Alderaan
 |
| Distance from Core |
< 5000 light years Light Years is the seventh studio album by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It was released on 25 September 2000 by Parlophone and Mushroom Records. The album's style was indicative of her return to "mainstream pop dance tunes"....
|
| Region |
Core Worlds Core worlds or core planets often exist in works of science fiction, especially space operas. They are usually at the center of the galaxy or of colonized space, occasionally both. Core worlds are densely populated with long histories, advanced technology, and/or highly-developed culture. The...
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| Sector |
Alderaan Sector |
| System |
Alderaan system |
| Number of suns |
1 |
| Number of moons |
1 |
| Diameter |
12500 km |
| Length Of Year |
364 standard days |
| Length of Day |
24 standard hours
rotation retrograde |
| Axial tilt |
23° |
| Major species |
Humans, Killiks (c. 1000 BBY) |
| Population |
1.97 billion (before its destruction; 60,000 residents not on the planet at the time of its destruction) |
| Official language The fictional universe of Star Wars contains many languages. The languages have a role in the story lines. Because of the various languages characters speak in Star Wars they often cannot understand each other...
|
Basic |
| Primary terrain |
Mountains, Seas, Forests, Plains |
| Surface water |
70% |
| Points of interest |
Aldera (capital), Crevasse City, Castle Lands |
| Government |
Constitutional Monarchy |
| Affiliation |
Galactic Republic, Galactic EmpireThe Galactic Empire is one of the main factions in the fictional universe of Star Wars. It is a galaxy-spanning regime established by the series' lead villain, Palpatine, to replace the Galactic Republic in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The Galactic Empire is introduced in Star Wars...
, Rebel AllianceThe Alliance to Restore the Republic is an interstellar faction of the fictional universe of Star Wars....
|
Alderaan is a planet in the fictional
universeA fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
of
Star WarsStar Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
. Within the story, it is the home of the characters Princess Leia, Bail Organa, Tycho Celchu and also, in 4000 BBY, Ulic Qel Droma who fought in the Great Sith War. It is ultimately destroyed by the
Death StarThe Death Star is a fictional moon-sized space station and superweapon appearing in the Star Wars movies and expanded universe. It is capable of destroying a planet with a single destructive super charged energy beam.-Origin and design:...
.
Description
There are three descriptions or depictions of Alderaan:
- In the Expanded Universe
The Star Wars Expanded Universe encompasses all of the officially licensed, fictional background of the Star Wars universe, outside of the six feature films produced by George Lucas. The expanded universe includes books, comic books, video games, spin-off films like Star Wars: The Clone Wars,...
descriptions
- Considered a "Shining Star" of the Core Worlds. Wild grasslands and old mountain ranges dominated the planet's surface. Ice-rimmed polar seas were the only large bodies of water, though thousands of freshwater and saltwater lakes provided habitats for a large variety of flora and fauna. Alderaan was also the home-world of some of the galaxy's most famous animals, such as the nerf and the Thranta. Cities of Alderaan were often built with great care taken to protect nature. One city was built on the walls of a canyon, nearly invisible from above. Other cities 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 Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
- The terrain of Alderaan appears to be mountainous and the planet surface bears no resemblance to established Expanded Universe descriptions; however, only a small fraction of the planet is actually seen.
- In Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...
- Alderaan is seen only from space and appears to be an Earth-like planet covered mostly in water, and then as a cloud of rocky planetary debris after its destruction by the Death Star
The Death Star is a fictional moon-sized space station and superweapon appearing in the Star Wars movies and expanded universe. It is capable of destroying a planet with a single destructive super charged energy beam.-Origin and design:...
.
Culture
The Alderaanian people highly valued education, arts, architecture, poetry, the performing arts, and diplomacy. They placed high value in their participation in the Galactic (later Imperial) Senate.
Though largely a
democratic societyDemocracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
, Alderaan was headed by a hereditary
constitutional monarchyConstitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
, under the historic Royal House of Antillies, and later through marriage the House of Organa presiding over the High Court and legislative High Council of Alderaan. Its monarchs have variously borne the title of King or Queen of Alderaan. The
rulerA head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
of Alderaan from the end of Revenge of the Sith to A New Hope was Queen Breha Antilles-Organa. Queen Breha was married to Bail Organa, who served a term as Senator during the events depicted in Revenge of the Sith, later serving as
First Chairman and ViceroyA prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
of Alderaan. Traditionally, the heir of the Alderaan throne also serves in the legislative High Council of Alderaan and a term as Senator of Alderaan. Queen Breha and Bail's heir and (secretly adopted) daughter was Princess Leia who was serving as Senator of Alderaan in the Imperial Senate during the events depicted in A New Hope.
