It is claimed that Alderaan was in the process of rearming and had ordered warships and the EU novel 'Slave Ship' is cited. I actually have that novel and here is the relevant passage, it is from the PoV of the CEO of KDY known simply as Kuat:
So it was the Empire that was ordering warships, not Alderaan. The fact that the ships and stations used components that could be recycled and used on warships only means that KDY--like most manufacturers--uses generic components to cut costs whenever possible.The Emperor had already shown his disregard for maintaining the galaxy's customer base, by sanctioning the late Governor Tarkin's destruction of the planet Alderaan with the massive firepower of the original Death Star. That had personally rankled Kuat; there had been an outstanding contract with the local government on Alderaan for a utility fleet of perimeter observation scouts and orbital customs stations, all to be furnished at a considerable profit by Kuat Drive Yards. The units had just been about ready to leave the KDY construction docks and head off in a delivery flotilla to Alderaan when the word of their destination being reduced to a few charred ashes drifting in navigable space had reached Kuat of Kuat. A near-total write-down for the corporation, salvageable only in part by breaking up the undelivered vessels and recycling some of their components into the next order for Imperial battle cruisers.
- PeZook
).
