Alderaan the planet

A peaceful world, Alderaan was bereft of weaponry in an era of galactic strife. It was not without spirit, however. Alderaan was one of the earliest supporters of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, though its officials prudently kept all ties to the Rebellion covert.

Alderaan, a revered Core world, had long been a center point in galactic politics, exploration, and culture. Alderaanian exploration vessels plied many of most important trade routes in the galaxy. Colonists from Alderaan settled many scattered worlds.

Alderaan was a beautiful blue green orb lacking moons, and was the home of a peaceful society. Unlike the crowded Core worlds like Coruscant, Alderaanian society struck a harmonious balance between urban centers and undisturbed wilderness. Alderaan was once home to a native sentient species that had long ago died out, an insectoid culture known as the Killiks, who left behind impressive hive-edifices -- called Castle Lands -- on the Alderaanian grasslands.

Much of Alderaan was covered by gently swaying grasslands and prairies. Alderaanian artists used the landscape itself to create living works of art, planting grasses of different hues and textures along carefully plotted paths. The savannahs supported a variety of ruminant life-forms, such as grazers and nerfs, and ranching was a common occupation on rural Alderaan.

The few metropolitan areas of the planet were designed in such a way to complement their surroundings. The city of Aldera's skyline consisted of gently curved, gleaming white buildings that formed a subtle bridge between the green grasses and white clouds. Here, students from across the galaxy studied at the famed University of Aldera. Other centers, such as Crevasse City, melded so perfectly with their surroundings as to be almost invisible from a distance.

The planet had no weapons or military force, but it wasn't always so. During the Clone Wars, violence and warfare almost destroyed Alderaan. As a result, Viceroy and First Chairman Bail Organa outlawed all weapons, and declared a state of peace. This period of regrowth was spectacular, and Alderaan was renowned for its beauty, hailed as the "Bright Center of the Universe."