Topic: The Killik

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INFO: Killiks were a sentient insectoid species native to Alderaan. They built large mound-like structures on the plains of both Alderaan and Alsakan. Long before most other species came to these worlds, the Killiks vanished. Their disappearance from Alderaan was depicted in Ob Khaddor's moss painting Killik Twilight.


RACE: Killik
HEIGHT: Varies from 3 Centimeters to 2 Meters Tall
SKIN (CARAPACE): Various
DISTINCTION: Communal hive mind, insect bodies with chitinous armor, mandibles projected from face, four arms ending in long three toed claws protrude from their torsos.
LANGUAGE: Killik

HOMEWORLD:
Alderaan, located in the Core Worlds, was the second planet in the Alderaan system, and the home of many famous heroes, including Leia Organa Solo, Bail Organa, and Ulic Qel-Droma. Renowned galaxywide for its unspoiled beauty, Alderaanians worked with and around the land to preserve as much of the natural surroundings as they could.



In an attempt by Grand Moff Tarkin and the Galactic Empire to intimidate the galaxy into submission, the unarmed and peaceful planet of Alderaan was destroyed by the first Death Star in 0 BBY (35:3:7).

Considered the "Shining Star" of the Core Worlds, wild grasslands and old mountain ranges dominated the planet's land surface. Large oceans and scattered inland seas provided the planet with ideal conditions for a large variety of flora and fauna to develop. As such, Alderaan was the homeworld of some of the galaxy's most famous animals, such as the nerf and the thranta. Alderaanian cities were often built with great care taken to protect nature. One such city, Crevasse City was built on the walls of a canyon, nearly invisible from above. Others were built on stilts along the shoreline or under the polar ice. The capital, Aldera, known for its university, was built on a small island in the center of a caldera.

In the Castle Lands, the remains of Killik mounds stood as a silent testament to the indigenous species that had disappeared for unknown reasons. Philosophers, poets, and artists often visited the Castle Lands for inspiration and meditation.

Alderaan was home to more than eight thousand subspecies of grass and an even larger number of wildflowers. Its flora also included a massive variety of spices, herbs, and grains. The planet had no major oceans, but it had a single polar ice cap. The rest of Alderaan's surface water was composed of thousands of lakes and connecting waterways.

Fauna
Alderaan had many rare species not seen anywhere else in the galaxy, as well as many common creatures. Among the more notable ones were the: Nerf, Grazer, Thranta, Stalking bird, Manka cat, Woolly moth, Dainty creature, Sea-mouse.

For further info on planet please see below post.

BIOLOGY AND APPEARANCE:
The Killiks were social insects and came in several different types—membrosia givers, warriors, attendants, and the deadly  assassin bugs. Though the species as a whole was not Force-sensitive, certain types of Killik could be bred to use the Force in simple ways.

All Killiks started as small larvae. After that, their size could vary, though a hive was usually one size. Their glossy exoskeletons were so strong that they could withstand millennia of erosion as found by later colonists on their former homeworld of Alderaan. The exoskeleton also contained a number of respiratory spiracles which served as their respiratory system. This system was capable of being poisoned by the use of insecticide grenades which forcibly closed the spiracles resulting in the Killiks death. Most Killiks tended to have four arms which each terminated into a tri-fingered claw and two strong legs that may have allowed them to leap for great distances.

It was noted that the majority of the Killik race were females with a few males who only left when a new nest needed to be made. Furthermore, a single Killik was able to lay a thousand eggs in a month with those eggs turning into battle ready nymph within a year and by two years time the survivors were capable of laying their own eggs. This gave them a high reproductive rate allowing them to create millions of their kind in a short frame of time as long as there were adequate resources.

CULTURE AND HISTORY:
The Killiks had a communal society, with each and every Killik being in mental contact with another. Due to their hive mind, every Killik nest was virtually one individual. Each hive appeared to have a palindromic name; even the word "killik" shared this feature. The Killiks were also peaceful in nature. One aspect of the Killik which other species sometimes found frightening was that extended contact with them resulted in an individual becoming a "Joiner"—someone who was influenced and was subject to the control of the Killik Will by pheromones that actually "change the make up of the brain".

