"This is going to sit inside you forever… and if I'm going to die, I want to really think about this. Imagine actually killing Alderaan. Alderaan of all places! Alderaan is nice. Who'd blow up Alderaan? Hell of a place. Incredible history. Good party town. Hell, even had great sunsets. Now it doesn't even have a sky."
Thecities on Alderaan were carefully designed to respect the natural beauty of their environment.[1] For example, thepalace of theroyal family, which had been the work of over a millennium,[11] and the city around it blended into the local snow-capped peaks. Alderaanian architecture made use of whitesynthstone, which inspired the architecture of certainmining economies of theOuter Rim Territories, like the floating colony ofCloud City, and the planetsLothal andGarel.[1]
Despite the lyrics of the traditional Alderaanian lullaby "Mirrorbright" referencing a moon, the planet never possessed any natural satellites.[29]
History[]
The Old Republic[]
The peaceful world of Alderaan was among the oldest members of theGalactic Republic,[34] thedemocratic union that governed most of the galaxy,[35] and was among the worlds that originally founded it.[36] Upon the formation of itsmonarchy it was established that the heir apparent to Alderaan must complete aChallenge of the Heart,Challenge of the Mind andChallenge of the Body which would be announced on theirDay of Demand and upon completion they would beofficially invested as heir. In ancient times, Alderaanian heirs who partook in their Day of Demand had to fight their way into the palace throne room.[11] Before they permanently settled on Coruscant, theJedi High Council was known to have a council on Alderaan.[37] Alderaan at one point had aneo-classical period, which produced unique architecture. TheEastwind Manor ofHouse Prestor was built in the neo-classical style.[38]
Figuring that she would like the world,Yana Ro wished to visit Alderaan after theNight of Sorrow and finally breaking her ties with thePath of the Open Hand cult. Ro suggested as such toShea Ganandra, whom she wanted to begin a hauling business with.[39] During theHigh Republic Era, Alderaan was a prosperous world and, as a signatory of theRepublic Defense Coalition treaties, was required to lendstarships and personnel to be commanded by Republic military officers during times of crisis. These ships and personnel would then be returned to Alderaan after the crisis ended. Alderaan was called upon to fulfill this obligation in232 BBY,[40] to aid the Republic in fighting theNihil, a group ofmarauders who caused theGreat Hyperspace Disaster.[41]
At some point between40 BBY[42] and28 BBY,[43] the heir apparent of Alderaan, sixteen year oldPrincessBreha Organa, took part in her Day of Demand where she announced her challenges of the heart, mind and body. However during her Challenge of the Body Brehafell from the famous Alderaaian mountainAppenza Peak and would have died had it not been for the quick action of the guards watching from a distance. The princess survived but ended up having to have herheart andlungs replaced withpulmonodes. After her fall Breha was officially invested as crown princess and heir to the throne of Alderaan. Years later the people would still speak of Breha's accident.[11]
Breha Organa eventually succeededher mother[11] as queen of Alderaan.[9]
In 28 BBY,[46] formerqueen of Naboo SenatorPadmé Amidala and her entourage were invited to Alderaan by Queen Breha and stayed at the royal palace for a week before returning home toNaboo.[44]
Ten years later, Alderaan was represented in the Senate byViceroyBail Prestor Organa,[47] theprince consort of the planet's ruler, Queen Breha Organa.[9] At that time, the Republic was facing asecessionist crisis due to the existence of theConfederacy of Independent Systems led byCountDooku, pushing the galaxy to the brink of war. Through Organa, Alderaan was a member of Chancellor Palpatine'sLoyalist Committee, which concerned itself with the stability of the Republic during the Separatist crisis and would later strive to limit Palpatine's increasing executive authority. That year, anarmy ofclones was discovered on the planetKamino, which would be appropriated by the Senate in order to combat the Separatists. To save the Republic from the impending threat, the Supreme Chancellor was granted emergency powers, a decision that was contrary to the pacifist values of Alderaan and its representative and which ultimately led to the outbreak of theClone Wars.[47] During the Clone Wars Viceroy Bail Organa became Alderaan's military leader.[11]
Alderaan Refugee Conference during the Clone Wars.
At some point during the Clone Wars, Alderaan hosted aconference concerned with aiding warrefugees. Padmé Amidala, then senator of Naboo, was nearlyassassinated during the conference when theHuttcrime lordZiro, whom Amidala had sent toprison, hired thebounty hunterAurra Sing to take revenge. The plot, however, was thwarted by theJediapprenticeAhsoka Tano.[31] Many refugees from all over the Republic came to stay on Alderaan during the war to find their way again or to stay.[32]
Queen Breha and Viceroy Bail would send aid to worlds that had been ravaged by the Separatists, sending not justmoney and supplies but alsodoctors,teachers,architects, builders,medics, anddroids.[32]
The Clone Wars saw a change in Alderaan. Although it was still a peaceful planet with no large weaponry, theRoyal Alderaan Civil Fleet had "moreteeth," theirofficers had seen more hardship, they manufactured more practical items in larger quantities, and the planet had begun to quietly fill up due to the number of refugees.[32]
Following the end of the Clone Wars, Viceroy Bail and Queen Breha adoptedLeia Amidala Skywalker, the daughter of the now deceased Padmé Amidala and formerJedi Knight turnedSith LordAnakin Skywalker, renaming her to Leia Organa and making her princess of Alderaan.[9] Leia's adoption was announced on herName Day three or four days after her birth and was publicly celebrated on Alderaan.[11]
Age of the Empire[]
"It's a long way to Alderaan."
