Alderaan

This world, abundant with lush mountains, saw the evolution of the Killiks from the most intelligent non-sentient creatures around 1,000,000 BBY. They erected colossal hives, notably within the Castle Lands close to Oroboro, and governed the planet until their departure to colonize nearby Alsakan. Later, they ventured into deep space after depleting Alderaan's resources. In 27,500 BBY, Human colonists journeyed from Coruscant, facilitated by the Herglic Trade Empire, and established a harmonious civilization coexisting with nature. The allure of Alderaan's unspoiled beauty drew settlers from across the Core Worlds. Eventually, the Alderaanian monarchy emerged, bringing with it numerous environmental protection laws.

Alderaan stood as a founding member of the Galactic Republic.

During the Mandalorian Wars, Cassus Fett's forces threatened the planet with invasion, but the entire invading army was prematurely obliterated due to the misuse of the Muur Talisman, an ancient Sith artifact, which transformed the Mandalorians into rakghouls.

During the height of the Great Galactic War, the planet's serenity was disrupted by a large-scale Sith Empire invasion. The Sith forces swiftly overcame the local defenses and captured the entire royal family. In response, a Republic and Jedi task force launched a counter-offensive, reclaiming the planet and inflicting a significant defeat on the Sith.

Following the Sith invasion, Alderaan's leadership adopted a firm militaristic stance against the Sith Empire within the Galactic Senate. In 3653 BBY, the Treaty of Coruscant concluded 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, left the Senate and withdrew Alderaan from the Republic.

The crown prince's decision caused great division within Alderaan. While many backed his actions, others were angered 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 quickly descended into infighting between rival houses. A bloody civil war erupted when one of these houses attempted a military coup.

During the ensuing Interstellar Cold War between the Republic and the Sith, the planet was the setting for numerous border skirmishes and proxy battles between Republic and Sith forces. The Republic supported the House of Organa while the Sith backed the formerly exiled House of Thul, which sought to reclaim the throne. Neither side maintained military forces directly on Alderaan. 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.

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

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

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

As a collective, Alderaan stood firmly against the Military Creation Act. While they maintained their own security forces, they remained loyal to the Republic throughout the Clone Wars. Alderaan welcomed the settlement of the Refugee Relief Movement by displaced exiles from Ando (including Orogor Binn and Sandi Maba and her family) 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 emergence of the New Order, Queen Breha Organa and Viceroy Bail Prestor Organa adopted Leia Amidala Skywalker. The Galactic Empire violently shut down the Jedi Praxeum on the planet, although some students managed to escape. Shortly thereafter, 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.

In the immediate aftermath of the Galactic Empire's formation, Alderaan was beset by anti-Imperial demonstrations, primarily from alien refugees now burdened with exorbitant taxes to return home. Eventually, Alderaan became a sanctuary for rebellious individuals seeking to oppose the Empire's growing oppression, ultimately contributing to the planet's demise. Consequently, support for the Alliance on Alderaan was so widespread that the Alderaan Guards frequently visited families to inform them of deaths in service to the Alliance, as exemplified by Kissek Doran.

When Bail Organa, Garm Bel Iblis, and Mon Mothma officially established the Rebel Alliance, numerous Alderaanians volunteered their resources and lives, despite the recent memories of the Clone Wars. Many of the Alliance's initial warriors, and subsequently, many of its leaders and officers, hailed from Alderaan.

Following 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. The ship was programmed to continually jump though hyperspace until called home by the High Council. They would not have the opportunity.

Shortly after the (three-shot) destruction of Despayre, Alderaan became the primary 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, it is said it had some of the strongest defences in the Empire. 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 billions of sentient beings triggered a massive disturbance in the Force. Obi-Wan Kenobi sensed this disturbance en route to the Alderaan system, describing it to Luke Skywalker as feeling "as if millions of voices cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced." A Force-sensitive stormtrooper named Nova Stihl on the Death Star fainted from the shock of sensing the mass deaths on Alderaan.

This action drastically backfired, propelling thousands to join the Alliance cause, even within the Core Worlds, and inciting open rebellion on many planets in the Mid Rim. Numerous Alderaanians serving in the Imperial military defected to the Rebel Alliance upon learning of their homeworld's destruction; among them was TIE fighter pilot Tycho Celchu. The Imperials attempted to blame the Rebels for Alderaan's destruction, maintaining loyalty among a small segment of the population; however, this deception convinced few.

The remnants 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. 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.

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.

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. 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.

Alderaan was the original habitat for some of the galaxy's most well-known creatures, including the nerf, the grazer and the thranta. Alderaanian cities were generally constructed with great consideration for the protection of nature. One example, Crevasse City was constructed along the walls of a canyon, and was nearly invisible from above. Other cities were built on stilts along the shoreline or beneath the polar ice. The capital city, Aldera, renowned for its university, was situated on a small island at the center of a caldera.

Within the Castle Lands, the remains of Killik mounds stood as a silent reminder of the indigenous species that vanished for reasons unknown. Philosophers, poets, and artists frequently visited the Castle Lands seeking inspiration and meditation.

Alderaan was home to eight thousand species of grass and an even greater number of wildflowers. Its plant life also consisted of a wide array of spices, herbs, and grains. The planet lacked major oceans, but it did possess a single polar ice cap. The remaining surface water on Alderaan consisted of thousands of lakes and connecting waterways.

Alderaanian culture placed importance on education, the performing and fine arts, and peaceful solutions to disputes. They valued their participation in the Galactic Senate and, later, its Imperial counterpart. The Alderaanians consistently sought a harmonious relationship with their environment, as demonstrated by their integration of society into the natural landscape of Alderaan. Alderaanians were known for love of philosophy.

The average Alderaanian was highly educated and cultured. Poets and artists flourished 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. Alderaan was known as "Planet of Beauty,"

Despite being a democratic society, Alderaan was governed by a hereditary constitutional monarchy, with the House of Organa presiding over the High Court and the legislative High Council of Alderaan. Its monarchs have held various titles, including "Prince," "First Chairman," "Queen," "King" and "Viceroy." Traditionally, the heir to the Alderaan throne also served on the High Council of Alderaan and as a Senator of Alderaan. A vizier assisted the monarch in ruling, and various Noble Houses each wielded considerable influence in government.

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

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.

Bail Organa was the leader of Alderaan 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.

In the treatment, rough draft, second draft, and third draft of A New Hope in 1973-1975, 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.

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

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."

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."