Alderaan - Home of House Organa
The planet Alderaan is critical to the Star Wars movies in spite of the fact that we only see the planet briefly: one shot from space during A New Hope, and a short snip during the end of Revenge of the Sith. Some of the most influential politicians of the time period hailed from Alderaan (Bail Antilles, Bail Organa, and Leia Organa just to name a few) and the destruction of the planet by the Death Star became a rallying cry across the galaxy. Many systems joined the rebellion after the destruction of Alderaan realizing that if it could happen to a planet that had no weapons, was known for it's diplomatic corps, chefs, and medical facilities, and preached pacifism that it could certainly happen anywhere.
To understand both Bail Organa, and his adopted daughter, I think it's important to know about their planet. Where we live is as much a part of who we are as our hair color. Cultural and social influences mold one's personality and belief systems.
At different points during the development of ANH and RotS, George Lucas called on his art departments to create visions of Alderaan for possible inclusion in the movies. The most of the art here is by Ralph McQuarrie and hails from The Illustrated Star Wars Universe by Kevin J. Anderson. In addition to having a lovely feature on Alderaan, it also covers planets like Coruscant, Hoth, Endor, Bespin, Degobah, and Yavin 4. The other artworks I've included are from The Art of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith by Jonathan Rinzler. Facts about Alderaan are taken from both books along with the SW Encyclopedia and the Wizards of the Coast publication Coruscant and the Core Worlds for use in role play gaming.
Alderaan is a temperate world that has many lakes and seas but no oceans. In many ways, it is similar to earth in climate. Human explorers settled Alderaan and humans are not native to the planet. The native inhabitance died out long before the first settlers arrived on Alderaan. Historians call these creatures "Killik." The remnants of their civilization dot the landscape and one area where these petrified monoliths are the most abundant (and most ancient) is called "Castle Lands." It is located at the northern edge of Alderaan's great plains.
The Killik were a type of insect race and archaeologist found some petrified chitinous carcasses. They had four arms terminating in three fingered claws, two legs, and were green in color. The "castles" they left behind are devoid of any technological improvements and decorated on the interior with massive mosaics of colored pebbles. Many artists actually lived inside the old castles after being granted permission to do so by the government and in the years leading up to the destruction of the planet, they became popular places for retreats. Some of the mounds were revamped and outfitted with plumbing, heating, power, and other amenities, however the population generally held the ruins in awe and such "upgrading" was rare.
The capital of Alderaan was Aldera. It was a large thriving city built on an island in the middle of a lake that had been formed by a meteor impact. Visitors to Aldera had to approach by air or boat making its harbors and skylanes very busy.
In addition to housing the embassies of off-planet dignitaries, Aldera was the city that Bail Organa called home and where he maintained a palace in addition to his senatorial offices. Aldera was also known across the Galaxy thanks to it's famous University, Medical Center, and culinary school.
Another of the large cities of Alderaan was named for where it was built. Crevasse City was a rather ingenious work of architecture that exemplified the Alderaanian ecological sensibility. Protecting the natural beauty of the landscape and having the least possible impact on the environment was of high important to those that lived on Alderaan. Like the sinkhole cities of Upatau, Crevasse City was built into the sides of shear rock faces and was nearly invisible from the air. Tiny streams flowed at the bottom of huge gauges in the landscape. These areas were rich in raw materials and precious gems. When miners began to live in the natural caves that dotted the area, architects took note.
The result was a city carved from the rock walls with interconnecting passageways. Transparasteel, polymer fluid, and other materials allowed old mining shafts to be reused as new additions to the city.
Another unique city on Alderaan was Terrarium City or The City Under Glass. Engineers excavated a natural depression in the plains then lined the large bowl so nothing could leach into the soil. The surface was fused with impenetrable glass and liquid polymer was then pumped into the depression until it reached a uniform level to create the city foundation. A fleet of modified battleships were then brought in and the lasers were used to project a three dimensional pattern onto the liquid -- the entire city and all it's rooms, buildings, and thoroughfares. The lasers hardened the resin in the appropriate places, crystallizing solid walls. The remaining fluid was then drained out and a hard surface layer placed down. The process was then done again for the next level of the city and so until all eighteen layers of the city were complete.
Once the city was finished, transparasteel was used to cover over the top of the entire city allowing only tall pinnacle towers to jut out into the landscape. Docking stations and turbo lifts installed in these spires allowed the city inhabitance and visitors to come and go as they pleased.
Finally, the Mountain ranges of Alderaan were home to retreats and cities of their own. Bail Organa and his wife, Queen Breha, maintained a second palace in the mountains and spent much of their time there. This location is the one featured in Revenge of the Sith and was patterned after a location in the Swiss Alps.
This thriving and beautiful area and it's architecture can be seen in more detail in this artist's drawing of Queen Breha with little Leia on a balcony of the Mountain Palace.
It should also be noted that Alderaani were fond of flight. Not only were they innovators in aircraft (they had thousands of types on the planet including huge floating hotels that simply drifted where they would on air currents) but many species of a creature known as the Thranta.
Thrantas range in size from small species that are used as personal mounts to huge species that carry multiple passengers on large platforms or observation enclosures. The species was docile and easily domesticated. They also were transplanted to several other planets including Bespin where they thrived.
Finally, a short word about art. Alderaan was home to a unique style of art called grass painting. The planet was home to more than eight thousand species of grass and grains. The government sponsored large-scale plantings by promenade artists that covered dozens of square kilometers. Many of these botanical paintings took several years to come to full flower and observation boats drifted over the plains where they were planted to allow people to view the artworks.
One such painting was made by the artist to come to flower at a specific time and then die off and be consumed by a fungus. The die off was timed to occur when the Emperor was scheduled to visit Alderaan. The Emperor was so offended that he wanted the artist killed but Bail Organa refused to allow it. Instead, in order to appease the Emperor but save the man's life, Bail banished the artist forever from the planet, which, in hindsight, actually saved him.
There's loads more to learn about Alderaan -- tons of facts and figures, people and places -- that are covered in the books I mention but these are the bits that go with the scans I have available. I hope you find both the information and the pictures helpful!