- "When we look back upon the war against the Empire—upon the billions of lives lost—sometimes it seems as though nothing could ever have been worth the terrible price we paid. But when we think of those people who perished in the conflict, let us remember that they died for justice. For liberty. For the extraordinary peace we now enjoy. This is what we fought for."
- ―Tai-Lin Garr
Tai-Lin Garr was a male New Republic senator in the years following the Galactic Civil War, representing his home planet of Gatalenta. As a member of the Populist faction in the Galactic Senate, Garr was a longtime friend of Leia Organa, a hero of the Rebellion and a prominent Populist senator within the New Republic. Garr was inaugurated into the new Senate immediately following its creation. Along with Organa, he was one of the only senators who had served in the new legislative body since its beginning.
Twenty-four years into the New Republic's reign as the sole legitimate galactic government, the Senate had become fractured into various political factions, dominated by the opposition of the Populists and the Centrist party. While Garr and his allies wanted individual worlds to have greater freedom in their decision-making, the Centrists believed in a stronger central government, supported by a powerful military. In order to rein in the tensions rising between both factions, it was decided to elect a First Senator, a figurehead tasked with bringing order to the divided government.
Although the Populists originally supported Leia Organa's candidacy, she was eventually forced to withdraw from the election when her parentage was revealed by Centrist senator Ransolm Casterfo. Garr was nominated to replace her as the Populist candidate, but he was assassinated by Arliz Hadrassian before the election.
Biography[]
New Republic senator[]
A native of the planet Gatalenta, Tai-Lin Garr was one of the first New Republic senators to join the newly-formed Galactic Senate on Chandrila following the Battle of Endor. He would continue serving as Senator for the next twenty-four years. While on Hosnian Prime, he joined the Populist faction, which wanted individual worlds to retain considerable sovereignty. Tai-Lin gave a speech at a ceremony to dedicate a Jelucani fogstone statue to the memory of the late Bail Organa, a founding member of the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the adoptive father of Leia Organa, a prominent member of the Populist faction and former rebel leader. Following the ceremony he attended a banquet hosted by the Populist senator Varish Vicly.[1]
Political intrigue[]
After the Centrists, a rival faction that supported a stronger galactic government and military, successfully passed a motion urging the Senate to create a new powerful position called First Senator, Tai-Lin and several other Populist attended a function at the home of Varish Vicly. He admitted he was badly shaken by the vote which he attributed to the charisma of Leia's Centrist ally Ransolm Casterfo, a junior senator from Riosa. Despite his initial opposition to First Senator, he urged his fellow Populists to consider standing for that office in order to prevent a Centrist from holding that role. In the end, he nominated his friend Organa for First Senator.[1]
Several days later, Tai-Lin Garr and Leia walked to the Senatorial conference building for an early breakfast meeting. When Leia expressed her reluctance to serve as First Senator, Tai-Lin reassured her that she was the best Populist candidate. When Leia expressed a desire to spend more time with her husband Han Solo and son Ben, Tai-Lin understood her sentiments and asked whether she would have ever considered following her brother Luke Skywalker's path by becoming a Jedi. Leia responded by stressing that her career was in politics.[1]
Upon entering the building, they were greeted by Vicly. Before they could settle down for business, Leia discovered a handwritten message on her napkin telling her to "Run." Leia evacuated the building shortly before a bomb destroyed half the conference building. Tai-Lin and Leia escaped unharmed but Varish suffered several broken bones. Following the so-called "Napkin Bombing," the Populists and Centrists began blaming each other for the bombing.[1]
Standing by a friend[]
Senator Tai-Lin later attended a Senate hearing to consider Senator Organa's nomination for First Senator. The hearing was upstaged by Casterfo, who revealed that Leia was the daughter of the infamous Imperial enforcer Darth Vader. When Leia reluctantly confirmed that this allegation was true, the Senate was thrown into uproar. While most of the Senate rejected Leia, Tai-Lin and Varish were among the few to remain loyal to her. While Varish read forth the entire New Republic constitutional passage declaring that nobody should be punished for the crimes of their parents, Garr submitted a motion calling for his fellow Populists to affirm their respect and loyalty for Leia's individual accomplishments.[1]