History and destruction
After the
Clone WarsThe Clone Wars are a series of fictional intragalactic battles in George Lucas's science fiction saga Star Wars. The conflict is first mentioned in the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope , but no details are given , and the wars themselves are not featured until the series' fifth and sixth...
, Alderaan's massive war machine was dismantled and the weapons were placed aboard an armory warship called
Another Chance. The ship was programmed to continually jump through hyperspace until called home by the Alderaanian Council.
Alderaan became home to the majority of the remaining Caamasi when their homeworld of Caamas was devastated by the Galactic Empire, as told in
I, Jedi by Michael Stackpole.
Alderaan was destroyed by the Death Star in
Episode IV: A New Hope at
Grand Moff TarkinGovernor Wilhuff Tarkin or Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, appearing as the main antagonist of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, played by British actor Peter Cushing. A younger version of the character makes a brief cameo in the prequel film Star Wars...
's order as a demonstration of its power to the galaxy. (Despite Princess Leia's protests of Alderaan being a peaceful world with no weapons, the film's novelization states that the planet had armaments as strong as any planet in the Empire.) Tarkin felt the Rebels were growing bolder, and only a very public demonstration of the Death Star's power against a Rebel target would succeed in frightening the Alliance into submission. Palpatine approved in advance of the destruction of the planet, but publicly adopted a benevolent persona, announcing that he was saddened by the loss of such a noble world. He added that, had Alderaan entrusted itself to Imperial protection, it would still be thriving. In other words, the destruction of Alderaan might not have been necessary had Bail Organa simply bowed before the emperor. Approximately 60,000 natives survived because they were off-world, and many of them relocated to the planet of New Alderaan, hoping to recreate the beauty that had been Alderaan. The Emperor had made an apparently magnanimous offer to resettle the surviving Alderaanians who were away when their homeworld was destroyed on his "private resort world."
- "These people have lost a homeworld through no fault of their own. Offering them a new homeworld is the least I can do to compensate them for their loss."
The planet's destruction was not without detrimental effects to the Empire, however. Once word of the world's fate got out, thousands of Alderaanians who had been off-planet joined the Rebel Alliance. Alderaan's survivors became among the most dedicated soldiers of the Alliance, vowing never again to let the Empire destroy another world. Most Imperial military members from Alderaan immediately defected to the Rebellion. A few of the Alderaanian survivors became supporters of the Empire, blaming the inept and traitorous Bail Organa and the rebellion for opposing the Emperor and thereby destroying everything they had, even their loved ones. Princess Leia met one such supporter, an Imperial military officer, on the planet Bakura during a temporary truce between the Alliance and one section of the Empire.
Survivors of Alderaan and their descendants practiced a ritual of "returning" to the Alderaan system. Returners would fill memorial capsules with gifts for departed relatives and friends and jettison them into the asteroid field (known as the Graveyard), which was all that remained of the planet after its destruction. Some survivors, such as Tycho Celchu, had made known their desires to be buried amid the remains of their former homeworld after their deaths.
With Alderaan destroyed, some council members led the people to New Alderaan, which was founded after the
Galactic Civil WarThe Galactic Civil War is a fictional war from the Star Wars galaxy. It serves as the setting for the original trilogy of films A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, as well as many novels, comics, and video games in the Expanded Universe.The war was fought between the...
died down somewhat. The Royal House of Alderaan, in the person of Leia Organa-Solo and her children, continue to hold sovereignty of both New Alderaan and the Alderaan system. The government on New Alderaan administers both systems.
Further reading
- A Guide to the Star Wars Universe 3rd Edition, by Bill Slavicsek, Del Rey Books
- The Essential guide to Planets and Moons (Star Wars), 1st edition, by Daniel Wallace, Scott Kolins
Scott Kolins is an American illustrator, writer and creator for multiple different superhero and science fiction comic books. His main credits are as a penciler but he is an established inker as well as colorist and has some credits as a writer.-Biography:...
. 1998. ISBN 0-345-42068-3
- Star Wars: Rebel Dawn (Book 3 of "The Han Solo Trilogy"), by A. C. Crispin. 1998. ISBN 0-553-57417-5
- Star Wars, X-Wing: The Bacta War, (Book 4 of The X-Wing series), 1sp paperback printing, 1997. Michael A. Stackpole, ISBN 0-553-56804-3
- Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplays, softcover, 1997. George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
, Leigh Brackett, Lawrence Kasdan, Laurent Bouzereau, ISBN 0-345-40981-7
- Star Wars: Roleplaying Game- Coruscant and the Core Worlds, hardcover 2003, by Craig R. Carey, Chris Doyle, Jason Fry, Paul Sudlow, John Terra, Daniel Wallace, ISBN 0-7869-2879-4