The Disaster

"I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened."

- Obi-Wan Kenobi senses Alderaan's destruction

During the Galactic Civil War, the Galactic Empire captured Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan in the hopes they could extract from her the location of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Organa was resistant to torture inflicted upon her aboard the Death Star, so Governor Tarkin threatened to destroy Alderaan if she did not provide the location of the Rebel base. Organa lied and said it was on Dantooine, a lie that Tarkin believed. Despite believing the princess, Tarkin felt that Dantooine was too remote to effectively demonstrate the destructive power of the Death Star, so he ordered that Alderaan be destroyed. The station's laser beam was fired, and Alderaan was destroyed in an instant. The planet's entire population was killed, including Bail Organa.

The destruction sent a disturbance through the Force, one so powerful that Obi-Wan Kenobi felt it in another part of the galaxy. The Rebellion was ultimately able to prevent further planets from being destroyed when Luke Skywalker destroyed the Death Star during the Battle of Yavin.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope