Jora Astane Jora Astane was a human female who held the title of Preserver in an enclave of Alderaanian s on the planet Sullust . She led her collective and attempted to stay hidden after the destruction of Alderaan , when the Galactic Empire hunted surviving Alderaanians across the galaxy . Prince ss Leia Organa of Alderaan arrived on Sullust to rescue the Alderaanians there , but Astane and her people initially mistook Organa for a traitor . After Organa helped Astane and her people repel invading Imperial forces , Astane pledged her allegiance to the princess . Biography . Mistrust on Sullust . Jora Astane was a female human who was born on the planet Alderaan , but left her homeworld with a large group of other Alderaanian s to live on the world of Sullust . There , the immigrants from Alderaan pooled their wealth and purchased a large subterranean area of land from the native Sullustan species , which they transformed into the Alderaan Enclave . They then began providing cultural services to the locals , including food , art and education . This all changed when Alderaan was destroyed by the Galactic Empire . Astane , who led the enclave , took the title " Preserver of Alderaan " and cut off all communication with the outside world , setting up a large surveillance network to monitor for any Imperial activity on Sullust or its moon . Shortly after the Battle of Yavin , Prince ss Leia Organa , another surviving Alderaanian , arrived on Sullust as part of a mission to rescue as many of the Alderaanians as she could from Imperial persecution . Astane was made aware of Organa ' s arrival when the Princess and her companions ; the pilot Evaan Verlaine , the astromech droid R2 - D2 and the local Sullustan guide Tivvy breached the boundary of the enclave by entering through auxiliary hatch three . Initially Astane considered the groups appearance to be a possible diversion to distract her from a larger attack , but upon recognizing Organa ' s face she sent out a rifle squad to intercept the visitors . Organa , Verlaine and R2 managed to disarm the squad and , leaving Tivvy behind , entered the compound to meet Astane . The Preserver was highly suspicious of the visiting royalty , and suspected that she might have come to turn over the enclave ' s inhabitants to the Empire . When Organa explained her mission , Astane was still dubious and ordered that her subordinate Covis take R2 and collect as much data from him and Organa ' s orbiting starship " Lord Junn " as possible to make sure they were not being tricked . While Covis worked , Astane showed Organa and Verlaine the Eyewell , from which the enclave ' s surveillance was carried out . Verlaine then began criticising Astane for her treatment of Alderaanian culture and the Princess , but the argument was interrupted by Covis , who broadcast a transmission he had discovered from the " Lord Junn " to the Eyewell . The message was from Tace , an Alderaanian that Organa had recused from the planet Naboo , and had been sent three hours earlier to her sister Tula , who unknown to Tace was serving on board an Imperial Star Destroyer . As the transmission ended , the Star Destroyer arrived in the Sullust system , and taking the transmission as evidence that Organa was working with the Empire , Astane ordered her men to execute Verlaine and Organa ; however , the pair managed to flee down into the Eyewell where the enclave ' s residence could not shoot in case they damaged the surveillance equipment . Astane sent a squad to catch the fleeing visitors at the bottom of the well , but the pair managed to escape through a hatch opened for them by R2 . Astane meanwhile rushed to Covis , who informed her that a " Sentinel " - class landing craft full of stormtrooper s was heading for the enclave . The Preserver gave orders for all troops bar those chasing Organa to prepare for a battle , and moved to lead the men herself in the fight . The enclave ' s troops were caught off guard when the stormtroopers dropped down from above instead of coming through one of the entrance hatches , and the Alderaanians sustained high casualties in the ensuing battle . The tide was turned when the Princess returned from the tunnels below the enclave with a herd of rockrender s , native animals that fed on minerals and so attacked the Imperials in order to eat their armor . With the battle won , Astane mourned her dead , including the young man Bornae , and then knelt before Organa , apologising and pledging the enclave to her cause . Prejudice on Espirion . Verlaine was able to contact Nien Nunb , a Sullustan smuggler she was friends with , and have him smuggle the Alderaanians off Sullust in his starship " Mellcrawler " . Once onboard the " Lord Juun " , Astane and Covis spent a week seeking out Tace and restraining her to bring before their Princess . Organa demanded that the restraints be removed and that the prisoner be left alone with her , much to Astane ' s annoyance . Organa listened to Tace ' s story and came to believe she had truly be unaware of her sister ' s allegiance . Making the traitorous Tula her top priority , Organa elected to send Astane and Uwa Pareece in her place to the planet Espirion , where she had learned that another group of Alderaanian survivors lived . On Espirion , Astane and Pareece met with the native Espirion Consul Rill , who organized a meeting between them and Chief Beon Beonel , leader of the local Alderaanian population . Upon meeting Beonel , Astane was disgusted to discover he was an Alder - Espirion hybrid , a disgust which Beonel immediately recognized in her expression . Having expected such bigotry , Beonel immediately rejected joining with Organa and left , despite Pareece ' s promise that Astane did not represent the views of the other survivors . The two Alderaanians then tried to convince Rill to call Beonel for another meeting , with Astane telling him to send her deepest apologies in order to get the Chief to return and Pareece claiming Organa would meet with the Alder - Esperion in person . Rill refused to lie to Beonel , and so Astane gave up on the venture , telling Pareece they should simply return to the ship . Angry at Astane , Pareece made one last attempt to convince Beonel the next morning when they ran into him at the local spaceport as he boarded a ship . Beonel again refused to join their cause , forcing a defeated Pareece to return with Astane to the " Lord Juun " . Upon traveling to their orbiting vessel , Astane and Pareece discovered that a large fleet of Alderaanian vessels had traveled to Espirion , having heard of Organa ' s exploits and hoping to join her . Organa herself also soon returned to the " Lord Juun " from the planet Skaradosh , where she had rescued Tula from Imperial hands . She brought with her grave news though , as the Imperial Star Destroyer that had troubled them on Sullust was now headed for Espirion to attack them . The Princess asked that Pareece contact the Alder - Espirions and ask for assistance , forcing Astane to admit her failure in convincing Beonel to join their cause . Organa held her temper and dismissed Astane , who then took up position on one of the " Lord Juun ' s " turrets in order to defend against the Star Destroyer . Before the battle begun , Organa sent out a transmission to all the Alderaanians present , including Astane , inspiring them to fight but reminding them of them of the peaceful Alderaanian way of life . Unbeknownst to Organa , the transmission was sent to Espirion as well by R2 , where it was seen by Beonel . Swayed by the Princess ' s word , the Chief sent the starship " Espirion Multi " to aid in the battle against the Imperials and together with the fleet the vessel destroyed the Star Destroyer . Following the battle , Astane and the other Alderaanians rejoiced as Beonel and his people joined Organa ' s cause . The Princess herself then left the survivors to return to the Alliance to Restore the Republic , telling Verlaine to see to it that a new leader was fairly elected in her place , but also telling the pilot to ensure it was not Astane . Behind the scenes . Jora Astane was created by writer Mark Waid and illustrator Terry Dodson for the comic book mini - series " " , which was published in 2015 . She first appeared in the third issue of the series , and went on to play an important role in the two remaining issues .