The Killiks were an ancient species who were present long before the formation of the Galactic Republic. The Killiks originated on the planet Alderaan where they built the Castle Lands of Oroboro circa 35,000 BBY. At some point, the Killiks colonized nearby Alsakan. They also claimed to have created Centerpoint Station, which they called Qolaraloq, as well as witnessed the creation of the Maw. What happened next is shrouded in the mists of time, but a theory posited by Luke Skywalker suggests that in 30,000 BBY, the Killiks were driven away from Alderaan and Alsakan into the Unknown Regions by the Celestials after they had consumed Alderaan's resources and prepared to move on to another already populated world. According to a Shistavanen legend, sometime during this period a Killik Sith Lord lived in exile on the planet Sarafur after being driven off of Alsakan.

The Killiks would remain sequestered in the Unknown Regions for millennia. However, in 27 ABY, a starship called the Tachyon Flier—carrying three Force-sensitive Humans including Raynar Thul—crashed on Yoggoy, one of their colonies. Raynar Thul dragged Lomi Plo and Welk, the two remaining survivors and Dark Jedi, from the burning wreck, though they were all badly burned and mutilated. The Killiks there rescued them and began to heal the survivors.

Eventually, all three were absorbed into the Killik hive mind. Raynar Thul took on the persona UnuThul while Lomi and Welk became the leaders of the Dark Nest or Gorog, a secretive Killik hive. Since Raynar had been absorbed into the Killik hive mind, his values became their values, especially his value of individual life. When Raynar emerged, he was in control of the Yoggoy nest, and began changing it to better help the Killiks. In time, the Yoggoy hive spread about local space, to provide for itself and share the "gift" of Raynar among the Kind.

The process was not an easy one. While Killiks were peaceful, like most hive based species, they had no value on individual life. At least one rival nest attacked the Yoggoy hive, but the hive survived, either defeating or absorbing the attacking nest. Then, the cyclical food shortages, which had never faced the Killiks before, required them to begin trading with other planets and races. However, they also began absorbing more non-Killiks into their hive mind. By 35 ABY, when the Killiks were rediscovered by the Galactic Alliance, they were still barely surviving. At the same time, the Colony had expanded to 375 nests, though it is unknown how much of the total population of Killiks this represents. However, the existence of the Dark Nest was unknown to most Killiks.

In 35 ABY, under the manipulation of the Dark Nest, the Killiks began expanding into the borders of the Chiss Ascendancy, starting a dispute which the Galactic Alliance was forced to mediate. Under the terms of the Qoribu Truce, the Killiks of the Colony agreed to settle Woteba and 13 other planets in the Utegetu Nebula rather than continuing expansion into Chiss space. Woteba was settled by the artistic Saras hive.

Unfortunately for the Killiks, Woteba and all of the other planets in the nebula had an ancient environmental defense system. Whenever the planet was hit by the nova that formed the Utegetu Nebula, all animal life was wiped out, but plant life was restored within two years by the defense system. At first, Woteba seemed a paradise for Killik colonization, but the planet attacked them anytime they interfered with the ecosystem, destroying both structures and living beings with a corrosive substance known as Fizz, nano-machines which broke down the intrusive objects or beings on the molecular level. As a result, the Killiks believed the Jedi had purposefully sent them to the planet to fall victim to the Fizz, but this was not true, merely a lie of the Dark Nest.

In 36 ABY, the Killiks abandoned the Nebula for fourteen nest ships built in the Tusken's Eye, alongside the nest ship of the Dark Nest. This fleet captured the Galactic Alliance Victory-class Star Destroyer Admiral Ackbar in preparation for their invasion of the Chiss Ascendancy, thus starting the Swarm War.

Attempts to prevent war were ruined when Jedi Knight Jacen Solo attacked a ship of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force in an attempt to lure them into a preemptive strike against the Killik. Many of the Killik allies were insectoid races including Fefzes, Flakaxes, Geonosians, Yam'rii, Snutibs, S'krrrs, Verpines, and Vratixes due to the fact that they became Joiners more quickly.

During the war, the forces of the Galactic Alliance were led by Supreme Commander Gilad Pellaeon, and the New Jedi Order by Grand Master Luke Skywalker. The Alliance eventually won, despite that a Killik coup of Thyferra resulted in the loss of Bacta.

After their defeat the Killks went back to their original culture in peace and isolation from the rest of the Galaxy including the Chiss in the Unknown Regions.

