Battle of Alderaan

The Battle of Alderaan was a major conflict between the Galactic Republic and the reconstituted Sith Empire that occurred at the height of the Great Galactic War, in 3667 BBY. The peaceful and verdant Core World of Alderaan was a founding member of the Republic and widely viewed as an embodiment of the ideals and principles upon which the galactic government was founded. It was that reputation that made it a military target for the Sith Empire. As the Great Galactic War dragged on elsewhere in the galaxy, the Sith formulated a plan to crush Republic morale by invading Alderaan and shattering its fabled serenity. The incursion was led by the Sith Lord Darth Malgus, who planned for it to coincide with a diversionary feint that would pull the ships of the Republic Navy far from Alderaan. As the planet sat undefended by the Republic fleet, it was beset by a massive Sith invasion force that bombarded the planet from orbit, obliterated its local defense forces, and took the Alderaanian royal family hostage. Malgus and his forces burned entire cities to the ground and brutalized the peaceful noble families, all the while the small number of Jedi who were onworld at the time of the invasion struggled to make even the slightest dent in the Sith invasion force.

Unknown to the Sith forces, however, groups of Republic troopers returning from battles in the Outer Rim were stationed across the planet's surface prior to the invasion. These troopers banded together and took to the forests of Alderaan's Juran Mountains during the Sith attack and proceeded to wage a guerrilla war against the enemy. As Darth Malgus led his forces in a march toward the planet's capital city, he was ambushed by the troopers of Republic Special Forces Division' Havoc Squad. Much of the squad was killed during the battle, but with the timely arrival of Jedi Knight Satele Shan to aid the men of Havoc Squad, Malgus and his Sith forces were routed. Following the skirmish outside the city, the Republic fleet returned from the diversionary feint to drive the Empire off of Alderaan. The battle was a major victory for the Republic, but had grave consequences for the future of Alderaan. Although historically a voice for peace, the Alderaanian government became a vocal proponent of harsh military actions against the Empire in the aftermath of the battle. This new stance came into conflict with the peace established by the Treaty of Coruscant in 3653 BBY, which ultimately led to a bloody planetary civil war.

Text and facts from the “Battle of Alderaan” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.