Garr later visited Organa's office to comfort her. While sympathetic, he still told Leia that she should have told him or Varish about her parentage. With an angry crowd baying outside, Leia responded that the public uproar was the reason why she had kept this secret for the past twenty-four years. Tai-Lin responded that it would have been safe to disclose this information to her closest friends and allies in the Senate. However, he responded that Leia should never have allowed the Populists to nominate her as their candidate for First Senator. He feared that Leia's mistake had damaged the Populist cause. However, he reaffirmed his friendship for Leia.[1]
When Leia later addressed the Senate to confirm her ancestry as the daughter of Vader and to withdraw her nomination for First Senator, Tai-Lin supported Organa when the Centrist Senator Lady Carise Sindian cast doubt on the character of Leia's brother Jedi Master Skywalker. Unknown to most people, Lady Carise was a clandestine agent of the First Order who was secretly subverting the Republic. She had been responsible for uncovering Leia's parentage and manipulating Casterfo into discrediting Leia. Addressing the Senate, Tai-Lin vouched for Luke's character and record as a member of the Rebellion. The Senate then gave Leia leave from her senatorial duties.[1]
First Senator and assassination[]
Following Leia's mission to Sibensko which exposed Rinnrivin Di's cartel's linkages to a paramilitary group called the Amaxine warriors, Tai-Lin attended a function at Varish's residence. He met Leia and discussed the Senate's reason decision to grant Organa a hearing on her investigation. Since Casterfo had voted for her to speak, he shared his fears that Casterfo was setting her up to fail given his role in the revelations of her parentage. Leia reassured him that she did not have anymore secrets to hide.[1]
Leia then vouched for Casterfo and told Tai-Lin about his important role in her investigation. When Garr remarked that Leia had more faith in Casterfo's honor than he did, she responded that she was uncertain. At that point, Varish announced to the other guests that Tai-Lin would be the new Populist nominee for First Senator. The various Populist senators then spent the next hour congratulating and chatting with Tai-Lin. When Leia was able to talk to him, he told her that he had nominated himself for First Senator in order to render the role irrelevant and to prevent a Centrist from occupying the office.[1]
Ten days later, Tai-Lin embarked on his first campaign rally in one of Hosnian Prime's parks. He was accompanied by Leia and Varish. While Tai-Lin was interacting with the crowd, he was shot in the heart by Arliz Hadrassian, the leader of the Amaxines who had come to exact revenge for the events on Sibensko. Hadrassian then killed herself before she could be taken into custody. Leia tended to the fallen Tai-Lin only to discover that he had died.[1]
Legacy[]
Following Tai-Lin's assassination, the Senate unanimously declared an official period of mourning for the fallen senator. Several of his Populist colleagues including Leia and Varish attended a memorial service to honor his memory. Most New Republic senators and the media believed that Arliz Hadrassian had been the primary instigator of the Napkin Bombing, the Amaxines, and Rinnrivin's cartel. In truth, his assassination had been engineered by Lady Carise as a means of eliminating a strong Populist opponent and to discredit Casterfo, who had earned her ire for supporting Leia during her last Senate speech. She then fabricated evidence linking Casterfo to Hadrassian thus making him complicit in the death of Tai-Lin Garr and the Amaxine warrior crisis. After learning what Lady Carise had done, Leia convinced the Elder Houses to strip the aristocrat of all her titles. Disillusioned with the Senate's complacency and bickering, Leia established a paramilitary outfit called the Resistance to protect the New Republic.[1]
Personality and traits[]
As a native of the planet Gatalenta, Tai-Lin Garr was known throughout political and social circles for his preternaturally calm demeanor and his trademark scarlet cloak. As a staunch Populist, Tai-Lin Garr believed that individual member worlds should wield most of the sovereignty in the New Republic. He was suspicious of the Centrists, who supported a stronger central government and military. Despite his staunch opposition to the Centrist proposal for First Senator, he later ran for that office in order to prevent a Centrist from occupying it and to render that position irrelevant.[1]
Tai-Lin was a loyal friend of Leia who respected his fellow Senator for her contributions to the Rebellion and the New Republic. Like Varish, he believed that Leia should not be stigmatized because of the crimes of her father, Darth Vader. However, he was upset that Leia had not told him about her true parentage. As a Populist, he believed that her revelation damaged the Populist cause. Tai-Lin also had a great deal of respect for Leia's brother Luke Skywalker, a former rebel who had become a Jedi Master, and vouched for his character on one occasion.[1]
Behind the scenes[]
Tai-Lin Garr first appeared in the 2016 novel Bloodline, written by Claudia Gray.[1]
Appearances[]
- Bloodline (First appearance)
- Bloodline audiobook
- Resistance Reborn (Mentioned only)
- Resistance Reborn audiobook (Mentioned only)