Wookieepedia

READ MORE

Wookieepedia
Wookieepedia
No edit summary
No edit summary
Line 19: Line 19:
 
==History==
 
==History==
 
{{Quote|When I was living in my father's palace, I was utterly bored, Luke.|Leia Organa|Splinter of the Mind's Eye}}
 
{{Quote|When I was living in my father's palace, I was utterly bored, Luke.|Leia Organa|Splinter of the Mind's Eye}}
[[File:AlderaLake-ROTS.png|240px|thumb|left|The palace overlooked a [[Aldera lake|beautiful lake]]]]
+
[[File:AlderaLake-ROTS.png|240px|thumb|left|The Palace overlooked a [[Aldera lake|beautiful lake]]]]
 
In relation to all of the history of the millennial Alderaanian [[King|monarchy]], the Royal Palace of Aldera was recently built. It was constructed in the [[mountain]]s of [[Aldera]] around [[719 BBY]],<ref name="RoDV" /> in the first [[Standard century|centuries]] of the [[Great Peace of the Republic]].<ref name="CSWEgpr">{{CSWECite|I|363|Great Peace of the Republic}}</ref> In the millennia which preceded its construction, the monarchs of Alderaan had held court in various [[castle]]s&mdash;including the [[Castle Panteer|ancestral home]] of the [[House of Panteer|House Panteer]] in the [[Glarus Valley]].<ref name="TORcodexGV">{{TORcite|type=codex|Glarus Valley}}</ref>
 
In relation to all of the history of the millennial Alderaanian [[King|monarchy]], the Royal Palace of Aldera was recently built. It was constructed in the [[mountain]]s of [[Aldera]] around [[719 BBY]],<ref name="RoDV" /> in the first [[Standard century|centuries]] of the [[Great Peace of the Republic]].<ref name="CSWEgpr">{{CSWECite|I|363|Great Peace of the Republic}}</ref> In the millennia which preceded its construction, the monarchs of Alderaan had held court in various [[castle]]s&mdash;including the [[Castle Panteer|ancestral home]] of the [[House of Panteer|House Panteer]] in the [[Glarus Valley]].<ref name="TORcodexGV">{{TORcite|type=codex|Glarus Valley}}</ref>
   
Line 26: Line 26:
 
Following the devastating conflicts of the three-year-long [[Clone Wars]], the royal couple's adopted the daughter of the late [[Senator]] [[Padmé Amidala]].<ref name="RoDV" /> The young [[Prince|Princess]] [[Leia Organa Solo|Leia Organa]] grew up in the Palace with her surrogate parents.<ref name="LJMoD">''[[The Last of the Jedi: Master of Deception]]''</ref> Meanwhile, the galaxy still bore the scars of the war, and it was decided that Alderaan would be disarmed completely. The [[Alderaanian War Frigate|war frigate]] ''[[Another Chance]]'' was converted into an armory ship in which all the weapons of war of Alderaan were stored. The frigate was programmed to continually jump through [[hyperspace]] until recalled on Alderaan by the [[Council of Elders (Alderaan)|Council of Elders]]. The command chamber of the ''Another Chance'' was a hidden within the Royal Palace of Aldera.<ref name="GoA">''[[Graveyard of Alderaan]]''</ref> Around the same period, a series of demonstrations took place around the Palace when the newly formed [[Galactic Empire]] attempted to increase the restrictions on the refugees that had found shelter on Alderaan. However, the Alderaanian law enforcement units managed to confine the protestors to a preassigned circuit, and the Royal Palace did not suffer any damage.<ref name="LJMoD" />
 
Following the devastating conflicts of the three-year-long [[Clone Wars]], the royal couple's adopted the daughter of the late [[Senator]] [[Padmé Amidala]].<ref name="RoDV" /> The young [[Prince|Princess]] [[Leia Organa Solo|Leia Organa]] grew up in the Palace with her surrogate parents.<ref name="LJMoD">''[[The Last of the Jedi: Master of Deception]]''</ref> Meanwhile, the galaxy still bore the scars of the war, and it was decided that Alderaan would be disarmed completely. The [[Alderaanian War Frigate|war frigate]] ''[[Another Chance]]'' was converted into an armory ship in which all the weapons of war of Alderaan were stored. The frigate was programmed to continually jump through [[hyperspace]] until recalled on Alderaan by the [[Council of Elders (Alderaan)|Council of Elders]]. The command chamber of the ''Another Chance'' was a hidden within the Royal Palace of Aldera.<ref name="GoA">''[[Graveyard of Alderaan]]''</ref> Around the same period, a series of demonstrations took place around the Palace when the newly formed [[Galactic Empire]] attempted to increase the restrictions on the refugees that had found shelter on Alderaan. However, the Alderaanian law enforcement units managed to confine the protestors to a preassigned circuit, and the Royal Palace did not suffer any damage.<ref name="LJMoD" />
   