―The codephrase spoken toEG-86 identifying Ezra Bridger and Sabine Wren as rebels[49]
TheTantive III lands in Aldera in19 BBY, right after the end of the Clone Wars.
With the Clone Wars coming to an end, Chancellor Palpatine had abolished the Republic,establishing theGalactic Empire in its stead.[9] However, a small number of systems rebelled against this new regime,[3] and theAlliance to Restore the Republic was ultimately formed by Bail Organa and his former colleague in the Galactic Senate, SenatorMon Mothma ofChandrila.[52] During this time, Alderaan became the Alliance's main source of munitions. The planet's crown princess and representative in theImperial Senate, Princess Leia Organa,[3] began using her diplomatic immunity as an Imperial senator to carry out Rebel missions in restricted Imperial systems.[52][53]
During theGalactic Civil War, Alderaan was listed as an Alliancesafe world. It was included in a map of the galaxy with a legend listing the various Alliance safe worlds,starfighter hubs at level five or higher, rebel operations sectors and regional headquarters, and shadow planets with deep space caches. The map would later be incorporated intoThe Rebel Files.[54]
About three years before theBattle of Yavin,[55] Senator Bail Organa dispatched threeSphyrna-class Hammerhead corvettes to thePhoenix Cell, which has sustained losseswhile fleeing Garel. Since Alderaan could not be seen directly supporting the rebels, Senator Organa arranged for his adopted daughter Leia to deliver the vessels to Lothal. The Alderaanians risked losing their seat in the Imperial Senate among other Imperial sanctions. Senator Organa had arranged for thecrew of theGhost to "steal" the ships from an Imperial depot on Lothal so that Alderaan could not be blamed for the "theft." With the help of the crew of theGhost and the formerGovernorRyder Azadi, Leia managed to deliver the three Hammerhead corvettes to the Phoenix rebels following askirmish at the Imperial depot.[53]
Destruction[]
"Princess Leia, before your execution, I would like you to be my guest at a ceremony that will make this battle station operational. No star system will dare oppose the Emperor now." "The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers." "Not after we demonstrate the power of this station. In a way, you have determined the choice of the planet that will be destroyed first. Since you are reluctant to provide us with the location of the Rebel base, I have chosen to test this station's destructive power on your home planet of Alderaan."
In1 BBY,[56] shortly before theBattle of Scarif, and three weeks prior to theequinox festivities,[5] Senator Bail Organa headed towards Alderaan to tell their people that there would "be no peace,"[57] after the plans for theDeath Star, a planet-killing Imperialsuperlaser, were discovered. The plans were later stolen from the data vault onScarif, and transferred aboard theTantive IV. Princess Leia of Alderaan, Bail's adopted daughter and thus member of theElder Houses was captured by theImperial Navy while smuggling the plans to the Alliance base. Organa was taken prisoner by Vader, the Emperor's second-in-command, and brought before the Death Star's commanding officer,Grand MoffWilhuff Tarkin.[3]
The Death Star fires on Alderaan.
