Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Obi-Wan Kenobi
Alderaan is shown in detail in the Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith gave Alderaan well-deserved exploration, Obi-Wan shows the world in detail for the first time in live-action, adding to the horror of its inevitable obliteration.
The Legends Star Wars timeline fittingly describes Alderaan as the soul of the Republic, just as Coruscant is its heart. Indeed, the picturesque landscapes of the planet and its refined and regal culture make it part of the “bright center to the universe” that Luke Skywalker refers to in A New Hope. Alderaan’s pacifism has a dark origin, however, as the sheer violence of the Clone Wars drove the planet’s populace to abandon weapons of war out of disgust for the conflict’s immense bloodshed.
For the first time in a live-action Star Wars production, Alderaan is showcased in detail in the Obi-Wan episode “Part I,” with a young Leia exploring the forests surrounding her palace, attending functions with her parents and other politicians and noblemen, and looking out towards the mountains, contrasting with Luke Skywalker’s bleak views of Tatooine’s dunes and binary sunset. Although other Star Wars material has made Alderaan’s terrain and culture familiar to many fans, Obi-Wan’s many scenes devoted to the planet and its natural beauty highlight the depravity of the Empire’s destructive test more than ever before.
The A New Hope radio drama includes a drastically different opening to the iconic film, with entire sequences on Alderaan with Leia and Bail Organa encountering the sinister Imperial nobleman Lord Tion. Had A New Hope been a longer film and included the radio drama’s alternate opening, viewers in 1977 would already be familiar with the scenery and importance of Alderaan by the time the Empire destroys it. These scenes would have also established Leia’s close relationship with her adopted father, making his death just as tragic.
Alderaan is showcased in canon’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars through the episode “Assassin,” but perhaps the best look at Alderaan outside of live-action properties is in the Legends-era video game Star Wars: The Old Republic, which allows players to explore Alderaan in all of its scenic glory. The effect is similar to Obi-Wan, allowing the planet to endear itself to players despite its eventual destruction. Obi-Wan Kenobi has the advantage, however, of being set a mere five years before A New Hope, and its proximity to the Empire’s destruction of the planet makes its beauty all the more painful to see in such detail.
New episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi air Wednesdays on Disney+.