  +
[[File:Aldera-HardTargets5.png|240px|thumb|The Royal Palace around 3 BBY]]
 
In [[3 BBY]], the Palace hosted the festivities of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Ascendancy Contention, with nobles from other [[planet]]s being invited by Queen Breha and her husband Bail Organa. On that occasion, [[Count]] [[Adan Dooku]] of [[Serenno]] was murdered by Imperial agent [[Jahan Cross]] inside the very walls of the Palace.<ref name="AotE6">''[[Star Wars: Agent of the Empire 6: Hard Targets, Part 1]]''</ref> [[2 BBY|One year later]], the Palace became one of the crucibles from which the rebellion against the Empire emerged: following the [[Cantham House]] [[Cantham House Meetings|Meetings]], Bail Organa joined with [[Garm Bel Iblis]] of [[Corellia]] and [[Mon Mothma]] of [[Chandrila]] to [[Corellian Treaty|form]] the [[Alliance to Restore the Republic]].<ref name="The Force Unleashed">''[[Star Wars: The Force Unleashed]]''</ref> However, in [[0 BBY]], the Imperial [[Grand Moff]] [[Wilhuff Tarkin|Tarkin]] grew suspicious of Bail Organa's loyaulty, and he decided to make an example. Tarkin used the immense firepower of the [[DS-1 Orbital Battle Station|Death Star]], a [[moon]]-sized [[battlestation]] equipped with a planet-killing [[superlaser]], on Alderaan. The Aldera Royal Palace was presumed destroyed along with the planet itself and its millions of inhabitants.<ref name="ANH" />
 
In [[3 BBY]], the Palace hosted the festivities of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Ascendancy Contention, with nobles from other [[planet]]s being invited by Queen Breha and her husband Bail Organa. On that occasion, [[Count]] [[Adan Dooku]] of [[Serenno]] was murdered by Imperial agent [[Jahan Cross]] inside the very walls of the Palace.<ref name="AotE6">''[[Star Wars: Agent of the Empire 6: Hard Targets, Part 1]]''</ref> [[2 BBY|One year later]], the Palace became one of the crucibles from which the rebellion against the Empire emerged: following the [[Cantham House]] [[Cantham House Meetings|Meetings]], Bail Organa joined with [[Garm Bel Iblis]] of [[Corellia]] and [[Mon Mothma]] of [[Chandrila]] to [[Corellian Treaty|form]] the [[Alliance to Restore the Republic]].<ref name="The Force Unleashed">''[[Star Wars: The Force Unleashed]]''</ref> However, in [[0 BBY]], the Imperial [[Grand Moff]] [[Wilhuff Tarkin|Tarkin]] grew suspicious of Bail Organa's loyaulty, and he decided to make an example. Tarkin used the immense firepower of the [[DS-1 Orbital Battle Station|Death Star]], a [[moon]]-sized [[battlestation]] equipped with a planet-killing [[superlaser]], on Alderaan. The Aldera Royal Palace was presumed destroyed along with the planet itself and its millions of inhabitants.<ref name="ANH" />
   
Line 34: Line 35:
 
==Layout==
 
==Layout==
 
===External layout===
 
===External layout===
[[File:Aldera palace dome.png|right|thumb|200px|The Grand Reception Room was contained within a dome.]]
+
[[File:Aldera palace dome.png|left|thumb|200px|The Grand Reception Room was contained within a dome.]]
 