Under threat of destroying her planet, Leia gave a fake location of the rebel base to Tarkin, only for Tarkin to nevertheless destroy Alderaan—noting thatDantooine was too remote for an "effective demonstration"[3]—to punish the world for supporting the Rebellion,[58] hoping the annihilation of the entire world would make the rest of the galaxy fear Imperial retribution for supporting the Rebels. The Imperials forced the princess to witness the obliteration of her home planet. The planet's destruction left only anasteroid field behind,[3] which was blockaded by the Empire.[59]
OnCoruscant, the Empire's planetarycapital, the numerous Alderaanian residents ofLevel 3204 began to hold vigils for those who had perished in what they called "the Disaster." However, as more information became available about the Empire's role in the destruction of Alderaan, the vigils soon turned into riots, which were quickly repressed by brute force.[17] The Empire defended the destruction of the planet to itsmilitary, claiming that its population had chosen its destruction by supporting anarchy.[58] A short time after Alderaan's destruction, the Death Star was destroyed in the Battle of Yavin, taking Tarkin[3] and many other high ranking Imperials with it.[60]
Under the orders of Vader, the Imperial Military was to "complete" the destruction of Alderaan by hunting any remaining Alderaanians.[58] Almost immediately after the Death Star's destruction, Leia Organa would embark on amission to rescue the survivors of Alderaan from Imperial reprisals.[61] Also following the Battle of Yavin, Vader took the remains of Alderaan to serve as reminders to worlds that attempted to resist the Emperor; following anassassination attempt on himself atShu-Torun, Vader then gaveTrios, the newQueen of that planet, one of these reminders.[62] Finding himself the last ofHouse Glorio,Rabael Dir Glorio, who had also been 26th in line to the throne, tried to have his own revenge on the Empire but was left behind and for dead by acrew working for theSon-tuul Pride.[63]
Legacy[]
"What act of terror could be more horrible than what happened to Alderaan? Have you forgotten that? I was there. I saw it happen, stood there watching while they destroyed my world, my home, everyone I had ever loved—"
In4 ABY, Leia marriedHan Solo on theforestmoon ofEndor. Due to the destruction of Alderaan, Leia's mother, Breha Organa, couldn't attach theRhindon Sword to her waist before Leia went to meet her husband, though, during theceremony, Leia felt as if her mother was attaching the sword and her father, Bail Organa, was kissing her on the cheek. After the ceremony, Leia mused to herself that had Alderaan not been destroyed she would have been married at thecathedral in Aldera, with a customary lace dress, anhour dedicated to the bell service, three different traditionalmeals with guests of rank, and more.[10]
By5 ABY, aflotilla of starships orbited theAlderaanian Graveyard, the new name for the debris remaining of the planet. Princess Leia managed to use her political connections to take scrap from the Death Star, initially intended for incineration, to be used to construct a new space station around the planet.[59] A dedicatedAlderaan Memorial was also established on Coruscant.[64]
By the time of theNew Republic, Alderaan's destruction would become a stark reminder for future generations about the terrors of the Galactic Empire, and would often be an 'uncomfortable subject' for those that brought up the planet's destruction in conversation. As such, surviving Alderaanians would be treated with great respect for their lost world and people. For collectors, rare bottles of the alcoholic beverage Toniray would become a highly-prized commodity.[29]
Alderaan hosted a population ofhumans, known as Alderaanians, who were known for their philosophy of pacifism. Even in time of galactic conflicts, the Alderaanians shunned weapons. They were not, however, bereft of spirit, as many of them chose to join the rebellion against the Galactic Empire. Their society was ruled by theHouse of Organa,[26] in conjunction with an individual bearing the titles of Viceroy andFirst Chairman.[65] The female child of the royal couple was referred to as a princess.[3] For diplomatic missions, the Royal Family used streamlined cruisers.[66]
According toNash Windrider, on Alderaan, its people were encouraged to learn and grow. All education was free, and people would volunteer to teach various skills or crafts just for fun.[12] Queen Breha herself served as theminister of education,[18] and personally mentored a select number of young Alderaanians, includingEvaan Verlaine, teaching them about the culture and heritage of their homeworld.[61]
Alderaan also had a number of traditions involvingbraids such as who wore them, when and why that varied from continent to continent and age to age. The Alderaaian monarch was expected to wear braids.[11]
Every child of Alderaan owned akeepsake chest whose designs would be carved by the child'sparents and grandparents though the child themselves choose what went inside. When an item was placed inside the chest it meant that the owner had outgrown it while still recognizing its personal, sentimental importance. In adulthood, an Alderaanian could then open their chest, look back, and see how they had chosen to tell their own story.[29] It was traditional for the owner of the chest, upon coming of age, to give it to their parents as a sign that they were now an adult, although it was not mandatory. Many heirs of Alderaan would give up their keepsake chest before their investiture as crown prince or princess though the ritual didn't demand it.[11]
Behind the scenes[]
"The Alderaan system actually consists of seven planets. Alderaan was the capital planet of that system. There was a Senate and my father was the president of that Senate."
Alderaan first appeared inStar Wars: Episode IVA New Hope, the seminal movie of theStar Wars saga. In that movie, the planet was only seen from space during the scene depicting its destruction.[3] In thetreatment,rough draft,second draft, andthird draft of what would becomeA New Hope, the name of Alderaan was used for the capital of the "New Galactic Empire." At that time, it was described as a giant gas planet that resembledBespin, with acity that resembled Cloud City on it. In the second draft ofA New Hope, the home planet of Princess Leia was calledOgana Major.Aquilae,Utapau, andOphuchi were also considered as names for worlds partially corresponding to Alderaan.[68]
Following the success ofA New Hope, a fullancillary world was being built around the movie. In order to get everyone on the same page, George Lucas decided to create a few background stories and ideas. In those notes, Alderaan was described as a four or five million years old Earth-like planet, covered with high snowcapped mountains and green pastures. The same notes also described the planet as being the capital of its star system and possessing its own Senate.[67] Incanon, the surface of Alderaan only made its first appearance in the2005 movieStar Wars: Episode IIIRevenge of the Sith.[9] The planet's mountainous terrain was modelled after a location in theSwiss Alps.[69]
"Imperial Spaghetti!" —LEGO Star Wars 1(Mentioned only)
