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This Star Wars Legends article contains information that is affected by the Star Wars: The Clone Wars project.

A definitive Legends Clone Wars timeline was never established by Lucasfilm. The exact chronology of the events described in this article is unknown.

This article is about the planet. You may be looking for the starship.

"While Coruscant has always been considered the heart of the Republic, to some extent, Alderaan has been its soul."
―A HoloNet dossier on Alderaan[9]

Alderaan, located in the Core Worlds, was the second planet in the Alderaan system and the home of many famous heroes, including Leia Organa Solo, Bail Organa, and Ulic Qel-Droma. Renowned galaxy-wide for their planet's unspoiled beauty, refined culture, and commitment to peace, Alderaanians worked with and around the land to preserve as much of the natural surroundings as they could.

Originally the home of the Killiks, Alderaan was later conquered by Humans. Despite a battle during the Great Galactic War and a civil war during the subsequent Cold War, Alderaan remained peaceful during much of galactic history. However, in attempt to force the Galaxy into submission, Grand Moff Tarkin and the Galactic Empire destroyed the unarmed and peaceful planet using the first Death Star's superlaser in 0 BBY.

History[]

Pre-Republic[]

Killikmounds

The Petrified mounds of the Killiks in the Castle Lands.

A lush, mountainous world, the native Killiks evolved from the most intelligent non-sentient species on the planet circa 1,000,000 BBY.[28] Constructing massive hives, such as in the Castle Lands near Oroboro, the Killiks ruled the planet until departing the world and colonizing nearby Alsakan, and later departing for deep space after consuming all of Alderaan's natural resources.[3] Human colonists came to the planet from Coruscant, via the Herglic Trade Empire, in 27,500 BBY and built a peaceful civilization in harmony with nature. Settlers were attracted from across the Core Worlds, drawn by Alderaan's natural beauty. Eventually the Alderaanian monarchy came into existence, and with it the implementation of many laws designed to preserve the environment.[11]

Old Republic[]

Alderaan was a founder of the Galactic Republic[3] in 25,053 BBY and one of the anchor-points for early hyperspace exploration. Alderaan was headquarters of Alderaan Royal Engineers, an early Republic shipwright; with these ships Alderaanian colonists settled Nim Drovis.[source?]

During the Mandalorian Wars, the planet was threatened with invasion by the forces of Cassus Fett, but the entire invasion force was prematurely obliterated due to misuse of the Muur Talisman, an ancient Sith artifact, which transformed the Mandalorians into rakghouls.[29]

Alderaan-Hope

Alderaan's picturesque landscape just prior to the Battle of Alderaan

During the peak of the Great Galactic War, the planet's peace and tranquility was shattered by a full-scale Sith Empire invasion. The Sith quickly overwhelmed the local defense forces and took the entire royal family hostage. In response, a Republic and Jedi task force launched a swift counter-offensive against the Sith; recapturing the planet and inflicting a heavy defeat on the Sith.[9]

As a consequence of the Sith invasion, the Alderaanian leadership adopted a hardline militarist stance towards the Sith Empire in the Galactic Senate.[9] In 3653 BBY,[8] the Treaty of Coruscant ended the decades-long conflict in favor of the Sith Empire, which had earlier launched a devastating attack on the galactic capital Coruscant. In protest, Senator Gaul Panteer, the Alderaanian Crown Prince, walked out of the Senate and withdrew Alderaan from the Republic.[9]

The crown prince's actions created much division in Alderaan. While many supported his actions, others were outraged by the secession from the Republic. The crisis worsened with the assassination of the prince and the death of his mother a few days later. The Alderaanian Parliament was quickly torn apart by infighting between rival houses. A bloody civil war quickly ensued when one of these houses attempted a military coup.[9]

