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Grassland world · Core Worlds · M-10
Alderaan
A calm Core World of snowy peaks and blue lakes, where Leia Organa grew up.
- Region
- Core Worlds
- Grid
- M-10
- Sector
- Alderaan
- System
- Alderaan
- Suns
- 1
- Moons
- 0
- Climate
- Temperate with snowy peaks
- Terrain
- Snowy peaks, lush valleys, blue lakes
- Inhabitants
- Alderaanians, House Organa
Overview
Alderaan is a Core World of snow-capped mountain ranges, lush valleys, grassy hills and large blue lakes and seas[1]. Its capital is Aldera[4]. The planet was known for culture, learning and pacifism, and it ranked among the oldest and most respected worlds of the Republic[1].
House Organa ruled Alderaan. Queen Breha led the planet, and Bail Organa spoke for it in the Senate, using its good name to back the early Rebellion in secret[1][2]. Their daughter Leia grew up here as a princess, on the family estate[1][2].
Few worlds are so closely tied to the Rebel cause. Alderaan is Leia's home and the quiet supporter of the first rebels, yet in A New Hope viewers never see its surface. It returns later in Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Clone Wars[1][4].
Who lives here
Role in the galaxy
Alderaan mattered for what it stood for. A world of culture, learning and pacifism carried real weight in the Republic, and Bail Organa quietly spent that standing on the early Rebellion while serving as its Senator[1][2]. An Alderaanian ship, the Tantive IV, is the vessel that carries the stolen Death Star plans in the opening scenes of A New Hope[3].
The Empire answered by making an example of the planet. Grand Moff Tarkin used the Death Star to destroy Alderaan as a show of Imperial power, and the loss pushed Leia and the Rebel Alliance from a hidden cause into open war with the Empire[1]. Today the planet exists only as a field of debris.
Chronicle
Events are in story order. Spoilers stay hidden until you open them — or mark the title as watched on the timeline, and they open by themselves.
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19 BBY
Episode III — Revenge of the Sith
Spoiler · Episode III — Revenge of the SithShowYou've watched it
Once the Republic has fallen, Bail Organa takes the infant Leia to Alderaan, where he and Queen Breha raise her as their own daughter[3].
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9 BBY
Spoiler · Obi-Wan KenobiShowYou've watched it
Ten-year-old Leia is kidnapped from the Organa estate on Alderaan, and Bail sends for Obi-Wan Kenobi to help bring her back. She returns to Alderaan by the end of the series[2].
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≈ 5 BBY
AndorRogue One: A Star Wars Story
Serving in the Imperial Senate, Bail Organa secretly supports the early Rebellion, lending it Alderaan's name and resources[1].
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0 BBY
Vader's Star Destroyer catches the Alderaanian ship Tantive IV, which is carrying the Death Star plans. That sets up Leia's capture[3].
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0 BBY
Spoiler · Episode IV — A New HopeShowYou've watched it
Aboard the Death Star, Grand Moff Tarkin orders Alderaan destroyed to show off Imperial power and to pressure Leia, who is held prisoner on the station[1].
-
0 BBY
Spoiler · Episode IV — A New HopeShowYou've watched it
The shattered planet leaves behind an asteroid field of debris, later known as the Alderaanian Graveyard[5].
Heroes from Alderaan
Cara Dune
home world
The former Rebel shock trooper of The Mandalorian comes from Alderaan, though the planet itself never appears in the series[3].
Where to see Alderaan
Every film, series and game in the timeline where Alderaan appears, in watch order.
Filmed on Earth
Real places that played Alderaan on screen.
Grindelwald, Switzerland
Mountain footage shot here was blended with a CGI city to create Alderaan's scene in Revenge of the Sith[3].
Did you know?
- In George Lucas's early drafts, Alderaan was the capital of the whole Empire, a city-planet that looked much like Cloud City. Only in a later draft did it become the peaceful world of the finished films[3].
- Alderaan's surface first appeared on screen in Revenge of the Sith in 2005, nearly three decades after the planet became famous in A New Hope[4].
- A Star Tours queue advertisement at the Disney parks bills Alderaan as the safest planet in the galaxy[4].
Questions about Alderaan
Where is Alderaan in Star Wars?
Alderaan lies in the Core Worlds, in the Alderaan sector, at grid square M-10 of the galaxy map. Its capital is Aldera, and it is the home of House Organa[4].
Who lives on Alderaan?
Alderaan was home to a peaceful, arts-loving human society ruled by House Organa. Queen Breha, Senator Bail Organa and Princess Leia are its best-known figures[1].