HIVES:
Aebea, Alaala, Gorog (Dark Nest), Horoh, Iesei, Jooj, Kolosolok, Lizil, Mollom, Mueum, Castle Lands (The ancient Lost Nest on Alderaan), Qeeq, Rekker, Saras, Sotatos, Taat, Togot, Unu, Wuluw, Yoggoy (capital),

APPEARANCES:
Star Wars Galaxies (Mentioned only)
Tatooine Ghost (on painting)
"The Trouble with Squibs" - Star Wars Insider 67 (Mentioned only)
Young Jedi Knights: Shards of Alderaan (Indirect mention only)
The Unifying Force (Mentioned only)
Dark Nest I: The Joiner King (First appearance)
Dark Nest II: The Unseen Queen
Dark Nest III: The Swarm War
Betrayal (Mentioned only)
Tempest (Mentioned only)
Exile (Mentioned only)
Sacrifice (Mentioned only)
Inferno (Mentioned only)
Fury (Mentioned only)
Revelation (Mentioned only)
Invincible (Mentioned only)
Abyss (Mentioned only)

SOURCES:
The Illustrated Star Wars Universe (First mentioned)
"On Our Planet: Alderaan" - Star Wars Kids 5
The Essential Guide to Planets and Moons
Coruscant and the Core Worlds
The New Essential Chronology
The New Essential Guide to Alien Species
Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
"Race for the Tessent" - Star Wars Gamer 9

I would like to thank Wookieepedia for this info.

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Aebea - was a Killik hive. They were about a meter long, and were used during the Swarm War as airborne fighters.

Alaala - was a Killik hive on the moon Zvbo. It orbited Qoribu.

Dark Nest (or Gorog) -  was a secret nest of Killiks that was hidden from the rest of the Colony. It was also the most violent—it sought to use the rest of the nests against the Chiss after the Killiks absorbed the three Force-sensitives who escaped from Myrkr in 27 ABY during the Yuuzhan Vong War: Lomi Plo, Welk, and Raynar Thul. The first two were absorbed by the Dark Nest, Lomi became the Unseen Queen of the Gorog while Welk became the nest's Night Herald, thus giving Gorog its qualities of secrecy and manipulation; while Raynar was absorbed by Yoggoy, eventually became UnuThul and forming Unu so that the rest of the Colony took on his attributes of respect for life.

History: This hidden nest started the Dark Nest Crisis in 35 ABY when it began subtly influencing the rest of the Colony to begin encroaching on Chiss space, even though the Killiks were not running out of room. Their motives, of course, were to provoke a war between the Killiks and the Chiss, thus providing motive for the Killiks to expand through the rest of the galaxy and bring all of the sentient beings under the influence of the hive mind—which would give Lomi Plo ultimate power.

The Dark Nest was stopped in its plans by Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade Skywalker, Han Solo, and Leia Organa Solo. They tracked the Dark Nest to its hiding place on Kr, where they destroyed it—or so they thought.

In actuality, the nest survived and continued manipulating the rest of the Colony, even after they moved to the Utegetu Nebula. Lomi convinced the Killiks to build fifteen nest ships, massive vessels capable of carrying virtually all of the nests inside of them. This fleet met a task force of the Galactic Alliance Fifth Fleet at the Murgo Choke, where several of the nest ships escaped into the galaxy proper—unfortunately for the Dark Nest, the hyperdrive of their ship was damaged by Mara's Jedi shadow bomb and unable to leave.

The Dark Nest stole the Victory-class Star Destroyer Admiral Ackbar and Lomi Plo nearly killed Luke in a battle with the nest which would lead to the Swarm War in 36 ABY.

Although it was trapped in the Nebula during the war, the Dark Nest continued manipulating the Colony, directing them to stage coups on the homeworlds of most of the Galactic Alliance's insectoid species. Most of these attempts were foiled by the Jedi, although the Killiks were able to take over Thyferra, cutting off the galaxy's supply of bacta.

The Jedi then went after the Dark Nest hive ship within the Nebula. Although they were successful in destroying the ship, some Jedi were lost, and Lomi Plo escaped after wounding Mara and Jacen Solo.

The Dark Nest's influence was finally ended after the death of Lomi Plo and the supposed death of Alema Rar during the Battle of Tenupe. With the Dark Nest destroyed, Lumiya's Sith became the last surviving remnant of the Order of the Sith Lords in 36 ABY.

During the Second Galactic Civil War it was discovered that the Gorog survived on in the Twi'lek Dark Jedi Alema Rar.

DISTINCTION: The Dark Nest's soldiers were bluish in color and they fought by finding a way to pierce the skin, then spit out a highly acidic brownish poison.

Horoh - was a Killik hive.

Iesei - was a Killik hive living on a desert planet that came under Chiss attack during the Swarm War.

Jooj - was a Killik hive. They were less than an inch long, and would create swarms of millions. During the Swarm War, they were used as a weapon by the Killiks, having them crawl under enemy armor and kill enemy soldiers via blood sucking. They were a greenish-brown color.