Alderaan TOR New

Alderaan during the Cold War

In the subsequent Interstellar Cold War between the Republic and the Sith, the planet was the site of a number of border skirmishes and proxy battles between Republic and Sith forces. The Republic backed House of Organa while the Sith backed the formerly exiled House of Thul, which sought to reclaim the throne. Neither side had military forces on Alderaan.[9] Around the same time, the Museum of Antiquities ordered a shipment of rare artworks which was however intercepted and replaced with worthless copies of the paintings made by the famous commercial artist Ornas Lodin.[12]

During the conflict with the Eternal Empire, Malika Sturm hosted the cenntenial thranta race in the upper atmosphere of Alderaan.[30]Alderaan was also one of the worlds where there was a Star Fortress put in orbit, but it was destroyed in 3631 BBY.[31]

During the last five centuries of the Old Republic, Alderaan nobility was known to enjoy the seafood from Lamaredd distributed by Bartyn Gourmet Delicacies.[32]

In 27 BBY, Alderaan was personally protected by Jedi Master Eeth Koth during the Ashaar Khorda crisis.[33]

Clone Wars[]

CR70 alderaan

The Sundered Heart lands in Aldera in 19 BBY, right after the end of the Clone Wars.

As a whole, Alderaan strongly opposed the Military Creation Act; they had their own security forces, but remained loyal to the Republic during the Clone Wars. Alderaan allowed Refugee Relief Movement settlement by displaced exiles from Ando (including Orogor Binn and Sandi Maba and her family[26]) and other Separatist worlds who wished to remain Republic citizens. Due to its assistance of these exiles, Alderaan was attacked personally—nearly "being destroyed"—by General Grievous.

With the rise of the New Order, Queen Breha Organa and Viceroy Bail Prestor Organa adopted Leia Amidala Skywalker.[10] The Galactic Empire violently terminated the Jedi Praxeum on the planet, though a few students escaped. Shortly afterwards, Jedi Knight Ylenic It'kla led a remnant of the Caamasi people to settle on Alderaan after Palpatine desolated Caamas. Ylenic served as Trustant of the Caamasi Remnant and adviser to the Organas.

Galactic Civil War[]

"For all their talk of being a peaceful planet, Alderaan had been thumbing its nose at the Empire for years."
―Unnamed 501st stormtrooper[34]
Aldnds3

The Death Star looms over Alderaan.

Immediately after the formation of the Galactic Empire, Alderaan was wracked by anti-Imperial protests, mainly from alien refugees who were now forced to pay an exorbitant tax to return home. Alderaan eventually became a safe haven for rebellious elements who wished to fight the growing oppression of the Empire, which helped bring on the planet's very downfall. As such, Alliance popularity on the planet was massive enough that the Alderaan Guards often paid visits to families to inform them of any deaths in the service to the Alliance, at least one example being Kissek Doran.[35]

When Bail Organa, Garm Bel Iblis, and Mon Mothma formally created the Rebel Alliance, many Alderaanians volunteered their resources and lives, despite the still fresh memories of the Clone Wars. Many of the early warriors of the Alliance, and subsequently, many of its leaders and officers, were Alderaanian.

After the horrors of the Clone Wars, Alderaan's frigates and light cruisers were dismantled and the world's defensive armaments and superweapons were placed aboard the armory warship Another Chance.[36][6] The ship was programmed to continually jump though hyperspace until called home by the High Council. They would not have the opportunity.[37]

Destruction of Alderaan[]

"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."
"No! Alderaan is peaceful. We have no weapons! You can't possibly…!"
"You would prefer another target? A military target? Then name the system!"
―Wilhuff Tarkin and Princess Leia[38]
Tarkin by Allen Douglas TCG

Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin orders the destruction of Alderaan

Shortly after the (three-shot) destruction of Despayre,[3] Alderaan was the first strategic target of the first Death Star. In a demonstration of its power to Princess Leia, Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin ordered the destruction of her home, despite Leia's protest. While she claimed the planet was weaponless,[38] it is said it had some of the strongest defences in the Empire.[39] When Death Star gunner Tenn Graneet threw the switch to initiate primary ignition, power was channelled from the hypermatter reactor through the Superlaser, coming out at superluminal velocity. This was the first known time the superlaser had fired a full-power beam.

