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Always wondered about this and maybe something in the EU "explains".

Tarkin destroys Alderaan which is a very relevant system.

Alderaan was not in open revolt, it was not under Imperial blockade or anything else. Yet Tarkin has no problem destroying it as an example. So his intent is not to play it off as a rebel terrorist attach or some extreme natural disaster.

So did the Empire literally announce that a Grand Moff destroyed an innocent planet, killing billions, just to remind planets that "might" revolt that they do so at extreme risk?

They probably exaggerated the scale of the Alderanian revolt, threw in a bunch of made up atrocities Alderran committed, and said that they had no choice or something like that.

Unless the Empire's population (or at least the population of the major core worlds) was so indoctrinated that they'd just accept that Alderan needed to be destroyed because Palpatine said so.

And of course, people might see blowing up the world as preferable to a repeat of the long, bloody Outer Rim Sieges of The Clone Wars, if those were bad enough/costly enough.

I dunno how it is in current EU but in Legendaries Alderaan was known to oppose imperial policies so while Alderaan's involvement with the Rebel Alliance might have not been publically known it was known to oppose imperial policies and the key to the Tarkin Doctrine was not "rebel and we kill you!" but rather "obey us without question or we will kill you!"

that said again it's implied if not outright stated that with the defeat of the Death Star the Tarkin Doctrine blew in the empire's face with alot of systems joining the Rebellion officially due to Alderaan's destruction.

Not surprising. The Empire made a threat (in the form of an act of mass murder) to keep everyone in line, then almost immediately lost the ability to follow through on that threat, leaving them with what amounted to a bluff.

I can't recall exactly but in one of the X-Wing books Tycho Celchu remembers (or maybe explains) that he was talking on the holocomm with his family back on Alderaan when it was destroyed. The connection cut out and Tycho thought that was all it was and planned to tease his dad about it later (as his father ran a holonet company). A week later he hears that Alderaan was destroyed by the Rebels. He doesn't believe it and defects.

So, yeah, given that (in the x wing novels at least) the official Imperial line about Endor was that the Rebels seized a Planetary Ore Extractor and threatened to turn it on inhabited worlds and the Emperor sacrificed himself to destroy it, I can easily see the Empire claiming (the the general populace at least) that it was a Rebel attack that destroyed Alderaan.

I always assumed they sold it to the general public by playing up the truth. Alderaan supported the Rebellion, Alderaan's leadership were key members of the Rebels (they were), Alderaan supplied the Rebels with supplies and arms (the Rebel Uniform were supplied by Alderaan), Alderaan leaders and soldiers murdered Imperial soldiers, Alderaan assisted in the theft of Imperial state secrets, and Alderaan leaders attempted to use political privileges to hide those secrets and attempt to deliver them in the hands of the Rebellion.

Play those up and make it seem like the entire planet was one big Rebel training camp. It would easily help get the general public in the core worlds who probably have never seen the Empire as anything but good (probably most Imperial atrocities were committed in the outer rim and I doubt they even committed that many, the Empire was evil but not stupid and wouldn't do evil for evils sake shit like sucking up all the water of a world or Tarkin landing VicStars on protesters) to accept the destruction of Alderaan as something that had to happen.

With the Empire's iron grip on the holonet it was probably only after Endor went down that most people actually got the truth of what happened.

Eternal_Freedom wrote:I can't recall exactly but in one of the X-Wing books Tycho Celchu remembers (or maybe explains) that he was talking on the holocomm with his family back on Alderaan when it was destroyed. The connection cut out and Tycho thought that was all it was and planned to tease his dad about it later (as his father ran a holonet company). A week later he hears that Alderaan was destroyed by the Rebels. He doesn't believe it and defects.

So, yeah, given that (in the x wing novels at least) the official Imperial line about Endor was that the Rebels seized a Planetary Ore Extractor and threatened to turn it on inhabited worlds and the Emperor sacrificed himself to destroy it, I can easily see the Empire claiming (the the general populace at least) that it was a Rebel attack that destroyed Alderaan.

That flies in the face of what the movie indicates. Tarkin directly stated that it would be fear that would keep the local systems in line. In that context, why would the Empire not announce the destruction of Alderaan as justified to defeat the Rebellion? The only reason the above story would fit is if Alderaan were not announced as destroyed before the Death Star was. And that would not make as much sense given that Tarkin would have presumably wanted to get the story out about his new toy immediately.

Joun_Lord wrote:With the Empire's iron grip on the holonet it was probably only after Endor went down that most people actually got the truth of what happened.

This does seem indicated from the trailer I saw for the new mobile game Uprising. It features a Rebel operative delivering messages to various individuals throughout a star system explaining that the Empire lost at Endor and that the Emperor was dead.

That's why I said it's sold to the general populace as a Rebel attack. The planetary governors could, quietly, be told the truth. Given the Empire's rather top-down style, it would (IMO) be reasonable for them to convince the unwashed masses it was the evil Rebel boogeyman, while telling those that are actually important that they can't try to sit on the fence anymore. Stand with the EMpire or join the Rebels...and you know what happens to Rebel worlds now.

I always liked the idea that the Empire was open with what happened to Alderaan, they would likely have broken the news whilst the Death Star was still around and would have been open that this is the fate of traitors... although they would have likely exagerated the extent to which Alderaan was active in rebel activity. The entire purpose of Tarkin destroying a major would afterall was to send a message.

Then the Death Star explodes and the principle of the Tarkin Doctrine starts the major defections/civil war that leads to the Rebels having such a large fleet for Endor.

