The Force Awakens hits Alderaan's legacy again

The First Order destroyed Hosnian Prime in The Force Awakens, as well as the last few monuments to Alderaan and its people.

Early in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Starkiller Base destroyed Hosnian Prime, which in turn destroyed some of Alderaan's last monuments. The First Order followed in the footsteps of its predecessors by creating another planet-destroying base (although the first two failed). Still, a single blast from Starkiller Base made the Planetary Destroyer more successful than the Empire's two Death Stars combined. The first Death Star only managed to destroy Alderaan before the Rebels destroyed it, while the second Death Star didn't have a chance to destroy any planets. However, Starkiller Base was able to destroy five entire planets in the Hosnian system - including Hosnian Prime.

The Obi-Wan Kenobi series shows the beauty of Alderaan and makes Alderaan's destruction worse. In addition to the Death Star destroying the beautiful landscape, about 2 billion people lost their lives. This number completely pales in comparison to the death toll on Hosnian Prime and its surrounding galaxies - which is roughly 100 times the number of people alive on Alderaan. Hosnian Prime - the capital of the New Republic - has a monument to Alderaan and some of those who perished in its destruction. hundreds of thousands of people These monuments were given to the fallen of Alderaan, not even realizing that they were about to suffer the same fate.

Hosnian Prime's Destruction Signified The Empire's Return

The destruction of Hosnian Prime brought Alderaan's tragic fate in Star Wars back on the minds of everyone in the galaxy. Star Wars Propaganda: Pablo Hidalgo's Art History of Galactic Persuasion reveals that Senate Square actually has a statue dedicated to Bail Organa. Created by a Bith artist named Janyor, the statue is probably one of the last memorials to Bail in the galaxy, aside from what remains of Earth itself. The First Order not only wiped out Hosnian Prime and the New Republic in one blow, but also erased the last few memories of Alderaan.

Although their methods of annihilation are similar, there are also significant differences when comparing how the Empire and the First Order destroy their enemies. The destruction of Alderaan was Palpatine's fault for underestimating the galaxy's reaction. In his hasty statement of power, he reveals his superweapon prematurely, causing it to be destroyed. The First Order, on the other hand, cuts to the chase by eliminating the capital The New Republic, from the very beginning, effectively suppressed their enemies.

Hosnian Prime's Destruction Was A Subtle Attack At Leia Organa

As a Senator for the New Republic and having served on Hosnian Prime, Leia undoubtedly knew the laws dedicated to her adoptive father and her homeland. When the First Order destroyed Hosnian Prime, she must have realized with sadness that she was one of the few who remembered Bail Organa and Alderaan. By destroying the Hosnian Prime, Star Wars ameliorates the tragedy of Alderaan by reminding one of the darkest moments of Leia's life. While there were plenty of callbacks to A New Hope in The Force Awakens, the destruction of the New Republic was by far the most chilling.