The deaths of the billions of sentient people caused a massive disturbance in the Force. Obi-Wan Kenobi felt the disturbance while en route to the Alderaan system and told Luke Skywalker that it felt "as if millions of voices cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced."[38] On the Death Star, Force-sensitive stormtrooper Nova Stihl passed out from the shock of sensing all the deaths on Alderaan,[40] and Princess Leia also felt the disturbance in the Force, although she was unaware of her sensitivity at the time.[source?]

The plan drastically backfired, driving thousands of beings to the Alliance cause, even in the Core Worlds, and sending many planets in the Mid Rim into open rebellion. A number of Alderaanians serving in the Imperial military defected to the Rebel Alliance after learning of their homeworld's destruction; among the defectors was the TIE fighter pilot Tycho Celchu. The Imperials attempted to pin the blame for Alderaan's destruction on the Rebels, keeping a small number of people loyal to the Empire; however, the ruse convinced few.

Post-Destruction[]

"The defense system on Alderaan, despite the Senator's protestations to the contrary, were as strong as any in the Empire."
―Grand Moff Tarkin[39]
The Graveyard

The Graveyard of Alderaan

The remains of Alderaan became known as the Graveyard and many Alderaanians who were off-planet when Alderaan was destroyed performed a private ceremony called the Returning, and would shoot capsules filled with gifts for their friends and family. Some Alderaanian Exiles who called themselves the Guardians, took to patrolling the Graveyard to prevent pirates from stealing the capsules. These Alderaanians were held in rather high regard among the exiles.[37] Han Solo and his crew of the Millennium Falcon, were among the first to visit it in an attempt to bring R2-D2 to Bail Organa, some time before the Falcon's navicomputer even listed Alderaan as destroyed.[38]

In the months after the destruction of Alderaan, Imperial agents often lay in wait for ships performing a Returning ritual. They boarded the ships and arrested the passengers and crew. The Rebel Alliance considered quarantining the Graveyard, as these Imperial actions were too risky for the Alliance.[37]

In 0 ABY, a group of Alderaanians formed a colony on Ejolus, but it was wiped out by the Empire only eight months after their homeworld's destruction.[41] However, shortly after the Ejolus colony was wiped out, the remaining refugees were taken in by the Alderaan Alliance, who gave them residence on New Alderaan discovered by the Rebel Alliance.

Even in 24 ABY, Force-sensitive individuals such as Tenel Ka Djo could still feel echoes of the Force disturbance caused by the deaths of the planet's population. It was also at this time that Jacen and Jaina Solo retrieved a piece of the planet's core, removed via lightsaber, as a birthday gift for their mother, Leia.[42]

Terrain[]

Alderaan mountains

Alderaan's mountains.

Considered the "Shining Star" of the Core Worlds, wild grasslands and old mountain ranges dominated the planet's land surface. Large oceans and scattered inland seas provided the planet with ideal conditions for a large variety of flora and fauna to develop.[source?] As such, Alderaan was the homeworld of some of the galaxy's most famous animals, such as the nerf, the grazer and the thranta.[3] Alderaanian cities were often built with great care taken to protect nature. One such city, Crevasse City was built on the walls of a canyon, nearly invisible from above. Others were built on stilts along the shoreline or under the polar ice. The capital, Aldera, known for its university, was built on a small island in the center of a caldera.

In the Castle Lands, the remains of Killik mounds stood as a silent testament to the indigenous species that had disappeared for unknown reasons. Philosophers, poets, and artists often visited the Castle Lands for inspiration and meditation.

Alderaan TFUcampaign2

A landscape of Alderaan.

Alderaan was home to eight thousand species of grass[43] and an even larger number of wildflowers. Its flora also included a massive variety of spices, herbs, and grains. The planet had no major oceans, but it had a single polar ice cap. The rest of Alderaan's surface water was composed of thousands of lakes and connecting waterways.