Built at the heart of the city,<ref name="TPS" /> the Royal Palace lay on a slight rise at the edge of Aldera, overlooking the vast lake. It was a compound of multistoried buildings and turrets, surrounded by ramparts<ref name="LJMoD" /> and defensive moats filled with [[water]].<ref name="RoDV" /> The Palace appeared as an assemblage of shallow domes and tall, sharp spires that gleamed [[Color|white]] and [[gold]] in the daylight.<ref name="TPS" /> A beatiful ensemble of orchards and gardens surrounded the castle’s outer enclosure, and several terraces were built on various levels, providing the inhabitants with fresh air and light.<ref name="LJMoD" /> The North tower was equipped with a lofty balcony, from which the old moats could be seen.<ref name="RoDV" />
 
Built at the heart of the city,<ref name="TPS" /> the Royal Palace lay on a slight rise at the edge of Aldera, overlooking the vast lake. It was a compound of multistoried buildings and turrets, surrounded by ramparts<ref name="LJMoD" /> and defensive moats filled with [[water]].<ref name="RoDV" /> The Palace appeared as an assemblage of shallow domes and tall, sharp spires that gleamed [[Color|white]] and [[gold]] in the daylight.<ref name="TPS" /> A beatiful ensemble of orchards and gardens surrounded the castle’s outer enclosure, and several terraces were built on various levels, providing the inhabitants with fresh air and light.<ref name="LJMoD" /> The North tower was equipped with a lofty balcony, from which the old moats could be seen.<ref name="RoDV" />
   
Line 43: Line 44:
 
===Internal layout===
 
===Internal layout===
 
{{Quote|We don't know the palace very well. You see, we've only been with our present master for two local months, and we're not very well acquainted with the layout.|[[C-3PO]]|Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader}}
 
{{Quote|We don't know the palace very well. You see, we've only been with our present master for two local months, and we're not very well acquainted with the layout.|[[C-3PO]]|Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader}}
[[File:Aldera palace ballroom.png|thumb|left|250px|One of the castle's ballrooms]]
+
[[File:Aldera palace ballroom.png|thumb|right|250px|One of the castle's ballrooms]]
 
The multi-story building included kilometers of winding corridors and all manner of [[Sleeper|bedrooms]], ballrooms and reception rooms.<ref name="RoDV" /> The Palace featured a [[Grand Reception Room]] contained within a dome-shaped structure,<ref name="AotE6" /> a [[Grand Ballroom]] with a marble staircase,<ref name="RFH">''[[Rebel Force: Hostage]]''</ref> a throne room, a bridge-spanned reflecting pool, and [[Bail Prestor Organa|Bail Organa]]'s study&mdash;which overlooked the lake and was surrounded by gardens.<ref name="RoDV" />
 
The multi-story building included kilometers of winding corridors and all manner of [[Sleeper|bedrooms]], ballrooms and reception rooms.<ref name="RoDV" /> The Palace featured a [[Grand Reception Room]] contained within a dome-shaped structure,<ref name="AotE6" /> a [[Grand Ballroom]] with a marble staircase,<ref name="RFH">''[[Rebel Force: Hostage]]''</ref> a throne room, a bridge-spanned reflecting pool, and [[Bail Prestor Organa|Bail Organa]]'s study&mdash;which overlooked the lake and was surrounded by gardens.<ref name="RoDV" />
   

Revision as of 22:49, 27 February 2013

Template:Structure infobox

"It was night in our palace—were you awake or asleep, with Mother... or alone?"
―Leia Organa[src]

The Aldera Royal Palace was an elegant, centuries-old building in the heart of Aldera, capital city of Alderaan. In the waning days of the Galactic Republic, it was home to the Royal House of Organa, and the palace from which Queen Breha Organa ruled the planet. The young Princess Leia Organa, the adopted daughter of Queen Breha and Bail Prestor Organa, was raised in this castle, along with her foster sister Winter, her aunts Tia Organa, Rouge Organa and Celly Organa and other members of the extended family. In 0 BBY, the Alderaanian government became a threat to the rise of the ever-rising Galactic Empire. The Royal Palace was presumed destroyed with the planet when Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin decided to demonstrate the power of the Death Star battlestation on Alderaan. In spite of the planetary destruction, a large portion of the Palace had been preserved within the rocky mass of the Asteroid 7785.