Kolosolok - was a Killik hive. They were approximately fifty meters long by ten meters tall, and could take massive amounts of damage. During the Swarm War, they were used as armored ground vehicles by the Killiks and were used to break through the Chiss' defensive fortifications during the last stages of the Battle of Tenupe.

Lizil - was the name of the Killik nest that Han Solo and Luke Skywalker first encountered, and where the two met Jae Juun and Tarfang. Later, Han and Leia Organa Solo encountered the Squibs Grees, Sligh, and Emala selling weapons to the Lizil.

Mollom - was a Killik hive. They were adept at digging and had a white chitin. During the Swarm War they were used to tunnel under enemy positions, and to dig out boulders to be used as ammunition for Killik artillery.

Mueum - was a Killik hive. Not much is known about them. It was dartships from this hive that severely damaged a Chiss Ascendancy Star Destroyer in the space around Qoribu.

Castle Lands - was the location for the Killik mounds of Alderaan built 35,000 BBY. The Celestials removed the Killiks from Oroboro 30,000 BBY, before Alderaan was colonized by Humans. Oroboro was an area of inspiration and meditation for many Alderaanian artists and philosophers.

Like the rest of Alderaan, it was destroyed by the Death Star's superlaser. However, the Killiks built many mounds similar to these off world after their exile into the Unknown Regions.

Qeeq - was a Killik hive. They were about the size of a Human fist, and were used as airborne fighters during the Swarm War.

Rekker - was a Killik hive. The denizens of the hive were 3 meters tall, extremely energetic and had hard natural armor. They were capable of jumping long distances to strike at their targets. As such, they were used to batter enemy fortifications and soldiers by the Killik during the Swarm War.

Saras - was the name of the Killik hive which originally settled on the planet Ruu and who, with their joiners, settled on the planet Woteba in the Utegetu Nebula after the Qoribu Truce. The Saras were a very artistic colony, building replicas of the X-Wing Luke Skywalker flew at the Battle of Yavin, as well as the Millennium Falcon, though the Dark Nest's influence had the Saras unconsciously insert tiny Gorog into the replicas.

Sotatos - was a Killik hive. Its members were approximately a meter tall.

Taat - was the name of the Killik nest that most of the Myrkr strike team became Joiners in. They were also known for their stoic nature, which was very easy for Jedi to sense through the force. In addition, they were one of the nests trapped in the Utegetu Nebula during the Swarm War.

Togot - was a Killik hive. Not much is known about them.

Unu - was the lead nest of all of the Killik nests. It was headed by a group of joint Killiks/Joiners from each nest that were in turn led by Raynar Thul (UnuThul). This nest was known as the conscience of all the other nests, but in reality, the Unu was controlled by the Gorog, or the Dark Nest. Some also served as UnuThul's bodyguards, but they were killed when Luke Skywalker confronted Raynar and Lomi Plo above Tenupe.

Wuluw - was a Killik hive. They had an enhanced use of Joining that allowed for them to communicate over longer distances than normal Killiks could. During the Swarm War, they were used as organic battlefield communicators, similar to Yuuzhan Vong villips and yammosks. They had bulging yellow eyes and a thin brown chitin, but were considerably more fragile than other Killiks. Many Wuluw died in the Battle of Tenupe serving as Jaina Solo's communications relay. She commented that the Wuluw would earn their own verse in the Song of the Universe for their bravery at that battle.

Yoggoy Hive - was a Killik hive on the planet Yoggoy. In 27 ABY, the Tachyon Flier crash-landed on Yoggoy, with Raynar Thul, Lomi Plo, and Welk onboard. The Yoggoy absorbed Raynar, and became the first hive of the Colony.

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SOCIETY:
Alderaanian culture valued education, the performing and fine arts, and peaceful resolutions to conflicts. They placed high value in their participation in the Galactic Senate—and later, its Imperial equivalent. The Alderaanians constantly sought a harmonious existence with their surroundings, evident in their integration of their society into the natural terrain of Alderaan. Alderaanians were known for love of philosophy.

An average Alderaanian was very educated and cultured. Poets and artists thrived on Alderaan. The beauty moved the pens of poets, while the vast grasslands served as a canvas for grass paintings. Alderaan was also famous for its cuisine. The large variety of spices and herbs allowed chefs to experiment and create some of the finest dishes in the galaxy. Steamed Alderaanian spiced wine was a favored beverage among many.

