Silas Tagge

Born on the Core World of Tepasi, Silas Tagge was a member of the long-standing and affluent House of Tagge, which owned and managed the galactic megacorporation known as the Tagge Company. While his brothers were preoccupied with matters of the world from a young age—Orman, his older brother, was prepared to be the next Baron, and his younger brothers, Cassio and Ulric, pursued careers in the Imperial Military—Silas, a natural scientist, showed little interest in other areas. Tagge quickly became a skilled physicist and engineer, and the Tagge Company utilized his abilities by appointing him as the head of its research division, which included secret weapons development facilities and pharmaceutical laboratories. Under Tagge's leadership, the department prospered, becoming one of the galaxy's leading scientific hubs and attracting talent comparable only to that of the Empire itself.

During the Galactic Civil War, the Tagges collaborated with the Empire, and Silas developed a unique weapon designed to torment the emerging Rebels: a massive turbine that could conceal itself within the atmosphere of a gas giant and create a launch corridor for starfighter attacks from seemingly nowhere. Silas initially presented the concept to the Empire, but it was rejected, prompting Orman to champion the idea and invest millions of credits in its realization. By 0 ABY, the station, named Achtnak Turbine Station after a predator indigenous to Tepasi, was completed and played a role in the Imperial blockade of the Yavin system following the Rebellion's victory at the Battle of Yavin.

Ultimately, Achtnak Turbine Station was destroyed by Luke Skywalker, a young Rebel pilot, which led Tagge to begin a new project: a weapon known as the Omega Frost, capable of instantly freezing any object or living being containing moisture. Silas and Orman tested the Omega Frost in the Jundland Wastes of Tatooine, a desert world, discovering that it could transform even that planet's harsh and arid landscape into a frozen wasteland. However, Orman's choice of Tatooine was motivated by his desire to settle a score with Skywalker, its homeworld. The Omega Frost tests drew Skywalker's attention, who had returned home to recruit skilled pilots for the Yavin blockade. The Tagges attempted to trap Skywalker and his allies Han Solo and Chewbacca, but the Rebels escaped in a Jawa sandcrawler and returned to Mos Eisley.

After completing their tests on Tatooine, the Tagge brothers left the planet aboard a TaggeCo Mining Explorer. Despite not capturing Skywalker, they felt it was time to implement a larger plan to weaken the Rebel fleet and gain the Emperor's approval. They traveled to Feriae Junction, where they met with their brother Ulric and set up the Omega Frost in the nearby Feswe Corridor. Their plan was to lure a Rebel fleet into the asteroid belt and destroy them with the new weapon, while Ulric's Imperial battle group waited in reserve. Skywalker and his companions followed the Tagges to Junction, but the young Rebel was captured while investigating the Omega Frost's deployment. Silas took charge of the operation as Orman focused on Skywalker, but the scientist also had to monitor his brother. When Silas learned that Orman intended to fight Skywalker in a lightsaber duel, Silas made sure that the Rebel's only escape route was a defueled TIE fighter stripped of weapons and communications. Skywalker defeated Orman, whose shock at the Rebel's skill incapacitated him.

Silas's changes left Skywalker stranded in a damaged starfighter, but the Force-sensitive man miraculously reached one of the Omega Frost's conductor towers as the Rebel ships approached the attack zone. When Tagge realized Skywalker's location, he rashly activated the Omega Frost too early, with the Rebels just outside its effective range. Meanwhile, Skywalker destroyed the device's conductor, ruining the Omega Frost's ambient effect. Panicked by his failure, Silas fled the Mining Explorer's bridge and rushed to Orman's side, hoping his older brother had a plan to save them. However, the Rebel ships closed in, destroying the Mining Explorer and leaving the Tagge brothers adrift. Although most believed Silas and Orman dead, they were rescued by the Sith Lord Darth Vader, who kept them on life support aboard his Star Destroyer and later used them to control Ulric Tagge.

Orman soon escaped Imperial custody and confronted Vader on the planet Monastery, where he died in a lightsaber duel with Skywalker. Silas remained in the Empire's custody and eventually died there. News of his death contributed to Tagge's younger sister Domina, who later became Baroness of the Tagge Company, turning against Vader and the Imperials.

Despite being born into one of the galaxy's wealthiest and most influential families, Silas Tagge had no interest in power, status, or career ambitions; his sole focus was science. Tagge's pursuit of scientific goals was unhindered by material concerns—he dressed plainly and consumed only processed food substitutes like nutrient pastes—or personal morality, as he was a sociopath willing to sacrifice anything for his pursuits. This led to a strong loyalty to TaggeCo, as it provided the means to fund his projects.

Tagge worked closely with his brother Orman in his TaggeCo duties, but Silas often looked down on his older brother, whom he saw as overly emotional and childish, criticizing his fascination with lightsaber training and preference for real meat. Cold and logical, Silas supported his brother despite lacking interest in Orman's grudges and rivalries with figures like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, although by 0 ABY he began to show some interest in succeeding his brother as Baron Tagge. However, when given the opportunity to lead, Silas panicked, preferring the safety and stability of his laboratory experiments to the unpredictable nature of field leadership. Ultimately, Silas returned to his brother, begging him to resume command.

Silas Tagge's first appearance was in Star Wars (1977) 31, written by Archie Goodwin and published in 1980. He appeared several more times in the original Marvel Star Wars comic line, illustrated by Carmine Infantino. Tagge's last appearance is in Star Wars (1977) 36, where he and his brother Orman are depicted in stasis under Darth Vader's control after the destruction of the Omega Frost. While Orman escapes and dies at Luke Skywalker's hand in Star Wars (1977) 37, Silas's fate remains unclear. The 2010 Wizards of the Coast supplement Galaxy of Intrigue suggests Silas died in Imperial custody sometime after Star Wars 36, but the exact time and circumstances are not specified.