that the Death Star was the ultimate power in the universe. Tarkin recognized Motti's ambition as well as his belief that this space station would be his transport to greatness.

Vader had managed to capture Princess Leia Organa, now a former member of the Imperial Senate, and secretly a keystone player in the Rebel Alliance. She was taken aboard the Death Star and interrogated, but she refused to give up either the stolen Death Star plans or the location of the hidden Rebel Alliance base. Tarkin and Leia exchanged quips with one another and Leia issued a prophetic warning when she told him, "The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers". In response, he presented her with a harrowing ultimatum. If she did not reveal the location of the Rebel base, he would turn the Death Star's super-weapon against her home planet of Alderaan. Leia told Tarkin that the Rebel base was located on a planet called Dantooine, but this was later revealed as a lie. Regardless, Tarkin decided to make an example of the Alliance and ordered the destruction of Alderaan. Leia was forced to watch her world explode as the Death Star fired a massive laser cannon into its core. When Tarkin learned about Leia's deception, he called for her execution.

The Imperials traced the Rebels to the fourth moon of the planet Yavin. The Death Star came into range of the planet and Tarkin ordered them to prime their super-weapon. The Rebels, having discovered a defense weakness in one of the station's exhaust ports, sent two squadrons of snub fighters out to attack the station. When the threat of danger to the station became more apparent, an Imperial officer asked Tarkin if he wished to evacuate the station. Tarkin snidely rebuffed him saying, "Evacuate? In our moment of triumph? I think you overestimate their chances." As it turned out however, the Rebels proved victorious when pilot Luke Skywalker fired a proton torpedo into the station's exhaust port, creating a chain reaction that caused the structure to explode. Tarkin died along with millions of other Imperial officers and soldiers.

Wookiees
Wookiees are an arboreal race by nature, preferring to live in small tree huts than on the ground. They communicate through a complex system of grunts and growls, which often leads others to mistakenly believe that wookiees are primitive and savage, when in fact, they are an extremely intelligent species despite their fearsome appearance. Wookiees are known to have a longer life span than most other races and wookiees in the prime of their life are sometimes more than two-hundred years old. Wookiees cherish life and have a strong sense of respect with regards to other life forms. Once every three years (Kashyyykian calendar), wookiees celebrate a festival known as Life Day. The holiday is a time of rebirth and renewal in wookiee culture and it celebrates the life-cycle of the planet itself. Regardless of one's location, a wookiee was expected to be at home with their family so as to honor Life Day and pay tribute at the Tree of Life. Another important element of wookiee culture is known as the Life Debt. If a wookiee's life was saved through the actions of another, whether they be wookiee or some other alien species, the wookiee in question was honor-bound to serve them as guardian and friend, even to to the point of sacrificing their own life if need be. As the title implies, the wookiee is obligated to observe the life debt for the entirety of their savior's lives. In many cases, the life debt may be extended to include their savior's loved ones, friends or family members. Other alien cultures practice the institution of the life debt including the Gungans of Naboo and the reptilian Trandoshans.