Some of Alderaan's major exports included wine, art, and luxury goods.

GOVERNMENT:
Although a democratic society, Alderaan was headed by a hereditary constitutional monarchy, with the Royal House of Organa presiding over the High Court and legislative High Council of Alderaan. Its monarchs have variously borne the titles "Prince," "First Chairman," "Queen," and "Viceroy." Traditionally, the heir of the Alderaan throne also serves in the High Council of Alderaan and a term as Senator of Alderaan. A vizier helped the monarch rule.

Alderaan's government deliberately halted itself from so much as questioning spacecraft leaving or arriving on the planet.

Several decades before the Clone Wars, a political conflict between the high houses of Alderaan arose. This conflict, known as the Alderaan Ascendancy Contention, was the result of the inability of the great families (among them the House of Organa and the House of Antilles) to choose the next Viceroy of Alderaan. Three separate votes yielded no winner, and so the Alderaanians asked for Jedi mediation to resolve the contention. The Jedi, including Jorus C'baoth, considered the intricacies of the situation, and decided that House Organa bore the rightful claim to the throne.

Bail Organa was the leader of Alderaan and was on the planet when it was destroyed, while his heir and (secretly-adopted) daughter Princess Leia served as Senator of Alderaan in the Imperial Senate.

KNOWN QUEENS OF ALDERAAN:
Queen Mazicia Organa (pre 22 BBY - ? BBY), Queen Breha Organa (pre or after 22 BBY–0 BBY)

Note: After the Destruction of Alderaan in 0 BBY, no queen took the title officially, although Leia Organa Solo had claim to the title.

KNOWN FIRST CHAIRPERSONS AND/OR VICEROYS OF ALDERAAN:
Senator Bail Organa

KNOWN SENATORS OF ALDERAAN:
Senator Ravein (unknown BBY) , Senator Agrippa Aldrete (pre-33 BBY), Senator Bail Antilles (—32 BBY), Senator Bail Organa (32 BBY–1 BBY), Senator Leia Organa (1 BBY–0 BBY), Senator Leia Organa (5 ABY–11 ABY), Senator Cal Omas (—28 ABY)

PRE-REPUBLIC:
In 1,000,000 BBY the native Killiks evolved from the most intelligent Nonsentient species on the planet. The indigenous Killiks built the Castle Lands of Oroboro circa 35,000 BBY.

At some point, the Killiks colonized nearby Alsakan. They were taken away from Alderaan 30,000 BBY by the Celestials after consuming all of Alderaan's natural resources, and long believed extinct by Humanity until re-encountered in the Unknown Regions. Human colonists came to the planet from Coruscant, via the Herglic Trade Empire, in 27,500 BBY and built a peaceful civilization in harmony with nature.

OLD REPUBLIC:
Alderaan was a Core Founder of the Galactic Republic in 25,053 BBY and one of the anchor-points for early hyperspace exploration. Alderaan was headquarters of Alderaan Royal Engineers, an early Republic shipwright. Alderaanian colonists settled Nim Drovis. During the Mandalorian Wars, the planet was threatened with invasion by the forces of Cassus Fett, but the entire invasion force was prematurely decimated, due to misuse of an ancient Sith artifact.

During the peak of the Great Galactic War, the planet's peace and tranquility was shattered by a full-scale Sith Empire. The Sith quickly overwhelmed the local defense forces and took the entire royal family hostage. In response, a Republic and Jedi taskforce launched a swift counter-offensive against the Sith; recapturing the planet and inflicting a heavy defeat on the Sith.

As a consequence of the Sith invasion, the Alderaanian leadership adopted a hardline militarist stance towards the Sith Empire in the Galactic Senate. In 3,653 BBY, the Treaty of Coruscant ended the centuries-long conflict in favor of the Sith Empire—which had earlier launched a devastating attack on the galactic capital Coruscant. In protest, the Alderaanian crown prince walked out of the Senate and withdrew Alderaan from the Republic.

The crown prince's actions created much division in Alderaan. While many supported his actions, others were outraged by this secession from the Republic. The crisis worsened with the assassination of the prince and the death of his consort a few days later. The Alderaanian Parliament was quickly torn apart by infighting between rival houses. A bloody civil war quickly ensued when one of these houses attempted a military coup.

In the subsequent Interstellar Cold War between the Republic and the Sith, the planet was the site of a number of border skirmishes and proxy battles between Republic and Sith forces. The Republic backed House Organa while the Sith backed a lesser royal house which sought to reclaim the throne. While neither side had military forces on Alderaan, the civil war on Alderaan helped sparked a return to full-scale conflict between the two superpowers.