History

"When I was living in my father's palace, I was utterly bored, Luke."
―Leia Organa[src]
AlderaLake-ROTS

The Palace overlooked a beautiful lake

In relation to all of the history of the millennial Alderaanian monarchy, the Royal Palace of Aldera was recently built. It was constructed in the mountains of Aldera around 719 BBY,[1] in the first centuries of the Great Peace of the Republic.[2] In the millennia which preceded its construction, the monarchs of Alderaan had held court in various castles—including the ancestral home of the House Panteer in the Glarus Valley.[3]

In the last decades of the Galactic Republic, tensions arose between the nobles as to whether the line of ascent to Viceroy should go to the House of Organa or another family.[4] In 28 BBY,[5] the resulting crisis, known as the Alderaan Ascendancy Contention, was resolved by Jedi Watchman Jorus C'baoth, who ended the dispute by joining the Organas and the Antilles through marriage.[6] As a result, united members of both houses inhabited the Royal Palace—including the Viceroy Bail Prestor Organa and his wife, Queen Breha Organa, née Antilles.[1] The building itself, however, remained the property of the Organas.[7]

Following the devastating conflicts of the three-year-long Clone Wars, the royal couple's adopted the daughter of the late Senator Padmé Amidala.[1] The young Princess Leia Organa grew up in the Palace with her surrogate parents.[8] Meanwhile, the galaxy still bore the scars of the war, and it was decided that Alderaan would be disarmed completely. The war frigate Another Chance was converted into an armory ship in which all the weapons of war of Alderaan were stored. The frigate was programmed to continually jump through hyperspace until recalled on Alderaan by the Council of Elders. The command chamber of the Another Chance was a hidden within the Royal Palace of Aldera.[9] Around the same period, a series of demonstrations took place around the Palace when the newly formed Galactic Empire attempted to increase the restrictions on the refugees that had found shelter on Alderaan. However, the Alderaanian law enforcement units managed to confine the protestors to a preassigned circuit, and the Royal Palace did not suffer any damage.[8]

Aldera-HardTargets5

The Royal Palace around 3 BBY

In 3 BBY, the Palace hosted the festivities of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Ascendancy Contention, with nobles from other planets being invited by Queen Breha and her husband Bail Organa. On that occasion, Count Adan Dooku of Serenno was murdered by Imperial agent Jahan Cross inside the very walls of the Palace.[10] One year later, the Palace became one of the crucibles from which the rebellion against the Empire emerged: following the Cantham House Meetings, Bail Organa joined with Garm Bel Iblis of Corellia and Mon Mothma of Chandrila to form the Alliance to Restore the Republic.[11] However, in 0 BBY, the Imperial Grand Moff Tarkin grew suspicious of Bail Organa's loyaulty, and he decided to make an example. Tarkin used the immense firepower of the Death Star, a moon-sized battlestation equipped with a planet-killing superlaser, on Alderaan. The Aldera Royal Palace was presumed destroyed along with the planet itself and its millions of inhabitants.[12]

Partial survival

"They found the Palace. The Royal Palace. It's in the Graveyard. Go to Mining Outpost 11. The report was filed there. One scout also said they found... Bail Organa... hurry..."
Zaz Kamiroz[src]

Some time later, a group of Rebels intercepted a message meant for Princess Leia Organa, claiming that the Royal Palace had been found intact somewhere in the Graveyard—an asteroid belt created by the destruction of the planet Alderaan. Following the lead, the Rebel agents reached the Asteroid 7785, where a significant portion of the Aldera Royal Palace had indeed been preserved. Unbeknownst to them, the message had been sent by Darth Vader, the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Military. By providing such information, Vader hoped he could lure Leia Organa and any other of the survivors of the Battle of Yavin to Alderaan, where the Imperial Captain Janus Bonn waited for them. Vader's trap was sprung, but not on its intended victims.[9]

Layout

External layout

Aldera palace dome

The Grand Reception Room was contained within a dome.

