Alderaan Alderaan , located in the Core Worlds , was a terrestrial planet covered with mountain s . During the waning decades of the Galactic Republic , it was ruled by Queen Breha Organa and represented in the Galactic Senate by her husband , Senator Bail Organa . Following the rise of Sheev Palpatine ' s Galactic Empire , Alderaan played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Rebel Alliance , a movement that sought to restore the Old Republic ' s values . Because of its ties with the Alliance , the planet was destroyed when Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin decided to test the superlaser of the Death Star , a moon - sized battle station developed by the Empire , at full strength . Among the few survivors of that disaster was Prince ss Leia Organa , adopted daughter of Bail and Breha Organa and heiress to the royal house of Alderaan . Description . From space , the planet of Alderaan , located in the star system of the same name , appeared as a blue - green orb enveloped in a white web of clouds . Its surface had vast bodies of water and was covered in snow - capped mountain s , with patches of green grass y hills . Alderaan was known to the galaxy as " the planet of beauty . " Famous natural landmarks of Alderaan included the Cloudshape Falls and the Isatabith rain forest . A variety of grape vines grew on Alderaan , which notably allowed to produce Toniray and emerald wine . The local fauna included the Alderaanian wolf - cat and a species of white - winged bird . The cities on Alderaan were carefully designed to respect the natural beauty of their environment . For example , the palace of the royal family and the city around it blended into the local snow - capped peaks . Alderaanian architecture made use of white synthstone , which inspired the architecture of certain mining economies of the Outer Rim Territories , like the floating colony of Cloud City , and the planets Lothal and Garel . History . The Old Republic . The peaceful world of Alderaan was among the oldest members of the Galactic Republic , the democratic union that governed most of the galaxy . By the time of the Invasion of Naboo by the Trade Federation , it was represented in the Galactic Senate by Senator Bail Antilles . That year , the then - Supreme Chancellor of the Republic , Finis Valorum , was ousted from office , and Antilles was nominated for the position in the resulting election . However , the Alderaanian senator was defeated by Senator Sheev Palpatine , who represented the sovereign system of Naboo . The Clone Wars . Ten years later , Alderaan was represented in the Senate by Viceroy Bail Organa , the prince consort of the planet ' s ruler , Queen Breha Organa . At that time , the Republic was facing a secessionist crisis due to the existence of the Confederacy of Independent Systems led by Count Dooku , pushing the galaxy to the brink of war . Through Organa , Alderaan was a member of Chancellor Palpatine ' s Loyalist Committee , which concerned itself with the stability of the Republic during the Separatist crisis and would later strive to limit Palpatine ' s increasing executive authority . That year , an army of clones was discovered on the planet Kamino , which would be appropriated by the Senate in order to combat the Separatists . To save the Republic from the impending threat , the Supreme Chancellor was granted emergency powers , a decision that was contrary to the pacifist values of Alderaan and its representative and which ultimately led to the outbreak of the Clone Wars . At some point during the Clone Wars , Alderaan hosted a conference concerned with aiding war refugees . Padmé Amidala , then senator of Naboo , was nearly assassin ated during the conference when the Hutt crime lord Ziro , whom Amidala had sent to prison , hired the bounty hunter Aurra Sing to take revenge . The plot , however , was thwarted by the Jedi apprentice Ahsoka Tano . Around the time of the Battle of Kadavo , two Alderaanian tourists visiting Tatooine died in a speeder - bike accident . The Zygerrian News implied that the two had gotten intoxicated in the cantina of Mos Eisley , which caused the accident . Age of the Empire . With the Clone Wars coming to an end , Chancellor Palpatine abolished the Republic , establishing the Galactic Empire in its stead . However , a small number of systems rebelled against this new regime , and the Alliance to Restore the Republic was ultimately formed by Bail Organa and his former colleague in the Galactic Senate , Senator Mon Mothma of Chandrila . During this time , Alderaan became the Alliance ' s main source of munitions . The planet ' s crown princess and representative in the Imperial Senate , Princess Leia Organa , adoptive daughter of Bail and Breha Organa , began using her diplomatic immunity as an Imperial senator to carry out Rebel missions in restricted Imperial systems . About three years before the Battle of Yavin , Senator Bail Organa dispatched three " Sphyrna " - class corvettes to the Phoenix Cell , which has sustained losses while fleeing Garel . Since Alderaan could not be seen directly supporting the rebels , Senator Organa arranged for his adopted daughter Leia to deliver the vessels to Lothal . The Alderaanians risked losing their seat