The First Order paid homage to Wilhuff Tarkin in The Force Awakens... although you may not have noticed. When the Star Wars sequel trilogy begins, the First Order is rapidly gaining momentum in their quest for galactic dominance. While the names and faces might've changed, the First Order is the Empire in every meaningful sense. Picking up where the old guard left off, the First Order is led by a wrinkly old Force-user and an impetuous young trainee with a penchant for black, their rule is underpinned by an army of misfiring Stormtroopers, and the entire organization takes a dim view of democracy.
But just as the First Order owes much to the Empire, the Empire owes a debt of its own to Wilhuff Tarkin. Famously portrayed by Peter Cushing in the original 1977 Star Wars movie, Grand Moff Tarkin is the ruthless Imperial in charge of the Death Star, and one of few officers capable of reining in Darth Vader. Through The Clone Wars, The Bad Batch, Rogue One and Tarkin, the villain's role in establishing the Empire has expanded considerably. Tarkin pioneered Stormtroopers over clones (perhaps not his finest moment), prosecuted the Jedi Ahsoka Tano, and led destructive campaigns on Lothal and Mon Cala.
With such an impressive resume (from a certain point of view), it's surprising the First Order doesn't make a bigger deal of Tarkin. Kylo Ren worships at the altar of Darth Vader, and Supreme Leader Snoke is a Palpatine clone in more ways than one - why is Tarkin's contribution not honored? Although far from obvious, The Force Awakens does nod toward the grandest of Grand Moffs. Firstly, the TIE Fighter squadron stationed on Starkiller Base is named "Tarkin's Revenge." The title isn't actually revealed in The Force Awakens itself; the ships merely appear and are blown to bits soon after... not entirely unlike Tarkin himself. The reference was instead confirmed in 2016 tie-in book Complete Locations.
The Force Awakens adds another hidden Tarkin homage, this time to the First Order's uniforms. The First Order's officer ranks are denoted by a specific color uniform, and each color bears a name embroidered upon the cuff. These names translate to various "heroes" from the Empire, and the rank of Major (the teal uniform) takes the name "Tarkin." Once again, the detail was only confirmed after the fact (via The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary). Through ships names and uniform embroidery, the First Order more than pays tribute to Grand Moff Tarkin, and the hidden details serve to highlight how much supplementary materials can add to the main movie series.
Though Tarkin was certainly an ambitious individual, he wasn't particularly egotistical, and would've been more concerned with the First Order's strategies and successes than where his name was stitched. With that said, "Tarkin's Revenge" is clearly a reference to the character's demise during the Battle of Yavin. Luke Skywalker's expertly-placed torpedo detonated the Death Star and sent Tarkin up with it, depriving the Grand Moff of his revenge. The Force Awakens' TIE Fighter Squadron carries Tarkin's restless ghost into the future where the fallen legend can finally be avenged. That was the intention, at least. In reality, Poe Dameron blew them all up.