Built at the heart of the city,[13] the Royal Palace lay on a slight rise at the edge of Aldera, overlooking the vast lake. It was a compound of multistoried buildings and turrets, surrounded by ramparts[8] and defensive moats filled with water.[1] The Palace appeared as an assemblage of shallow domes and tall, sharp spires that gleamed white and gold in the daylight.[13] A beatiful ensemble of orchards and gardens surrounded the castle’s outer enclosure, and several terraces were built on various levels, providing the inhabitants with fresh air and light.[8] The North tower was equipped with a lofty balcony, from which the old moats could be seen.[1]

The way to the main gates of the Palace went through a twisting path in the middle of a blooming garden, lined with majestic dark golden trees. The front entrance itself was a wide wooden door ornated with intricate carvings. There were other entrances to the castle, including one in the curved South wall, another in the East wall,[1] and another gate the royal family used to enter and exit their private wing in the back of the castle.[8]

Since no weapons were allowed on Alderaan, the security measures around the palace were almost non-existent. The palace had been conceived as an open place, where any Alderaanian could ask for access. While the defensive moats had once been in use, they were considered obsolete in the last decades of the Republic.[8] However, following the end of the Clone Wars, the outside of the Palace was protected by the Royal Guards.[1]

Internal layout

"We don't know the palace very well. You see, we've only been with our present master for two local months, and we're not very well acquainted with the layout."
C-3PO[src]
Aldera palace ballroom

One of the castle's ballrooms

The multi-story building included kilometers of winding corridors and all manner of bedrooms, ballrooms and reception rooms.[1] The Palace featured a Grand Reception Room contained within a dome-shaped structure,[10] a Grand Ballroom with a marble staircase,[14] a throne room, a bridge-spanned reflecting pool, and Bail Organa's study—which overlooked the lake and was surrounded by gardens.[1]

The palace's most formal room was topped by a domed ceiling and paneled with wood. There was no furniture inside, and a massive, sun-shaped lighting fixture hung from the ceiling. The Royal family would discuss their most ceremonial affairs in this space.[8]

One of the Palace's entrances led to the First Hall, a long hallway decorated with statues, holo-art and sculptures. That room provided access to a series of offices, most of which were occupied by low-ranking bureaucrats. One of those hosted the Alderaan Department of the Arts; various holoposters and four desks with data viewers were placed in that office. By walking past the suite of offices, visitors could reach the ornate Grand Hall. That second hallway was lined with pillars and featured a grand staircase that led to a lower level. Down the steps lay another series of chambers, which included a map room that contained a holomap of the Republican space. There were also a meeting chamber, a steam bath room, the dining hall and the lounge of the Council of Elders and the Amphitheater. That final room not only hosted the official gatherings of the Elders, but also contained the only possible access to the castle's best kept secret: the hidden chamber from which the armory ship Another Chance could be called back.[9]

The private wing of the Royal family was located at the back side of the Palace. This private compound contained a room nicknamed the "inside-outside room." It was equipped with transparisteel doors marching along a wall so that the surrounding gardens would be seen in full display. The Royal family often gathered in this room in the mornings and evenings because the sunset light made it gleam like a flower.[8] The bedroom in which Princess Leia slept had a window which opened on the palace grounds, and a tree with low-hanging branches allowed the young girl to go over the wall at night. Killik Twilight, a moss painting by the famous Alderaanian artist Ob Khaddor, usually hung outside the Princess' bedroom—although it could be borrowed for art exhibits.[15] In addition to their bedrooms, ladies of the court like Rouge Organa could also possess their own boudoir.[16]

Honored guests had the benefit of their own wing, which was located a long distance away from the main reception room of the castle.[1] One such guest suite was prepared for Count Adan Dooku shortly before his assassination. Those particular chambers featured a balcony, scarlet floor tiles, wide windows an a large, round bench settee.[10]

Appearances

Sources

Notes and references

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named RoDV
  2. The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Vol. I, p. 363 ("Great Peace of the Republic")
  3. SWTOR mini Star Wars: The Old Republic — Codex: "Glarus Valley"
  4. Dark Force Rising
  5. Star Wars: Agent of the Empire 6: Hard Targets, Part 1
  6. Databank title Pello Scrambas in the Databank (content now obsolete; backup link)
  7. Splinter of the Mind's Eye
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 The Last of the Jedi: Master of Deception
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 Graveyard of Alderaan
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 Star Wars: Agent of the Empire 6: Hard Targets, Part 1
  11. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
  12. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named ANH
  13. 13.0 13.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named TPS
  14. Rebel Force: Hostage
  15. The Unifying Force
  16. Children of the Jedi
In other languages