Society[]

"Any time is the time to visit Alderaan! How can one not enjoy a planet where peace and beauty are common preoccupations, and art and learning are the popular pastimes?"
Lord Tion[44]
UniversityOfAldera

University of Alderaan

Alderaanian culture valued education, the performing and fine arts, and peaceful resolutions to conflicts. They placed high value in their participation in the Galactic Senate and later, its Imperial equivalent. The Alderaanians constantly sought a harmonious existence with their surroundings, evident in their integration of their society into the natural terrain of Alderaan. Alderaanians were known for love of philosophy.

The average Alderaanian was very educated and cultured. Poets and artists thrived on Alderaan. The beauty moved the pens of poets, while the vast grasslands served as a canvas for grass paintings. Alderaan was also famous for its cuisine. The large variety of spices and herbs allowed chefs to experiment and create some of the finest dishes in the galaxy. Steamed Alderaanian spiced wine was a favored beverage among many.

Some of the planet's major exports included wine, art, and luxury goods.[3] Alderaan was known as "Planet of Beauty,"[45]

Government[]

"It's time Alderaan stopped resisting the Empire and started fighting it."
―Leia Organa's position on the Galactic Civil War[46]
Aldera City

Aldera, the planet's capital

Although a democratic society,[3] Alderaan was headed by a hereditary constitutional monarchy, with the House of Organa presiding over the High Court and legislative High Council of Alderaan. Its monarchs have variously borne the titles "Prince," "First Chairman," "Queen," "King" and "Viceroy." Traditionally, the heir of the Alderaan throne also served in the High Council of Alderaan and a term as Senator of Alderaan. A vizier helped the monarch rule, and many different Noble Houses each had considerable influence in government.

Alderaan's government deliberately halted itself from so much as questioning spacecraft leaving or arriving on the planet.

Several decades before the Clone Wars, a political conflict between the high houses of Alderaan arose. This conflict, known as the Alderaan Ascendancy Contention, was the result of the inability of the great families (among them the House of Organa and the House of Antilles) to choose the next Viceroy of Alderaan.[source?] Three separate votes yielded no winner, and so the Alderaanians contacted the Galactic Senate, which sent a committee including Jorus C'baoth to resolve the contention. The participants considered the intricacies of the situation, and decided that House Organa bore the rightful claim to the throne in a month.[47]

Bail Organa was the leader of Alderaan[3] and was on the planet when it was destroyed, while his heir and (secretly-adopted) daughter Princess Leia served as Senator of Alderaan in the Imperial Senate.

Behind the scenes[]

In the treatment, rough draft, and second and third draft of A New Hope in 1974-1975, Alderaan was the name of the capital of the New Galactic Empire. At that time, it was described as a giant gas planet that resembled Bespin, with a city that resembled Cloud City on it.

Alderaan-TCWAssassin

Alderaan as it appears in Star Wars: The Clone Wars

The original name in the second draft of A New Hope for what would become Alderaan was Organa Major. Aquilae, Utapau and Ophuchi were also considered as names for worlds partially corresponding to Alderaan.[48]

Grindelwald in Switzerland was scouted for Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, to capture plate photography for backdrops on the planet Alderaan.

In Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, during the part where Revan, Carth Onasi and Bastila Shan are captured on the Leviathan, there is a dialog option to cite Alderaan as the location for the Dantooine Jedi Enclave. This was likely done as a joke, similar to how Princess Leia of Alderaan cites Dantooine as the location of the Rebel Base.

In Star Tours: The Adventures Continue, Alderaan is featured in the queue's "advertisements" for various Star Tours packages, where it is referred to as "the safest planet in the galaxy."[49]

The song "Californication" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers includes the lyrics "Space may be the final frontier/But it's made in a Hollywood basement/And Cobain can you hear the sphere/Singing songs of Station to Station/And Alderaan's not far away, it's Californication."

