The Dark Tower: The Tet Corporation, Explained

In building any great franchise, details matter. Authors take great care in developing specific technology or magical systems (depending on the genre), and creating large corporations or government agencies that fit into the narrative. Whether it is the Empire in Star Wars, Miami Metro in Dexter, or even mysterious benefactors and VIPs in Netflix’s Squid Game, there are always larger players behind the scenes driving the narrative forward. In Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, a couple of different organizations come to life later in the series that are fronts for the two major forces battling one another. The organization supporting Roland and his ka-tet is known as the Tet Corporation.

Originating on Keystone Earth, the Tet Corporation was founded by people that Roland and his allies met along their journey. From rescuing Father Callahan, to watching over a certain writer, to protecting the Dark Tower itself, the Tet Corporation gives Roland and his cause the resources and personnel he didn’t have in his earlier years. When The Dark Tower is brought to life by Mike Flanagan, including this corporation into the show’s mythology is vital to the longevity of the project.

Related

Stephen King’s Talisman 3 News Could Impact Mike Flanagan’s Dark Tower Series

The recent news of a third Talisman book from Stephen King could bring big changes to the Dark Tower series.

The Tet Corporation, Explained

Within the larger story in Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series, the Tet Corporation was originally founded using the family fortune of Susannah Holmes, otherwise known as Susannah Dean. One of the members of Roland’s ka-tet, Susannah was brought out of 1977 Keystone Earth, and suffers from dissociative identity disorder (multiple personalities). Utilizing a man named Moses Carver, Susannah was able to transfer the assets of Holmes Dental into the company. Carver served as president of the company for twenty years. He would later pass the torch to his daughter, Marian Carver, and two years after that, the company would become worth over ten billion dollars.

The company originated when Eddie Dean and Roland Deschain made an excursion to Keystone Earth, where they found and met a young version of none other than Stephen King himself. (Yes, the author added himself to the story as having brought the “real” events of the Dark Tower to life through his work. This made him a target of the Crimson King in the process.) After saving the writer, Eddie and Roland purchase the vacant lot in New York City that held the Rose, the Dark Tower’s representation in Keystone Earth, from a man named Calvin Tower.

Putting the lot under the name Tet, Calvin Tower, Moses Carver, and a Maine named Aaron Deepneau (whom Roland had befriended) all joined forces to create the Tet Corporation, using the Holmes Dental assets as the starting capital for the company. They would then make most of their money during the 80s and 90s at the start of the computer boom. Eddie Dean told this to another man named John Cullum, who also became part of the Tet Corporation. The company formed their headquarters around the Rose, building their offices on the vacant lot with the Rose protected.

The Tet Corporation serves three purposes in the Dark Tower. The first is to protect the Rose at all costs. The second is to protect the life of Stephen King from the Crimson King’s forces, knowing his importance to the Dark Tower itself. Finally, they work to thwart the dealings of the Sombra Corporation and North Central Positronics, two companies who secretly work for The Crimson King.

Calvin Tower even had the idea of fighting the Crimson King’s use of telepaths or “breakers” by hiring his own, establishing a ranch in New Mexico where precogs and telepaths worked to fight the Agents of Red. Another group known as The Calvins was founded in his honor, who worked solely to read all of Stephen King’s works to find references and real people from Keystone Earth in his books.

The Tet Corporation in Live-Action

Over time, it has become apparent to readers of the Dark Tower series that no matter how small or insignificant a person, item, or even company may seem within the context of the story, there is always a bigger meaning behind it. The inclusion of the Tet Corporation is almost a necessity at this point, for multiple reasons. Not only will there surely be many references and Easter eggs pointing to other companies like Sombra and North Central Positronics, but including the Tet Corporation would showcase how big of an impact Roland and his allies have on the multiverse as a whole.

The corporation gets its start thanks to time travel and multiversal travel in the later books. Thus, allowing glimpses of the Tet Corporation through the show’s own Easter eggs early on in the series would add a bit of mystery for viewers, making them wonder which of these corporations can be trusted and who cannot. This group has a huge impact on the introduction of Stephen King as a character. It’s also important in the protection of The Rose on the vacant lot, and even the intervention in an attack on Father Callahan from Salem’s Lot. All of this makes the Tet Corporation vital to the overarching story of this saga, which is why Mike Flanagan needs to bring them into this upcoming adaptation of The Dark Tower.

MORE

‘They Saved My Life’ Stephen King Praised This George R.R. Martin Book Series For Helping Him Through a Painful Time

Stephen King once credited George R.R. Martin’s books for helping to “save his life.”

Birthdate

September 21, 1947

Birthplace

Portland, Maine

Notable Projects

The Shining, Cujo, The Shawshank Redemption, It, Carrie