As if a Sith Lord would take any advice or even officially "learn" from a mere mortal. Given the meeting scene on the first Death Star i always assumed that Vader had no official rank within the imperial military but as a special operative of the Emperor he would outrank any Admiral if he wanted to. Doesn't mean that an especially arrogant high ranking officer would argue with Vader (and then suffer the consequences) but given that Tarkin issued an order to Vader to stop and he complied means that Tarkin is either so powerful or so respected that even Vader recognized him as an equal, if not a superior. Nice internal politics scene which i always liked very much.
A little while ago I read the 'Lords of the Sith' novel and there was something in there about Vader's relationship to the military hierarchy that I liked and have never hear in those terms before. And that is that the officers hate him but the ranks and file (particularly the Stormtroopers) practically worship him. Which makes sense since he has no formal rank but has the authority straight from the Emperor, so the officers are naturally going to resent him and the troops get to see him in action first hand and be glad he's on their side. Plus I'm sure they appreciate when the throttles incompetent officers. As for what went on in ANH, clearly Tarkin is in charge but there's a measure or respect between them. Indeed I'm pretty sure the script describes Vader as his "ally" rather than a subordinate.
In the novel "Death Star" (I believe that was the one), an Imperial Officer mistakenly refers to Vader as Admiral, simply because they didn't know his true position in things. Vader thought nothing of it. When Star Wars first came out, obviously many people's thoughts were that Vader was somehow subservient to Tarkin. Even Leia implied that Tarkin was in charge of the Dark Lord. Thanks to Star Wars sourcebooks for the role playing games, and certain other books, we get a clearer definition of Vader and Tarkin's relationship. If I recall correctly (and I could be wrong), in one sourcebook I believe Tarkin even referred to Vader as an old friend....one he'd not seen since his days in the Imperial Court.
But lets be realistic - that happened when a guy called Lord Darth Vader was the henchman of the week - if they make a Star Wars film in 2015/2016 featuring Darth Vader cultural icon - he's going to be the badass that people expect him to be, not playing second fiddle. See also - Boba "seriously a blind guy knocked me into a hole" Fett.
And Emperor Sheev "seriously that's my first name and yes I got punked by my recently re-dismembered apprentice" Palpatine.
I think that was more of a taunt directed at Vader than anything else. She clearly viewed him as little more than a thug. Pretty sure he addresses him as "friend" in the movie. He also implies that he knows full well Vader used to be a Jedi.
I think he meant this line: Tarkin: The Jedi are extinct. Their fire has gone out of the universe. You, my friend, are all that's left of their religion.
And once again, Vader's relationship and status somewhere between the Emperor and the high-ranking imperial officers is being explored in the current official canon Darth Vader series by Marvel. Most interesting is that we get some insight into what Vader thinks of the Emperor, and what the Emperor thinks of Vader. Or at least, since the series is mostly from Vader's perspective, what Vader thinks the Emperor thinks of him.
Thanks for the heads up on the Vader series. I ordered the TPB after I read your initial post. Seems like a great series.
You might want to re-read that. At no point do I say that the *film* only implies Vader was a Jedi. Only that Tarkin implies he knows Vader's background. Totally different thing. [ETA] And this is what happens when I reply before hitting refresh.
I don't know if that necessarily means they are actually friends. I'm pretty sure people use "my friend" like that, even when referring to people who aren't actually friends.
It's certainly open to interpretation but to me, Tarkin doesn't seem the sort to use that word lightly. Combined with Cushing's delivery I'm inclined to take it at face value. Indeed, it's probably the most amenable he sounds in the whole film.
It would make sense if Tarkin really did consider Vader a friend, assuming he knew Vader's true identity. In The Clone Wars, Anakin and Tarkin met on a mission and established a rapport pretty quickly.