in the Imperial Senate among other Imperial sanctions . Senator Organa had arranged for the crew of the " Ghost " to " steal " the ships from an Imperial depot on Lothal so that Alderaan could not be blamed for the " theft . " With the help of the crew of the " Ghost " and the former Governor Ryder Azadi , Leia managed to deliver the three Hammerhead corvettes to the Phoenix rebels following a skirmish at the Imperial depot . Destruction . In 0 BBY , shortly before the Battle of Scarif , Senator Bail Organa headed towards Alderaan to tell their people that there would " be no peace , " after the plans for the Death Star , a planet - killing Imperial superlaser , were discovered . The plans were later stolen from the data vault on Scarif , and transferred aboard the Tantive IV . Princess Leia of Alderaan , Bail ' s adopted daughter and thus member of the Elder Houses was captured by the Imperial Navy while smuggling the plans to the Alliance base . Organa was taken prisoner by the Sith Lord Darth Vader , the Emperor ' s second - in - command , and brought before the Death Star ' s commanding officer , Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin . Under threat of destroying her planet , Leia gave a fake location of the rebel base to Tarkin , only to have Tarkin destroy Alderaan anyway , noting that Dantooine was too remote for an " effective demonstration . " The Imperials forced the princess to witness the obliteration of her home planet , an act that Tarkin hoped would instill fear among the secessionist systems in an effort to keep them in line . The planet ' s destruction left only an asteroid field behind , which was blockaded by the Empire . Almost immediately after the Battle of Yavin , Leia Organa would embark on a mission to rescue the survivors of Alderaan from Imperial reprisals following the destruction of the First Death Star . On Coruscant , the Empire ' s planetary capital , the numerous Alderaanian residents of Level 3204 began to hold vigils for those who had perished in what they called " the Disaster . " However , as more information became available about the Empire ' s role in the destruction of Alderaan , the vigils soon turned into riots , which were quickly repressed by brute force . Following the Battle of Yavin , Vader then took the remains of Alderaan to serve as reminders to worlds that attempted to resist the Emperor . Following an assassination attempt on himself at Shu - Torun , Vader then gave Trios , the new Queen of that planet , one of these reminders . Legacy . By 5 ABY , a flotilla of starships orbited the Alderaanian graveyard , the new name for the debris remaining of the planet . Princess Leia managed to use her political connections to take scrap from the Death Star , initially intended for incineration , to be used to construct a new space station around the planet . By the time of the New Republic , Alderaan ' s destruction would become a stark reminder for future generations about the terrors of the Galactic Empire , and would often be an ' uncomfortable subject ' for those that brought up the planet ' s destruction in conversation . As such , surviving Alderaanians would be treated with great respect for their lost world and people . For collectors , rare bottles of the alcoholic beverage Toniray would become a highly - prized commodity . Inhabitants . Alderaan hosted a population of human s , known as Alderaanian s , who were known for their philosophy of paciﬁsm . Even in time of galactic conflicts , the Alderaanians shunned weapons . They were not , however , bereft of spirit , as many of them chose to join the rebellion against the Galactic Empire . Their society was ruled by the House of Organa , in conjunction with an individual bearing the titles of Viceroy and First Chairman . The female child of the royal couple was referred to as a princess . For diplomatic missions , the Royal Family used streamlined cruisers . On Alderaan , its people were encouraged to learn and grow . All education was free , and people would volunteer to teach various skills or crafts just for fun . Behind the scenes . Alderaan first appeared in , the seminal movie of the " Star Wars " saga . In that movie , the planet was only seen from space during the scene depicting its destruction . In the , , , and of what would become " A New Hope " , the name of Alderaan was used for 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 . In the second draft of " A New Hope " , the home planet of Princess Leia was called Organa Major . Aquilae , Utapau and Ophuchi were also considered as names for worlds partially corresponding to Alderaan . Following the success of " A New Hope " , a full ancillary world was being built around the movie . In order to get everyone on the same page , George Lucas decided to create a few background stories and ideas . In those notes , Alderaan was described as a four or five million years old Earth - like planet , covered with high snowcapped mountains and green pastures . The same notes also described the planet as being the capital of its star system and possessing its own Senate . In canon , the surface of Alderaan only made its first appearance in the 2005 movie . The planet ' s mountainous terrain was modelled after a location in the .