Appearances[]

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Alderaan TEA

Alderaan in The Essential Atlas

Non-canon appearances[]

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Star Wars: Empire at War: Prima Official Game Guide
  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 Star Wars: Age of Rebellion Core Rulebook
  3. 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 3.22 3.23 3.24 3.25 3.26 3.27 3.28 3.29 3.30 3.31 3.32 3.33 3.34 3.35 3.36 The Essential Atlas
  4. Coruscant Nights I: Jedi Twilight
  5. Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back
  6. 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 6.16 6.17 6.18 6.19 6.20 6.21 6.22 6.23 6.24 Coruscant and the Core Worlds
  7. Star Wars (2013) 12
  8. 8.0 8.1 The Old Republic: Deceived
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 SWTOR icon Alderaan on The Old Republic Holonet (backup link) (content now obsolete; original version)
  10. 10.0 10.1 Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.7 Star Wars: The Old Republic
  12. 12.0 12.1 SWTOR mini Star Wars: The Old Republic — Treasure Hunting Crew Skill mission: "Getting in on the Art Trade"
  13. 13.0 13.1 The Wildlife of Star Wars: A Field Guide
  14. "The Weapons Master!" — Star Wars Weekly 104
  15. The Old Republic: Deceived
  16. Imperial Commando: 501st
  17. MedStar II: Jedi Healer
  18. The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance
  19. The Empire Strikes Back: So You Want to Be a Jedi?
  20. The Truce at Bakura Sourcebook
  21. SWTOR mini Star Wars: The Old Republic — Codex: "King's Pass"
  22. SWTOR mini STAR WARS: The Old Republic - Question ! :) - Page 3 on The Old Republic's official website (backup link) places Star Wars: The Old Republic about ten to twelve years after the signing of the Treaty of Coruscant, which is dated to 3653 BBY by Star Wars: The Old Republic Encyclopedia. The Old Republic—The Lost Suns 2 takes place ten years after the treaty, one week after the mission to Nar Shaddaa, and around the time of the SpecForce Incident. Since the mission and the incident are respectively part of Act I of the Jedi Knight and Republic Trooper's storylines, and the Trooper's Act I occurs concurrent to Act I of the Smuggler storyline, the general events of the Prologue and Act I for all classes can be assumed to occur in 3643 BBY.
  23. The Essential Guide to Planets and Moons
  24. The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
  25. SWAJsmall "The Capture of Imperial Hazard" — Star Wars Adventure Journal 10
  26. 26.0 26.1 HNNsmall Alderaan Opens to Refugee Relief MovementHoloNet News Vol. 531 #49 (content now obsolete; backup link)
  27. Star Wars: The Old Republic Encyclopedia
  28. The Illustrated Star Wars Universe
  29. Knights of the Old Republic 26
  30. SWTOR mini Star Wars: The Old Republic — Underworld Trading Crew Skill mission: "Off to the Races"
  31. Star Wars: The Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire
  32. SWGamer-icon "Bartyn's Landing" — Star Wars Gamer 7
  33. Star Wars: Zam Wesell
  34. Star Wars: Battlefront II
  35. X-Wing: Wraith Squadron
  36. The Force Unleashed Campaign Guide
  37. 37.0 37.1 37.2 Graveyard of Alderaan
  38. 38.0 38.1 38.2 38.3 Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
  39. 39.0 39.1 Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope novelization
  40. Death Star
  41. Empire 35
  42. Young Jedi Knights: Shards of Alderaan
  43. The Official Star Wars Fact File 18 (ALD3, Alderaan)
  44. Empire 5
  45. Instagram-Logo Star Wars on Instagram: Alderaan on Instagram (April 13, 2014): "#SpotlightOfTheWeek - Alderaan, the "Planet of Beauty." #StarWars" (screenshot)
  46. Star Wars radio drama
  47. Dark Force Rising
  48. The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film
  49. Star Tours: The Adventures Continue

External links[]

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