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The Beginning
 Tarrant was a graduate of the Federation Space Academy and he gained his first command as
lieutenant of the kairopan shuttle under Captain Jarvik. He was promoted to captain and 10 years prior the events in Orbit he attended courses at the Space Research Institute.
Later, according to the Ultra, Tarrant was posted missing along with a stolen pursuit ship with
which he ran contraband in the Outer Planets, and by his own account got himself 'mixed up in other peoples wars'. For this reason the Federation had an execution order placed on his head
for desertion.
Tarrant first encountered Avon when he came across the Liberator during the Intergalactic War (Aftermath). Stealing an officer's uniform he boarded the ship and using his bogus rank he was
able to assume command of Klegg and his troopers. He was the first to find Avon and Dayna aboard the ship and, quickly deducing who Avon was, Tarrant endeavored to keep Klegg from
finding out whilst he dealt with Klegg's men.
The Character
 Tarrant was an enthusiastic adventurer, headstrong, impulsive and sure of himself, however, the
longeurs of ship life made him increasingly impatient and inclined to challenge Avon. As Hower remarks (Volcano), he still sounded like the Federation captain he once was. Several times he
challenged Avon's leadership aboard the Liberator and was not above bullying Vila into undertaking a dangerous mission (The City at the Edge of the World).
Tarrant was a capable officer, alert and suspicious. He quickly demonstrated that he was as
good a fighter pilot as he thought he was. Servalan and her officers took him seriously from the start (although on closer acquaintance, she found him 'both decorative and resourceful'). He
quickly identified the menace in Sarcophagus, but when he confronted her, he did not have the mental equipment to fight her and conceded leadership to Avon, who did. Blake would
probably have inspired him to higher aspirations and more worthwhile ends than the pragmatic Avon could.
The End
 Tarrant stayed with the Liberator until its destruction at Terminal and then with Scorpio until its final flight to Gauda Prime (Blake) where they met up with Blake.
His last notable action was to tell Avon (rightfully as he believed) that Blake had
betrayed them all. Soon after he was shot by a Federation trooper and apparently died in the tracking gallery, along with the rest of the crew.
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