At some point after the conflict, Alderaan presumably rejoined the Republic. In 27 BBY, it was personally protected by Jedi Master Eeth Koth during the Ashaar Khorda crisis.

CLONE WARS:
As a whole, Alderaan strongly opposed the Military Creation Act, they had their own Alderaan Security Detail, but remained loyal to the Republic during the Clone Wars. Alderaan allowed Refugee Relief Movement settlement by displaced exiles from Ando and other Separatist worlds who wished to remain Republic citizens. Due to its assistance of these exiles, Alderaan was attacked personally (nearly "being destroyed") by General Grievous.

With the rise of the New Order, Queen Breha Organa and Viceroy Bail Organa adopted Leia Amidala Skywalker. The Galactic Empire violently terminated the Jedi Praxeum on the planet, though a few students escaped. Shortly afterwards, Jedi Knight Ylenic It'kla led a remnant of the Caamasi people to settle on Alderaan after Palpatine desolated Caamas. Ylenic served as Trustant of the Caamasi Remnant and adviser to the Organas.

GALACTIC CIVIL WAR:
Immediately after the formation of the Galactic Empire, Alderaan was wracked by anti-Imperial protests, mainly from alien refugees who were now forced to pay an exorbitant tax to return home. Alderaan eventually became a safe haven for rebellious elements who wished to fight the growing oppression of the Empire, which helped bring on the planet's very downfall.

When Bail Organa, Garm Bel Iblis, and Mon Mothma formally created the Rebel Alliance, many Alderaanians volunteered their resources and lives, despite the still fresh memories of the Clone Wars. Many of the early warriors of the Alliance, and subsequently, many of its leaders and officers, were Alderaanian.

After the horrors of the Clone Wars, Alderaan's frigates and light cruisers were dismantled and the world's weapons were placed aboard the armory warship Another Chance. The ship was programmed to continually jump though hyperspace until called home by the High Council. They would not have the opportunity.

DESTRUCTION OF ALDERAAN:
Alderaan was the first strategic target of the first Death Star. In a demonstration of its power to Princess Leia, Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin ordered the destruction of her home. While she claimed the planet was weaponless, it is said it had some of the strongest defenses in the Empire.

When Death Star gunner Tenn Graneet threw the switch to initiate primary ignition, power was channeled from the hypermatter reactor through the superlaser, coming out at super luminal velocity. The beam pushed a large part of Alderaan's mass into hyperspace, causing the planet to explode.

The deaths of the billions of sentient people caused a massive disturbance in the Force. Obi-Wan Kenobi felt the disturbance while en route to the Alderaan system, and told Luke Skywalker that it felt "like a great many voices cried out in terror before being suddenly silenced." On the Death Star, Force-sensitive stormtrooper Nova Stihl passed out from the shock of sensing all the deaths on Alderaan, and Princess Leia also felt the disturbance in the Force, although she was unaware of her sensitivity at the time.

The plan drastically backfired, driving thousands of beings to the Alliance cause, even in the Core Worlds and sending many planets in the Mid Rim into open rebellion. A number of Alderaanians serving in the Imperial military defected to the Rebel Alliance after learning of their homeworld's destruction – among the defectors was the TIE fighter pilot Tycho Celchu. The Imperials attempted to pin the blame for Alderaan's destruction on the Rebels, keeping a small number of people loyal to the Empire; however, it convinced few.

POST-DESTRUCTION:
The remains of Alderaan became known as the Graveyard, and many Alderaanians who were off-planet when Alderaan was destroyed performed a private ceremony called the Returning, and would shoot capsules filled with gifts for their friends and family. Some Alderaanian Exiles who called themselves the Guardians, took to patrolling the Graveyard to prevent pirates from stealing the capsules. These Alderaanians were held in rather high regard among the exiles. Han Solo and his crew of the Millennium Falcon, were among the first to visit this Graveyard.

In the months after the destruction of Alderaan, Imperial agents often lay in wait for ships performing a Returning ritual. They boarded the ships and arrested the passengers and crew. The Rebel Alliance considered quarantining the Graveyard, as these Imperial actions were too risky for the Alliance.

In 0 ABY one group of Alderaanians formed a colony on Ejolus, but it was wiped out by the Empire only eight months after their homeworld's destruction. However, shortly after the Ejolus colony was wiped out, the remaining refugees were taken in by the Alderaan Alliance, who gave them residence on New Alderaan, which was discovered by the Rebel Alliance.