"Excuse me for asking, sir, but are we expecting trouble?"
"Always, Captain."
―Burque asks Governor Wilhuff Tarkin why the Electrum is not jumping to aid Rampart Station — Gnome-speakernotesListen (file info)[src]

Burque was a human male who served as a captain in the Imperial Navy by the year 14 BBY. He commanded the Venator-class Star Destroyer Electrum while it was on loan from a deepdock at the planet Ryloth to an Imperial facility named Sentinel Base.

When Sentinel Base received a fake call for aid from the space outpost Rampart Station, Governor Wilhuff Tarkin realized it was a trick and ordered Burque to take the Electrum to the edge of Sentinel Base's star system instead of sending it to Rampart. This allowed the Electrum to quickly return when a warship controlled by a rebel cell attacked Sentinel Base; however, Burque was not able to disable the rebel ship before it fled.


Captain of the ElectrumEdit

"Are you up to speed on what is occurring at Rampart Station, Captain Burque?"
"We are, sir. The Electrum is prepared to jump to Rampart on your command."
―Wilhuff Tarkin and Burque — Gnome-speakernotesListen (file info)[src]
Tarkin as a Moff

Burque took orders from Governor Wilhuff Tarkin.

Burque was a human male who served the Galactic Empire's Imperial Navy as captain of the Venator-class Star Destroyer Electrum.[1] In the year 14 BBY,[2] his vessel was on loan from a deepdock above the planet Ryloth to Sentinel Base, an Imperial facility commanded by Governor Wilhuff Tarkin that was secretly overseeing the construction of a superweapon known as the Death Star. While his ship was stationed at the base, Tarkin and his men received a distress call from Rampart Station, a space station that acted as a marshaling depot for ships carrying supplies for the Death Star.[1]

Tarkin suspected that the feed from Rampart was a fake and ordered Burque via a holoprojector to keep the coordinates for a hyperspace jump to Rampart Station ready, but to only send the Electrum to the edge of the star system they were currently in and find concealment there if possible. Burque followed the orders and moved the Electrum, after which a hostile warship constructed from a number of Clone Wars–era Separatist vessels arrived in the system, proving Tarkin's suspicions correct. The enemy vessel then released a number of droid tri-fighters and vulture droids.[1]

Skirmish at Sentinel BaseEdit

"I trust that this is the trouble you were expecting, Governor."
"Actually, Captain, most of this is quite unexpected. Therefore, I hope you'll do your best to incapacitate the carrier rather than destroy it. No doubt we can glean something by interrogating the crew."
"I'll be as gentle with it as I can, Governor."
―Burque and Wilhuff Tarkin discuss the Sentinel Base attack — Gnome-speakernotesListen (file info)[src]

Tarkin ordered Burque to bring the Electrum back to Sentinel Base to engage the vessel, as the starfighters were attacking the Imperial facility. The captain complied, jumping through hyperspace and receiving orders to disable the warship once he arrived. Burque sent out his vessel's TIE/ln space superiority starfighters to attack, but before the Electrum could fire a disabling shot, the warship fled the system.[1]

Annoyed, Tarkin ordered Burque to collect debris from the battle, which included several of the droid fighters, but warned the captain that the enemy ships might be rigged to explode. The Electrum's salvage team successfully recovered one vulture droid whose self-destruct mechanism had been damaged and delivered it to the base for analysis. Tarkin later discovered that a rebel cell that had become aware of the Death Star's construction had been behind the attack and had them executed.[1]

Personality and traitsEdit

"Keep those hyperspace coordinates at the ready, Captain. But right now I want you to execute a microjump to the Rimward edge of this system. Do you understand?"
"Understood, Governor."
―Burque follows Wilhuff Tarkin's orders despite being confused by them — Gnome-speakernotesListen (file info)[src]

Burque was a tall and gangly man with a strong jaw, which was lined with a well-clipped brown beard. He was confused when Governor Wilhuff Tarkin ordered him to jump to the edge of the system containing Sentinel Base instead of jumping to aid Rampart Station while it was under attack, but he followed the orders nonetheless.[1]

Behind the scenesEdit

Burque first appeared, albeit only as a hologram, in the novel Tarkin, which was written by James Luceno and published in 2014.[1]


Notes and referencesEdit

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Tarkin
  2. Tarkin states that its events take place five years after the formation of the Galactic Empire. Star Wars: Galactic Atlas dates the Empire's formation to 19 BBY; therefore, Tarkin must take place in 14 BBY.