Considering the whole point of destroying Alderaan (versus Dantooine) was to provide a demonstration for all to see, I have no problem imagining that its destruction was broadcast live on the holonet for the whole galaxy to see. Remember, at this time the Death Star was the Empire's insurance that they would be able to do things that would have previously been unthinkable and get away with it (e.g. disbanding the Senate).

I suspect what happened is that the Empire did an initial wave of broadcasts after the destruction of Alderaan. But within no more than a week or so the Death Star is destroyed, and the Imperials then go and frantically retcon their own propaganda as best they can, playing up the extent of Alderaan's treachery, implying that they were a Rebel fortress and a threat.

Are there any comparable (on our scale) historical incidents that have been reported and then swiftly covered up? I'm thinking Soviets, perhaps Chernobyl? A little different though because that was an industrial accident rather than destroying a city or something like that. Perhaps Nazi atrocities would be a better comparison-- how were those typically reported by the internal media? "We have destroyed a nest of terrorists" or some such?

I don't think there's anything comparable. Alderaan was described in the novelization as one of the foremost inner systems and Tarkin clearly wanted it to be an "effective demonstration" so I think it would be more akin to nuking a major US or European city.

Galvatron wrote:I don't think there's anything comparable. Alderaan was described in the novelization as one of the foremost inner systems and Tarkin clearly wanted it to be an "effective demonstration" so I think it would be more akin to nuking a major US or European city.

yeah the way Alderaan has described in SW media it would akin to a US president nuking LA or NYC.

That's true; there's certainly no direct comparison. It's something that even the most hardened Terran dictators would have shied away from, Warsaw ghettos notwithstanding. Just illustrates how much of a big deal the destruction of Alderaan was, I suppose.

There's a difference between "covering up" the destruction of Alderaan and trying to spin it by exaggerating certain aspects of Alderaan's recent action and making them sound like a justification for the Empire blowing up the planet and broadcasting to the galaxy "this is the fate of rebels! [boom]"

Simon_Jester wrote:There's a difference between "covering up" the destruction of Alderaan and trying to spin it by exaggerating certain aspects of Alderaan's recent action and making them sound like a justification for the Empire blowing up the planet and broadcasting to the galaxy "this is the fate of rebels! [boom]"

I wouldn't be surpriced that at first the Empire was "opposed us in any way and this will happen!" (a lesser version is use by actual real life dictators) and Alderaan status as major player in the Rebel Alliance wasn't as important as the fact that they weren't lockstep behind Palpatine's plans but when the Death Star was destroyed and the fallout of that event happend Empire tried to do damage control by playing up or emphasising the role Alderaan had played in the Rebel Alliance.

I remember in the EU they first tried to claim it was a natural disaster; than when that was a bust they tried to claim bail organa was nmaking bioweapons

Simon_Jester wrote:There's a difference between "covering up" the destruction of Alderaan and trying to spin it by exaggerating certain aspects of Alderaan's recent action and making them sound like a justification for the Empire blowing up the planet and broadcasting to the galaxy "this is the fate of rebels! [boom]"

But while the Death Star was still operational, why spin it at all? They certainly didn't expect to lose it 24 hours later.

I expect they made some declaration like "Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan has been found guilty of treason against the Empire. She and her entire homeworld have therefore been sentenced to death."

It's a little hard to backtrack from something like that.

Galvatron wrote:

Simon_Jester wrote:There's a difference between "covering up" the destruction of Alderaan and trying to spin it by exaggerating certain aspects of Alderaan's recent action and making them sound like a justification for the Empire blowing up the planet and broadcasting to the galaxy "this is the fate of rebels! [boom]"

But while the Death Star was still operational, why spin it at all? They certainly didn't expect to lose it 24 hours later.

I expect they made some declaration like "Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan has been found guilty of treason against the Empire. She and her entire homeworld have therefore been sentenced to death."

It's a little hard to backtrack from something like that.

Hmm.

"Imperial Justice was exacted today on the rebellious planet of Alderaan..."

(a few hours later)
"Princess Organa, being held in custody for a public execution after witnessing our punitive strength as we performed our duty upon her planet, was rescued by Rebel traitors who murdered many loyal stormtroopers and fighter pilots before making a swift getaway in an illegally modified light freighter"

(a few days later)
"The Rebel saboteurs who rescued the traitor Organa concealed explosive devices about the Imperial battle-station, which were triggered in order to save their cowardly leadership from sure execution by our glorious troops. We mourn the deaths of loyal Imperials, and vow that the Empire shall exact revenge for each stormtrooper, soldier and pilot killed by these inhuman Rebels".

It's all in how you word things. Leave a little wiggle room in your propaganda, so that 'Rebel traitors' quietly becomes 'Rebel saboteurs'.

There are conflicting stories about how the destruction of DSI was handled in Imperial propaganda. We have the X-Wing novel version that it's an 'Imperial Planetary Ore Extractor'; there are a few other stories.

Galvatron wrote:But while the Death Star was still operational, why spin it at all? They certainly didn't expect to lose it 24 hours later.

I expect they made some declaration like "Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan has been found guilty of treason against the Empire. She and her entire homeworld have therefore been sentenced to death."

It's a little hard to backtrack from something like that.

Alternatively they may have made a declaration such as "Alderaan has been found guilty of treason against the Empire and supporting terrorism. Thus always to rogues!"

Elheru Aran wrote: There are conflicting stories about how the destruction of DSI was handled in Imperial propaganda. We have the X-Wing novel version that it's an 'Imperial Planetary Ore Extractor'; there are a few other stories.

Jut to nitpick, bu the Planetary OreExtractor spin was for the DSII, not the DSI.